This page is for the minor locomotive characters who have appeared in Thomas & Friends.
Earnest
| This article is about the tender engine. You may be looking for the mountain engine. |
Earnest is a tender engine who appeared in a portrait in Topham Hall and the Tidmouth Stationmaster's house.
Technical Details
Basis
Earnest appears to be a Jenny Lind type 2-2-2 locomotive, designed by David Joy. 'Jenny Lind' was the first of the class, built for the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway by E.B. Wilson and Company in 1847 and named after a famous opera singer from the era. The design was so successful that it would later go on to be mass-produced as one of Wilson and Company's standard designs and adopted by a number of other railways in Britain and Portugal, including the Midland Railway. Other manufacturers also copied and improved upon the design, variations being produced as late as the 1860s. None of these locomotives have been preserved. One notable feature on E.B. Wilson and Company products were the fluted safety valve and dome covers, which are both visible on Earnest.
Livery
Earnest is painted light green with red frames and gold fittings.
Appearances
Thomas & Friends
- Series 1 - Thomas in Trouble (portrait cameo)
- Series 2 - Thomas Comes to Breakfast (portrait cameo)
Books
- 1984 - Toby and the Stout Gentleman and Thomas in Trouble (portrait cameo)
- 1990 - Thomas in Trouble (portrait cameo)
- 1991 - Thomas Comes to Breakfast (portrait cameo)
Trivia
- According to a SiF interview, the portrait of Earnest was illustrated by Robert Gauld-Galliers and was described as a "made-up character" in the Victorian era to match the various other human portraits featured throughout the series. The portrait was roughly 80 x 60 mm.
- In 2017, Robert Gauld-Galliers confirmed that at the time of production Earnest was not named and suggested he would be named Earnest.
- Earnest is the first engine in the television series to have a moustache and is the third overall.
Percy's Ghost Engine
This Ghost Engine was mentioned in a ghost story Percy told to Thomas and Toby, which his driver told him about the night prior. The story stated that the ghost steam train fell to its doom in a ravine where a viaduct was going to be built, and its ghost continues to run every year on the anniversary of the accident as a warning to others. However, Thomas refused to believe him and Percy's driver confirmed to him that the ghost was just television fiction. Percy could not help but feel disappointed. When Percy crashed into a cart of lime, a signalman remarked that Percy looked like a ghost. This gave Percy an idea to scare Thomas. With the help of Toby, they convinced Thomas that Percy had crashed and returned as a ghost, thus scaring Thomas out of the shed. Later, Toby jokingly told Percy that Thomas had seen a ghost.
Technical Details
Basis
The Ghost Engine shares the same basis as Percy, an Avonside 0-4-0 saddle tank engine. Several official Thomas & Friends media, suggests that Percy most closely resembles the Avonside SS Class "Trojan" 0-4-0ST saddle tank engine of the Great Western Railway.
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Appearances
Thomas & Friends
- Series 2 - Ghost Train (does not speak)
- Series 3 - Thomas, Percy and the Dragon (mentioned)
Music Videos
Books
- 1994 - Thomas, Percy and the Dragon (mentioned)
- 2004 - Thomas and the Castle (mentioned)
- 2007 - Thomas' Read-Along Storybook (mentioned)
Magazine Stories
- 1988 - Ghost Train (mentioned) and Percy's Night Out (mentioned)
- 1998 - Runaway Percy! (mentioned) and Thomas, Percy and the Dragon! (mentioned)
Audio Files
Whistle
Percy's Ghost Engine reuses Edward's whistle.
| Only used | Sound Effect |
|---|---|
| Ghost Train |
Trivia
- The Ghost Engine was made using Percy's model covered in white streamers.
- In the UK narration of the episode, Percy's driver says the ghost was a pretend one on television. However, in both US narrations, he simply states that it was only a "pretend ghost story".
Old Smoky
- “Old Smoky, you stay right here until I get back.”
- ― Mr. Conductor
Old Smoky is the train next to Mr. Conductor's signal and switch house station deep on the mural at Shining Time. Mr. Conductor occasionally has one-sided conversations with him.
