Salty

"Ahoy mateys! Salty, pride of the seven seas. I'm a new diesel, and I'm here to give you some help."

- Salty, "Salty's Secret", sixth season

    Salty the Dockyard Diesel  Salty is a crimson dockyard diesel who works at Brendam.
 * Number: 2991
 * Designer: Ruston and Hornby
 * Builder: Ruston and Hornby
 * Configuration: 0-6-0

Bio
Salty worked on an unnamed coastal railway for many years, where he acquired his vast collection of stories and songs, before coming to Sodor to work at the Centre Island Quarry with Mavis, Bill and Ben. Salty was upset, being used to working near the sea, but he soon won the trucks over with his tales and sea shanties, and as a reward for his hard work was sent to work at Brendam Docks.

Salty has shared many stories with his fellow engines that have often come into play later on. He told Percy that the carpet he was delivering might be magic, and odd happenings convinced Percy and Gordon that it was. He also told a story about a treasure on Sodor, and Thomas followed all of Salty's clues and eventually found the treasure, just as the new Maritime Museum opened.

Persona
Salty is easy-going, friendly and very practical. He also enjoys telling stories revolving around the sea and fantasy. His seafaring ways and accent are sometimes ridiculed by the other engines, but his usefulness almost always helps the others overlook that.

Basis
Salty is based on a BR Class 07. The number he has is a real number belonging to a member of the Class 07; said locomotive is at the preserved Kent and East Sussex Railway. This class of locomotives worked at Southampton docks, where they replaced the older Southern Railway USA Tanks, Rosie's cousins, who had in turn replaced the LB&SCR E2s, Thomas' cousins.

Livery
Salty is painted crimson with pink warning stripes along his body, wasp stripes on his front and rear and yellow buffer beams with signs of rust. At the top of his forehead, he has the rim of a skipper's hat.

Appearances
Salty was introduced in the sixth season episode "Salty's Secret" and has appeared in every season since. He also made a cameo in "Calling All Engines" and appeared "The Great Discovery" with no lines. Salty will most likely to appear in season 13, as his voice can be heard on the Thomas and Friends UK website.

Merchandising

 * ERTL (discontinued)
 * Learning Curve Wooden
 * TOMY/Trackmaster
 * "My First Thomas" (talking)
 * Bachmann (coming 2009)
 * "My Thomas Story Library"