Arthur

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This article is about the tank engine. You may be looking for the Story Library Book.

Arthur
Background Information
First appearance	Bill, Ben and Fergus (2003)
Last appearance	Steady Eddie (2008)
Creator(s)	Luke Sharp Phil Fehrle Paul Larson Robert Gauld-Galliers
Character Overview
Name	Arthur
Title	Arthur the Big Tank Engine
Gender	Male
Country	Island of Sodor England (formerly)
Residence	Knapford Sheds
Technical Details
Basis	LMS Ivatt Class 2MT Tank
Gauge	4'8½" (1,435 mm; standard gauge)
Power type	Steam
Vehicle	Locomotive
Type	Tank engine
Fuel type	Coal
Configuration	2-6-2T
Wheels	10
Top speed	75 mph (121 kph)
Designer(s)	H. George Ivatt
Railway	North Western Railway London, Midland & Scottish Railway (formerly)

“This is Arthur. He's here to shunt trucks and pull freight."
"Nice to meet you."
"And he's got a spotless record."
"Er, what's a spotless record?"
"It means he's never been naughty or made a mess.”

― The Fat Controller, Arthur, Percy and Thomas

Arthur is a big maroon tank engine originating from the London, Midland and Scottish Railway and runs the line to the Fishing Village.

Biography

Arthur was first brought to Sodor by the Fat Controller as a goods engine and shunter. Upon arrival, he had a spotless record, meaning he had never had an accident or been naughty. On his first day, his record was ruined when he crashed into Duck's goods train at Wellsworth Crossing after Thomas tricked him into provoking the Troublesome Trucks. Despite this, the two decided that his spotless record could be mended after Thomas apologised to him for causing the accident.

One morning, while he was still new to the Island, Arthur discovered the line to the Fishing Village, which quickly became his favourite place. When the Fat Controller was looking for an engine to run the line, Arthur hoped that he would be chosen. To his disappointment, he was instead asked to pull coal to the Steelworks, while Thomas was chosen to run the Fishing Village line.

The following day, after Thomas derailed on the old pier rail, Arthur took the fish trucks the rest of the way to Brendam Docks in his stead. At the fitter's yard, Thomas proposed the two trade jobs as he had a strong dislike for the smell of fish. When the Fat Controller later asked for an engine to run the line while Thomas was being repaired, Arthur volunteered and asked to run the line permanently. From then on, Arthur has run the line to the Fishing Village, much to his delight.

Personality

Arthur is a big tank engine who has never been naughty in his life. He was highly esteemed for his "spotless record" before he arrived on Sodor, never having made a mess or a fuss and never having caused an accident. His main duties were to shunt trucks and haul goods trains. Arthur can be a bit naïve, however, and after an envious Thomas tricked Arthur into setting his standards too high with the trucks, his record did not stay as spotless as he had hoped. Arthur is very obedient, cautious, and well-behaved. He aims to please in his work and do everything as best he can. He now mainly runs the Fishing Route by the coastal village, a duty which Thomas was all too grateful to be relieved from. Here, Arthur enjoys the sea air and the smell of the fish.

Technical Details

Basis

Arthur is based on a London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) Ivatt Class 2MT tank engine developed for the LMS, (hence the initials on his tanks). Unlike his basis, Arthur lacks a sand dome.

According to Robert Gauld-Galliers' original artwork, Arthur was originally going to have the number 41241 painted in yellow on his coal bunker and a top feed like his original basis. The number 41241 comes from a preserved 2MT on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway, though it is worth noting that this particular engine was built by British Railways and thus never worked for the LMS. Three other members of the class are also preserved.

At 2023's Awdry Extravaganza, Richard Awdry revealed that Barry, a scrapped character from the cancelled Barry the Rescue Engine volume of The Railway Series, would have been based on this type of engine. Two of the surviving examples of this class were sent to Barry Island scrapyard after withdrawal, as was one tender engine example.

The "real" Arthur, No. 41241

Livery

Arthur is painted in LMS Crimson Lake with gold boiler bands and yellow lining. The initials "LMS" are painted on the sides of his tanks in yellow with red lining. His wheels are also painted red and his ladder is painted black while the steps at his front buffer beam are red and he has white lamp irons.

Interestingly, while these colours were used by the LMS, this livery is inauthentic for Arthur, as his class was only ever painted black when in service on the LMS. However, it may be based on the crimson livery the real 41241 currently wears on the KWVR.

