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Background Information
Television Series
Old Slow Coach is a fictional standard gauge coach created by Britt Allcroft and David Mitton.
In 1998, Old Slow Coach made her debut in the fifth series of Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends in the episode, Thomas, Percy and Old Slow Coach. She later appeared in the episode, Happy Ever After. However, she has not appeared since, making her one of the few characters introduced in the fifth series to remain absent since. She was also the last sentient coach introduced in the model series.
Old Slow Coach is based on a Falmouth Coupe TRI brake coach.
Behind the Scenes
Gauge 1 Model
Old Slow Coach's model was built out of a E39 GWR Falmouth coupe coach gauge 1 kit made by Barrett Steam Engineering. She was first painted in a weathering livery as an old scrap coach, then repainted in a Chocolate and Cream stock livery that came with ready-built kits. The front end was modified to accommodate the eye mechanism.
The eye mechanism had two servos, one for up and down movement and one for left and right movement. The up/down servo was attached to the body. The left/right servo had a rod attached to the arm, which connected to a bracket. The eye balls were coupled to the bracket and locked in by the face-plate, so whenever the servos were powered, the eye balls would move however the crew member desired.
Four different facial expressions were sculpted for Old Slow Coach, although only two were used onscreen. The faces were first sculpted in clay and from that resin casts were made of a silicone mould.
Old Slow Coach is the first/only coach in the model series with the eye mechanism and the gray moulded face like the engines.
As of March 2020, Old Slow Coach's model is on display at Drayton Manor Theme Park.
Voice Actors
- Fu Suzuki (Japan)