Henry (Thomasfan1)

"I am a very special engine who runs on special coal,so he should choose me!"―Henry, The Most Important Engine

Henry is a kindhearted yet sometimes judgmental LMS Stanier 5MT mixed traffic, number 3 green tender engine who works on North West Railway. Originally the shape of an GNR A1 Pacific, and a poor steamer, Henry was rebuilt into his current shape in 1935.

Biography
Henry was built around 1897 and was a prototype locomotive from stolen plans from Sir Nigel Gresley. He was a cross between a GNR Class A1 and a GNR C1 Atlantic. Henry was a poorly built engine and no more of his type were produced. He was built alongside 87546 and Alfred, number 98462. Though Henry first admired Alfred, the two bullied him. Henry was purchased by Sir Topham Hatt in 1899, who was desperate for a locomotive. Henry was an express engine.

One rainy day in 1912, Henry stopped in a Tunnel to avoid the rain and refused to come out, despite many attempts to convince him. Eventually, everyone gave up and Sir Topham Hatt had the rails taken up and a wall built in front of Henry. The plan was to leave Henry there "for always and always" as a punishment. However, after Gordon burst his safety valvue while pulling the express, Edward couldn't pull the heavy coaches. Therefore, Sir Topham Hatt let Henry out and he and Edward continued the journey. Henry was given a second chance and never worried about his paint again.

Unfortunately, Henry was to suffer humiliation when he was hosed with water by an elephant he frightened in 1917. 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 is likely 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 criticising 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, three 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.

Basis
Henry is an LMS Stanier Class 5MT He was Originally a locomotive built using GNR A1 drawling's stolen from the Sir Nigel Gresley.

Personality
According to Thomas1Edward2Henry3, Henry is one of the most relatable characters in the show. He is generally well behaved but sometimes can get stubborn. He can also become depressed when he is ill, but always overcomes it. T1E2H3 considers Henry like a teenager. He is good hearted but gets annoyed or depressed when he doesn't get his way.

Voice Actor

 * Thomas1Edward2Henry3: Episode I-present, will always voice him

Television Appearances
Henry has appeared in every season and every special. He is voiced by Keith Wickham in the UK, Kerry Shale in the US, and Kevin Frank in Thomas and the Magic Railroad.

Trivia

 * Henry is obviously Thomas1Edward2Henry3's favorite character.
 * Henry has made the most appearances in The Tales of Sodor (not counting Diesel 10's cameos).
 * Henry is the one of the engines to receive a major rebuild.
 * Henry, Gordon, Harold, Dash, and previously James and the Fat Controller are all voiced by Keith Wickham in the UK and Kerry Shale in the US.
 * Henry was one of the first characters ever created in the Railway Series.