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Henry

Revision as of 19:46, 25 November 2015 by TheRailwayMaster (Message Wall | contribs)
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This article is about 'the engine'. You may be looking for 'the Railway Series book, the Story Library book, the 1997 magazine story, the 1998 magazine story, the 2000 magazine story, the 2001 magazine story, or the 2002 magazine story'.
“No one ever lets me forget the time I wouldn't come out of the tunnel in case the rain spoilt my paint!"”
― Henry, Percy Takes the Plunge, second season
HenryattheSteamworkspromo
Henry
  • Number: 3
  • Class: LMS Stanier "Black 5" 4-6-0 with Fowler tender, originally GNR Ivatt Class C1/LNER Gresley Class A1 hybrid 4-6-0
  • Designers: Sir Topham Hatt I and William Stanier
  • Build date: circa 1919, rebuilt 1935
  • Configuration: 4-6-0, originally 4-6-2
  • Arrived on Sodor: 1922

Henry is a large mixed-traffic engine.

Bio in the Railway Series

Henry was built using plans stolen from Sir Nigel Gresley around 1919. The prototype turned out to be something of a cross between a GNR/LNER Class A1 and a GNR C1 Atlantic. Although the design was a failure, Henry was sold in 1922 to Sir Topham Hatt, who was desperate for a locomotive.

Henry was vain and stopped in a tunnel and refused to come out, citing that his paintwork would be spoiled by the rain. After several attempts to move him failed, he was bricked up in the tunnel until Gordon broke down while pulling the Express. As Edward was unable to move the train himself, the Fat Controller offered to let Henry out of the tunnel to help. Henry eagerly accepted.

Henry performed very well, and the Fat Controller promised him a new coat of paint, since Henry's existing paintwork had been spoiled more by his stay in the tunnel than it would have been by the rain. Henry asked to be painted blue like Edward. However, many people confused him with Gordon, to the bigger engine's annoyance. The matter was worsened after a trip to the Works when Henry was given spares of Gordon's buffers. Sometime before 1935, Henry, when again offered new paint, chose green and so ended the Gordon/Henry confusion.

Unfortunately, Henry was to suffer humiliation when he was hosed with water by an elephant he frightened. After Gordon and James had suffered humiliations of their own (and all three had become thoroughly fed up having to do their own shunting and fetch their own coaches), the big engines went on strike. The Fat Controller naturally disapproved of this nonsense and locked them up in the shed for several days, leaving them miserable. However, they were let out again after promising to work hard.

The poor engine and his system, which was already finicky at best due to design flaws, never really recovered from his stay in the tunnel. Henry developed steaming problems, which he complained about constantly, though he found little sympathy, especially when it caused him to run late.

A period came when the Main Line engines were supplied with a poor delivery of coal and Henry had a very difficult time of it indeed. He had strength to pull trains only sporadically, in spite of numerous parts replacements. At last, the Fat Controller looked into it personally, and asked for the opinion of Henry's fireman, who told him about the poor coal and Henry's firebox being too small to burn it efficiently. The fireman also suggested purchasing the high-grade Welsh coal used on the Great Western Railway. Sir Topham Hatt agreed to purchasing some in order to give Henry "a fair chance".

When the Welsh coal came, Henry's performance vastly improved, such that he was comparable to Gordon. He continued to use the coal until he had a collision with a goods train at Killdane while pulling "The Flying Kipper" and was sent to Crewe to be rebuilt in 1935. Henry was rebuilt into a Stanier 5MT. (Sir Topham Hatt had connections with Sir William Stanier, so this may be the reason he managed to get Henry rebuilt so quickly).

After returning, Henry was added to the rotation for the Express, and pulled it so well that he made Gordon jealous. Gordon tried to get even by rudely criticizing Henry for whistling loudly at stations, but he had to eat his words later that day after his own whistle valve jammed open. Some time later, Henry was taking a slow train. As he passed under a bridge, four boys he had assumed to be railfans dropped stones onto him and his coaches. He paid them out on his return journey by "sneezing" ashes that collected in his smokebox at them.

When Queen Elizabeth II was due to visit Sodor in 1953, Henry (justifiably) assumed that he was the Fat Controller's choice to pull the Royal Train. But the day before, while he was idling at the station, his smoke blinded a painter, who fell along with his paint pot onto Henry. The paint splashed over Henry's boiler, and as painting over it would take too long, Gordon was given the job instead.

