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Red Branch Line Coaches in the television series are used on branch line passenger trains.

Biography

They are usually pulled by Duck and Oliver (occasionally with Toad) on their branch line (albeit the former pulls the Slip Coaches nowadays), by Edward on his branch line, occasionally by Percy on the Ffarquhar Branch Line and at least once by Ryan on the Harwick Branch Line, but are also used by Henry and James on the Main Line. They were also pulled by Stepney on his branch line. Thomas also pulled these when Percy had to take Annie and Clarabel during stormy weather, when Thomas first met Emily and she mistakenly took Annie and Clarabel, when Annie and Clarabel were being repaired, when Thomas was working on the eucalyptus railway in Brazil and when he took some children to a new monkey habitat exhibition at the Animal Park.

Toby once pulled them in Thomas and the Magic Railroad and Journey Beyond Sodor, the latter in which Belle has also pulled them. Gordon never pulled these coaches until his Who's That Engine? segment was released. Emily was seen pulling these coaches in Tale of the Brave and Signals Crossed, the latter in which Spencer has also pulled them. Rosie, Stanley, Hiro and Charlie have also been seen pulling them. One of them was even pulled by Salty at one point.

Yong Bao and Gina have also pulled these on their respective railways. They are also seen in China with yellow stripes on the sides and stands for bikes.

Personality

These coaches are non-sentient, and Sir Topham Hatt describes them as "ordinary coaches".

Dexter is the only known sentient brake coach of this design in the series.

Dexter the Brake Coach:

Technical Details

Basis

The red coaches are based on LBSC Stroudley Coaches built to a design by Stroudley between the early 1870s and late 80s. Several coaches of this type are preserved on the Bluebell Railway and the Isle of Wight Steam Railway.

The Orange Coaches share the same basis, however, they have different rooftop designs and styled-brake coaches.

In the television series, buckets on the brake coaches are beaded. This makes them similar to the Stroudley coaches that received modification work from 1911 onwards, as they were originally flush and fashioned from three sections of iron sheet.

The coaches also differ from their basis, the Stroudley coaches, with their oil lamp pots, as they have a round base instead of the square base ones that were used on the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (L&SCR).

Types of classes in the Model Era:
A variety of different types of classes have appeared in the television series. Each of these can be identified by the number of windows and interiors.

Types of classes in the CGI Era:

Livery

The coaches are painted dark red. They originally had white rooftops, but these were repainted dark grey following Series 8. The latter has also been seen in India and China.

White, yellow, orange, dark green, dark blue and black composite coaches with dark grey rooftops appeared in a CGI series-based Lift, Load and Haul game featured on the Official Website.

A dark brown brake coach with cream lining and a white roof appeared in the episode Toby Feels Left Out and learning segment What Goes Where. A plain dark brown brake coach also appeared in Hero of the Rails and Series 13.

In the animated short for Yong Bao and the Tiger, the red coaches are depicted as having white wheel trims.

Thomas has also been seen with dark green coaches in the Really Useful Around the World animated shorts.

Appearances

Thomas & Friends

Specials

Music Videos

Learning Segments

Trivia

  • The models of the coaches were made using Tenmille Gauge One LB&SCR Stroudley coach kits.
  • In The Adventure Begins, red branch coaches replaced the use of the express coaches in the original first series episodes Thomas' Train and The Sad Story of Henry.
  • Dexter is the only known red brake coach to have had a face.
  • Two models of the coaches are on display at Drayton Manor. Two other models of the coaches are also currently owned by Twitter user TomsProps. Two other models of the coaches are also on display at the Clearwater Event at the Midland Railway Centre.

Merchandise

See Also


--- Dropped | * 1991-1994 maps only | ** 2014 map only

* 1991 map only | ** 2014 map only

* RWS only | ** T&F only
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