Fred

"He had hoped for Fred, the other diesel, to pull the train today. But Fred was ill... "So he says!" muttered Rusty darkly to himself."

- Speedkiller, New Little Engine Fred is a narrow gauge diesel engine who works on the Skarloey Railway.

Bio
In the 1980s, the Skarloey Railway bought two worn out Hunslet Diesels from the National Coal Board and using parts from both engines, constructed one good engine; Fred. He was put into service in 1989 as a secondary diesel and is used exclusively for maintenance and engineering work.

Once a year, Rusty and Fred have to pull a slow train that spreads weedkillers on the tracks. One holiday weekend, Fred was supposed to pull the weedkilling train, but fell ill, forcing Rusty to do the job instead. For unknown reasons, he did not attend Ivo Hugh's naming party.

Personality
Very little is known about Fred. It is assumed he is lazy and tries to stay out of work by pretending to be ill, but it is possible that he legitimately does fall ill often. Rusty once had to pay the price in New Little Engine.

Basis
Fred is based on the Talyllyn Railway's "Alf", an 0-4-0 diesel engine with a maximum speed of 9mph. Like Fred, Alf was built out of parts from another diesel engine, the spare engine being stored at Brynglas.

Appearances
Railway Series=


 * New Little Engine - Speedkiller


 * 2005 - Sodor: Reading Between the Lines
 * 2007 - Thomas the Tank Engine: The New Collection

Trivia

 * It is probable that Fred, like Alf, was named after Lord Alfred Robens, a politician and Chairman of the National Coal Board between 1961 and 1971.