When Duck arrived in 1955 to take over Percy's duties as station pilot, Henry, along with Gordon and James, teased him and tried to give him orders, as they had been doing to Percy. Duck, with Percy's help, blocked the big engines from entering the shed. The Fat Controller arrived and told the two tank engines off for causing a disturbance. Henry and the others laughed - until the Fat Controller shouted for silence, and told them they had been worse, as they had made the disturbance. He told them that Duck was right - he, Sir Topham Hatt, is in charge and he gives the orders. Henry respected Duck more after that.

Sometime after this period, Henry gained a Fowler tender for unknown reasons. By this time, Henry once acted rudely with the engines at Barrow-in-Furness while in the middle of a conversation with Percy, calling him and them: "silly things" and challenging Percy's statement that he didn't fear water. Percy retaliates by reminding Henry about his stay in the tunnel, but Percy is shown wrong when he accidentally ends up smokebox-first in the sea at Knapford Harbour! When Percy is to be sent at the works the next day, Henry ridicules Percy; telling him that he would be braver the next time he plunged into the sea, but Percy was quite determined that there wouldn't be a next time!

Henry would then later accompany the engines to England.

Henry's good opinion of Duck would be briefly spoilt in 1957. He and the other main line engines were growing very tired of Duck's incessant talk about the Great Western Railway following City of Truro's visit. A Diesel sent to the island on trial quickly developed a grudge against Duck, and spread nasty stories about the main line engines to the trucks, stories he falsely claimed Duck had told him. Henry, furious at being called "Old Square Wheels", joined Gordon and James in barring Duck from the shed just like what Duck and Percy had done previously. He felt sorry a few days later when he became the next target of Diesel's slander, and when Duck returned after preventing an accident, Henry cheered for him loudly.

When Gordon started feeling depressed in 1967, Henry, thinking Gordon was just moaning and groaning, teased him and told him he should get a wash-out, and would feel much better. When Gordon's brother Flying Scotsman visited Sodor, Henry was jealous of the visitor's second tender. Duck and Donald explained, and while Henry took the point he still was vain enough to want an additional tender. Duck, deciding to bring Henry down to earth, told the big engine that he had in his possession not one, but six spare tenders, which, as a tank engine, he had no need of. Henry accepted, and all the engines waited to see him go past. But instead of a splendid sight, the tenders were old, rusted, and full of boiler sludge! Gordon mocked him with a comment about wash-outs.

Henry was so frustrated that the day after 7101 and 199 arrived on trial, he became so hot that his regulator fused wide open, and his driver had to use the reverser to control him. On his return journey (no train), he stopped at a signal box next to 199, who had a train of oil tankers. The signalman told them that 199, who he nicknamed "Spamcan", had failed and that he needed to be moved out of the way to clear the line for the "Limited". Henry pulled the train clear, but shortly afterward, 7101's ejector failed and the "Limited" ground to a halt. Henry then volunteered to help move both trains. Luckily all he had to do for 7101 was keep the vacuum brakes off, but it was still hard work. The cavalcade made it to a station where Flying Scotsman waited to take the coaches, and Donald to take the goods. Henry brought 7101 to the Works afterwards and cheered for the arrival of Oliver several days later.

Later, when Gordon needed new tubes, Henry pulled the express, but soon fell ill as well. This left the job of the express to Thomas, Percy, and Duck. A while later, Henry had to pull an extra long Flying Kipper and Duck had to help him up Gordon's Hill, but due to a tail-lamp falling off the rear van, Duck accidentally crashed into the brakevan.

Henry also had a problem with his fire after disagreeing with James on the colour of red paint, but said nothing more after the event.

Henry then complained to Thomas the time that the Viaduct had gone under repairs, when Thomas became impatient with his connection between the main line engines and his branchline. Henry also had a late start a few times when Thomas had run away and when he had a leak in his piston rods.

When Gordon accidentally blew ashes when his smokebox was clogged, Henry suggested that Gordon should have a good "sneeze", but Gordon reminded Henry that The Fat Controller didn't like Henry's sneeze. He also pulled the express when Gordon slipped on the icy rails and befriended Pip and Emma.

When Thomas had been invited to the Great Railway Show, he was angry that he wasn't chosen, and later teased Percy that Thomas was old enough to become a museum piece.

Unfortunately for Henry, he had to go back to the Works for an overhaul. He had many problems and even had an overcoat of red paint on him! The other engines did Henry's jobs (including pulling the Flying Kipper) while he was away.

