| For other uses, see Diesel. |
- "Not bad. I've seen worse. At least you're all clean."
- ― Class 40
Class 40, also known as The Diesel, Diesel 4711 or simply Diesel, is a big green diesel engine who once visited the North Western Railway on loan from British Railways.
Background Information[]
Class 40 is a fictional standard gauge diesel locomotive created by the Rev. W. Awdry. He appears in The Railway Series story Bowled Out in book 18, Stepney the "Bluebell" Engine, which was published in 1963.
Class 40 as seen in the Railway Series:
Biography[]
Class 40 was built at the Vulcan Foundry in Newton-le-Willows, Lancashire, England. Class 40 was sent to Sodor in 1962 to assist the engines with goods and express work towards the end of Stepney's visit, but he only insulted the other engines by saying they were out-of-date, should be scrapped and bragged about his modernity. He got his comeuppance when an inspector's bowler hat jammed his air intake, causing him to break down and to become as sick as boiler sludge after attempting to show off to Duck and Stepney. He sulked in the shed while Duck and Stepney took the Express for him to Cronk.
While everyone was fare-welling Stepney, a disgraced Class 40 crept away, leaving behind "the nasty smell of bad manners and a battered bowler hat".
Personality[]
Class 40 is snobbish, smug and rude with his snide remarks, believing that diesel engines are superior and should take over from steam engines while also showing off to engines such as Duck and Stepney. In the end however, he would also show his cowardly side as shown when he slipped away after his embarrassing incident when no was looking.
Technical Details[]
Basis[]
Class 40 is based on a British Rail (BR) Class 40 1Co-Co1. Old Stuck-Up and the third diesel are also members of this class. 200 members of this class was built from 1958 to 1962, and the last was withdrawn in 1985. They were given the nickname "Whistlers" because of the strange whistling noise their engines would make. Seven Class 40s are preserved with the first built, D200, at the National Railway Museum.
Livery[]
Class 40 is painted in the BR two-tone green livery, with enclosed yellow warning panels on his front to back end, and his rooftop being painted grey. His face is yellow.
Appearances[]
The Railway Series
Companion Volumes
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Documentaries |
Trivia[]
- Class 40's livery is slightly inaccurate as none of the Class 40 diesels received British Railways two-tone green livery.
- His number is completely fictional, as no diesel engine ever is known to have worn this number.
- Despite never receiving a name, in supporting material though, the Awdrys would call him "Diesel 2" to distinguish him from Diesel 1 from Duck and the Diesel Engine.
- Awdry's 00 gauge model of an FS Class ALn 772 diesel-railcar was used in place of Class 40 as reference for Gunvor and Peter Edwards when illustrating Stepney the "Bluebell" Engine.
Gallery[]
Main Series[]
Miscellaneous[]
References[]
| Locomotives | Steam | 87546 and 98462 | Workshop Engines | Big City Engine | Jinty and Pug | City of Truro | Stepney | Bluebell and Primrose | Adams | Cromford | Captain Baxter | Flying Scotsman | Toby's Brothers | 8783 | 1020 | Stephenson's Rocket | Green Arrow | Boxhill | Iron Duke | Mallard | Duchess of Hamilton | Wilbert | Sixteen | Albert | King James I | Bahamas |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | Diesel | Diesel 4711 | Diesel 199 | Diesel 40125 | Diesel 31120 | 10751 | |
| Rolling Stock | Helena | |
| People | Elizabeth II | The Thin Clergyman | The Fat Clergyman | |
| Stations | Barrow-in-Furness | Brighton | Carnforth | Crewe | Euston | Horsted Keynes | King's Cross | Lakeside | Norchard | Paddington | St. Pancras | York | |
| Railways | Bluebell Railway | British Railways | Corris Railway | Dean Forest Railway | Ffestiniog Railway | Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway | Snowdon Mountain Railway | Talyllyn Railway | Toby's Old Tramway | |