Murdoch

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This article is about the engine. You may be looking for the Story Library Book.

Murdoch the Mighty Engine
Background Information
First appearance	Something Fishy (T&F)
Last appearance	Thomas Puts the Brakes On (T&F)
Creator(s)	Phil Fehrle Paul Larson Robert Gauld-Galliers
Overview
Name	Murdoch the Orange Engine
Gender	Male
Country	Island of Sodor England (formerly)
Relative(s)	Cock O' The North (brother) Belle (cousin)
Affiliation	North Western Railway Harvey Salty Emily
Technical Details
Basis	BR Standard Class 9F
Gauge	4'8½" (1,435 mm; standard gauge)
Power type	Steam
Vehicle	Locomotive
Type	Tender engine
Fuel type	Coal
Configuration	2-10-0
Wheels	18
Top speed	95 mph (153 kph)
Designer(s)	Robert A. Riddles
Builder(s)	Crewe or Swindon Works
Year built	Sometime between January 1954 and March 1960
Railway	North Western Railway
Owner(s)	Sir Topham Hatt

“Please, I want some peace and quiet. I don't want to share a shed with chatterboxes!”

―Murdoch complaining

Murdoch is one of Sodor's largest and strongest tender engines, who is somewhat shy, a gentle giant and prefers the quiet countryside to the constant noise of the industry. He hauls goods trains on the Main Line and lives at Knapford Sheds.

Biography

Thomas & Friends

Murdoch was brought to help out the engines with their heavy workloads. Because of his size and strength, Salty and Harvey were eager to learn more about him. Murdoch, however, disliked the noise of their chatter and he ended up getting cross with them. The next day, Murdoch finally had a chance to pull a train through the quiet countryside. Unfortunately, his journey was interrupted by a flock of sheep. Murdoch had to wait with the noisy sheep until Toby could bring the farmer to lead them away. That night, Murdoch found Salty's and Harvey's company a relief.

Murdoch was happy but shy about being decorated for the May Day festivities.

One windy autumn day, a large red carpet landed on a goods wagon from Murdoch's goods train, unbeknownst to Murdoch. Percy briefly chased after it, until the heavy winds blew it away again.

When Whiff first arrived on Sodor, Murdoch (alongside Molly and Neville) laughed at Emily because she was showing Whiff around Sodor.

Emily once needed Murdoch's help when she became stranded in the mud and near the end, Emily asked him which track should she take. Murdoch told Emily that the tracks on Gordon's Hill were being cleared and told her to take the valley route instead.

Murdoch shunted Rocky while helping Thomas recover the lost materials for the Sodor River Bridge's restoration.

Personality

Murdoch is a mighty, powerful engine with ten drive wheels. He is one of the largest engines working on Sodor and was brought to the Island to help with the heavy workload and pull heavy goods trains across the Main Line. Murdoch is as shy as he is strong, as he is actually a gentle giant. He can often be found seeking peace and quiet, away from the bustle of the yards and the Docks. He enjoys long hauls through the countryside and although he can get short of patience and a little annoyed if he does not get some alone time, he can be quite a reserved engine. Although he can be an independent worker, Murdoch is often content to join in, help and offer advice where he deems it worthy, but, despite being hard to miss due to his defining strength and size, he will not jump to put himself at the centre of attention.

Technical Details

Basis

Murdoch is based on a BR Standard Class 9F with a BR1G tender, which was used for fast and heavy goods trains. The class was the last of the BR Standards and the final steam engine class built by British Railways, with the last one, "Evening Star", built in March 1960. Due to the size and shape of the class, they were given the nickname "Spaceships". "Evening Star" and eight other 9Fs are preserved. One 9F, "Black Prince" holds the record for hauling the heaviest steam-hauled train in all of England, Scotland and Wales, at 2,198 tons. "Evening Star", the very last steam locomotive built by BR, is also part of the National Collection.

Murdoch's basis

Livery

Murdoch is painted dull orange with green and red lining. He has smoke deflectors, on which he wears red nameplates with his name in gold.

Originally, Murdoch was to be painted maroon with red and chrome yellow lining, as shown in early artwork by Robert Gauld-Galliers. His livery was later changed, likely due to it being similar to another of the new characters introduced in the seventh series, Arthur.

