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The Skarloey Railway Engines As A Whole
The Skarloey Railway engines as they appear in the model seriesnote
- Adaptation Dye-Job: In the Railway Series books, all of the engines shared the same uniform livery of red with blue lining. In the television series, they instead each got their own distinct colors.
- Skarloey's blue stripes were changed to white.
- Rheneas is a much more vermilion color than he is in The Railway Series. In Blue Mountain Mystery, he is briefly painted yellow with blue stripes.
- Sir Handel and Peter Sam were originally blue and green, respectively, while working on the Mid Sodor Railway. While they're repainted in the books, they keep their colors in the TV series.
- Rusty is dark grey in the books, but is orange on the show.
- Duncan is red in the books, but yellow in the show.
- Adaptational Late Appearance: In the books, the railway was introduced to the viewers before the likes of Diesel or the Scottish Twins were brought to the island. But they were brought in later in the show afterwards due to the limitations of the models would've been at the time.
- Aerith and Bob: Peter Sam, Duncan, Rusty....and then we have Skarloey, Rheneas, and Sir Handel.
- The Bus Came Back: 5 of them came back in Blue Mountain Mystery and have been on the show since. Duncan didn't come back until season 18, though.
- Demoted to Extra: Even after returning in the CGI series, they have mostly been limited to cameos and supporting roles. Only Rheneas, Peter Sam, Duncan and Luke have even gotten limelight episodes, and none of them following Season 19.
- Older Than They Look: The main six engines are all based on real preserved engines on the Talyllyn Railway. Rusty is the youngest, built in 1957. Skarloey is the oldest, built in 1864, making him 150 years old.
- Put on a Bus: They all disappeared from the show after the switch to CGI. Mighty Mac and Freddie haven't returned since then.
- Token Evil Teammate: Sir Handel and Duncan, while not evil, are two of the most bad-behaved engines of the narrow-gauge railway.
Skarloey
- "I'm ashamed of you!"Voiced by: Keith WickhamNumber: Skarloey Railway 1Basis: Talyllyn Railway No. 1, TalyllynBuilt: 1864
The first and oldest engine on the Skarloey Railway, named after a lake at one end of the line.
- Adaptational Wimp: The Out of Character section has more detail, but starting from Season 5 to Season 12, he was very much not depicted as the Cool Old Guy that he was in the books. Not even his younger self from Very Old Engines fit those traits, being more of an arrogant Small Name, Big Ego. He became afraid of bridges and got stressed from being late, things that never really got him down (For reference, he laughed off running into a landslide after Rheneas saved him). He's since returned to his original personality in the CGI series.
- Cool Old Guy: He's one of the oldest engines on the whole island, and a strong one.
- Determinator: Most notably in "Four Little Engines", where he gets the coaches to where they need to be in spite of having a limp.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Rheneas. They're very close.
- Nice Guy: He's very friendly.
- Not So Above It All: Even when he is firmly written as a wise Cool Old Guy, he isn't afraid to have a little fun. For instance, he was the one who set up Sir Handel to go after George.
- Old Master: Despite his small size and old age, he still works as hard as the younger engines, and is revered even by the standard gauge engines.
- Out of Character: Oh dear.
- Cowardly Lion: Played this role in seasons 10 and 11.
- Depending on the Writer: Is he young or old? Brave or timid? It varies, although it's worth mentioning that he started as an old engine and was depicted as young later. As of season 16 onward, he's reverted back to his older persona.
- The Eeyore: Usually this overlaps when he goes into Cowardly Lion territory, moping about his worthlessness.
- Keet: While he was this in his youth, he slips in and out of this in the newer series.
- Shrinking Violet: Had a hard time getting used to the Wharf in season 10.
- Really 700 Years Old: Being built in 1864 makes him the oldest engine on his railway as well as the oldest on all of Sodor (that we know of, at least).
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: He's the narrow-gauge equivalent of Edward. They're both old, kind and determined (when they're not Out of Character).
- Team Dad: Takes up this role in the recent seasons.