Technical Details
Basis
Old Smoky is based on a Union Pacific FEF series. The original Rainbow Sun featured in Shining Time Station shares the same basis.
Livery
Old Smoky is painted black and grey.
Appearances
Edward's Ghost Engine
Edward's Ghost Engine was mentioned in a story Edward told the other engines one Halloween. According to the story, the engine returns every Halloween to haunt the scrapyards, trying to look for his lost whistle. Thomas later teased Percy, saying Percy thought it was real, but he learned his lesson after remaining behind at the Smelters to take a special load and thinking that some chains touching his cab were ghostly fingers. He then believed that a whistle in the shed was the ghost's lost whistle, forcing him to race out of the smelters, frightened.
Technical Details
Basis
The Ghost Engine is based on a Caledonian Railway (CR) McIntosh 812 Class 0-6-0 goods engine. Donald and Douglas are other members of this class.
Appearances
Thomas & Friends
- Series 6 - Scaredy Engines (does not speak)
Music Videos
- Series 6 - Boo! Boo! Choo-Choo
Audio Files
Whistle
| Only used | Sound Effect |
|---|---|
| Scaredy Engines |
Trivia
- The Ghost Engine uses a cast of Donald or Douglas' model without the tender and nameplates. It also wears one of the twins' surprised faces.
The Halloween Engine
The Halloween Engine is a ghostly tender engine.
Technical Details
Basis
The Halloween Engine is an amalgamation of various parts. Its boiler and cab come off of an LNER A1/A3 Pacific, while its cylinders, wheels and frames are from a BR Standard Class 9F. Its tender is an LNER 4200 gallon "Group Standard" tender.
Appearances
Books
- 2006 - 'Arry and Bert (mentioned)
- 2011 - 'Arry and Bert (mentioned)
- 2016 - The Engine Shed Story Collection (mentioned) and The Ghost Engine (mentioned)
Magazine stories
- 2005 - Scrapyard Scare (mentioned) and Thomas' Hallowe'en (mentioned)
Trivia
- The Halloween Engine was made using a cast of Gordon's model with Murdoch's chassis and one of the old tenders with an added tail-lamp.
Hiro's Friends
Hiro's friends are engines who live and work on a Japanese railway owned by Sir Takaboushi Hideki on Hiro's homeland. They referred to Hiro as "Master of the Railway". Hiro first mentioned them as his "best friends at home" when he first met Percy during his restoration. Hiro later remembers his old friends when he is homesick in a magazine story.
Appearances
The Log Engine
- “We know a guy who was built to run on logs!”
- ― Lexi, Journey Beyond Sodor
According to Lexi, she and Theo once knew of a locomotive that was built with a type of log wheels.
Technical Details
Basis
The engine is a freelance design.
Appearances
Thomas & Friends
Specials
- 2017 - Journey Beyond Sodor (does not speak)
Music Videos
- Journey Beyond Sodor - We Can't Do Anything
Trivia
- It is quite possible this engine's appearance was misinterpreted as it literally running on logs as its wheels, and it may have originally been intended to be one of two things:
- A locomotive built to run on a pole road, a type of track laid with logs instead of steel rails, on which specialised locomotives ran.
- A locomotive which burns logs as fuel, similar to Bash, Dash and Ferdinand.
Dockyard Engines
There are two dockyard engines who work by the harbour in New York City.
Biography
When Vinnie arrived back to America after The Great Railway Show, the dockyard engines shunted some trucks for him to pull to the Big City. However, Vinnie started bragging that he could pull more. Because of this, they then added on more trucks to the point that Vinnie could not pull the train.
Technical Details
Basis
The dockyard engines are based on the H.K. Porter 0-6-0ST, built in Butler, Pennsylvania, north of Pittsburgh. These mainly worked in the dockyards on the east coast of the United States. The Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal Railroad, which served the dockyards in Brooklyn, New York, owned several examples of the dockyard engines' design, all of which were retired after the railroad started using diesel locomotives in 1963. One of these, Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal 15, was rebuilt into an operating replica of Thomas by the Strasburg Railroad in 1998 for use during Days Out with Thomas events throughout the USA. Another engine, 14, is preserved at the Ulster & Delaware Railroad Historical Society in Arkville, New York.
