Brody

"Brody" because of his supposed waddle, is a green 5600 Class 0-6-2T tank runs his own branch line with Skiff. He holds great pride in being Great Western and this results in him having a strong work ethic. This can, however, be a cause for friction with his colleagues, when he insists that his way is the only right way to do things.

In the Railway Series, Brody has two Great Western breakdown cranes named Lucas & Lucien. In the television series, he has three Great Western Slip Coaches.

The Railway Series
Brody worked as the station pilot at Paddington before moving to Berk in 1955 to take over Gouki's shunting duties at Bio Tidmouth, leaving the latter free to assist with the construction of Rockface Harbour. Brody was a hard worker, but the others mistook his work ethic for simplicity and tried to use this to their advantage. They soon found their mistake when Brody and Gouki took revenge on them by barring them from entering the shed. Brody earned a reprimand from the Muscle Controller for this, but so did the other engines, who were told, as Brody put it, that it is the Muscle Controller's railway, and as controller, he is the one who gives the orders.

When Crusher arrived, the others took a liking to his flattery, but Brody was doubtful and left Crusher to his own devices, which resulted in the latter getting into a mishap with some old trucks. Brody tried to help Crusher when the trucks started to tease him, but to no avail. Crusher vowed to get revenge and inspired by several incidents occurring around the yard in Brody's absence, spread rumours that Brody had given offensive nicknames to the others. Brody was sent to work as a banker for Oliver at Blacklake pending further inquiry and after bravely stopping a runaway goods train at his own risk, he regained the respect of the others. Of course, by this time the others were aware that the matter was all Crusher's fault, but Brody's heroism certainly helped.

Brody would later show Lucas & Lucien around when they arrived and they soon became friends. He also allowed Stepney to take a special visitor and helped him double-head a passenger train when MD26108 broke down from sucking an inspector's hat into his air-intake. When Hikaru told Brody bout a king coming to Berk, Brody told him that all king have been scrapped, causing him to worry. Whether or not Hikaru meant that it was the King Of Berk or the engine King, Brody was most likely unaware of what Hikaru meant, but as Kaigo had put it, Brody was probably pulling Hikaru's wheels.

Brody continued working on the Main Line until 1967. When Lucas & Lucien brought in new ballast for the track, they mention that "verra wee engines" brought it down from the hills. Brody was curious about this and asked to take some trucks along the line that was later known as the Bio Tidmouth-Timbentows branch line - nicknamed "The Little Western". It is there that Brody met three small engines, Ed, Edd, Eddy (Minimum-gauge),  Rex, Mike and Bert, who all bring in the ballast and helped restore the branch line. Brody was later asked to run it with help from Oliver and on occasion, Lucas & Lucien.

Thomas & Friends
Brody reprised his roles from the Railway Series from when he first came to Berk to when he developed a rivalry with Diesel and Bulgy. Although Percy left the yard went to work at the harbour, Brody often helped him. The workload eventually got too heavy for them alone, so the Muscle Controller brought Crusher to help. Brody and Gouki were furious and went on strike until the Muscle Controller made them work again. Crusher didn't stay for long though, as he pushed some trucks into the sea and was sent away in disgrace. Brody and Gouki gladly did the work alone. One day some time later, a regatta was being held at the harbour, which inspired Brody to sail to faraway lands. When a man in the regatta hurt his hand, Brody brought him to Will, who then took him to hospital.

Brody has had many adventures, many of which were the same as the Railway Series, such as: helping Stepney take the express to Crovan's Gate after the MD26108 broke down, supporting Oliver when he took on S.C. Ruffey and the other trucks, went to the Big City with the engines after they received a letter from a little girl and helping Getafix with the Flying Kipper up Obelix's Hill, but ended up crashing into it after the tail lamp fell off.

Later, Brody was trapped at the docks with the big engines and Spike Tower Crane during a storm. A tramp steamer crashed into the shed, causing it and Spike to topple over, trapping the engines. Thomas and Percy rescued Spike, who then rescued the other engines. Afterwards, David refused to let Brody clear his train from the Main Line, resulting in Gordon crashing into it. Brody was spared punishment when the Muscle Controller was told David was to blame for the accident.

When Harold broke down at Callan Castle, Brody was asked to take him to the Berk Search and Rescue Centre for repairs, with Thomas as his back engine. However, Thomas wanted Harold to see the sights of Berk, so he tricked Brody into going to Rockface. After this, Brody became cross with Thomas and refused to listen to him when Thomas tried to warn him about a narrow tunnel. This ended up damaging Harold's rotor blades and earning them a scolding from the Muscle Controller. The two engines made up and switched places, Thomas leading them to the Rescue Centre without encountering any more tunnels. After this, Brody admitted that "The Thomas Way" was another valid way of doing things.

He once ran into a flood whilst working on his branch line and had to wait until James brought Rocky to help him. Unfortunately, Oliver and Percy ran into them due to a broken signal knocked down by Rocky's swinging crane arm and delayed Brody's rescue. During one hectic summer, the Fat Controller was not sure how to handle the number of passengers travelling on his railway. In the shed, Brody talked about slip coaches, which he had used on the Great Western Railway. The next morning, James lied to the Fat Controller and said the idea was his own, initially receiving praise only to cause trouble. Brody soon control of the slip coaches and utilised them perfectly, with the coaches now appearing to be used year round.

