Duck the Great Western Engine
Encyclopedia
Duck the Great Western Engine is a fiction
al steam engine
from The Railway Series
by the Rev. W. Awdry and the spin-off television series Thomas and Friends. He is a green 0-6-0
pannier tank locomotive and lives and works on the Island of Sodor
.
The Fat Controller
(Sir Topham Hatt) bought Duck from The Other Railway
in 1955 to take Percy
's place as station pilot at Tidmouth. Since The Fat Controller had been apprenticed at GWR's Swindon Works
, he allowed Duck to return to his original Great Western Railway
livery, and retain his number '5741', which Duck wears proudly on cast brass numberplates on his cab sides.
Duck is not actually his real name. When he first arrived, he explained that his real name was Montague, but he was usually called Duck because everyone said he waddled. Although he claims this was not true, he prefers Duck to Montague, and now that is what everyone calls him.
The arrival of Duck allowed Percy
to move to Thomas
' branch line to help Thomas with his goods traffic.
Despite an incident when a devious engine called Diesel spread lies about him, the Fat Controller realized what a useful engine he had in Duck, and eventually gave him a branch line
of his very own.
Duck's branch line
runs between Tidmouth and Arlesburgh and is nicknamed The Little Western, as all the locomotives and coaches have been restored to Great Western Railway
livery. Duck shares the passenger duties with Oliver, but has his own two autocoach
es: Alice and Mirabel.
Duck sometimes helps on other lines. He makes friends easily, and the Fat Controller says that he makes everything run like clockwork
. "There are two ways of doing things," Duck says, "the Great Western Way or the wrong way." This has been known to annoy the other engines.
number. The Great Western number worn in the books never appears. He was repainted in the livery of the Great Western Railway
, although the shade of green used was the same as that of Percy
.
He worked as a shunter, among other duties, until he received his branch line in the episode Donald's Duck (set before the arrival of Oliver).
Duck first appeared in the second season
of the series, but did not appear in any episodes between the eighth
and eleventh
seasons, except for an appearance in a song which was broadcast alongside the tenth season
. In the twelfth season
Duck played a significant supporting role in several episodes.
Duck is based on the 57xx class
built by the Great Western Railway
and still carries the colours of the GWR. These engines were designed to shunt
and to work branch lines, and many were still working beyond the end of steam
on British Railways. Several are preserved on steam railways
up and down the United Kingdom
, where they have proved as useful and versatile as Duck himself.
In the biographical work The Thomas the Tank Engine Man, Rev. W. Awdry recalls seeing pannier tanks at work on the Great Western Railway
at Box in Wiltshire, where he lived as a child. These would not have been 57xx tanks, but might have been an early influence nonetheless.
* "GWR Green" is actually the bright green used for Thomas and Friends, rather than the darker shade used in the books.
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
al steam engine
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
from The Railway Series
The Railway Series
The Railway Series is a set of story books about a railway system located on the fictional Island of Sodor. There are 42 books in the series, the first being published in 1945. Twenty-six were written by the Rev. W. Awdry, up to 1972. A further 16 were written by his son, Christopher Awdry; 14...
by the Rev. W. Awdry and the spin-off television series Thomas and Friends. He is a green 0-6-0
0-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels...
pannier tank locomotive and lives and works on the Island of Sodor
Sodor (fictional island)
Sodor is a fictional island in the Irish Sea used as the setting for The Railway Series books by the Rev. W. Awdry, and later used in the Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends television series.-Inspiration and creation:...
.
The Fat Controller
The Fat Controller
The Fat Controller is the head of the railway in The Railway Series of books written by the Rev. W. V. Awdry. In the first two books in the series he is known as The Fat Director...
(Sir Topham Hatt) bought Duck from The Other Railway
The Other Railway
In the children's books The Railway Series, by the Rev. W. Awdry, The Other Railway refers to British Railways , the UK nationalised rail organisation that existed from 1948 until 1997....
in 1955 to take Percy
Percy the Small Engine
Percy the Small Engine is a fictional anthropomorphic steam engine from The Railway Series of children's books written by the Reverend Wilbert Vere Awdry and his son, Christopher Awdry...
's place as station pilot at Tidmouth. Since The Fat Controller had been apprenticed at GWR's Swindon Works
Swindon Works
Swindon railway works were built by the Great Western Railway in 1841 in Swindon in the English county of Wiltshire.-History:In 1835 Parliament approved the construction of a railway between London and Bristol. Its Chief Engineer was Isambard Kingdom Brunel.From 1836, Brunel had been buying...
, he allowed Duck to return to his original Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
livery, and retain his number '5741', which Duck wears proudly on cast brass numberplates on his cab sides.
Duck is not actually his real name. When he first arrived, he explained that his real name was Montague, but he was usually called Duck because everyone said he waddled. Although he claims this was not true, he prefers Duck to Montague, and now that is what everyone calls him.
The arrival of Duck allowed Percy
Percy the Small Engine
Percy the Small Engine is a fictional anthropomorphic steam engine from The Railway Series of children's books written by the Reverend Wilbert Vere Awdry and his son, Christopher Awdry...
to move to Thomas
Thomas the Tank Engine
Thomas the Tank Engine is a fictional steam locomotive in The Railway Series books by the Reverend Wilbert Awdry and his son, Christopher. He became the most popular character in the series, and the accompanying television spin-off series, Thomas and Friends.Thomas is a tank engine, painted blue...
