This article is about the engine. You may be looking for the Railway Series book or the Story Library Book. |
- “Bluebells forever!”
- ― Stepney
Stepney, named after a district in London, is a tank engine who lives and works on the Bluebell Valley Branch Line neighbouring the Skarloey Railway. His friendly, enthusiastic attitude makes him a welcome visitor on Sir Topham Hatt's railway.
Biography
Rusty first came across Stepney when he was stranded in the scrapyard at Vicarstown Goods Depot. The little diesel helped Stepney to escape the scrapyards and helped arrange for him to be put back into service running the branch line to Bluebell Valley.
Some time after, Stepney - wishing for a change of scenery - visited Sir Topham Hatt's railway. He worked briefly with Duck in Knapford Yards before being sent to Thomas' Branch Line, during which time he caught a cricket ball in one of his trucks while passing the Elsbridge Cricket Field. On his last day, he double-headed the Express with Duck after a visiting diesel had failed.
Stepney later returned to Sir Topham Hatt's railway (again on a visiting basis) to help Toby and Mavis at Ffarquhar Quarry. This excursion nearly ended in disaster after 'Arry and Bert tried to scrap Stepney - luckily without success due to the intervention of Sir Topham Hatt - after Stepney accidentally ventured into the Sodor Ironworks.
On a few other occasions, Stepney has been seen again elsewhere on Sir Topham Hatt's railway. He was once at Tidmouth Sheds when Duck accidentally ran into the back of him while watching a hot air balloon. He also once helped Edward run a new loop line.
In his final appearance, Stepney was accidentally covered in pink sugar from one of Rosie's trucks.
Personality
Stepney is a bubbly, modest and humble chap who is bursting with enthusiasm. He is very eager to please and is every engine's friend. When given a job to do, he is determined to complete it to the best of his ability. Even if an engine might not like him at first, his personality wins them over. After being saved from scrap by Rusty and the Bluebell Railway, he now runs his own branch line, but loves visiting and helping out on the Fat Controller's Railway. He has an enthusiasm for learning and listening to advice, as well as keeping busy. Stepney can feel down in the dumps if he does not get enough work to do or if he does not get a good long run to stretch his wheels. Stepney is high-spirited, lively and is keen to see fair play. He is popular amongst the engines and is always game for more work. Unlike most of Sodor's engines, Stepney loves to work with trucks.
Technical Details
Real-life History
Stepney was built by Brighton Works in 1875 and was rebuilt into an A1X in 1912. During his last working years, Stepney worked on the Hayling Island branch line, until he was taken out of service in 1960 and placed on an out-of-use siding. He was bought by the Bluebell Railway Preservation Society and arrived on the railway on 17th May, making him the first standard gauge steam locomotive to be saved for the Bluebell Railway.
Since his first appearance in the Railway Series and Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends, Stepney has become one of the most popular engines on the railway, with children all across the country coming to see him. Stepney has even participated in "Day Out with Thomas" events and has carried a face for these events.
Stepney was taken out of service in 2008, after his boiler ticket expired; but underwent a fast-track overhaul and returned to working order in 2010, just in time for the line's 50th Anniversary. In March 2014, Stepney was withdrawn from service following the failure of his main steam pipe. As of 2020, whilst he awaits to go into the workshop for new cylinders and significant work on his frames and boiler, Stepney is currently on display inside the Bluebell Railway's new 'Steam Works!' shed complete with his signature face from the former "Day Out with Thomas" events.
Livery
Stepney is painted in LB&SCR ochre gold, formally known as "Stroudley's Improved Engine Green", with green, red, white and black lining. His name is painted on his side tanks and the number "55" is painted on the sides of his bunker, both in white.
Appearances
Thomas & Friends
Music Videos
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Annual Stories
Magazine Stories
Stepney also appeared in the magazine story Really Useful Edward Books
My Thomas Story LibraryVideo Games
Documentaries
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Official Description
From Official Website:[1]
“ | Stepney: Saved from the scrap yard by Rusty, he is now a "Boys' Own Engine". Buzzing with enthusiasm and always eager to please, Stepney is every engine's friend. Thomas had to put him in his place though!
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” |
From Official Website:[2]
“ | Stepney: Stepney was saved from the scrap yards by Rusty, and is now always buzzing with enthusiasm and eager to please. He has no main place to work, but instead, will help out wherever Sir Topham Hatt needs him.
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” |
From Official Website:[3]
“ | Stepney: Stepney is busting with enthusiasm and eager to please, Stepney is every engine's friend. He loves helping out on Sir Topham Hatt's railway.
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” |
Audio Files
Themes
Only used | Composers | Theme Song | |
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Series 4 | Mike O'Donnell Junior Campbell |
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Series 5 |
Whistles
In the fourth series, Stepney reuses and shares Rheneas' original whistle.
Only used | Sound Effect |
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Series 4 |
In the US version of Thomas and Stepney, Stepney is incorrectly depicted with Smudger’s (later Ryan's) whistle.
Only used | Sound Effect |
---|---|
Thomas and Stepney (US Only) |
In the fifth to seventh series, Stepney has Skarloey's original whistle.
First used | Last used | Sound Effect |
---|---|---|
Series 5 | Series 7 |
In the twelfth series only, Stepney has Thomas' whistle, but at a higher pitch. It is also Bill's whistle, but a full octave lower in pitch.
Only used | Sound Effect |
---|---|
Series 12 |
Trivia
- In Heritage Railway's July 2000 edition, it was stated that the promotion manager of The Britt Allcroft Company, William Mitchell, wrote to the Bluebell Railway for plans to feature Stepney as part of a cavalcade of Thomas and his friends which ultimately never went through. In addition, Mitchell mistakenly believed that the real Stepney basis was under the Thomas character guise before eventually being informed of its history, thus clearing up the misunderstanding between the railway and the production company.[2]
- Alec Baldwin gave Stepney a Cockney accent in the US dub. This may have been intentional, as Stepney is a region of East London and the inhabitants of that area, amongst others, were known as Cockneys.
- The prototype of Stepney's 1996 Wooden Railway toy has the original face and magnets of Thomas.
- Stepney has been erroneously referred to as a narrow gauge engine several times:
- At one time, his page on the Official Website incorrectly stated he was a narrow gauge engine.
- In the book Railway Rhymes, Stepney is depicted as narrow gauge.
- Stepney was included in a Take Along Narrow Gauge Gift Pack.
- In the Spanish and Czech dubs of the show, he is known as the Hyacinth engine instead of the Bluebell engine. In the Dutch dub, he is known as the Violet engine.
- Both of Stepney's appearances in the seventh series were made up of stock footage.
- Although he has not been featured in the CGI series, Keith Wickham has voiced him in Thomas-saurus Rex.
- According to Thomas-saurus Rex, he knew both Sir Topham Hatt and his grandfather prior to his arrival.
- Stepney is one of the four engines to be saved from scrap, with the others being Oliver, Hiro and Glynn.
- In some promotional artwork and television series tie-in book illustrations, he is seen wearing the express headcode lamps he wears whilst pulling the special train in Thomas and Stepney.
- Stepney's name means “Stybba's Harbour”.
See also
External Links
References
Locomotives | Stepney | Flora |
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Former | Sodor Tramway Engines |
Rolling Stock | Branch Line Coaches | Flora's Tram Coach |
People | Stepney's Controller |
Locations | Skarloey Railway Depot | Bluebell Valley (Engine Sheds) | Rolling River Bridge (Junction) | Green Hills Junction (The Man in the Hills) | Great Waterton (Engine Sheds) | Morgan's Mine |