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"So ye're boun' for the wee railway. Ye must put some order into those trucks. The havers they make, it's hard to believe."
― Neil[src]

Neil is a dark green tank engine with an unusual boxy shape and a heavy Scottish accent, originating from the Sodor and Mainland Railway.

Biography

Neil was built at Neilson and Company's Hyde Park Works in Glasgow, Scotland around 1861, for the Sodor and Mainland Railway and was a typical contractors' engine of the period. The details of his acquisition have sadly been lost. In 1865, he helped to ferry Skarloey from the harbour at Kirk Ronan to his home at the Skarloey Railway terminus of Crovan's Gate. He warned Skarloey about trucks and the two became friends. [1]

Neil was later sold to the Crovan's Gate Mining Company to raise funds for the struggling Sodor and Mainland Railway once it stopped carrying freight, to bring slate from the transhipment sidings at Crovan's Gate to the harbour at Kirk Ronan. Neil survived past the formation of the North Western Railway and is still around to this day, however his current occupation or whereabouts are unknown.[2]

Personality

Neil is a kind, simple and gentle engine who helps work the docks transporting engines and other goods being unloaded from ships to the rest of the Island of Sodor. Although he may look a little strange, he is extremely hard working and the other engines like him for it.

According to Skarloey, Neil befriended him when he was young, and can be described as "ugly but kind".

Technical Details

Basis

Neil is based on a Neilson 0-4-0 box tank, a simple and robust class of engine built in Glasgow, Scotland and sold all over the world. This basis is reflected in his name and class. His country of origin also explains his accent. All members of this class were withdrawn and scrapped.[3]

Livery

Neil is painted in a dark green colour with his company's initials (S&M) and his number (2), painted on the sides of his box tank in yellow.

Appearances

Official Description

The Railway Series

From Official Media:[2]

Neil: The only locomotive from the early companies to be illustrated in the books is Neil, a survivor from the Sodor & Mainland Railway. He makes a very brief appearance in Very Old Engines, and is a typical contractors' engine of the period - the story takes place in 1865 - but it is hard to say which factory he might have came from. The S&MR was a company whose attitude to records could be described as casual, and details of Neil's acquisition have, sadly, been lost.


Thomas & Friends

From Official Media[1]

Neil: Neil is a kind and gentle engine who helps work the docks transporting engines and other goods being unloaded from ships to the rest of the Island. Although he may look a little strange, he is extremely hard working and the other engines like him for it.


Fun Fact: When Skarloey first arrived at the railway, it was Neil who helped to unload him from the cargo ship and bring him to his new home.

Trivia

  • Neil, alongside his brothers, are the very first known engines to ever arrive on Sodor in The Railway Series.
  • In the original second illustration of the story Bucking Bronco, Neil is depicted as having blue eyes. This technically makes him the first and only engine or vehicle character to be depicted with an eye colour other than black until Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go.
  • Neil is the only one on his Railway that we know the name of.
  • In Sodor: Reading Between the Lines, Christopher Awdry erroneously states that all three engines were scrapped under "The Railways of the Island" section. Although, Neil's character description states that he is the only survivor from the Sodor and Mainland Railway under "Locomotives and other characters".

Merchandise

References


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