Diesel (T&F)/Behind the Scenes

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This is a behind the scenes subpage for Diesel (T&F). This subpage contains all behind the scenes material relating to said article.

Background Information

Diesel is a fictional standard gauge diesel locomotive created by the Rev. W. Awdry with inspiration by editor Eric Marriott.

He first appeared in the second series episode Percy Takes the Plunge, which first aired in 1986. His last appearance was in Thomas' Animal Friends, which was released in 2021.

Initially, Diesel's portrayal in the television series was faithful to The Railway Series, with his episodes being adapted straight from the book he appeared in. In the third series, Diesel made a reappearance in an original story not featured in The Railway Series, but instead based on the magazine stories.

After only appearing as a background character in the fourth series episode Rusty to the Rescue and being absent for the fifth series, Diesel returned in the following series.

Up until the sixth series, stories focusing on Diesel usually involved him causing trouble and being sent away for it. However, since the seventh series, Diesel has not had any form of acknowledgement that he belonged to the Other Railway and has remained on the North Western Railway ever since. He usually plays the role as the antagonist or the bully in most of the episodes he appears in, essentially building him up as the main antagonist of the series.

Voice

Michael Brandon voiced Diesel in the US dub of the show from 2009 to 2012, before Martin Sherman took over from 2013 to 2015. Brandon portrayed Diesel with a gruff American accent, Sherman with New York accent, while Kerry Shale portrayed him with a Cockney accent. Shale had voiced Diesel in the UK since 2009, and took over the role in the US in 2015, having voiced the character in both dubs since.

Behind the Scenes

Gauge 1 model

Diesel's model was custom built with a plastic body shell. Märklin locomotives were used as donors for the chassis and various other parts. The model was painted using glossy car body paint.

Diesel's wheels and toolboxes were sourced from a gauge 1 locomotive made by Märklin, the BR 80. The bufferbeam and stepladders were sourced from the DHG 500. The coupling chain was made by Tenmille.

David Payne building Diesel's model at PPL's workshop in 1985

The eye mechanism had two servos, one for up and down movement and one for left and right movement. The up/down servo was attached to the body. The left/right servo had a rod attached to the arm, which connected to a bracket. The eye balls were coupled to the bracket and locked in by the face-plate, so whenever the servos were powered, the eye balls would move however the crew member desired.

Diesel's model completed for production of the second series

Diesel's debut in the second series

Filming of Gordon and the Famous Visitor

Filming of Diesel Does it Again

Filming of Calling All Engines!

A selection of models kept on standby for the filming of the eleventh series

Filming of Don't Be Silly, Billy

Filming of The Great Discovery

The model's final appearance in Don't Go Back

Since Diesel's model has outside frames and cranks, his rods would sometimes jam, even when stationary. This can be seen in a promotional image for Pop Goes the Diesel and in some measurement pictures where his counterweights are not in sync with his side rods position.

Crooked side rods

During production of the fifth series, Diesel's model was used to shunt and haul background rolling stock.

In Thomas and the Magic Railroad, Dodge reused Diesel's chassis.

Dodge's model

Reference Sheets

Series 2

Series 3

Series 8

Calling All Engines!

Faces

Sixteen different facial expressions were sculpted for Diesel, although only fifteen were used on-screen and one of which a weary face was left unused. The faces were first sculpted in clay and from that resin casts were made using a silicone mould.

Reference Sheets

Series 2 - 1985/1986 (Alongside an assortment of other characters' faces)

Series 4 - 1994

Series 6 - 2001/2002

Series 8 - 2004 (Other page unavailable)

Series 12 - 2008 (Diesel's unused weary face is next to his worried face on the bottom left) (Page one)

Series 12 - 2008 (Page two)

Usage and Evolution

Diesel's devious face that appeared between the second series and The Great Discovery, excluding the fourth and fifth series, Jack and the Sodor Construction Company and Thomas and the Magic Railroad (1986-1991, 2002-2008)

Diesel's grumpy face that appeared between the second and eleventh series, excluding the fourth, fifth, and seventh, Jack and the Sodor Construction Company, Thomas and the Magic Railroad and Calling All Engines! (1986-1991, 2002, 2004, 2006-2007)

Diesel's angry face that appeared between the second and eleventh series, excluding the fourth, fifth, and seventh series, Jack and the Sodor Construction Company and Thomas and the Magic Railroad (1986-1991, 2002, 2004-2007)

