| This article is about 'the engine'. You may be looking for 'the person, the magazine story or the Story Library book'. |
- “You are a very troublesome engine. You are rude, conceited and much too big for your wheels!”
- ― The Thin Controller, Four Little Engines
 | ||||
| ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Sir Handel, named after the Skarloey Railway's first owner, Sir Handel Brown I - but previously known as Falcon, after the works where he was built - is a narrow-gauge tank engine.
Bio in the Railway Series
Falcon was built at Falcon Works in Loughborough, England for the Mid Sodor Railway as an 0-4-0ST, causing him to bounce until he was rebuilt with a rear pony truck at Loughborough in 1910.
When the Mid Sodor Railway closed in 1947, he and Stuart were sold to the Sodor Aluminium Company at Peel Godred for an expansion project. They worked there until 1951, at which time both engines were sheeted at the projects close for almost a year. They were then purchased for a total of fifty pounds by the Skarloey Railway in 1952 and renamed Sir Handel and Peter Sam respectively.
Sir Handel was not very well-behaved when he first came to the Skarloey Railway, as shown when he insulted the coaches by calling them "cattle trucks", which resulted in them holding him back on a hill and bumping him off the rails when he had to stop for some sheep that strayed on the line, and when he derailed himself on purpose when his driver planned for him to fetch trucks from the quarry. This led the Thin Controller to discipline him by leaving him in the shed until he was ready to behave. He also pretended to be ill to avoid going to the quarry, as advised by Gordon, which only led to Peter Sam to have an accident with trucks at the incline after they mistook him for Sir Handel, and to avoid getting televised by the BBC producers.
Sir Handel did not cope well with the worn track on the railway and would often derail - sometimes deliberately, so he was given a pair of special wheels with broad tyres to cure this problem, dubbed "steamroller wheels" by the other engines. Skarloey later had Sir Handel meet his matches with a bad-tempered steamroller named George to teach him some sense, which resulted in him having an accident when George rammed his front roller into his train. Despite this, Sir Handel still took belief that he sent George packing, but after some children heard about his situation with George and teased him about it, he never mentions steamrollers now.
In 1982, Sir Handel visited the Talyllyn Railway to help while Talyllyn was being mended. Sir Handel had plenty of adventures there, like pulling a wedding train and having to wear an eye-patch after colliding with a tree at Nant Gwernol.
When Peter Sam was brought back from the Talyllyn Railway early during a visit in 1995, Sir Handel became jealous and as a protest, deliberately knocked out his firebars. He was sent to the shed and began to fear that he would never come out after weeks went by and no one came to see him. When the Thin Controller came in one day Sir Handel confessed and asked for a second chance. Sir Handel got his firebars later that day - no one bothered to tell him that they had only just arrived.
Bio in the television series
Falcon and Stuart lived with Duke until their line was closed and they were bought by the Skarloey Railway and were renamed Sir Handel and Peter Sam respectively.
Upon arriving, Sir Handel had many adventures. He was derailed by his own coaches when he stopped too quickly in front of some sheep. Sir Handel was also very pompous and refused to do his job well when he arrived on the Skarloey Railway, so he was sent to the sheds for a while to repent. After coming back out, he got into a fight with George the steamroller, which ended in a race with George smashing Sir Handel's trucks. Once George had left, Sir Handel became even more conceited then ever and believed that he had made George go away.
Sir Handel did not reappear until years later, apparently because he was working in the stone quarry. When he returned, he had a much different attitude. He did his jobs without complaining and had trouble getting up hills. He is also wiser in most situations, but in some cases he is still pompous. He is generally of the opinion that he knows best and should be in charge. This can sometimes lead him into trouble with the other engines and the trucks. However, he always gets the job done. According to Mr. Perkins, Sir Handel can be cheeky sometimes.
He currently works on the Skarloey Railway and at the Blue Mountain Quarry, with Skarloey, Rheneas, Peter Sam, Rusty, Duncan and Luke.
Persona
Sir Handel, named Falcon and under the supervision of Duke in his younger days, has been prone to moody tantrums, acting stubborn and thinking that he knows better than others. When he was given broad wheels which hold well to the rails and has been said to give a smooth ride, this contributed to his arrogant self-importance and his belief that he is a grand engine. He is not known for being a well-behaved engine since he has been known in the past to take a disliking to the narrow gauge coaches (often referring to them as "cattle trucks"), feigning illness, derailing himself and damaging his firebars on purpose, and believing that he should be in charge and he has a tendency to get too big for his wheels. Despite all this, Sir Handel works to get things done and is proud to be a reliable, helpful and good-hearted engine.
