Duck

Montague, affectionately known as "Duck" because of his supposed waddle, is a green pannier tank engine. Duck runs his own branch line with Oliver. He holds great pride in being Great Western and this results in him having a strong work ethic. This can, however, be a cause for friction with the other engines, when he insists that his way is the only right way to do things.

In the Railway Series, Duck has two Great Western autocoaches named Alice and Mirabel. In the television series, he has three Great Western Slip Coaches.

Biography

The Railway Series

Duck worked as the station pilot at Paddington before moving to Sodor in 1955 to take over Percy's shunting duties at Tidmouth, leaving the latter free to assist with the construction of Knapford Harbour. Duck was a hard worker, but the others mistook his work ethic for simplicity and tried to use this to their advantage. They soon found their mistake when Duck and Percy took revenge on them by barring them from entering the shed. Duck earned a reprimand from the Fat Controller for this, but so did the other engines, who were told - as Duck put it - that it is the Fat Controller's railway, and as the controller, he is the one who gives the orders.

When Diesel arrived, the others took a liking to his flattery, but Duck was doubtful and left Diesel to his own devices, which resulted in the latter getting into a mishap with some old trucks. Duck tried to help Diesel when the trucks started to tease him but to no avail. Diesel vowed to get revenge and inspired by several incidents occurring around the yard in Duck's absence, spread rumours that Duck had given offensive nicknames to the others. Duck was sent to work as a banker for Edward at Wellsworth pending further inquiry and after bravely stopping a runaway goods train at his own risk, he regained the respect of the others. Of course, by this time the others were aware that the matter was all Diesel's fault, but Duck's heroism certainly helped.

Duck would later show Donald and Douglas around when they arrived and they soon became friends. He also allowed Stepney to take a special visitor and helped him double-head a passenger train when Class 40 broke down from sucking an inspector's hat into his air-intake. When Peter Sam told Duck about a duke coming to Sodor, Duck told him that all dukes have been scrapped, causing him to worry. Whether or not Peter Sam meant that it was the Duke of Sodor or the engine Duke, Duck was most likely unaware of what Peter Sam meant, but as Skarloey had put it, Duck was probably pulling Peter Sam's wheels.

Duck continued working on the Main Line until 1967. When Donald and Douglas brought in new ballast for the track, they mentioned that "verra wee engines" brought it down from the hills. Duck was curious about this and asked to take some trucks along the line that was later known as the Tidmouth-Arlesburgh branch line - nicknamed "The Little Western". It is there that Duck met three small engines, Rex, Mike and Bert, who all bring in the ballast and helped restore the branch line. Duck was later asked to run it with help from Oliver and on occasion, Donald and Douglas.

One time, a double-decker bus named Bulgy tried to steal Duck's passengers but got stuck under a bridge where Duck encountered him. When his passengers realised that Bulgy lied to them by saying he was a railway bus and accepted railway tickets, Duck managed to regain his passengers and made it safely across the bridge, where he brought the passengers home in good time. Bulgy, however, was turned into a hen-house close to his line.

Duck would later help Henry with the Flying Kipper as a banker, only to end up crashing into his rear trucks when the tail lamp fell off. He also helped Thomas and Percy triple-head the express when Gordon and Henry were unavailable.

Thomas & Friends

Duck reprised his roles from the Railway Series from when he first came to Sodor to when he developed a rivalry with Diesel and Bulgy. Although Percy left the yard went to work at the harbour, Duck often helped him. The workload eventually got too heavy for them alone, so the Fat Controller brought Diesel to help. Duck and Percy were furious and went on strike until the Fat Controller made them work again. Diesel did not stay for long though, as he pushed some trucks into the sea and was sent away in disgrace. Duck and Percy gladly did the work alone. Sometime later, a regatta was being held at the harbour, which inspired Duck to sail to faraway lands. When a man in the regatta hurt his hand, Duck brought him to Bertie, who then took him to hospital. 

Duck has had many adventures, many of which were the same as the Railway Series, such as: helping Stepney take the express to Crovan's Gate after Class 40 broke down, supporting Oliver when he took on S.C. Ruffey and the other trucks, went to the Big City with the engines after they received a letter from a little girl and helping Henry with the Flying Kipper up Gordon's Hill, but ended up crashing into it after the tail lamp fell off.