Porter is also based on this type of locomotive.
Livery
The dockyard engines' livery is viridian with yellow stripes, lining and brass fittings. They have a gold star on each side of their lamp and red window frames. Although these tank engines are of American design, all American locomotives have cowcatchers instead of buffers.
Appearances
The Swiss Tank Engines
The Swiss Tank Engines are two tank engines who Yong Bao met while in Switzerland.
Biography
The Swiss Tank Engines were afraid to go into a tunnel because they believed a monster was inside and they also heard strange noises coming from the tunnel. Yong Bao journeyed into the tunnel to reveal that it was only a goat.
Technical Details
Basis
The Swiss Tank Engines are based upon the Polish PKP 0-8-0T TKp No. 5485, but with minor modifications. This locomotive was built in 1959 and was used at a coal mine railway in Bytlom, Poland until the mine was shut down in 1995. It was sold to the Nene Valley Railway in Peterborough where it has operated in excursion service, undergoing an overhaul at the Flour Millworks in Gloucestershire between 2012 and 2019.
Livery
The Swiss Tank Engines are painted dark green with red running boards and buffer beams and black wheels.
Appearances
The Russian Engines
The Russian Engines are two steam engines that Ivan met while travelling home to Russia.
Biography
Ivan found the tank engine stuck on the line while returning home from the Great Railway Show. The tank engine revealed that the coal delivery had been late, so he had run out of coal. Ivan, fortunately, had a full tank of diesel fuel and offered to pull him to the next station. On the way to the station, Ivan came across the tender engine, who had also run out of fuel, with a train full of freezing passengers. By now, Ivan's tank was half full, but he offered to push the tender engine and his train. Despite the tender engine's reservations, with great effort, Ivan was able to take the engines to the station.
Upon reaching the station, Ivan left the engines at the platform and went to the nearby depot to fetch some coal for them. The engines were very thankful, however, when Ivan tried to move he found out he had used up all his fuel. The tank engine then offered to take Ivan to the nearest diesel depot to refuel. There, Ivan said that steam and diesel engines could always help each other.
Technical Details
Basis
The tender engine is based on the C Series 2-6-2, while the tank engine is based on the 9P Series 0-6-0T. A single C Series, C68, is preserved by the Russian Railway Museum in Saint Petersburg, while numerous 9Ps are preserved across the former Soviet Union.
Livery
The tank engine is painted black with red wheels and lining. The tender engine is painted green with gold lining, red wheels and white rims.
Appearances
The Patentee-Class Replica
The Patentee-Class Replica is an old-fashioned looking steam locomotive. Percy first encountered this engine while passing by an abandoned quarry, and later found out it was a replica which had been secretly tested there when he saw it at a steam show.
Technical Details
Basis
The engine is based on the Patentee class locomotives introduced by Robert Stephenson and Company in 1833, as an enlarged version of their earlier Planet class locomotives.
The engine in the magazine stories appears to be specifically modelled after the German locomotive Adler (German for "Eagle"), as noted by the twin lamps either side of the smokebox. Adler was built in 1835, and is widely considered to be the first commercially-used passenger and goods engine in Germany. The original locomotive was scrapped in 1855 after briefly being used as a stationary boiler, though a working replica of it was later constructed in 1935 to celebrate the centenary of Germany's railways.
Livery
The engine is painted grey and red with a brown wooden boiler. It has a brass chimney and dome, as well as brass lamps, fittings, boiler bands, works plates and nameplates, though no name is visible on these within the illustrations.
Appearances
The Red Tank Engines
Two Red Tank Engines appeared in a magazine story. They were never named and their origins are unknown.
Technical Details
Basis
These engines do not appear to be based on any specific design.
Livery
These engines are painted red with yellow lining and black wheels.
Appearances
Magazine Stories
- These engines appear in a "Counting Time" activity from the 1998-1999 Fun to Learn magazine.
Trivia
- They appear to be an illustration error of James portrayed as two different engines.
