Bert (Small Railway)

Bert
Overview
First Appearence	Small Railway Engines (RWS) Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure (T&F) Ballast (T&FMUSSS)
Last Appearence	Wilbert the Forest Engine (RWS)
Creator(s)	Rev. W. Awdry
Character Overview
Name(s)	Bert
Nicknames	Smart and Shiny Engine (by The Fat Clergyman)
Gender	Male
Country	Island of Sodor England (formerly)
Parents	River Irt
Affilation	Arlesdale Railway Arlesburgh Branch Line
Technical Details
Basis	R&ER No. 3 River Irt
Gauge	15" (381 mm, minimum gauge)
Power type	Steam
Vehicle	Locomotive
Type	Tender engine
Fuel type	Coal
Configuration	0-8-2, originally 0-8-0T
Wheels	18, originally 8
Designer(s)	Sir Arthur Heywood
Builder(s)	Duffield Bank (originally) *Yorkshire Engine Co. (first rebuild) *Arlesburgh Works (second rebuild)
Date built	1894
Date rebuilt	1973
Arrived on Sodor	1967
Number	1
Railway	Arlesdale Railway
Owner(s)	Fergus Duncan

Bert is a small blue tender engine who is the quietest and oldest of the Arlesdale Railway engines.

Biography

The Railway Series

Bert is a rebuild by the Yorkshire Engine Co. of an earlier 0-8-0 design whose chassis and valve gear is very similar to that used in the 1890's by Sir Arthur Heywood at Duffield Bank. The addition of trailing wheels enabled a larger firebox to be fitted in the hope that this would cure "shy steaming", but this was not the case.

Bert worked on an unnamed line in England until 1967, at which time it closed down and he, Rex and Mike were sent to Sodor to work the Arlesdale Railway. Some time after his arrival, Bert took offence when the Rev. W. Awdry and the Rev. Teddy Boston accidentally sprayed him with mud while passing him in their car, and in retaliation, Bert drenched the Reverend Teddy Boston with water when he took a ride in Bert's cab. However, both parties made up and as a result, Bert was featured in the Reverend W. Awdry's next book, Small Railway Engines.

Bert, along with the other small engines were offered to be in the Reverend's next book if they behaved. When a rescue team went on a mission to look for Duke, they often rode on Bert's train.

For a long time Bert had trouble with steaming. One day, as he was pulling a passenger train, his tender coupling broke off as they left the station. He didn't want to "stick" around, but the mention of the word "stick" encouraged his driver to bring glue to temporarily repair his coupling hook. This was what his driver called "Sticking Power".

It was not until 1973, when Ivan Farrier at Arlesburgh fitted a Kylchap blast pipe and taller chimney, that his trouble with steaming trouble was cured. As a result of this, Bert’s appearance is now different. His taller chimney, with cab enlarged to match, has turned him into a narrow gauge engine in his own right instead of, as formerly, a scaled down version of a standard gauge locomotive. Bert is now as powerful and free steaming as Rex, but is more "sure footed", and in addition gives his driver a smoother ride.

Thomas & Friends

Marion first met Mike, Bert and Rex in the Arlesburgh Woods while she was heading up to assist the construction of the new branch line when the two of them streaked past on the other side of some bushes. Marion thought she was seeing things, and subsequently shut her eyes, resulting in her collision with Oliver and Toad under the chute. Marion was positively alarmed when she saw Mike shunting ballast wagons up the chute to fill Oliver's train, until Toad introduced them. Marion was doubtful of the engines' existence due to their miniscule size. Mike replied somewhat hostily that they were responsible for bringing all of the ballast for the new line, while Bert and Rex more kindly explained about wool traffic and passenger service. The following day when Thomas came up to their junction depressed that Sir Topham Hatt sent him to work on the new branch line after he caused an accident at Knapford with the Express, Bert, along with the other two, sang Never Overlook a Little Engine to cheer their friend up. Though it worked, Thomas became so eager to help out with the line's construction that he ended up falling into Calles Cavern. At dusk that day, Marion reappeared at their junction to make a wish, and while Rex and Bert managed to escape unnoticed, Mike had the misfortune to be the one Marion made her wish to. Two nights later when Sailor John came through trying to escape using the pirate ship, Bert, Rex and Mike shoved a train of ballast wagons off the chute to slow it down after hearing Thomas yell for them to help. As the ship slowed down, Ryan then inadvertently derailed the ship.