He later fretted over the Golden Jubilee despite Duck, Daisy, James, and Donald trying to cheer him up.

Bio in the Television Series

In the TV series, Henry loved visiting the forest. Due to his love of the forest, he has helped to replant trees after a storm destroyed the forest and later helped the workmen prune the trees that were getting too close to the line.

He also has had to go back to the Works on several occasions, such as when his tubes were leaking and after he had an accident with some trucks. But the reason most often given for Henry's poor state is that he needs special coal again, even though this was corrected in the first season. This error has been fixed as of King of the Railway as Toby states that the fact that Henry needed special coal was fixed years ago.

One night, he saw Sailor John and Skiff rolling along the line and got a big fright, thinking Skiff was a ghost ship. The other engines teased him about it even though he insisted the boat was real.

During winter, he was tasked with working with Spencer to deliver trucks to Vicarstown. But Spencer teased him by making him think there was an abominable snowman on Sodor. After they had delivered their trucks, they both saw a strange white figure stumbling around on the tracks in front of them. Thinking it was the abominable snowman, Spencer tried to run away, but his valves blocked, so Henry stood his ground and tried to make the snowman go away. Luckily, it was only the Fat Controller who had gotten into trouble in the heavy snow.

Persona

Henry is generally well-behaved, but he is occasionally arrogant and vain. Henry is at heart a hard worker, but his frequent bouts of illness hinder his work. His illness almost always involves his boiler having some sort of issue.

In the television series, Henry has been portrayed with a much kinder and softer personality. He has been shown as a nature-lover as evidenced in Henry's Forest. This personality carried on throughout the more recent seasons with Henry being occasionally a tree-hugging engine too as he tried to prevent the tall pine tree and the wishing tree from being cut down.

In the newer seasons, Henry is portrayed as not too bright, and sometimes really worrisome, as shown in multiple episodes. This worrisome personality was also featured in The Adventure Begins which greatly contrasts to the original version of The Sad Story of Henry. Since the seventeenth season however, he has shown instances where he was either grumpy, arrogant or vain in multiple episodes.

Basis

Henry's history is unusual. He was built from rejected plans for Sir Nigel Gresley's A1. The plans were stolen from Gresley by a rival. The resulting engine was a mix of a GNR A1 Pacific and a GNR C1 Atlantic, with a 4-6-0 wheel arrangement. Henry in this shape developed performance issues from flaws in the design, compounded by his stay in the tunnel. Henry was a "bad steamer": with good-quality coal he could get enough heat to make plenty of steam, but when there was a poor lot delivered, his undersized firebox could not hold enough coal to make a proper fire. On advice from Henry's fireman, the Fat Controller ordered high-grade Welsh Coal, which made an appreciable difference in Henry's performance. When Henry suffered an accident and severe damage that winter, the opportunity was taken to send him to Crewe, where he was rebuilt an LMS Stanier 5MT "Black 5" 4-6-0. After "The Eight Famous Engines", Henry's LMS Stanier 5MT tender was replaced by a Fowler tender.

In the television series, Henry has always had a one-window cab and an LNER-style tender. The main difference between his shapes was removed splashers and the Belpaire firebox replacing the tapered.

Livery

Henry is currently painted NWR green with NWR red-and-yellow lining and the number "3" painted on his tender sides in yellow. He was originally painted LNER green, but he was repainted NWR blue with NWR red and yellow lining at the end of "The Three Railway Engines" and remained so until the beginning of "Troublesome Engines", when he was given back his own livery. In "Henry and the Express" he was briefly painted orange-red as an undercoat before his standard green coat was applied.

In the Railway Series, he carries two builder's plates on the sides of his cab.

They're two, they're four, they're six, they're... seven?

The Reverend W. Awdry had a great deal of trouble with Henry. He was unhappy with C. Reginald Dalby's illustrations: he looked almost identical to Gordon, more so while he was painted blue - in Tank Engine Thomas Again Henry looked completely identical to Gordon, but this was passed off by explaining he needed to use Gordon's buffers while his were being repaired. To make matters worse, he was illustrated inconsistently, often having several different shapes within the space of a single story - in most of Dalby's illustrations Henry was portrayed as a 4-6-0, but occasionally he became a 4-6-2 instead.

Awdry's original idea had been to write Henry out of the series, but by "Henry the Green Engine" he had decided to instead have Henry involved in a serious accident, allowing him to be rebuilt into a Class 5MT. As this was a real locomotive, Dalby was thus forced to be consistent.

