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Bulstrode was a highly disagreeable barge. He now resides at Tidmouth Beach as a children's play area.
Biography
Bulstrode was used to carry cargo like coal and stone to Knapford Harbour but always complained about not being loaded fast enough. This annoyed the trucks, but one day Bulstrode ended up getting what he deserved when Percy accidentally pushed stone trucks off the quay and into his hold, bursting a hole in his hull. He was then towed to a beach, where he was turned into a children's play area. He remains there today, most likely still grumbling.
Personality
Bulstrode was a very disagreeable barge who never stopped complaining about not being loaded fast enough. He was usually happy when he's carrying a full load of cargo, otherwise he was grumpy and rude. His moaning and groaning soon got him in trouble when Percy and the Troublesome Trucks taught him a lesson. He was then towed to a beach, where he was turned into a children's play area. He remains there today, most likely still grumbling. It is likely that he will change and that he will be given a second chance.
Technical Details
Basis
Bulstrode is based on a 1920s self-propelled coastal barge.
Livery
Bulstrode is painted with a cream cab, brown deck, a black hull and a red keel. His name is painted on his bow in white. In the "My First Thomas" range he is painted blue, red and yellow.
Appearances
Thomas & Friends
Music Videos
His faceless model made numerous appearances at the Norramby Fishing Village in the fifth series. His surprised face was also used on some trucks in the eighth and tenth series episodes, Fish and The Green Controller respectively. |
Books
Magazine Stories
Bulstrode also appeared in the magazine stories, Boat Afloat, Bulstrode the Engine, Gone Fishing and Pirate Passengers. |
Voice Actors
- Ryōichi Tanaka (Japan)
Trivia
- Bulstrode's appearance in the television series is rather different from his Railway Series appearance: in the Railway Series he has two square cargo holds, six bumpers on each side, and his face is the same colour as his cab and rectangular, while in the television series he has only one rectangular hold with three bumpers on each side and a square standard grey face.
- Bulstrode is currently the only non-human character created by Christopher Awdry to be introduced into the television series.
- According to Abi Grant, Bulstrode was meant to have a large scale model built for the Wharf, but this never happened due to budget reasons.
- Bulstrode's original model began to deteriorate during the production of the fifth series, and was subsequently damaged while being shipped to/from Canada during the production of Thomas and the Magic Railroad. The damage can be seen in certain Series 5 episodes where his model is used with noticable damage. A new model of Bulstrode was built to replace the original and had different dimensions. The newer model of Bulstrode never ended up being used in the television series outside of a promotional image for No Sleep for Cranky, but is currently on display at Drayton Manor on a beach near Bluff's Cove and wore his shocked face mask from 2009-early 2020. As of early 2020, Bulstrode's unused happy face mask is on his newer model now.
- Bulstrode had a total of five face masks, one of which a happy face mask for his newer model that was not used on-screen. However it was used for the Rocking Bulstrode rides at Drayton Manor and Thomas Land, merchandise such as his TrackMaster and 2013 Wooden Railway toys and his actual model on display at Drayton Manor as of 2020.
- In a few of the HiT Era episodes, Bulstrode's surprised face was used as a truck's face.
- Despite being beached in both the television series and the Railway Series, he is still depicted as being used in forms of media such as Magazines, Video Games and DVD Minigames. However, it is likely that he was given a second chance.
- Bulstrode is usually depicted with his surprised face in the promotional material and merchandise.
- Bulstrode had a nameboard but it was never used in any of the intermission segments along with Toad's nameboard.
- Three of Bulstrode's ride models have had modifications when they first arrived at Drayton Manor and Thomas Land and when they were built. These include:
- The Thomas Land Japan and Drayton Manor ones don't have their names on both of their sides, although the Thomas Land US one does.
- Their life rings aren't on their backs.
- Their hulls became 6 rows.
- All of their bottoms have two wheels, so they can spin around.
- The Thomas Land Japan and US Bulstrode are nearly the same size, maybe and nearly tall as the Drayton Manor one.
Merchandise
- ERTL (discontinued)
- Thomas Engine Collection Series (discontinued)
- Wooden Railway (discontinued)
- Take Along (discontinued)
- Take-n-Play (discontinued)
- Motor Road and Rail (discontinued)
- TrackMaster (discontinued)
- Motorized
- My First Thomas (discontinued)
- Trading Cards (discontinued)
- My Thomas Story Library (discontinued)
- Capsule Plarail
- Bath Squirter (Bath Buddies and Water Strainer)
- Wood (re-designed in 2019)
- Nakayoshi (discontinued)