Later, Duck was trapped at the docks with the big engines and Cranky during a storm. A tramp steamer crashed into the shed, causing it and Cranky to topple over, trapping the engines. Thomas and Percy rescued Cranky, who then rescued the other engines. Afterward, George refused to let Duck clear his train from the Main Line, resulting in Gordon crashing into it. Neither Gordon nor Duck got into trouble for this when the Fat Controller found out that George was to blame for the accident.

When Harold broke down at Callan Castle, Duck was asked to take him to the Sodor Search and Rescue Centre for repairs, with Thomas as his back engine. However, Thomas wanted Harold to see the sights of Sodor, so he tricked Duck into going to Knapford. After this, Duck became cross with Thomas and refused to listen to him when Thomas tried to warn him about a narrow tunnel. This ended up damaging Harold's rotor blades and earning them a scolding from Sir Topham Hatt. The two engines made up and switched places, Thomas leading them to the Rescue Centre without encountering any more tunnels. After this, Duck admitted that "The Thomas Way" was another valid way of doing things.

He once ran into a flood whilst working on his branch line and had to wait until James brought Rocky to help him. Unfortunately, Oliver and Percy ran into them due to a broken signal knocked down by Rocky's swinging crane arm and delayed Duck's rescue. During one hectic summer, the Fat Controller was not sure how to handle the number of passengers travelling on his railway. In the shed, Duck talked about slip coaches, which he had used on the Great Western Railway. The next morning, James lied to the Fat Controller and said the idea was his own, initially receiving praise only to cause trouble. Duck soon took control of the slip coaches and utilised them perfectly, with the coaches now appearing to be used year-round.

Duck helped with building the new Harwick Branch Line and was very excited yet surprised to see Donald and Douglas helping too. He later brought Rocky to lift Thomas out of the cavern that he had fallen into and sometime later attended the branch line's opening ceremony.

One day, when a storm struck the island, he and Oliver were responsible for taking people safely home. At Arlesburgh, the two met Skiff and warned him to get to safety. When Duck had finished his jobs, he headed for home with the slip coaches; however, neither they nor Oliver and Toad - who were travelling to Arlesburgh on the opposite track - were aware that a lightning strike had caused a tree to fall on the line. Thankfully, Skiff, who had been blown away by the storm, was able to warn them just in time. Later, as in the Railway Series, his whistle got clogged after his driver boiled an egg on it. Thomas and Rex teased him, and Mike said that engines should not make such noises, as engines without whistles are "not proper engines at all". Fortunately, Duck's whistle was cleaned out later that day.

Duck, along with all of the Fat Controller's engines, wanted to go to the Great Railway Show, but he was among the many engines that were not chosen.

After another big storm, Harwick school was damaged. Duck searched for a suitable temporary replacement classroom for the children. He eventually found one in Dexter, an old branch line coach that had been left on a siding.

Duck alerted the Sodor Search and Rescue Centre when Percy mistakenly thought that Thomas had had an accident. Later, he and the other engines began searching for Thomas, as well as Harold and Thomas himself, found Percy, who ended up being the one to have an accident instead.

When word was spread about a railway show for the little engines was to be held at Ulfstead Castle, Duck was informed and carried a flatbed with Bert on it.

Personality

Duck knows how to hold his own and tends to stand for no nonsense from any engines that might get ideas above their station and try to order him or others about; as a result of this and his strength, most tank engines look up to him, though he has not always gotten along well with Thomas due to the latter’s cheeky antics. However, they have shared a mutual respect since the two ended up working together to help Harold and have always had a great friendship with each other.

However, his moral code is not perfect and often favours fairness to kindness, like when he asserted to Percy that Thomas deserved his comeuppance for teasing him about being scared. He enjoys running like clockwork, without problems or interruptions, making him a very efficient and loyal engine. He takes tremendous pride in the responsibilities bestowed upon him, particularly in his role of running his own branch line with Oliver, sometimes known as the "Little Western" as a result.