The Poster Engine
The Poster Engine is a faceless unnamed blue express engine which made an appearance in a magazine story. It appeared on a poster advertising summer excursions on Sodor.
Technical Details
Basis
The poster engine is based on the LNER A1/A3 Pacific, with an added top feed and fowler tender. [[Gordon (T&F)]|Gordon]], Flying Scotsman and Flying Thistle are other members of this class.
Livery
The poster engine is painted blue with red and black lining and has a crest on its tender.
Appearances
The Blue Tender Engine
An unnamed blue tender engine once appeared in the magazines. It annoyed Daisy after some coal dust got blown into her face from its tender.
Technical Details
Basis
The engine's basis is unknown.
Livery
The engine is painted blue with red lining. Its handrails are painted grey.
Appearances
Trivia
- It is possible that this engine is Edward, but illustrated incorrectly.
Emily's Ghost Engine
Emily's Ghost Engine is an engine that once appeared in Emily's dream, it only appeared in the magazine story Peep and Sleep, in which Emily is having trouble sleeping, due to Duck blowing his whistle too loudly. One night Emily has a dream, in which the ghost engine makes her fall asleep for 100 years. Following this, Emily decides she won't sleep the next night, until the other engines arrive at the sheds first.
Technical Details
Basis
The engine appears to be a freelance design.
Livery
The engine appears as a ghostly apparition, resembling a cloud.
Appearances
The Red Tender Engine
A red tender engine appears on a photograph in the Fat Controller's office.[1]
Technical Details
Basis
This engine has no precise basis, however it appears to be either a 2-6-0 or 0-6-0 with no dome. The engine also has a Fowler tender.
Livery
This engine is painted red, with black lining and a black smokebox.
Appearances
The Green Engine
This green engine appeared in a poster for the "Railway Me!" magazine.
Technical Details
Basis
The basis of this engine is unknown.
Livery
The engine is painted green with a brass dome and white buffers.
Appearances
The Lost Tank Engine
An unnamed blue tank engine made an appearance in the book, The Monster Under the Shed.
Biography
This engine was mentioned in a story told by James, and was said to always be ready to help. One night, a stationmaster asked him to get a coach that was left behind. The engine went to get it, but when the weather turned bad, he had to sleep in an old shed. Later, he woke up to a noise and when he opened his eyes, he saw fingers reaching for him from under the shed. He was chased out of the shed by a monster and never seen again, supposedly being eaten by the monster.
Personality
James emphasised that he was a brave blue engine who was eager to help.
Technical Details
Basis
The Lost Tank Engine loosely resembles an LSWR 0298 class Beattie well tank locomotive.
Livery
The Lost Tank Engine is painted blue with red lining.
Appearances
JNR Class DE10
The JNR Class DE10 is a diesel-hydraulic engine that works on the JR Kyoto line.
Biography
During Thomas and Percy's visit to the Kyoto Railway Museum, a JNR Class DE10 diesel engine passed the museum yard while travelling on the JR Kyoto line.
Technical Details
Real-Life History
The JNR Class DE10 was developed by Japanese National Railways, and was predominantly introduced to head passenger and freight services in rural areas and replace steam locomotives. It has also commonly been used for shunting duties at depots.
A total of 708 locomotives were built between 1966 and 1978, and an additional 14 were converted from the nearly identical JNR Class DE15. As of 1 April 2016, 138 locomotives remained in operation.
Livery
This diesel is painted red and grey with white lining.
Appearances
The Little Blue Engine
The Little Blue Engine is an unnamed blue engine who made an appearance in Mr. Perkins' Sleepover. He is the main protagonist of a story Mr. Perkins reads titled "The Little Engine's Big Day". He is similar to Thomas.
Biography
The Little Blue Engine loves nothing more than puffing along the track pulling important loads. One day at a junction, he meets a Big Silver Engine, who calls him a "slow coach". The Little Blue Engine feels insulted and goes as fast as he can to prove the Big Silver Engine wrong. However, he comes off the tracks from going too fast. Once he was back on the tracks, he continues his journey carefully to the Docks, this time ignoring the Big Silver Engine's teasing. He is praised by the Dock Manager for being really useful and he toots happily with pride.