- Trauma Button: In something of an Unbuilt Trope example of his later Lovable Coward personality, "The Old Bridge" has Skarloey freezing when trying to cross the titular bridge, though for the pretty justified reason that the bridge previously collapsed under him, leaving him dangling close to death for ages before he lifted free. He gets over it to help Rheneas after he breaks down on the bridge later on.
- Unrelated in the Adaptation: In the books, he and Rheneas were explicitly stated to have shared the same builder and were thus brothers, alongside their Talyllyn counterparts. This backstory was never adapted into the show, and the two are thus just Heterosexual Life-Partners instead.
Rheneas
- "I musn't stop between stations, the passengers wouldn't like it."Voiced by: John Hasler (twentieth season onwards), Ben Small (sixteenth - eighteenth seasons)Number: Skarloey Railway 2Basis: Talyllyn Railway No. 2, DolgochBuilt: 1865
Named after a waterfall on the railway, Rheneas is the second engine on the Skarloey Railway.
- Adaptational Wimp: Similar to Skarloey, he displayed traits in the original episodes that his book counterpart never displayed and would've worked through without fuss.
- Cool Old Guy: He's almost as old as Skarloey, and is definitely an awesome engine as seen in "Gallant Old Engine".
- Depending on the Writer: An identical problem with Skarloey, bouncing between being a Keet, The Eeyore, and even a Jerkass. Not so much since the new writing team took over, but still evident on occasion.
- Determinator: So much so that his actions kept the railway from closing down.
- Feud Episode: Broke off his friendship with Skarloey in Rheneas and the Dinosaur, though the two reunited by the end.
- Flat Character: There isn't much to Rheneas outside of being a Determinator and Nice Guy. The HIT seasons attempted to remedy this by making him Out of Character in some episodes, with failed results.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Skarloey.
- Nice Guy: He's a level-headed engine who is keen to keep his friends smiling.
- Old Master: Much like Skarloey, he may be small but he works very hard.
- The Only One: Before Sir Handel and Peter Sam came, Rheneas was the only engine left to run the railway, as Skarloey had become too worn out to work. If he wasn't able to complete a journey, any journey, the whole railway would have been closed. Suffice to say, he ultimately succeeded in keeping the railway afloat.
- Status Quo Is God: In Blue Mountain Mystery he kept complaining to Skarloey about wanting yellow paint after his paint had been damaged. In The Stinger, he is painted yellow to play a prank on Thomas. He is reverted back to his regular vermillion paint in season 16.
- Team Dad: Like Skarloey, but seemed to slip into this more when Skarloey was Out of Character.
- Unrelated in the Adaptation: In the books, he and Skarloey were explicitly stated to have shared the same builder and were thus brothers, alongside their Talyllyn counterparts. This backstory was never adapted into the show, and the two are thus just Heterosexual Life-Partners instead.
Sir Handel/Falcon
- "What a small shed! This won't do at all! We're much too smart for this old shack!"Voiced by: Keith WickhamNumber: Skarloey Railway 3, originally Mid-Sodor Railway 3Basis: Talyllyn Railway No. 3, Sir HaydnBuilt: 1904
A blue engine who worked with Peter Sam and Duke on the Mid-Sodor Railway.
- Adaptational Badass: One of the few characters to actually undergo this in the HIT episodes, where he took on the Cool Old Guy role that Skarloey and Rheneas fulfilled, and generally had a more positive attitude to his work.
- All of the Other Reindeer: His wheels in "Steam Roller" cause this.
- Berserk Button: In much the same way as Gordon, don't make him pull trucks.
- Break the Haughty: Frequently in season 4.
- The Bus Came Back: After he disappeared since season 5, he returned in season 10's "A Smooth Ride".
- Characterization Marches On: When he returned in season 10, he was more kind, mature, and level-headed than he was in season 4. This characterization carried over to the CGI era. Although, he does display shades of his original personality in season 20, at least in moments where he actually speaks, as he did not gain any real supporting or main roles.
- Drives Like Crazy: When he returns in season 10, he would rattle and shake when climbing hills.