Diesel's confused face that appeared between the second and ninth series, excluding the fourth and fifth series, Jack and the Sodor Construction Company and Thomas and the Magic Railroad (1986-1991, 2002-2005)

Diesel's unused second series shocked face that appeared between the third and ninth series, excluding the fourth, fifth and seventh series, Jack and the Sodor Construction Company and Thomas and the Magic Railroad (1986, 1991-1992, 2002, 2004-2005)

Diesel's happy face that appeared between the third and twelfth series, excluding the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, ninth and eleventh series, Jack and the Sodor Construction Company, Thomas and the Magic Railroad, Calling All Engines! and The Great Discovery (1991, 2004, 2006, 2008)

...but did appear in the song, Trying from Calling All Engines! (2005)

Diesel's unused third series snarling face that first appeared in two deleted scene images from Diesel Does it Again... (1991)

...and appeared on-screen between the sixth and ninth series, excluding the seventh series, Jack and the Sodor Construction Company and Calling All Engines! (2002, 2004-2005)

Diesel's unused third series annoyed face that first appeared on the model when it was on display at Hamleys... (1992)

...and first appeared on-screen in the seventh series episode, Fergus Breaks the Rules... (2003)

...along with a deleted scene image from the eighth series episode, Thomas to the Rescue... (2004)

...as well as Calling All Engines!... (2005)

...before it last appeared in a deleted behind the scenes image from The Great Discovery (2008)

Diesel's unused pre-fourth series ill face that only appeared on-screen in both the tenth series episode, Emily and the Special Coaches... (pre-1994, 2006)

...and the eleventh series episode, Thomas and the Stinky Cheese (2007)

Diesel's sad face that only appeared in both the eighth series episode, Thomas to the Rescue… (2004)

…and the tenth series episode, Emily and the Special Coaches (2006)

Diesel's neutral face that only appeared in the HiT Entertainment model era, excluding the ninth series and The Great Discovery (2004-2008)

Diesel's worried face that only appeared between the eighth and eleventh series, excluding the ninth series (2004-2007)

Diesel's smiling face that only appeared in Calling All Engines!... (2005)

...and later had the teeth removed sometime before or during the production of the twelfth series (pre-2008)

Diesel's surprised/spooked face that only appeared in the ninth series episode, Flour Power... (2005)

...and the tenth series episode, Emily and the Special Coaches (2006)

Diesel's disgusted face that only appeared in the eleventh series episode, Thomas and the Stinky Cheese (2007)

Diesel's confused face during production of the second series (1986)

Three of Diesel's faces during production of the eleventh/twelfth series (2007/2008) [Note: These are the same faces used on the original Lionel Trains O scale Diesel model]

Diesel had been seen mistakenly wearing Cranky's smiling face on the cover of the Australian Series 7 and Series 8 Double Pack DVD cover.

Diesel with Cranky's happy face

Present Day

Diesel's confused face is currently owned by Twitter user TomsProps. His disgusted face was also previously owned by a private collector.

Diesel's confused face as owned by TomsProps

Diesel's disgusted face as previously owned by a private collector

CGI Face

The twelfth series marked the beginning of the show's transition into CGI and the characters' faces were animated through CGI with the aid of motion capture animation. The physical models' moulded faces were replaced by white targets with triangles to fix a computer-animated face in post-production. Diesel’s resin faces were only used in background shots.

Model Changes

Diesel has had modifications throughout the model era. These include:

• Series 6:
  • His paint was given a matte finish.
  • His side rods changed from silver to black (leftover from Dodge).
  • His brake pipe began facing upwards.
  • His wheels became unpainted.
• Series 9:
  • He gained a lamp under his face on the right (viewer's left).

Present Day

After production of the model series wrapped in 2008, most of the models and sets would be put into storage, with some being put on display at Drayton Manor Theme Park. All other models would be logged and referenced from 2010 till early 2011 by HiT Entertainment, from this HiT would decide on which models were to enter storage once again, which would be given to crew members and which to be disposed off. Due to only having one model made in gauge 1 scale, Diesel's model would stay under HiT and later Mattel's ownership.

Diesel's television series model is now on display at the Explore the Rails exhibition and is wearing his smiling face. It was previously on display at the British Museum during the 70th Anniversary.

Diesel's model at the Explore the Rails Event

Diesel's model at the British Museum during the 70th anniversary party

CGI Test Model (2008)

A CGI Diesel model appeared in the CGI test of the episode Thomas and the Stinky Cheese. It was created by Stardust Pictures in 2008. In 2016, its face would be reused for one of the Mainland Diesels in the feature-length movie, The Great Race.