Personality
The Little Blue Engine loves puffing along the track pulling important loads. He does not like being teased and is determined to prove others wrong, but strives to be really useful.
Technical Details
Basis
The Little Blue Engine is a well tank engine that looks similar to Bash and Dash.
Livery
The Little Blue Engine is painted blue.
Appearances
The Big Silver Engine
The Big Silver Engine is an unnamed silver engine who was mentioned in Mr. Perkins' Sleepover. He appears in a story Mr. Perkins reads titled "The Little Engine's Big Day". He is similar to Spencer.
Biography
The Big Silver Engine met the Little Engine at a junction one day, and he teased him, calling him a "slow coach."
Personality
The Big Silver Engine enjoys teasing smaller engines and can be rather impatient.
Technical Details
Livery
The Big Silver Engine is painted silver.
Appearances
The Crowd Engines
The Crowd Engines are a pair of engines which feature in the background when Diesel is imagining a statue of himself as a super hero being unveiled.
Technical Details
Basis
As the duo are recolours of Ryan and Paxton, they are based on a Great Northern Railway (GNR) Class N2 and a British Rail (BR) Class 08 diesel-electric shunter respectively. Due to the video they feature in being stylised with graphics based on the Minis range of merchandise, both have significantly squashed proportions and run on four-wheeled chassis.
Liveries
The tank engine is painted brown, while the diesel shunter is painted blue.
Appearances
The Red Tank Engine
The Red Tank Engine makes a cameo appearance in Adventures on Sodor. It is seen travelling over a bridge near Dryaw station.
Technical Details
Basis
The Red Tank Engine is based on the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway 0-6-0 E2 class with extended side tanks. Thomas shares the same basis and modifications.
Livery
The Red Tank Engine is painted red with black lining, cab door, running board and wheels.
Appearances
Trivia
- The Red Tank Engine is a pre-textured render of Thomas and reuses James' whistle sound.
- It resembles the Bachmann Junior red livery 0-6-0T '2005' steam locomotive, which is a recolour and retooling of the Bachmann Thomas model.
- On the Czech Rise and Shine DVD menus, a mirrored image of Thomas is photoshopped to look painted red and James' face is edited onto Thomas' smokebox.
Audio Files
Whistle
| First used | Last used | Sound Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Adventures on Sodor | Active |
|
See Also
References
| Locomotives | Yong Bao | Hong-Mei | The Big Mean Engine | The Small Mean Engine | Da Li | Xiao Hu | Yen | The Chinese Diesel | |
|---|---|---|
| Rolling Stock | An An and Yin-Long | Lei | |
| Locations | Real Landmarks | Great Wall of China | Zhangye Danxia | Himalayas (Shunting Yard) | Chang Jiang River |
| Fictional Landmarks | Cherry Blossom Runby | The First Chinese Station | The Chinese Railway Bridge | Chinese Railway Sheds | The Second Chinese Station | The Chinese Town Halt (Tunnel) | The Bamboo Forest (Nature Reserve) | Tu Zi Quan | Town Square | The River Station | |
| Locomotives | Victor | Sidney | Thirteen | Little Barford | Silver | The Blue Engines | The Flying Thistle | The Pier Train | The Cable Car | The High-Speed Post Train | River Mite | Prince | Livingston Thompson | The Coalbrookdale Locomotive |
|---|---|
| Rolling Stock | Annie and Clarabel's Old Friend | The Animal Sanctuary Coach | The Station Coach | The Play Coach | The New Coach | The Posh Coaches | Old Bennett | The Naughty Pink Truck | Carols on Wheels | The Old Guard's Van | The Elderly Brake Van |
| Vehicles | Angus | The Special Bus Service | The Open-Topped Double-Decker Bus | The Ice-Cream Van | The Float Lorry | The White Van | Bluebird | The Dodgems | Algy | The Tandem Rotor Helicopter |
| People | Farmer Collett | Dave | Minor Human Characters (magazines) | Minor Human Characters (annuals) |