As in the Railway Series, Bert's feelings were hurt when the Thin and Fat Clergymen accidentally sprayed mud-water at him, so he managed to pay the Fat Clergyman out by causing water to fall on him and his driver, but the two Clergymen managed to make up with him.

Personality

Bert is the quietest of the Arlesdale Railway engines. He appears to be very easy going and friendly. One thing Bert doesn’t like, however, is the idea that bigger engines (and some people) might look down on the little engines just because they’re small. Bert usually gets on with his jobs without complaining and doesn’t mind what kind of work he does as long as he’s treated with respect.

Technical Details

Basis

Bert is based on the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway's River Irt.

Livery

Bert is painted blue with red and yellow lining. He has a brass dome, brass builder's plates on the sides of cab, red nameplates with gold writing mounted on each side of his boiler and "ARLESDALE" written on the sides of his tender in yellow. In the Railway Series his wheels are painted black, but in the television series they are blue.

Appearances

The Railway Series

• Small Railway Engines - Ballast, Tit for Tat, Mike's Whistle and Useful Railway
• Oliver the Western Engine - Donald's Duck (not named; mentioned), Resource and Sagacity (cameo) and Bulgy (cameo)
• Duke the Lost Engine - Sleeping Beauty
• Jock the New Engine - We Need Another Engine, Sticking Power, Jock and Teamwork (cameo)
• Wilbert the Forest Engine - Wired-Up

Companion Volumes

• 1970 - Twelve Happy Engines (does not speak)
• 1972 - The Railway Series: Surprise Packet
• 1976 - Famous Engines and Railway Map of the Island of Sodor
• 1979 - Annual
• 1980 - Annual
• 1987 - The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways (mentioned)
• 2005 - Sodor: Reading Between the Lines (mentioned)

Thomas & Friends

• Series 20 - Ryan and Daisy (cameo), The Way She Does It (cameo), Tit for Tat, Mike's Whistle and Useful Railway
• Series 21 - Daisy's Perfect Christmas
• Series 24 - The Great Little Railway Show

Specials

• 2015 - Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure
• 2016 - The Great Race
• 2017 - Journey Beyond Sodor (cameo)
• 2018 - Big World! Big Adventures! (faceless; scrap model)

Music Videos

• Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure - Never Overlook a Little Engine and We Make a Team Together (cameo)
• The Great Race - Will You Won't You
• Series 21 - Set Friendship in Motion and Little Engines

Videos

• Guess Who? Puzzles (does not speak)

Books

• 2005 - Duck (not named; mentioned)
• 2007 - Thomas' Giant Coloring Book (sticker cameo)
• 2008 - Thomas' Sticker Express (sticker cameo)
• 2015 - Pirate Treasure, Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure (does not speak), Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure: Sticker Activity Book and Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure: The Movie Storybook (does not speak)
• 2018 - Character Encyclopedia (does not speak)

Voice Actors

• Keith Wickham (UK/US)
• Mitsuhiro Sakamaki (Japan; Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure onwards, excluding The Great Race)
• Kunihiro Kawamoto (Japan; The Great Race only)
• Michał Podsiadło (Poland)
• Stan Limburg (The Netherlands)
• Armando Guerrero (Latin America)
• Yehonatan Magon (Israel; Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure only)
• Zvika Fohrman (Israel; The Great Race onwards)
• Øyvind Borgemoen Lyse (Norway)
• Christian Rudolf (Germany)

Trivia

• Bert's rebuilt form has never been featured in either the Railway Series or television series.
• In Sticking Power, Bert is said to be younger than Rex and Mike. However, Bert's basis was built long before the other two. Bert has also been stated to be the youngest on the Official Website. His own build date is currently unknown since there is no official evidence to state his actual build date.
• In Bert's trading card promo, he is depicted as a 4-8-2 along with Rex and Mike.
• From Jock the New Engine onwards in the Railway Series, as well as in the TV series, Bert is depicted with wheels outside his frames, contrary to his basis and his previous appearances. His valve gear was also changed.
• A scrap model of Bert can be seen in Big World! Big Adventures! after Thomas and Ace crash in America.

Merchandise

• Wooden Railway (discontinued)
• Take-n-Play (discontinued)
• Capsule Plarail
• Trading Cards (discontinued)