- Era-Specific Personality: A little brat under the Reverend's pen, a wise, kind engine under HIT's. His CGI characterization seems to have him be a mix of both personalities, as shown in season 20 when he teased Samson on how many trucks he could pull. He may or may not be back to the first characterization based on his sole speaking role in Season 24.
- I Have Many Names: His name was Falcon before joining the Skarloey Railway.
- Inconsistent Spelling: In various merchandise and books, his name is often misspelled as "Sir Handle".
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Following his return in season 10, he still has his pompous, off-putting characteristics, but has learnt how to care for things and stoop down to lend a hand (or buffer or coupling in this case).
- Mid-Season Upgrade: His "steamroller" wheels, which have broad tires that help him hold to the rails better.
- The Napoleon: A small narrow-gauge engine with a big ego.
- Playing Sick: He would often feign illnesses do avoid doing jobs he hates.
- Put on a Bus: The writers forgot about him during Season 5, and he disappeared. He returned in season 10.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: Blue to Peter Sam's red.
- Soap Opera Rapid Aging Syndrome: When he did return, he was acting a lot more like Duke than himself.
- Spoiled Brat: He disparages the Skarloey Railway sheds; he verbally insults Agnes, Ruth, Lucy, Jemima and Beatrice; he tries to impress Gordon; is exposed to care more about passengers than trucks; and finally pretends to be sick in “Trucks!” to save his pathetic hide.
- Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: The Manly Man to Peter Sam's Sensitive Guy.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Essentially a narrow-gauge Gordon.
- Took a Level in Kindness: In Season 10, he came back as a kinder and wiser engine after spending time at the slate quarry.
- Upper-Class Twit: He certainly acts the part, being from a highly prestigious railway and having a huge ego.
Peter Sam/Stuart
- I'm Peter Sam, I'm running this line, I'm Peter Sam, I'm running this line."Voiced by: Steven KynmanNumber: Skarloey Railway 4, originally Mid-Sodor Railway 4Basis: Talyllyn Railway No. 4, Edward ThomasBuilt: 1920
A green engine who worked with Sir Handel and Duke on the Mid-Sodor Railway. An accident with slate trucks destroyed his funnel, and he was given a special funnel as a replacement.
- Acquired Situational Narcissism: In "Mountain Marvel", he was desperate to be the star of the show.
- Agent Scully: In "The Magic Lamp", he didn't believe the story of Proteus at first.
- All of the Other Reindeer: His special funnel. "Until they learned how useful it is!"
- I Have Many Names: His name was Stuart before joining the Skarloey Railway.
- Irony: He didn't believe the story of Proteus, but ended up becoming his biggest fan.
- Keet: He is extremely enthusiastic, eager, and bubbly.
- Mid-Season Upgrade: His special funnel.
- Nice Guy: He is kind-hearted and good-mannered.
- Not So Above It All: While one of the friendliest Narrow Gauge engines, he has his moments of teasing. Makes fun of Sir Handel's steamroller wheels in "The Great Little Railway Show" and goads Samson in "Saving Time".
- Pay Evil unto Evil: He can be quite vengeful if an engine is rude to him. Towards Henry, for example, in "Peter Sam and the Refreshment Lady".
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: Red to Sir Handel's blue.
- Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Sensitive Guy to Sir Handel's Manly Man.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: He's like a narrow-gauge version of Percy because they're both green, cheeky, and kind-hearted.
- Workaholic: He just loves working.
Rusty
- "I warned him, but all he did was call me names."Voiced by: Matt WilkinsonNumber: Skarloey Railway 5Basis: Talyllyn Railway No. 5, MidlanderBuilt: 1957
A little diesel brought to help out after Peter Sam's accident. He does maintenance work on the line, and does odd jobs when necessary.
- Ambiguous Gender: As opposed to being male in the books, he was supposed to be genderless in the TV series. However, he was accidentally referred to as a "she" in the US dub of season 9. Since then, Rusty has been referred to with male pronouns, and his voice actor in the CGI series firmly establishes him as male.
- Big Damn Heroes: In "Rusty to the Rescue", where he rescues Stepney from scrap.