Is That Henry or Henry?

There is a certain amount of argument over Henry's rebuild, caused by The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways, which was written to provide historical background to the Railway Series and to correct pictorial inconsistencies that had occurred in earlier volumes. The Reverend W. Awdry claimed that the pre-rebuild and post-rebuild Henry were actually two completely separate engines, although in the Railway Series Henry seemed familiar with events that happened before the crash. Henry's memory could have simply survived the rebuild, but as both sources can be considered equally canonical, the question of whether there have been two Henrys or one will likely remain unanswered.

According to "TIOS" Henry was an experimental locomotive built from plans stolen from Sir Nigel Gresley, but the wrong plans were taken and the locomotive built was so riddled with faults that the only person who could be persuaded to buy it was the Fat Controller, who, at the time, was desperate for any locomotive he could get.

"TIOS" also featured a biography of the Fat Controller, which mentioned that he was apprenticed with Stanier at Swindon Works. It is possible that this was another piece of retcon added to explain how Henry was able to be rebuilt so easily - something that even the Reverend W. Awdry admitted was "a mystery".

In Sodor: Reading Between the Lines Henry was said to look very much like a Stanier 5MT, which suggests that he is not totally identical to one of these engines. It is not clear why Christopher Awdry should have felt the need to contradict his father, but it could simply be a combination of errors and publication deadlines.

Metal Surgery

Although Henry was never portrayed as a 4-6-2 in the television series, major differences have been noticed between the model of Henry used in the television series and illustrations of Henry in the Railway Series. In the television series, his old shape appears to have been used as his new shape as well: Henry's old shape appears to be identical to his newer one; the only difference is the presence of a sand hatch and a different firebox. This could have been done to ease the changeover to his "Black 5"-esque appearance.

If looked at closely, when Henry collided with a goods train in the first season episode The Flying Kipper, which necessitated his new shape, his topfeed was already fitted, In another continuity error, during a head-on shot after Henry returned from his rebuild, his old shape is used.

When new models for the television series were made in 1999, Henry was given a cutoff splasher where his old shape's tapered boiler and old cutoff splasher was.

Henry on the Big Screen

Henry was voiced by Kevin Frank in Thomas and the Magic Railroad. In the movie, Henry had an American accent and suffered from boiler trouble due to deposits left by fumes from Diesel 10. This time, his sickness was cured by "Sodor coal". Also Henry was one of the few engines who knew the 'legend' about Lady was true as for he was the first to acknowledge the fact that Diesel 10 was looking for her.

Appearances

Railway Series

Television series

Specials:

Henry is likely to appear in The Great Race.

Magazine stories

Henry also appeared in the magazine stories, A Special Story about Steam, Back-to-Front, Harold and the Broken Tree, Harvey Saves the Harvest!, Hello, Skarloey!, Henry's Secret, Henry's Soaking!, Henry and Diesel, Henry Goes Round, High-Speed Henry, How Does Percy Work?, I Spy with my Little Eye, James and Edward, Lazy Wheels, Letting off Steam!, Looking Splendid, Mountains and Mess!, Party Time!, Proud Percy!, Railway Open Day, Really Useful Edward, Retirement Time, Rusty and the Cheeky Boys, Scaredy Puffer!, Sodor's Strongest Engine, Special Treats, Stick with Steam, Stolen Apples, Sunny Smile, The Strongest, and The Very Important Job.