CGI test model

The Mainland Diesel

CGI Model (2009-2020)

In 2009, the series introduced Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI) as a replacement for the show's long-standing live-action models. Diesel was recreated from scratch in CGI by Nitrogen Studios. His model was "hand-sculpted" in Maya, a 3D animation and modelling software.

Photographs of Diesel's Gauge 1 model were used for referencing. According to Greg Tiernan, every detail of the original television series models for each character is carefully reproduced in the CGI model. The models are subjected to many rounds of review before they are submitted to HiT Entertainment for final input and approval.

Promotional image

Head-on

Final Render

Wheels

Back coupling

Headlamp

Tail-lamp

Ladder

Boxes

Reference Sheets

A "Vector-Render" from the inside

Modifications

Diesel has had modifications throughout the CGI series. These include:

• Series 13:
  • His lamp disappeared. (Possibly because the Newest Reference Sheet is from Calling All Engines)
• Misty Island Rescue:
  • His horn sound changed to a stock recording of a Nathan K3H type.
• Day of the Diesels:
  • He regained his original horn sound.
• Series 17
  • His horn sound is louder and shorter in duration.
• Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure:
  • He gained a headlamp above his face.
  • His coupling chain became red.
  • He gained a permanent tail lamp.
• The Great Race:
  • His coupling chain changed back to black.

Texture variants

In addition to his standard livery, a few other texture variants exist of Diesel's CGI model. These texture variants include:

Diesel covered in mud (Wild Water Rescue)

Diesel covered in glow-in-the-dark paint (Diesel Glows Away)

Voice Actors

• Kerry Shale (UK; thirteenth - twenty-fourth series, US; nineteenth - twenty-fourth series)
• Michael Brandon (US; thirteenth - sixteenth series)
• Martin Sherman (US; King of the Railway - eighteenth series)
• Rob Rackstraw (Learning with Thomas and Nursery Rhymes)
• Jorge Ornelas (Latin America; thirteenth - twenty-fourth series)
• Harold Salazar (Latin America; Learning with Thomas)
• Daisuke Gōri (Japan; second - eighth series, excluding the sixth series)
• Hisao Egawa (Japan; sixth series only)
• Ken Sanders (Japan; Calling All Engines! - twenty-fourth series)
• Shinichi Ishihara (Japan; singing voice)
• Paweł Galia (Poland; thirteenth series only)
• Janusz Wituch (Poland; Misty Island Rescue onwards; excluding Blue Mountain Mystery (re-dub) and No More Mr. Nice Engine)
• Krzysztof Szczerbiński (Poland; No More Mr. Nice Engine only)
• Krzysztof Korzeniowski (Poland; Blue Mountain Mystery; (re-dub) only)
• Christoffer Staib (Norway; thirteenth - sixteenth series, excluding Day of the Diesels and Blue Mountain Mystery)
• Helge Winther Larsen (Norway; Day of the Diesels - seventeenth series, excluding the fifteenth and sixteenth series)
• Martin May (Germany; thirteenth series onwards)
• Christian Rudolf (Germany; Audio Books only)
• Reinder van der Naalt (The Netherlands)
• Anibal Munhoz (Brazil)
• Jorge Teixeira (Spain; thirteenth - seventeenth series)
• Rafael de la Rica (Spain; eighteenth and nineteenth series, excluding Samson at Your Service)
• Miguel Ángel Poison (Spain; Samson at Your Service only)
• Adolfo Pastor (Spain; The Great Race only)
• Michel Lasorne (France and French speaking Canada; eighth - twelfth series)
• Fabrice Trojani (France and French speaking Canada; thirteenth series onwards)
• Gadi Levy (Israel; fifteenth series only)
• Dor Srugo (Israel; seventeenth - twentieth series, excluding The Great Race)
• Yoli Seker (Israel; The Great Race onwards, excluding the twentieth series)
• Petri Hanttu (Finland)
• Quổc Tín (Vietnam)
• Ole Møller (Denmark)
• Alexander Kotov (Russia; thirteenth series - Diesel's Ghostly Christmas)
• Daniil Eldarov (Russia; The Great Race only)
• Bohdan Tůma (Czech Republic; Blue Mountain Mystery onwards)
• Vina Papadopoulou (Greece; second - eleventh series)
• Haris Grigoropoulos (Greece; thirteenth series onwards)
• Bolla Róbert (Hungary)