| This article is about the narrow gauge engine. You may be looking for the standard gauge engine, the Story Library book or the Engine Adventures book. |
Victor is a dark red narrow gauge tank engine from Cuba who works at the Sodor Steamworks with his assistant, Kevin.
Biography
Victor used to work at the Manuel de Céspedes Sugar Mill in Cuba, until he was transferred to Sodor by boat. During his journey, the chains holding him down snapped. Upon arriving at Brendam Docks, Victor tried to tell the workmen about his problem. However, they could not understand him as he only spoke Spanish and Luke - an engine they had picked up during the journey - was lifted off of the ship first, but he accidentally bumped into Victor, causing him to roll off the deck and into the sea. Although Victor was able to land on a jetty, he was left in the seas for a very long time due to the bad weather. When it cleared out, Victor was finally lifted out of the water and was sent to the Sodor Steamworks. During that time, he decided to learn English and his first word of English was "red," as that was the colour he chose to be repainted in.
Victor now works at the Sodor Steamworks and is always busy finding, delivering or collecting parts and supervising activities around the yard. He works closely with Kevin, whose clumsiness often annoys Victor. He is a wise and friendly engine who is always ready to help his friends, though he does not tolerate any nonsense.
In his first appearance, Victor helped Thomas restore Hiro with the help of Kevin. Victor would leave flatbeds of old engine parts for Thomas and the other engines to bring to Hiro. After the Fat Controller found out about Hiro, he had Victor oversee Hiro's restoration.
Victor has helped to repair many engines, but such work can sometimes overwhelm him. Once he had seven engines awaiting their turn for repairs when he and Kevin were trying to fix some trucks. Victor quickly rearranged the workload and told the other engines to come back later whilst he attended to Gordon.
Until recently, Luke believed that Victor had been scrapped as a result of the damage he had sustained after Luke had accidentally knocked him off the boat. Years later, he finally reunites with Luke and tells him the truth behind the accident, and that he was not to blame.
Victor visits the Skarloey Railway once a week to examine the narrow gauge engines. Once, Peter Sam did not want to bother him prior to his visit, even when Skarloey, Sir Handel and Duncan needed repairs. However, when Peter Sam ran out of coal, he asked Rheneas to get Victor. Victor informed Peter Sam that it is his job to fix engines, so it would not be a bother to ask for his assistance.
When the turntable at Tidmouth Sheds was frozen, Victor allowed Edward and Henry to sleep at the Steamworks.
When Duncan became exceedingly grumpy during the holidays, Victor and Mr. Percival made him a bet; if the Scottish engine could go a whole day without complaining, Victor would give him a new coat of paint before the other engines.
When Kevin got lost in the snow, Victor feared the worst and set out to find him, in spite of his dislike for the snow. He refused to give up the search until he was eventually informed that Kevin was safe and sound back at the Steamworks.
When the Great Railway Show was being held on the Mainland, Victor assisted in preparing the Sudrian contenders for the competitions. He insisted that Gordon wait for the workmen to complete their safety checks after his streamlining, but the big engine refused, eager to compete and see his brother. When Thomas was left behind to be repaired, Victor tried to cheer him up, only for Kevin to reveal that Gordon's safety valve mechanism was not properly reassembled. Knowing the potentially catastrophic results of Gordon racing without a safety valve, Victor insisted that Thomas head to the Show and give it to him. Unfortunately, he was not successful.
Personality
Victor is a charming narrow gauge engine that keeps the Sodor Steamworks operating. He is a busy engine with a winning sense of humour and a heart of gold, which causes him to never get angry easily. He is highly respected among all of the Sodor engines for helping to sort their repairs and see to their needs. He is very friendly, can often put a smile on an engine's smokebox, and will often help guide an engine where he feels it may be to their benefit.
Victor also has a firm manner when something needs to be sorted and stands no nonsense from naughty steam engines or lurking diesel engines. He takes his work very seriously and takes great pride in helping to maintain the service of the Steamworks. In his time, Victor has helped restore, repair and repaint many of Sodor's locomotives and he keeps the Steamworks a welcoming, bustling, hospitable environment.
He keeps a keen, watchful eye over Kevin the crane, who assists him in the works' operations. Kevin's clumsiness and antics may cause Victor bother and disturbance, but Victor is fond of Kevin and glad to have him as part of the team. Due to coming from a warm country, he has a deep hatred of snow, but he was able to overcome this when Kevin was in danger.
Technical Details
Basis
Victor is based on Minaz No. 1173, an 0-4-0ST locomotive built by Baldwin Locomotive Works that worked at the Carlos Manuel de Céspedes Sugar Mill in Cuba. The engine carried water in its saddle tank and oil in its side tanks. It was in poor condition and withdrawn after 1993. 1173 was rescued from Céspedes on 3 August 2012. From there it was transferred to the Patria Sugar Mill Museum where it was repainted and put on display with other engines rescued from Céspedes and other sugar mills.
As the Sodor Steamworks is based on high profile locomotive works (such as Crewe, Doncaster, and Darlington), Victor is also based on narrow gauge locomotives that lived there, delivering parts to different departments. So, while Victor's prototype is standard gauge, he - like high profile works locos - is narrow gauge.
Livery
Victor is painted dark red (due to "red" being the first word he learned in English) with yellow lining and wheels. He has black and yellow hazard stripes on his front bufferbeam and on the back of his cab above his rear bufferbeam. The front section of his saddle tank is painted black up to the front of his oil tanks, to match his smokebox. The Sodor Steamworks logo is painted on the sides of his cab.
Before coming to Sodor, Victor was painted yellow with aqua green lining and wheels. During this time, both his front and rear bufferbeams were red. His number, 1173, was painted on the sides of his cab in green.
Appearances
Official Description
From Official Website:[1]
| “ | Victor: Victor is the manager of The Sodor Steamworks. He is very busy engine, always on the run – fixing broken-down engines, finding useful parts and supervising Kevin. Victor has a heart of gold and a good sense of humor and is a respected manager by all the engines. It is Victor who keeps the Island of Sodor steaming along!
|
” |
Audio Files
Whistle
| First used | Last used | Sound Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Series 15 | Series 19 |
Trivia
- Victor is the first of a few things:
- The series' first Hispanic character (though Hector was previously portrayed with a hispanic accent in the US dub of Series 12).
- The first engine to speak a language other than English (said language being Spanish, though it was changed to Greek in the Spanish, Brazilian and French versions).
- The first narrow gauge engine to appear in the CGI series.
- Victor is also the only of a few things:
- The only narrow gauge engine owned by the North Western Railway.
- The only narrow gauge engine to be shown with his own snowplough.
- The only narrow gauge engine to appear in every series of the CGI series.
- Victor is one of the very few steam engines in the series to be an oil burner.
- In his original yellow livery, Victor has the same number (1173) as his basis.
- As he has been scaled down to narrow gauge, Victor's cab is smaller than his basis. Because of this, his crew's eye level is higher than the top of his windows when standing. As a result, Victor has rarely been seen with his crew entering or exiting his cab.
- Victor currently has the most merchandise of any narrow gauge engine.
- Victor was the last engine to be released in the My First Thomas range.
Quote
- “Hello, I'm Victor. At the Sodor Steamworks, we'll have you repaired in no time, to keep the Island of Sodor steaming along.”
- ― Victor's website audio
References