- Dark Is Not Evil: Despite being a diesel, he is quite friendly and helpful towards the steam engines.
- Fire-Forged Friends: With Duncan.
- Nice Guy: A friendly little diesel.
- Out of Character: The HIT seasons tend to make him impatient, careless, and a procrastinator in order to teach An Aesop. He has regained his original personality since Blue Mountain Mystery.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: The calm, polite and responsible Blue to Duncan's irritable, rude and careless Red.
- Refuse to Rescue the Disliked: In "Rock & Roll", he refuses to help Duncan out of an accident because he was rude to him until Skarloey calls him out on it.
- She's a Man in Japan: In the US dub season 9, Rusty was accidentally referred to as a girl. To be fair, in The Railway Series books, his gender was only mentioned once, and was never mentioned prior in the television series. An article in the New York Times from when season 4 was new revealed that Rusty was originally intended to be androgynous!
- Spotlight-Stealing Squad: Was this seasons 5 through 7, and early in season 9. This was dialed back with the return of Sir Handel and the introduction of Freddie the following season.
- Token Minority: He's the only diesel on the Skarloey Railway.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: With Duncan.
- White Sheep: Unlike most other diesels, he's kind-hearted and tame.
- Workaholic: Much like Peter Sam. Granted, in the original stories, his main job was to perform maintenance work, so this comes with the territory.
Duncan
- What aboot me? A'm a plain speekin' engine and I beleeve in plain speekin'! Speek up!Voiced by: Tom StourtonNumber: Skarloey Railway 6Basis: Talyllyn Railway No. 6, DouglasBuilt: 1928
An engine who came as a "spare" after Peter Sam's accident in the slate quarry. Duncan spends most of his time finding things to complain about. He used to bully Rusty for being a diesel, but they've since become good friends.
- Agent Scully: In "Duncan Gets Spooked", he doesn't believe in ghosts, but his crew and Peter Sam's driver play a trick on him to spook him, causing him to believe.
- Break the Haughty: Especially in "Passengers and Polish".
- Bright Is Not Good: A bright painted engine, but he's not cheerful in the slightest. Downplayed, though, as he isn't necessarily evil, just bad-behaved. And he's been mellowed out more in the CGI series.
- Character Development: Though his flaws come and go Depending on the Writer, Duncan shows a lot more acceptance of them in later episodes. While he started off with a Never My Fault complex in his first appearance, he will often humbly accept blame for his mistakes since his return in the CGI episodes.
- The Complainer Is Always Wrong: Because he complains a lot, he often gets shot down by the other engines for holding a dissenting view. This is subverted in "Duncan and the Grumpy Passenger", where Duncan's complaint about his grumpy passenger is a legitimate one.
- Drives Like Crazy: One episode was dedicated to Duncan's "Rock n' Roll", and ends with him derailing.
- Fantastic Racism: Blatantly bullied Rusty for being a diesel, but stopped after Rusty rescued him from a derailment.
- Fire-Forged Friends: With Rusty.
- The Friend Nobody Likes: Because of his attitude and behavioral problems, he gets this from the other narrow-gauge engines with the exception of Sir Handel.
- Good is Not Nice: Duncan strives to be really useful and reliable just like his peers, but he is almost always grouchy, uncooperative, cynical and rebellious.
- The Grinch: In "Duncan the Humbug", he complains about Christmas. This gets him in trouble with Mr. Percival, who tasks him to be happy for a whole day or else he won't get a new paint job for Christmas. He does well at first, but he ends up hurting Luke's feelings, which Duncan instantly regrets. He does give him some sand from his sandbox in an act of kindness though, which Rusty sees and reports to Mr. Percival. Duncan did end up getting a paint job after all.
- Hypocritical Humor: Displays this in the end of Duncan and the Grumpy Passenger:Duncan: "Why do people always think it's me who's always grumbling? I mean, I've never grumbled in my life! Me? Grumbling? Don't think so!"
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: At his best. In spite of his tendencies to be cranky and disobey rules, Duncan still cares about his friends and is able to apologise to them for his wrongdoings.