Voice Actors

Trivia

  • Henry has appeared in the Railway Series more than any other engine, having been in both the most books and the most individual stories.
  • Henry's LMS Stanier 5MT tender was replaced by a Fowler tender after The Eight Famous Engines in the Railway Series for unknown reasons.
  • In the 1997 annual story, We Wish You a Merry Christmas, Henry's driver was revealed to be named Ted. However, in the magazine story, Henry Helps, Old Bailey is Henry's driver.
  • Awdry's own model of Henry was as troublesome as its fictional counterpart; it never really worked properly. The model was eventually scrapped but never replaced.
  • Henry was supposed to be released in the ERTL Gold rail range but never was. He was listed on the back of the three pack boxes.
  • One of Henry's models is on display in Japan at the Hara Railway Museum (previously at Nitrogen Studios).
  • Even though by the end of the first season Henry's need for special coal was taken care of, the disposition was strangely reused in more recent seasons. King of the Railway seems to have put this to rest when Gordon asked Toby if Henry needs "special coal" again, and Toby states the problem was fixed "years ago".
  • Henry's whistle sound is actually Edward's, but with a lower pitch.
  • No merchandise line has produced a model of Henry in his original shape.
  • When nameboards were still used in the series, Henry never had a nameboard shot where he was in his new shape.
  • Martin Sherman said in an interview with Sodor Island Fansite, that he originally auditioned to voice Henry, but did not get the part.
  • Henry went through several changes in the TV series.
    • Season 1 (in his new shape):
      • Lost his wheel arches.
      • Gained a larger firebox.
      • Gained a sand dome.
      • Gained steam pipes.
    • Season 2:
      • Got his wheel arches back.
      • Gained 2 extra brake pipes. In addition, all 4 face downward.
    • Season 3:
      • His front right and back left brake pipes were facing upward again.
      • In Tender Engines, his front left and back right brake pipes were removed.
    • Season 14:
      • The inside of his tender became green.
    • Season 17:
      • He gained a permanent headlamp and tail lamp.
    • The Adventure Begins:
      • His side-rods become white.

Merchandise

Gallery

Merchandise Gallery

See Also

* RWS only | ** T&F only | --- Dropped
Locomotives Steam Thomas | Edward | Henry | Gordon | James | Percy | Toby | Duck | Donald and Douglas | Oliver | Wellsworth and Suddery Railway Tank Engines* | Bloomer* | Bill and Ben** | Stepney** | Harvey** | Emily** | Arthur** | Murdoch** | Fergus** | Molly** | Neville** | Rosie** | Whiff** | Billy** | Stanley** | Hank** | Flora** | Victor** | Charlie** | Bash and Dash** |Ferdinand** | Scruff** | Belle** | Porter** | Timothy** | Marion** | Ryan** | Dustin** | Nia** | Rebecca** | Sonny** | Barry* | The Austerity Engine*
Diesel Daisy | BoCo | Bear* | The Works Diesel* | Pip and Emma* | Diesel** | Mavis** | Derek** | 'Arry and Bert** | Diesel 10** | Salty** | Dennis** | Den** | Dart** | Paxton** | Norman** | Sidney** | Philip**
Other Sodor Railway Repair* | Peel Godred Engines* | Flynn** | Winston** | Stafford**
Former Coffee Pots | Hiro** | Glynn**
Rolling Stock Coaches Annie and Clarabel | Henrietta | Alice and Mirabel* | Isabel and Dulcie* | Victoria* | Old Slow Coach** | Slip Coaches** | Hannah** | Dexter** | Express Coaches | Branch Line Coaches | Old Coaches | Thomas' Special Coach* | The Quarryman's Coach* | Emily's Coaches** | Toby's Museum Coach** | Flora's Tram Coach** | Open-Topped Carriages** | Ulfstead Castle Coaches**
Trucks Troublesome Trucks | S.C. Ruffey | Elsie* | Fred Pelhay* | James' Trucks** | Thomas' Trucks** | Plank Trucks | Quarry Trucks | Utility Trucks | The Calliope** | Mine Trolleys** | Hoppers | Hector** | Vans | Mail Vans | Utility Vans | Animal Wagons** | Tankers | Flatbeds, Conflats and Wellwagons | Misty Island Log Trucks** | Ladle Trucks** | The Traveller** | Aquarium Tank Wagons**
Brake Vans Brake Vans | The Spiteful Brake Van | Toad
Other The Breakdown Train | Rocky** | Judy and Jerome** | The Circus Train | The Funfair Train** | The Flying Kipper | Gordon's Snow Machine** | Pump Trolley** | The Photographer's Draisine**
Non-Rail Vehicles Kevin** | Cranky** | Carly** | Big Mickey** | Reg**
People Sir Topham Hatt (Stephen Hatt*) | Albert Regaby* | Kevin Volley* | Old Bailey** | Mr. Conductor** | Mr. Arkwright** | Mr. Perkins**
Lines The Main Line (Main Line Loop**) | Ffarquhar Branch Line | The Little Western | Brendam Branch Line | Kirk Ronan Branch Line | Peel Godred Branch Line | Norramby Branch Line | Toby's Branch Line** | Stepney's Branch Line** | Misty Valley Branch Line** | Killdane Branch Line** | The Loop Line** | Ulfstead Branch Line** | Harwick Branch Line** | Coaling Plant Branch Line**
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