Stanley, named after politician Stanley Baldwin and also known as No. 2, was a cocky American tank engine who used to work on the Mid Sodor Railway, until he was turned into a pumping engine.
Biography[]
The Railway Series[]
Stanley was built at the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1917. At some point, he arrived on the Mid Sodor Railway and was re-gauged to run on the 2ft3in gauge track the railway used.
Stanley was reckless and prone to frequent derailments, as he had not been re-gauged properly. He rode roughly and often came off the rails, but believed that it did not matter if he had a few accidents and refused to heed Duke's advice; this behaviour resulted in him being converted into a pumping engine, and he was placed behind the engine sheds at Arlesdale in 1928.
Stanley was later moved to the mines at Cas-ny-Hawin, and began pumping water from the mines. However, he broke down near the end of 1946, causing the mines to flood and marking the end of the railway. The Mid Sodor Railway closed the following year, and Stanley was scrapped.
Duke once lectured Falcon and Stuart about the downfall of Stanley, and they became "unusually good for several days" afterwards. (RWS; Duke the Lost Engine)
Personality and Traits[]
Stanley was arrogant, cocky and reckless; he was prone to derailing frequently, but believed that it did not matter if he had an accident every once in awhile. His attitude resulted in him being converted into a pumping engine.
Basis and Livery[]
Stanley is based on the Baldwin Class 10-12-D 4-6-0 pannier tank locomotives that were built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for the British War Department light railways in France during World War I. However, like Stanley, these engines were rough riders and often came off the rails. Five of these engines are still preserved.
Stanley's story of being converted into a pumping engine was based on Palmerston of the Ffestiniog Railway, the sister locomotive to Duke and Prince, who had been converted into a stationary boiler early in the preservation period of the railway. Unlike Palmerston, who was restored to working order, Stanley was scrapped.
In the Railway Series, Stanley was painted plain red with black lining.
Trivia[]
- Awdry built a model of Stanley for his Mid Sodor Railway layout, using a WHR Baldwin cut down to an 0-6-0 on a Minitrix chassis. The model did not run well, so it was put on static display.
- Stanley's appearance inside the sheds at Arlesdale in Bulldog creates a continuity error: the events of the story are set in 1904, but Stanley nor the other engines of his design were built until 1915. Furthermore, it was said in Granpuff that Falcon and Stuart did not know who Stanley was, but Falcon was built and arrived to the railway before Stanley did, meaning that he would have known about him.
- In the Television Series, his role was replaced by Smudger, who suffered the exact same fate.