- My God, What Have I Done?: After hurting Luke's feelings in "Duncan the Humbug", he feels bad because he had failed to be happy.
- Not Even Bothering with the Accent: Similar to Donald and Douglas, Alec Baldwin never gave Duncan his usual Scottish accent. Downplayed in Season 5 where he gave him a different UK accent (Liverpudlian), but Season 6 had him with a gruff American accent instead.
- Perpetual Frowner: It's hard to find a moment when his brows aren't furrowed. Even most of his smiles tend to be either a Grin of Audacity or a Psychotic Smirk, and genuine smiles from him only pop up occasionally.
- Put on a Bus: He was the last of the "core" narrow gauge engines to return following the switch to CGI animation. Greg Tiernan's team visited Talyllyn to inform the Narrow Gauge character models, but Duncan's basis, "Douglas", was being overhauled. He returned in Season 18.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: The irritable, rude and careless Red to Rusty's calm, polite and responsible Blue.
- Small Role, Big Impact: He only has a brief role at the start of The Great Discovery, giving Thomas false directions as a prank. This leads to Thomas accidentally discovering Great Waterton, chaining off the main plot of the film and much of it and Season 12's Worldbuilding.
- Spoiled Brat: Taken to an extreme in “Passengers and Polish”. He complains a lot, whines over not being polished and too stubborn to do any work.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: In terms of rude personality, he's the narrow-gauge version of James. In fact, James' intervention when talking about Diesel in "Rock 'n' Roll" influences Duncan to "send Rusty packin'" adding to his already pompous attitude.
- Violent Glaswegian: When he loses his temper.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: With Rusty, and starting from Season 18 onwards, Rheneas.
Duke
- "That would never suit his grace."Number: Skarloey Railway 8, originally Mid-Sodor Railway 1Basis: Ffestiniog Railway Small England 0-4-0TTBuilt: 1879
An old, wise engine who was Peter Sam and Sir Handel's mentor on the Mid-Sodor Railway. When it was shut down, he was locked away in a shed. Decades later, his shed was discovered and he was brought to the Skarloey Railway.
- Affectionate Nickname: He's called "Granpuff" by Peter Sam and Sir Handel.
- The Cameo: He's demoted to this status throughout the rest of Season 4.
- Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: He has not been seen since season 4.
- Cool Old Guy: In "Bulldog", he manages to keep Sir Handel from rolling off the side of a mountain.
- Demoted to Extra: In season 4, he was a major focus of the first four episodes. For the rest of the season, he was relegated to the background. In addition, he didn't have a single role at all from that season onwards. Even now, he still hasn't made an appearance.
- Grumpy Old Man: Especially when Peter Sam and Sir Handel are misbehaving.
- Intergenerational Friendship: With Sir Handel and Peter Sam, or Falcon and Stuart, as they were known back then.
- Mentor Archetype: Towards Peter Sam and Sir Handel.
- Nightmare Fuel Station Attendant: When he tells the story of Smudger.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: George Carlin’s voice for Duke is an Ed Asner impression.
- Old Master: Old, but still capable of getting the job done.
- Team Dad: He acts as a father figure towards Sir Handel and Peter Sam.
Bertram
- Basis: Ffestiniog Railway Small England 0-4-0TTBuilt: c.1879
An engine found locked away at an abandoned mine that was later converted to a fairground.
- Canon Foreigner: He was an original character created for the TV series.
- Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Hasn't been seen since season 5.
- Cool Old Guy: A brave, old engine.
- Determinator: According to his bio.
- Identical Stranger: He has Duke's body and Smudger's face.
- Informed Attribute: The workmen talk about how brave he is, but we don’t get to see him actually doing anything brave since he doesn't actually do anything in his debut.
- Intergenerational Friendship: Forms one with Toby.
- One-Shot Character: Is introduced in "Toby's Discovery" with literally less than half a minute to go, then never shows up again.
- Palette Swap: He is dark-brown recolor of Duke, with the face of Smudger.