Appearances

• Television Series
• Other Media

Thomas & Friends Series 7 - Bill, Ben and Fergus (cameo), The Spotless Record, Something Fishy, Peace and Quiet (cameo) and Bulgy Rides Again (cameo) Series 8 - Fish Series 11 - Gordon and the Engineer (cameo) and Thomas and the Runaway Car Series 12 - Steady Eddie (does not speak) Specials 2008 - The Great Discovery (does not speak in Japanese dub) Music Videos Series 7 - Five New Engines in the Shed, Troublesome Trucks, Salty and The Whistle Song Series 9 - Buffer Up and Share and Every Day's a Special Day on Sodor Series 10 - Doing it Right DVD Games Series 9 - Arthur's Tricky Travels (does not speak) Learning Segments Series 10 - Help From your Friends (does not speak)

Magazine Stories 2004 - Off to Market! 2005 - Chimps' Playtime, Fresh Fish, Trying Time (does not speak), Hooray, Henry (does not speak), Clowning Around (does not speak) and Stranded 2007 - Off to Market!, Toby's Tree Treat and Mystery Tour 2008 - Shell Engine, Speedy Dennis, Left Alone (cameo) and Funnel Fuss 2009 - King Arthur! 2010 - The Water Wheel (cameo) 2011 - King Arthur!, Puffer Portrait and Toby's Treat 2012 - Hooray for Henry (does not speak) 2015 - The Water Wheel (cameo) Arthur also appeared in the magazine stories, Arthur and Emily, Bright Sight, What a Whistle! and Whizzing Wheels. Books 2004 - New Friends for Thomas 2006 - Thomas' Sticker Express 2007 - Thomas' Giant Coloring Book and Ride Along with Thomas 2008 - A Story of Every Day of the Week 2009 - Trainloads of Fun 2010 - Thomas' Mixed-Up Day/Thomas Puts the Brakes On 2011 - The Big Book of Engines 2012 - Copy the Stickers Colouring Book and Full Steam Ahead! Arthur also appeared in the book Arthur's Harbour Run. My Thomas Story Library 2007 - Arthur Video Games 2005 - Engines Working Together 2008 - Begins Educational Learning Arthur also appeared in DVD Bingo.

Official Description

• 2004-2010
• 2010-2021

From Official Website[1]

“

Arthur: Arthur is a big new tank engine whose job it is to shunt trucks and pull freight. He is as excited to work for the Fat Controller as he is proud of his famous spotless record. Only time will tell if that record will stay as spotless as Arthur would like. Fun Fact: Arthur proves that his heart is just as big as his size when he forgives Thomas for getting him into a sticky mess.

”

From Official Website[2]

“

Arthur: Arthur is a big tank engine who shunts trucks and pulls freight. He is as excited to work for Sir Topham Hatt as he is proud of his famous spotless record. Only time will tell if that record will stay as spotless as Arthur would like. Fun Fact: Arthur is based on an LMS Ivatt Class 2MT 2-6-2 tank engine developed for the London Midland and Scottish Railway.

”

Audio Files

Themes

Only used		Composers	Theme Song
Series 7		Mike O'Donnell Junior Campbell
Series 7		Robert Hartshorne

Whistles

Only used	Sound Effect
Series 7

In the second half of Something Fishy, Arthur was incorrectly given Spencer's whistle.

Only used	Sound Effect
Something Fishy

In the Interactive Segment, Arthur's Tricky Travels until his last appearance in the twelfth series, Arthur is incorrectly portrayed with Edward's whistle.

First used	Last used	Sound Effect
Arthur's Tricky Travels	Series 12

In The Whistle Song, Arthur has a different whistle sound, which sounds very similar to his usual one.

First used	Last used	Sound Effect
The Whistle Song	The Whistle Song

Trivia

• According to an early leak on the names of the seventh series characters, Arthur was originally going to be called Clarence. It was then changed to Arthur, when a television magazine ran a competition to give him an official name, and that was the one chosen. Arthur was named after Arthur Sharp, the late grandfather of competition winner Luke Sharp.
• Arthur's whistle sound is a stock sound effect of an LMS whistle.
• Although he appeared in the twelfth series, Arthur was never seen with a CGI face. Despite this, a 2021 display by Sam Wilkinson revealed that he did have a target used for animation reference that would be placed on his smokebox instead of a face, much like the engines who had CGI faces.
• Despite not appearing in the CGI series, Arthur was mentioned on concept artwork for Ryan, as it was considered for Ryan to have "a rich red ground just slightly brighter than Arthur."
• Arthur is the only new engine from the seventh series to not have a Nakayoshi toy. Said toy was intended to be released, but was cancelled for unknown reasons.
• Due to the inconsistency in the placement of the Fishing Village, it is unknown exactly which branch line Arthur runs.

References

North Western Railway

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--- Dropped | * 1991-1994 maps only | ** 2014 map only