Shankar is an Indian diesel shunter. He works on the Indian Railway.
Biography
Thomas & Friends
Shankar is first seen working in a shunting yard as Thomas and Nia are heading to Sodor. He later brings Thomas some trucks to pull during his visit, with the former thinking he was an elephant at first.
Thomas later meets Shankar after daydreaming about tigers. Shankar talks about how he feels sorry for the tigers having their peace disturbed by the tourists. He later appears when Thomas spots a tiger, honking his horn to scare it off, explaining to Thomas that the tigers are rare and endangered due to hunters. Rajiv then shows up with two men claiming to be there so they can spot a tiger, but Shankar notices that they have a cage with them for capturing one and realize they are hunters. He and Thomas devise a plan to stop them, which involves Shankar pretending to be a tiger to lure the men into a trap. After the hunters are arrested, Shankar returns to his work, but not without spotting a tiger.
Personality
Shankar is wise and sympathetic, but also serious and blunt, always going straight to the point. If there is a way to set things right, he can be counted on to carry it out.
Technical Details
Basis
Shankar is based on a Russian TGM23 class diesel shunter. Ivan shares this basis.
Livery
Shankar's main paint scheme consists of three bands: the top band is orange, the middle cream and the bottom a maroon-brown. His wheels and running plate are brown, and his handrails are yellow.
Appearances
Thomas & Friends
Specials
- 2018 - Big World! Big Adventures! (cameo)
Music Videos
- Big World! Big Adventures! - We're Friends (cameo)
- Series 22 - All the Girls Around the World
Voice Actors
- Sanjeev Bhaskar (UK/US)
- Kōichi Sakaguchi (Japan)
- Erik Schäffler (Germany)
Trivia
- His model is a modified version of Ivan's.
- His name means "beneficent" or "giver of bliss" in the Sanskrit language.
- His livery is based upon the livery worn by the WDS-6 locomotives based at Visakhapatnam depot in India, albeit with the order of the bands reversed.
Video
