The Austerity Engine

The Austerity Engine
Background Information
First appearance	Wilbert the Forest Engine (RWS)
Last appearance	Wilbert the Forest Engine (RWS)
Creator(s)	Christopher Awdry
Character Overview
Country	Island of Sodor England (formerly)
Relative(s)	Wilbert Sixteen
Affiliation	North Western Railway The Little Western Donald and Douglas Duck Oliver
Technical Details
Basis	Hunslet Austerity 0-6-0ST
Gauge	4'8½" (1,435 mm; standard gauge)
Power type	Steam
Vehicle	Locomotive
Type	Saddle tank engine
Fuel type	Coal
Configuration	0-6-0ST
Wheels	6
Top speed	40 mph
Designer(s)	Hunslet Engine Company
Builder(s)	Hunslet Engine Company
Year built	Sometime between 1943 and 1964
Railway	North Western Railway
Owner(s)	Sir Topham Hatt

The Austerity Engine is a saddle-tank engine who works on the North Western Railway pulling goods for The Little Western.

Biography

The Railway Series

The Austerity Engine is an engine which the Fat Controller planned to acquire to assist Donald and Douglas with their branch line work. In order to assess the abilities of such an engine, he borrowed Wilbert from the Dean Forest Railway for a period in the early 1993. He told Wilbert that he knew where he could get another engine like him.

Technical Details

Basis

The Austerity Engine is based on an Austerity 0-6-0ST. This type was designed by Hunslet for War Department use in 1943, continued to be built for WD and industrial use until 1964 by various companies. It is unknown which company built this particular Austerity or when it was built.

A model of an Austerity Engine named "Warrington" was on Wilbert Awdry's layout.

Awdry's model of an Austerity Engine

Wilbert and Sixteen are also based on this engine. Other members of this class were featured in Thomas and the U.K. Trip and the Down at the Station segments.

The Austerity Engine's basis

Appearance

• Railway Series

The Railway Series

• Wilbert the Forest Engine - Percy's Porridge (mentioned)

Companion volumes

• 2007 - Thomas the Tank Engine: The New Collection (mentioned)

Trivia

• Christopher Awdry has confirmed that the engine was intended to be one of the many Austerity 0-6-0STs awaiting restoration around England. Contrary to speculation, it was not meant to be Barry, the latter character being confirmed by the author as having been thought up in the 1980s.

References

North Western Railway

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