- Red Baron: He's known among railwaymen as "The Old Warrior" for his bravery. Thomas and Toby, however, mistake this title for that of a ghost.
Fearless Freddie
- Number: Skarloey Railway 7Basis: Welsh Highland Railway RussellBuilt: 1906
An old warhorse tank engine who once worked with Sir Handel. Despite his age, he's constantly trying to prove he's still as good as any young engine.
- Alliterative Name: His nickname, Fearless Freddie.
- Ambiguous Situation: It's never stated whenever or not Freddie was part of the Mid Sodor Railway or the Skarloey Railway as he was friends Sir Handel.
- Broken Ace: Started off as this, though was gradually trying to regain his Ace status.
- Canon Foreigner: He didn't exist in the books, with the character Ivo Hugh being the one to hold the Number 7.
- Challenge Seeker: A fearless daredevil who is always up for a challenge.
- Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Has not appeared since the switch to CGI.
- Cool Old Guy: A fun, fearless old engine.
- Foil: To Duke, Skarloey, and Rheneas (Albeit when the latter two are in their original personas). He has a more One of the Kids attitude, and is much more outgoing, whereas the other three tend to be more reserved and put their foot down in regards to the younger engines.
- Intergenerational Friendship: He's portrayed as having one with Sir Handel, but ironically, Sir Handel is two years older than Freddie's real-life counterpart.
- Old Master: Portrayed as this in his debut. Subverted, as his age has caught up with him and he's nowhere near as skilled as he once was.
- Poor Communication Kills: In "The Party Surprise" he doesn't tell Mr. Percival about the party he's planning for Colin until the last minute.
- Red Baron: He is known as Fearless Freddie because of his bravery.
- Remember the New Guy?: Was stated to have worked with Sir Handel and Peter Sam in the past. A bit of a downplayed example though, as it was mentioned back in Season 4 that several other engines had come and gone working on the Mid-Sodor Railway, so one can assume that Freddie was one of them. It is also possible that they met Freddie at the Aluminum Works Project.
Mighty Mac
Mighty
Mac
- "I'm Mighty!"
"And I'm Mac!"
"And together we're Mighty Mac!"Basis: Ffestiniog Railway No. 10, Merddin EmrysBuilt: c.1880
A double-ended Fairlie locomotive introduced in season 9. One end is Mighty, and the other is Mac.
- A Head at Each End: Mighty Mac is a Fairlie, a double-ended articulated steam engine. Each end — Mighty and Mac — has a distinct face and identity.
- Alliterative Name: Mighty Mac.
- Body Horror: Well, as close as you'll get with a children's show about talking trains. Being an articulated Fairlie-type locomotive, both of them share the same body with each having a face at either end. They seem fine with it, though.
- Canon Foreigner: They were made for the TV series.
- Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: They have never made it to the switch to full CGI.
- Conjoined Twins: They are a double-ended Fairlie locomotive after all.
- Demoted to Extra: After their episode, they were quickly relegated to the background with only a few minor speaking roles.
- Identical Twin ID Tag: For their faces, Mighty's hair curl and triangular nose and Mac's freckles and rounded nose acts as this. On their paintwork, Mighty has yellow tank caps and windows, while Mac's are red.
- Polar Opposite Twins: Mac is younger and more hot-headed, Mighty is older and more conservative.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: Red Mac, Blue Mighty.
- Sibling Rivalry: When they don’t work together, Mighty and Mac pull each other backwards and forwards, only to end up right where they began. In their debut episode however, they learned about the value of working as one.
- Those Two Guys: They are conjoined together, so this is bound to happen.
- Youthful Freckles: Mac
Proteus
- Basis: Talyllyn Railway No. 3, Sir HaydnBuilt: c.1878
An old engine who had a magic lamp that could be used to grant wishes to whoever found it.
- Accessory-Wearing Cartoon Animal: He's technically not an animal, but he has a magic lamp on his funnel.
- Benevolent Genie: He grants the wishes of whoever finds his lamp.
- Cartoon Creature: He has the same basis as Sir Handel, just with a magic headlamp on his funnel.
- Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: His likeness was last seen in "Mountain Marvel".
- Cool Old Guy: An old engine who can grant wishes. Now that is awesome.
- Cute Witch: Well, more like Cute Wizard in this instance. He is a cute little engine, as all the narrow-gauge engines are, but he also has magic powers.
- Flat Character: He is given very little characterization.
- Gold and White Are Divine: He's practically a deity, and he has gold livery and white buffers.
- Light Is Good: He has a magic lamp, and he's a Benevolent Genie who grants the wishes of his lamp's finders.
- Loved by All: All the narrow-gauge engines just adore him. The children like hearing stories about him, too.
- Magical Accessory: His lamp.
- Magitek: A steam engine with magic powers.
- Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: In "The Magic Lamp" Peter Sam wishes he could find Proteus' lamp so he could get back home safely. Peter Sam finds not Proteus' lamp, but Harold the Helicopter's. Using Harold's lamp, Peter Sam gets home. Coincidence, or did Proteus really grant Peter Sam's wish?
- Our Genies Are Different: He doesn't resemble a typical genie (he's a steam engine, for crying out loud), but he's a genie in the sense that he grants other engines' wishes.
- Palette Swap: He is a gold recolor of Sir Handel. In fact, Sir Handel's model was used to make him.
- Power Glows: His lamp.
- Psychotic Smirk: He makes this face a lot, especially in his merchandise. It unintentionally makes him look like an evil engine.
- Rule of Three: The clues to finding his magic lamp are feeling a rush of wind when the lamp is near, hearing a strange creaking sound, and seeing a flickering light that shines on and off.
- Shout-Out: His name is possibly a reference to a sea-god from Greek mythology.
- Spear Counterpart: Of sorts to Lady. Both are legendary, magical engines that use their powers for good, though unlike Lady, Proteus never had to deal with psychotic diesels or motorcyclists-playing-scrap merchant.
Luke
- "I did something very bad."Voiced by: Michael LeggeNumber: Skarloey Railway 22Basis: Leighton Buzzard Light Railway No. 9, Peter PanBuilt: c.1922
An engine introduced in Blue Mountain Mystery. He's a small, green pannier tank engine who lives and works at the Blue Mountain Quarry.
- By the Lights of Their Eyes: While hiding in the darkness of the Blue Mountain Quarry tunnel, the only thing visible is his eyes.
- Character Development: He started out as a very cowardly, fragile, scared locomotive in his debut. By the time he has episodes in the series proper, he's developed into more of an inquisitive Cheerful Child.
- Cheerful Child: When he comes out of his shell, he turns out to be very excitable.
- Dark and Troubled Past: When he was getting lifted out of the ship that delivered him to Sodor, Victor fell off into the sea. Thinking it's his fault and that he killed another engine, he went into hiding at the Blue Mountain Quarry before Thomas and Victor eventually discovered and cleared his name.
- Dark Secret: He unintentionally killed another engine...or so he thought.
- Friend to All Living Things: He's the most sincere and innocent of the narrow gauge engines, and even manages to befriend a deer that wanders into the quarry.
- Leeroy Jenkins: He wanted to be the first to get off the boat, and didn't want to be patient. This resulted in the death of Victor... or so he thought.
- My God, What Have I Done?: He quickly feels very ashamed after he knocks Victor into the sea. It isn't until he learns that Victor is still alive that he gets over it.
- My Greatest Failure: Him knocking Victor into the sea is his deepest regret.
- Ship Tease: He has some with Millie in season 17's "The Switch", where they act awkward around each other and switch jobs for a day. Occasionally crops up again, such as in season 21's "Runaway Engine".
- Shrinking Violet: The shyest of the narrow gauge engines. Eventually warms up to Thomas though. Downplayed after his Dark and Troubled Past is cleared up, after which he opened much more and is actually very boisterous and cheerful.
- A Tragedy of Impulsiveness: Because he wanted to be the first to get off the ship, he ended up knocking Victor into the sea.
- Trauma Button: His Dark Secret is a very traumatic memory.