' branch line to help Thomas with his goods traffic.
Despite an incident when a devious engine called Diesel spread lies about him, the Fat Controller realized what a useful engine he had in Duck, and eventually gave him a branch line
Branch line
A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line...
of his very own.
Duck's branch line
Branch line
A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line...
runs between Tidmouth and Arlesburgh and is nicknamed The Little Western, as all the locomotives and coaches have been restored to Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
livery. Duck shares the passenger duties with Oliver, but has his own two autocoach
GWR Autocoach
The GWR Autocoach is a type of coach that was used by the Great Western Railway for push-pull trains powered by a steam locomotive. The distinguishing design feature of an autocoach is the driving cab at one end, allowing the driver to control the train without needing to be located in the cab of...
es: Alice and Mirabel.
Duck sometimes helps on other lines. He makes friends easily, and the Fat Controller says that he makes everything run like clockwork
Clockwork
A clockwork is the inner workings of either a mechanical clock or a device that operates in a similar fashion. Specifically, the term refers to a mechanical device utilizing a complex series of gears....
. "There are two ways of doing things," Duck says, "the Great Western Way or the wrong way." This has been known to annoy the other engines.
Duck in the TV Series
In the TV Series, when he arrived on Sodor, Duck was given the number 8, his official North Western RailwayNorth Western Railway (fictional)
The North Western Railway is the main railway company featured in The Railway Series of children's books by the Rev. W. Awdry. Although the company's name has never been specifically stated in the books, it was mentioned as such in tie-in books such as The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and...
number. The Great Western number worn in the books never appears. He was repainted in the livery of the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
, although the shade of green used was the same as that of Percy
Percy the Small Engine
Percy the Small Engine is a fictional anthropomorphic steam engine from The Railway Series of children's books written by the Reverend Wilbert Vere Awdry and his son, Christopher Awdry...
.
He worked as a shunter, among other duties, until he received his branch line in the episode Donald's Duck (set before the arrival of Oliver).
Duck first appeared in the second season
Thomas and Friends - Season 2
Thomas and Friends is a children's television series about the engines and other characters working on the railways of the Island of Sodor, and is based on The Railway Series books written by the Rev. W. Awdry....
of the series, but did not appear in any episodes between the eighth
Thomas and Friends - Season 8
Thomas and Friends is a children's television series about the engines and other characters working on the railways of the Island of Sodor, and is based on The Railway Series books written by the Rev. W...
and eleventh
Thomas and Friends - Season 11
Thomas and Friends is a children's television series about the engines and other characters working on the railways of the Island of Sodor, and is based on The Railway Series books written by the Rev. W...
seasons, except for an appearance in a song which was broadcast alongside the tenth season
Thomas and Friends - Season 10
Thomas and Friends is a children's television series about the engines and other characters working on the railways of the Island of Sodor, and is based on The Railway Series books written by the Rev. W. Awdry.This article lists episodes from the tenth season of this series, which was broadcast in...
. In the twelfth season
Thomas and Friends - Season 12
Thomas and Friends is a children's television series based on Rev. W. Awdry's children's books, The Railway Series.Season 12 premiered on 1 September, 2008 in the United Kingdom , with Michael Angelis as the narrator...
Duck played a significant supporting role in several episodes.
Origins
The nickname "Duck" comes from Rev. W. V. Awdry's OO scale model railway. He had bought a GWR Pannier tank engine manufactured by Gaiety as a spare engine for his model railway, but one of the wheels was not quite concentric, and the model had a pronounced waddle, earning the nickname "Duck" which stuck long after new wheels had been fitted.Duck is based on the 57xx class
GWR 5700 Class
The Great Western Railway 5700 Class is a class of 0-6-0 pannier tank steam locomotive, built between 1929 and 1950. 863 were built, making them the second most-produced British class of steam locomotive.- Overview :...
built by the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
and still carries the colours of the GWR. These engines were designed to shunt
Switcher
A switcher or shunter is a small railroad locomotive intended not for moving trains over long distances but rather for assembling trains ready for a road locomotive to take over, disassembling a train that has been...
and to work branch lines, and many were still working beyond the end of steam
Steam engine
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separate from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be...
on British Railways. Several are preserved on steam railways
Heritage railway
thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
up and down the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, where they have proved as useful and versatile as Duck himself.
In the biographical work The Thomas the Tank Engine Man, Rev. W. Awdry recalls seeing pannier tanks at work on the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
at Box in Wiltshire, where he lived as a child. These would not have been 57xx tanks, but might have been an early influence nonetheless.
Merchandising
| Model range | Power source | Type | Colour variants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ertl | Push-along | die-cast metal | GWR Green* |
| Hornby | Track (2-rail 12V DC) | OO gauge model: plastic body, metal chassis | GWR Green* |
| Take Along/Take n Play | Push-along | die-cast metal | GWR Green*, Metallic |
| Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway | Push-along | wooden | GWR Green* |
| Tomy/TrackMaster | Battery | plastic motorized | GWR Green*, "Greatest Moments" |