Appearances

• Television Series
• Other Media

Thomas & Friends Series 7 - Something Fishy (cameo), Peace and Quiet and Best Dressed Engine Series 8 - Percy and the Magic Carpet (does not speak) Series 11 - Emily's Rubbish (does not speak) Series 12 - Excellent Emily and Thomas Puts the Brakes On (does not speak) Music Videos Series 7 - Five New Engines in the Shed and Salty Series 8 - Determination

Books 2004 - Gordon and the Competition and New Friends for Thomas 2005 - Railway Rhymes 2006 - Percy and the Magic Carpet and Thomas' Sticker Express 2007 - Murdoch, Ride Along with Thomas (cameo) and Thomas' Giant Coloring Book 2009 - A Little Rest for Murdoch 2010 - A Hooray for Thomas!, Excellent Emily, Thomas Puts the Brakes On and Traveling Tales 2011 - The Big Book of Engines 2012 - 1001 Stickers Fun Book and Full Steam Ahead! Magazine stories 2004 - Blackout!, The Engine Clock (cameo), Missing Murdoch and Sound of Silence 2005 - Percy and the Magic Carpet (does not speak) 2006 - Taking Charge (does not speak) 2007 - Snow Chute (does not speak) Murdoch also appeared in the magazine story, Noisy Passengers. Video Games 2007 - DVD Bingo 2008 - Begins Educational Learning

Audio Files

Whistles

First used	Last used	Sound Effect
Series 7	Series 7

In one scene of Peace and Quiet, along with the Engines Working Together and Fun Cubes games, Murdoch is incorrectly portrayed with Arthur's whistle.

First used	Last used	Sound Effect
Peace and Quiet	Fun Cubes

In the Sing Along mode of the Engines Working Together game, Murdoch is incorrectly portrayed with Thomas' whistle.

First used	Last used	Sound Effect
Engines Working Together	Engines Working Together

Trivia

• Contrary to popular belief, Murdoch does not share the same whistle sound as Arthur. Him having Arthur's whistle sound was actually a goof, for Murdoch's own exclusive whistle sound can be heard (although very faintly) in the seventh series episode, Peace and Quiet.
• Murdoch's whistle sound, along with Sir Handel's tenth series whistle can be heard as sound effects of the Snoodle Tower in the VeggieTales episode, A Snoodle's Tale.
• Murdoch's model used to be on display in Canada at Nitrogen Studios. The model was displayed with no face.
• The Halloween Engine in the eighth series episode, Halloween, used Murdoch's cylinders.
• Murdoch's name was once misspelt as Mordoch, The Motor Road and Rail system previously spelt Murdoch's name incorrectly as "Murdock".
• Even though Murdoch's tender wheels are black, most merchandise ranges have them orange, excluding Ertl, Tomica, Tomy, TrackMaster, Take-N-Play and Hornby.
• Michael Angelis gives Murdoch a Scottish accent in the twelfth series, while Michael Brandon gives him an English accent.
• The remote control used for Murdoch's eye mechanism and later Stanley's is now owned by Twitter user IsaacM6991.
• Murdoch is the first character introduced in the television series to have smoke deflectors, the second being Hiro, although if Gordon Goes Foreign was made, Murdoch would've been the second.
• Murdoch had a total of ten facial expressions, three of which (wincing, shocked and sleeping) were not used on-screen.

Merchandise

• Ertl (UK only; discontinued)
• Wooden Railway (discontinued)
• Take Along (discontinued)
• Take-n-Play (discontinued)
• Motor Road and Rail (discontinued)
• TrackMaster (discontinued)
• My First Thomas (talking; discontinued)
• My Thomas Story Library (discontinued)
• Hornby (discontinued)
• Tomica (discontinued)
• Nakayoshi (discontinued)
• Capsule Plarail
• Pocket Fantasy (discontinued)
• Padlock and Key

References

North Western Railway

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* RWS only | ** T&F only | --- Dropped

The Main Line

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* RWS only | ** T&F only

Locomotives	Henry | Gordon | James | Donald and Douglas | Thomas** | Emily** | Murdoch** | Molly** | Rosie** | Hiro** | Nia** | Rebecca** | Bear* | The Works Diesel* | Pip and Emma* | Philip**
Rolling Stock	Express Coaches | Branch Line Coaches | Thomas' Special Coach* | Annie and Clarabel** | Emily's Coaches**
Locations	Tidmouth (Harbour, Engine Sheds, Tunnel) | Knapford (Yards, Engine Sheds, Bus Yard**) | Crosby (Tunnel, Washdown**) | Wellsworth (Yards) | Suddery Junction | Gordon's Hill | Maron | Cronk (Viaduct) | Killdane | Balladrine Bridge | Kellsthorpe Road | Crovan's Gate (Works, Yards**) | Henry's Tunnel | Vicarstown (Engine Sheds, Yards, Bridge, Goods Depot**, Junction**, Dieselworks**) | Barrow-in-Furness | Lower Tidmouth** | Sodor Suspension Bridge** | West Maron Junction** | East Maron Junction** | Balladrine** | Kellaby** | Whispering Woods** (Halt) | Kirk Ronan Junction** | The Difficult Bend** | Sodor Steamworks** | Neville's Bridge** | Henry's Forest** (Wishing Tree) | The Lumber Mill** | Great Waterton** (Water Works)