Shunters are railway staff who couple and uncouple engines and rolling stock. The shunter use a long pole with a hook on the end, which is known as a shunter's pole. When a shunter is not around, the engine's driver or fireman usually does the job.
Biography[]
When Daisy refused to pull a milk tanker and explained about her fitter, a shunter questioned why Sir Topham Hatt had sent for Daisy, referring to Daisy as "feeble". This angered Daisy and the shunter eventually uncoupled her from the milk tanker as the passengers were late.
After Diesel had arranged a long train of trucks, some shunters had set the brakes on the trucks. The trucks knew this, however, they still encouraged Diesel to move them. When Diesel had fallen into the canal, Henry was called to move the train. The shunters released the brakes on the trucks when Henry was coupled up to the train.
Uniform[]
A standard shunter's uniform consists of blue trousers, a black tie and a white shirt with a blue jacket over it and mostly brown overalls. The shunters wear peaked caps and hardhats that are either blue or brown.
A quarry shunter's uniform consists of a white shirt with a grey jacket over it and an orange hardhat. The quarry shunters wear grey overalls with a circular logo of two tools on the front of them. The uniform colours vary for some quarry shunters.
A dock shunter's uniform consists of a white shirt, a grey jacket and an orange hardhat. The shunters wear blue overalls with a logo of a ship on the front of them.
A Vicarstown Dieselworks shunter's uniform consists of dark yellow trousers, a grey shirt and a dark yellow jacket with the logo of the Vicarstown Dieselworks on the front of it. The shunters wear either black or dark blue hardhats.
Trivia[]
- In real life, a shunter’s pole was withdrawn by British Railways in the 1950s and the shunters would hold the coupling chain by hand and slip them on the draw hook.
Voice Actors[]
- Hikaru Midorikawa (Japan; Daisy)
- Petteri Hynönen (Finland; Tale of the Brave)
- Klaus Gerner (Germany; Snow Is Great! and Thomas and the Circus)