Sir Handel can be quite impressionable when it comes to engines who he views as important, express engines, or "the best engines in the world", such as Gordon, Duke or Skarloey. However, when the advice he is given results in him getting into trouble, as shown from Gordon, he can have second thoughts and want to give them a piece of his mind.
However, when he returned in the tenth season of the television series, Sir Handel had been portrayed as a steady, thoughtful and more mature engine who is ready to offer advice. He is ready to be put in charge and keep other engines in order, but ironically regained his original personality whenever this chance occurred. Like anyone else, Sir Handel enjoys being helpful and reliable.
Basis
Sir Handel is based on the Talyllyn Railway's Sir Haydn, a Hughes Falcon 0-4-2ST. Albert and Proteus share the same basis.
Livery
In the Railway Series, Sir Handel was painted dark blue until coming to work on the Skarloey Railway, where he was painted in the Skarloey Railway's red livery and blue-and-yellow lining. In the television series, he is painted dark blue with red and yellow lining.
In The Thomas Way DVD, the Mr. Perkins segment features a re-illustrated version of Trucks! In this, Sir Handel is painted dark blue, like in the television series.
Appearances
Voice Actors
- Keith Wickham (UK/US; sixteenth season onwards)
- Naoki Tatsuta (Japan; fourth season only)
- Bunkō Ogata (Japan; tenth - eleventh seasons)
- Shōto Kashii (Japan; sixteenth season onwards)
- Daniel Montoya (Germany)
- Jan Kulczycki (Poland)
- Paul Disbergen (The Netherlands)
- Helge Winther Larsen (Norway; sixteenth and seventeenth seasons only)
- Per Skjøldsvik (Norway; Blue Mountain Mystery onwards, excluding the seventeenth season)
- Miguel Ángel Leal (Latin America; Blue Mountain Mystery onwards)
- Fernando Castro (Spain; Blue Mountain Mystery onwards)
- Prokhor Chekhovskoy (Russia)
Trivia
- In the Railway Series, Sir Handel along with Peter Sam did not have buffers in Duke the Lost Engine and Four Little Engines but later recieved oval shaped ones by the time of The Little Old Engine.
- Until New Little Engine, his last appearance in the Railway Series, Sir Handel seemed to never have any coal bunkers. His ERTL model also portrays him without coal bunkers.
- The Reverend W. Awdry's model of Falcon was at the Reverend Teddy Boston's Cadeby Light Railway, before the railway finally closed in 2005. It is unknown what happened to it.
- In various merchandise and books, Sir Handel's name is often misspelt as "Sir Handle".
- During production on the fourth season, Sir Handel had Rheneas' face and vice-versa.
- Sir Handel's large scale television series model is currently on display in the Hara Model Museum in Japan.
- Nitrogen Studios went to the Talyllyn Railway and took measurements of Sir Handel's basis; Sir Haydn and other locomotives No.1, No.2, No.4 and No.5 so they could make Sir Handel's CGI model for the Skarloey Railway engines return, in the sixteenth season.
- In the Railway Series, Sir Handel only had an open cab on his right side until Great Little Engines, however, in the television series, he has open cabs on both sides.
- Sir Handel has been through many changes through the series. These include:
- Season 10:
- Darker blue livery.
- Black trailing wheels and buffers.
- No visible whistle and his whistle sound changed.
- His smokebox, boiler and saddletanks were rased up and a stand under his smokebox was added.
- His square buffer housings changed to round ones.
- His nose was not as pointed.
- Permanent tail lamp.
- Season 16:
- His blue livery became a more vibrant shade than it was in the tenth season.
- Grey buffers and trailing wheels.
- His buffer housings became square again and more acurate to his basis.
- A visible whistle.
- Dark brass handrails along his saddle tank were added.
- His cutout windows gained brass frames and contained glass.
- His sandboxes gaines lids on top and brass 'taps' on the sides.
- His tail lamp was positioned higher and changed to a removable Talyllyn-styled lamp.
- Sanding gear under his cab.
- Rivets were added to his bufferbeam and cab.