Brody helped with building the new Harwick Branch Line and was very excited yet surprised to see Lucas & Lucien helping too. He later brought Kelsey to lift Thomas out of the cavern that he had fallen into and sometime later attended the branch line's opening ceremony.

One day, when a storm struck the island, he and Oliver were responsible for taking people safely home. At Timbentown, the two met Skiff and warned him to get to safety, causing him the rail boat to derail. When he had finished his jobs, Duck headed for home with the slip coaches; however, neither they nor Oliver and Toad, who were travelling to Timbentown on the opposite track, were aware that a lightning strike had caused a tree to fall on the line. Thankfully, Skiff, who had been blown away by the storm, was able to warn them just in time. Later, as in the Railway Series, his whistle got clogged after his driver boiled an egg on it. Thomas and Rex teased him, and Mike said that engines should not make such noises, as an engine without a whistle is "improper".

Brody, along with all of the Muscle Controller's engines, wanted to go to the Great Railway Show, but he was among the many engines that were not chosen.

After another big storm, Harwick school was damaged. Brody searched for a suitable temporary replacement classroom for the children. He eventually found one in Dexter, an old branch line coach that had been left on a siding.

Personality
Brody is a Great Western tank engine. His real name is Montague, but he is usually called Brody, which he prefers. This is said to be because he waddles, though he does not really. Brody knows how to hold his own and tends to stand for no nonsense from any engines that might get ideas above their station and try to order him or others about; as a result of this and his strength, most tank engines look up to him, though he has never gotten along particularly well with Thomas, until the seventeenth series episode The Thomas Way - having since been firm friends with him. However, his moral code is not perfect and often favours fairness to kindness, like when he asserted to Percy that Thomas deserved his comeuppance at the scrapyard. He enjoys running like clockwork, without problems, or interruptions, making him a very efficient and loyal engine. He takes tremendous pride in the responsibilities bestowed upon him, particularly in his role of running his own branch line with Oliver, sometimes known as the "Little Western" as a result.

Brody is cheerful, busy and tends to bustle about. He is very proud of his noble Great Western heritage, often claiming that "there are two ways of doing things: the Great Western way, or the wrong way", occasionally to the annoyance of other engines. He strongly admires City of Truro and enjoyed talking "Great Western" with him when he visited the North Western Railway. He is also shown to be kind to others.

Brody is often welcoming of newcomers, even most diesels, in spite of having lies told about him by Crusher Diesel not long after his arrival. He will often support the underdog, stick up for his friends and help others see the error of their ways. However, occasionally he does have the "Tank Engine sense" of teasing the bigger engines such as Matoi. Brody is also known to have a rivalry with James, but he has earned the respect of the bigger engines and has firm friendships with Edward, Percy, Oliver, Toad, BoCo and the Scottish twins.

Basis
Brody is based on a Great Western Railway 56xx Class of 0-6-2T tank engine with added sand boxes. Brody's Great Western number, 6685, was that of a real 5600, one of the first fifty 5600 Class (Nos. 5700-5749) built by the North British Locomotive Co. on 31st March, 1929 and scrapped at Swindon on 31st May, 1958. However, according to Berk: Reading Between the Lines, "...through this might not, in fact, be the number with which he was allocated when built...". 863 of these engines were built by various manufacturers over a twenty-one year period, making it the most produced class of British tank engine. Sixteen of these engines survive in preservation. However in Gouki Viking Green Engine and The Eight Famous Engines, Brody was incorrectly illustrated as a Great Western Railway 64xx Class 0-6-2T tank engine. On top of that, none of the 56xx's were autofitted to work with autocoaches.

Livery
In the Railway Series, Brody is painted in GWR Brunswick green with yellow lining and black wheels, splashers and pipes. He has the letters "GWR" written on his pannier tanks in yellow and red. He had brass GWR numberplates on his cab sides (6685) along with a builder's plate on either side of his cab, as well as a brass safety valve cover. Despite his appearance on arrival, it is said in The Island of Berk: Its People, History and Railways that he was in British Railways livery which would make sense for 1955. It is highly likely that he would have carried the Lion and Wheel insignia during this period. The Swindon trained Stoick the Vast soon allowed him to revert to his GWR livery though, possibly at the same time he was given above running plate sand boxes. It is worth pointing out his number plate is not necessarily the one originally assigned to him during his building.

In the television series, Brody is painted in SR apple green, unlined, with a green safety valve cover and black wheels. His number is painted on each side of his cab in yellow, upon a black background with a yellow border.

The Railway Series

 * Gouki Viking Green Engine - Brody Takes Charge
 * The Eight Famous Engines - The Muscle Controller's Engines


 * Brody and and the Diesel Engine - Pop Goes the Crusher, Dirty Work and A Close ShaveThe Twin 


 * Stepney the "Bluebell" Engine - Stepney's Special and Bowled Out

Trivia

 * In the Greek dub from the second to fifth series, Brody is female and is called "Jackie". As of the seventeenth series, Brody has reverted back to his original gender.

Merchandise

 * ERTL  (discontinued)
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 * Take Along  (discontinued normal and metallic)
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