Connor

“He must be very full of himself!”

― Ben referring to Connor, Bill or Ben?, seventeenth season

Connor

Configuration: 4-6-4 Designer: Henry Dreyfuss Builder: Either Alco-Schenectady or Lima Locomotive Works Built: Sometime between 1937 and 1938

Connor is a fast streamlined engine from the Mainland Railway, who was designed for speed. He also has his own rake of coaches painted in a similar colour scheme to his own.

Bio

Connor is excitable and energetic and, like Caitlin, loves to race the other engines. Connor, however, is better at being patient unlike Caitlin. Although it's probably unintentional, he can come across as being somewhat smug. Both Caitlin and Connor run regularly between the Mainland and Ulfstead Castle via the Vicarstown Bridge.

Connor helped with the search of Stephen, when the old engine went missing.

In the seventeenth season, Connor was tricked by Bill and Ben when they challenged him to a race and he almost collided with Henry's goods train after he was trying to beat them.

In the eighteenth season, Connor has the challenge of bringing his last passengers home in time for Christmas. With the help of Hiro, Thomas, and the rest of the Steam Team, he succeeds at getting everyone home for Christmas.

Persona

Connor is a streamlined engine, designed for speed. Along with his friend Caitlin, Connor is an excitable and energetic character, who likes to be busy and loves to race. Both Connor and Caitlin are friendly and eager to get other engines to join in the fun with them.

Basis

Connor is based on a New York Central Railroad Streamlined J3 Hudson. The J3 Hudsons were built between 1937 & 1938 in order to do heavy hauling at a greater speed. All of the Hudson locomotives were scrapped.

Livery

Connor is painted teal with aquamarine and yellow lining.

Appearances

Television series

Season 17 - Calm Down Caitlin, Bill or Ben? and No More Mr. Nice Engine (cameo)
Season 18 - Not So Slow Coaches and Last Train for Christmas

Specials:

King of the Railway

Magazine stories

2014 - Bill or Ben

Voice Actors

Jonathan Forbes (UK/US)
Jan-David Rönfeldt (Germany)
Dariusz Błażejewski (Poland)
Scott Maurstad (Norway; King of the Railway onwards, excluding the seventeenth season)
Sigbjørn Solheim (Norway; seventeenth season only)
Kunihiro Kawamoto (Japan)
José Arenas (Mexico)
Paul Disbergen (The Netherlands)
Bruno Marçal (Brazil; King of the Railway onwards)
Jordi Estupiña (Spain)

Trivia

In real life, Connor would be too large for the British loading gauge. However, it seems that he has been re-scaled to avoid animation issues.
Connor and Caitlin's Irish-American accents may be references to how the New York Central and Baltimore & Ohio employed Irish immigrants in their early years.
On Connor's Take-n-Play and Wooden Railway models, he has a front coupler, despite it being concealed in the television series.
Connor's Wooden Railway prototype is Spencer's model repainted to Connor's paint scheme with the tender coupled backwards.
Connor doesn't appear to have a visible whistle, so when he does whistle, steam emits out of nothing on his boiler.
In the French dub of King of the Railway, Connor is mistakenly referred to as a female.