- He gained angle brackets on the back of his cab.
- Black siderod guards.
- Brass pipes under his saddletank.
- Season 18:
- Permanent lamp and lamp irons.
- The Great Race
- His trailing wheels and saddle tank hand rails became silver (or more reflective).
- Season 10:
Quotes
- The new engines looked very smart. One was called Sir Handel and the other Peter Sam.
- "What a small shed!" grumbled Sir Handel. "This won't do at all! We're much too smart for this old shack!"
- "I think its nice", said Peter Sam.
- "Humpf!" grunted Sir Handel. ''What's that rubbish?"
- "Shh!" said Peter Sam. "That's Skarloey the famous old engine. I'm sorry, Skarloey", he whispered. "Sir Handel's upset now, but he's quite nice really".
- Skarloey felt sorry for Peter Sam.
- Sir Handel and Peter Sam arrive at the Skarloey Railway, "Sir Handel", "Four Little Engines".
- Peter Sam told them about the television as well. And they were pleased and excited too, all except Sir Handel.
- "I don't hold with it!" he grumbled. "Vulgar, I call it. Fancy traipsing about making an exhibition of yourselves. I won't do it, I tell you! Telly something indeed. Just let the Thin Controller come here, I'll tell him something!"
- Skarloey said nothing, he just winked at Peter Sam. But next day, when the Thin Controller did come to explain about the television, Sir Handel kept strangely quiet.
- "Now", said the Thin Controller at last. "I want every engine to take part".
- "I..I..I don't feel well", quavered Sir Handel.
- "You poor engine", said the Thin Controller gravely. "You can stay in the shed".
- Sir Handel smiled broadly.
- "And your driver and firemen can take you to pieces. That would make a very interesting picture. Just what we need!"
- Sir Handel's feelings were beyond words.
- Sir Handel complaining about television, "Little Old Twins", "The Little Old Engine".
- Next day, the workmen put up a fence between road and railway and went away taking George with them. This was because they had finished their work, but Sir Handel thought he had made George go away. He was more conceited than ever and talked ever lastingly about steamrollers.
- "Oh dear!" whispered Skarloey one evening. "He's worse than ever, I'm sorry my plan was no good".
- "Never mind", said Rusty. "We'll think of something else!"
- But they had no need to do that, for some boys came and asked Mr. Hugh if they could look at the engines. Almost at once, one called out...
- "...Look! Here's Sir Handel. He raced a steamroller last week, but the roller nearly beat him too! It was most exciting!"
- Sir Handel never mentions Steamrollers now!
- Sir Handel thinks he sent George the Steamroller packing, "Steam Roller", "Gallant Old Engine".
Merchandise
- ERTL (normal, Falcon and metallic; discontinued)
- Wooden Railway (reintroduced 2008 and 2012; discontinued)
- Take Along (discontinued)
- Take-n-Play
- Nakayoshi (discontinued)
- Wind-up (Japan only)
- Pocket Fantasy (discontinued)
- Motor Road and Rail (discontinued)
- TrackMaster (normal and "Sir Handel in Charge"; discontinued)
- My Thomas Story Library (discontinued)
- Thomas Engine Collection Series (discontinued)
- Mini Die Cast Collection (discontinued)
- Departing Now (discontinued)
- Trading Cards (discontinued)
- De Agostini (discontinued)
- Brio (discontinued)
Gallery
3.jpg "Duncan(magazinestory)3.jpg (1.62 MB)")
Merchandise Gallery
| Locomotives | Duke | Stanley* | Smudger** | Falcon | Stuart | Albert* | Jim* | Tim* | The Mine Engine* | |
|---|---|
| Rolling Stock | Coaches | Saloon Coaches* | Coaches** | Cora* | Trucks (Slate Trucks) | Breakdown Train** | Gunpowder Wagons** | Flatbeds | Conflats | V-Tipper Wagons* | Brake Vans |
| People | The Mid Sodor Railway Manager |
| Locations | Arlesburgh (West, Bridge Street) | Ffarquhar Road | Marthwaite | Arlesdale Green | Arlesdale (Engine Sheds, Mines) | Cas-ny-Hawin | The Mountain Road | Ulfstead Road | Ballamoddey | King Orry's Bridge | Bertram's Old Mine** | Elm Farm** | Duke's Old Village** |