Duck is cheerful, busy, mature and tends to bustle about. He is very proud of his noble Great Western heritage, often claiming that "there are two ways of doing things: the Great Western way, or the wrong way", occasionally to the annoyance of other engines. He strongly admires City of Truro and enjoyed talking "Great Western" with him when he visited the North Western Railway. He is also shown to be kind to others, but the one engine he finds the most difficult to be kind to is Devious Diesel, especially after Diesel spread rumours about him giving nicknames to the bigger engines.

Duck is often welcoming of newcomers, even most diesels as long as they are not rude. He will often support the underdog, stick up for his friends, and help others see the error of their ways. However, occasionally he does have the "Tank Engine sense" of teasing the bigger engines such as Gordon. Duck is also known to have a rivalry with James, but he has earned the respect of the bigger engines and has firm friendships with Edward, Percy, Oliver, Toad, BoCo and the Scottish twins.

Technical Details

Basis

Duck is based on a Great Western Railway 57xx Class 0-6-0 pannier tank engine with added sand boxes. Duck's Great Western number, 5741, was that of a real 57xx, one of the first fifty 57xx Class (Nos. 5700-5749) built by the North British Locomotive Co. on 31st March, 1929 and scrapped at Swindon on 31st May, 1958. However, according to Sodor: Reading Between the Lines, "...through this might not, in fact, be the number with which he was allocated when built...". 863 of these engines were built by various manufacturers over a twenty-one year period, making it the most produced class of British tank engine. Sixteen of these engines survive in preservation. However in Percy the Small Engine and The Eight Famous Engines, Duck was incorrectly illustrated as a Great Western Railway 64xx Class 0-6-0 pannier tank engine. On top of that, none of the 57xx's were autofitted to work with autocoaches.

Duck's basis

The real 5741

What Duck is incorrectly illustrated as in Percy the Small Engine and The Eight Famous Engines

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Livery

In the Railway Series, Duck is painted in GWR Brunswick green with yellow lining and black wheels, splashers, and pipes. He has the letters "GWR" written on his pannier tanks in yellow and red. He had brass GWR numberplates on his cab sides (5741) along with a builder's plate on either side of his cab, as well as a brass safety valve cover. Despite his appearance on arrival, it is said in The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways that he was in British Railways livery which would make sense for 1955. It is highly likely that he would have carried the Lion and Wheel insignia during this period. The Swindon trained Sir Topham Hatt soon allowed him to revert to his GWR livery though, possibly at the same time he was given above running plate sand boxes. It is worth pointing out his number plate is not necessarily the one originally assigned to him during his building.

In the television series, Duck is painted in NWR apple green, unlined, with a green safety valve cover and black wheels. His number is painted on each side of his cab in yellow, upon a black background with a yellow border.

Appearances

Audio Files

Whistles

First used	Last used	Sound Effect
Series 2	Active

At the beginning of Edward the Very Useful Engine, Duck is incorrectly portrayed with Oliver's whistle.

First used	Last used	Sound Effect
Edward the Very Useful Engine	Edward the Very Useful Engine

Trivia

• In the Greek dub from the second to fifth series, Duck is female and is called "Jackie". As of the seventeenth series, Duck has reverted back to his original gender.
• In the French dub, prior to Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure, Duck was called 'Duck' instead of 'Canard', the French word for 'Duck'. However, since Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure, he is referred to by his real name.
• Duck's model used to be on display at Nitrogen Studios.
• Duck has sandboxes, while most of the engines of his class do not. However, they were absent in Percy the Small Engine and Stepney the "Bluebell" Engine.
• According to SiF's interview with Sam Barlow, Duck was originally considered to be part of the Steam Team, but was dropped in favour of Emily so as to give a female character a more prominent role.
• Duck's whistle sound was reused for Gordon in the fourth series, some scenes in the fifth series episodes Gordon and the Gremlin and Bye George!, and the eighth series episode Thomas to the Rescue, it was also used for Donald and Douglas in both the fourth and eleventh series (excluding the sixth and the seventh, where Donald and Douglas share Donald's original whistle sound again. Although Douglas had Duck's Whistle sound in the UK version of Thomas and Stepney and one scene in Toad Stands By, but the rest of the fourth series, he had Thomas' whistle sound, but some steps lower-pitched and he regained Duck's whistle sound in the eleventh series, same with Donald). It was also used for Oliver in some sixth series episodes and it was also used for James in Emily's Best Friend.

Quotes

Merchandise

References