Minor Locomotive Characters

This page is for minor locomotive characters who have appeared in the Railway Series and Thomas & Friends.

=Percy's Ghost Engine=

"...and every year on the date of the accident it runs again, as a warning to others, plunging into the gap, shrieking like a lost soul!"

- Percy, Ghost Train, Tramway Engines

This Ghost Engine was mentioned in a story Percy told to Thomas and Toby, which his driver told him the night before. However, Thomas refused to believe him and Percy's driver confirmed to him that the ghost was on television. Percy could not help but feel disappointed.

When Percy crashed into a cart of lime, a signalman remarked that Percy looked like a ghost. This gave Percy an idea to scare Thomas. With the help of Toby, they convince Thomas that Percy had crashed and returned as a ghost, thus scaring Thomas out of the shed. Later, Toby jokingly told Percy that Thomas had seen a ghost.

Appearances
Railway Series= The Railway Series
 * Tramway Engines - Ghost Train and Woolly Bear

Companion Volumes Television Series= Thomas & Friends
 * 1996 - Thomas the Tank Engine: The Complete Collection
 * 2007 - Thomas the Tank Engine: The New Collection
 * Season 2 - Ghost Train
 * Season 3 - Thomas, Percy and the Dragon

Music Videos
Other Media= Books
 * Boo! Boo! Choo-Choo
 * 1994 - Thomas, Percy and the Dragon

Magazine Stories
 * 1988 - Ghost Train (mentioned) and Percy's Night Out
 * 1998 - Runaway Percy! (mentioned) and Thomas, Percy and the Dragon!

Trivia

 * The Ghost Engine was made using Percy's model covered in white streamers and used Edward's whistle sound.
 * In the UK narration of the episode, Percy's driver says the ghost was a pretend one on television. However, in both US narrations, he simply states that it was only a pretend ghost story.

=Earnest=

Earnest is a broad gauge tender engine who appeared in a portrait in in Topham Hall and the Ffarquhar Stationmaster's house

Basis
Earnest has no specific basis, and appears to be a freelance design. However, he does strongly resemble a Great Western Railway Star Class, the 2-2-2 broad gauge steam locomotive. A non-working replica of a GWR Star Class named North Star was constructed for the 1923 Cavalcade, and is now housed at Swindon Steam Railway Museum.

Livery
Earnest is painted light brown with a green tender, brass fittings, and gold lining.

Appearances
Thomas & Friends= Thomas & Friends Other Media= Books
 * Season 1 - Thomas in Trouble (portrait cameo)
 * Season 2 - Thomas Comes to Breakfast (portrait cameo)
 * 1984 - Toby and the Stout Gentleman and Thomas in Trouble (portrait cameo)
 * 1990 - Thomas in Trouble (portrait cameo)
 * 1991 - Thomas Comes to Breakfast (portrait cameo)

Trivia

 * According to a SiF interview, the portrait of Earnest was illustrated by Robert Gauld-Galliers, and was described to be a "made-up character" in the Victorian era to match the various other human portraits featured throughout the series. The portrait was roughly 80 x 60 mm.
 * In 2017, Robert Gauld-Galliers confirmed that at the time of production Earnest was not named, and suggested he be named 'Earnest'.
 * Earnest is the first engine to have a moustache.

=Rusty's Ghost Engine=

Rusty's Ghost Engine was a narrow gauge tank engine who supposedly worked on the Skarloey Railway.

Biography
According to the story told by Rusty, the engine was returning home one misty night when he lost control and fell into a ravine. No one was ever able to find him, but several workmen claim to have seen his ghost trying repeatedly to cross the ravine, only to disappear half way every time.

Rusty told Duncan his story after he teased Peter Sam for allowing his trucks to derail and fall into the ravine. Duncan disbelieved the story, but the next day Duncan's crew arranged things so that Duncan believed the engine was trying to cross the bridge at the same time as him, and quickly ran back. The crew used fireflies to help form the ghostly appearance of an engine, resembling Rheneas.

In the magazine story, Creepy Cutting!, "The Ghost Engine", presumably the same one, was mentioned by Skarloey who suspected that he was haunting Echo Pass.

Basis
The Ghost Engine is based on the Talyllyn Railway's "Talyllyn", a Fletcher Jennings Class C 0-4-2 tank locomotive Skarloey is also based on. The engine formed by the fireflies resembles Dolgoch, Rheneas and Smudger's basis.

Appearances
Thomas & Friends= Thomas & Friends Music Videos Other Media= Magazine stories
 * Season 5 - Duncan Gets Spooked
 * Boo! Boo! Choo-Choo
 * 2000 - Creepy Cutting!
 * 2005 - Mine Mystery

Trivia

 * The Ghost Engine was made using Skarloey's model and Percy's whistle sound. According to Models on TV, an online magazine, the model used was specially modified so that it could only travel a certain distance before a motor swung it off of the bridge.

=The Halloween Engine=

The Halloween Engine is a ghostly tender engine who appeared in the eighth season episode, Halloween. It was briefly seen at the Smelter's Yard.

Trivia

 * The Halloween Engine was made using one of Gordon's scrap models, Murdoch's cylinders and one of the old tenders pulled by Henry in Tender Engines with an added tail-lamp.
 * The Halloween Engine is the first engine introduced in the New Series.

=Lexi's Friend=

"We know a guy who was built to run on logs!"

- Lexi

According to Lexi, she knew of a locomotive who was built with log wheels.

Appearances
Thomas & Friends= Thomas & Friends Films
 * 2017 - Journey Beyond Sodor

Music Videos
 * We Can't Do Anything

=References=