Dark DJ Productions

Thomas Dibden, better known online as Dark DJ Productions (or simply Dark DJ) is an English YouTuber and gamer often live streaming himself playing Train Simulator (RailWorks) driving a steam locomotive. He also has his own series centering around a railway that operates both diesel and steam locomotives the series has reached it's Tenth season and its tenth anniversary with over 100 episodes spanning roughly 14 minutes each plus specials of half to one hours in length.
=== Characters within The Dark Railway Series ===
==== This is a list of characters that appear in The Dark Railway Series. Each character contains descriptions about themselves along with some fun facts. ====
===== Steam Locomotives =====
*Dave: Dave is a London Midland and Scottish Railway 5MT 4-6-0 mixed traffic engine built by the Vulcan Foundry in 1935. He arrived on the Dark Railway in 1958 and is currently painted in the railway's green livery. He is a rather cocky engine who will sometimes tease his friends, but is a hard worker and is willing to help others out when they need his help. Surprisingly, he happens to be aware of his fame in the real world and is in a relationship with Hannah. Status: Operational.
* Brian: Brian is a British Railways Standard 4MT 2-6-4 tank engine built by Brighton Works in 1951. He also arrived on the Dark Railway in 1958 and is painted in BR Lined Black with the late crest. Being smarter than most engines, he can still get along quite well indeed and like Dave, is ready to help out whenever his friends need him. Brian is also the first of his class to have been built. In fact, the engine the Brian is based on, BR number 80010, was considered for preservation, but was sadly scrapped after plans fell through. Status: Awaiting overhaul; on display at the Galen Junction Railway Museum.
* Sir Eustace Missenden: Sir Eustace Missenden (full name Sir Eustace Missenden, Southern Railway) is a Southern Railway Battle of Britain 4-6-2 express engine built by Brighton Works in 1949 and rebuilt in 1961. He first arrived on the Dark Railway in 1957, but left in 1960 so he could be rebuilt and returned in 1963 and is currently painted in BR Lined Green with the late crest. Starting off as a rather pompous sort, he mellows out over time and becomes very friendly. Eustace was originally going to be written off at the end of Season One, but Dark DJ developed a fondness to him and decided to keep him on the show. Status: Operational; on loan to the North Western Railway.
* 257 Squadron: 257 Squadron, aka 257, is another Southern Railway Battle of Britain 4-6-2 express engine built by Brighton Works in 1948. Like Eustace, he also spent some time away from the Dark Railway, having arrived in 1954 before departing in 1957 and coming back in 1964, still in original shape. He is currently painted in BR Malachite Green which originated from the Southern Railway. 257 is a friendly engine, but can be jealous of his fellow engines in some instances and has a very close relationship with Eustace. He also has a keen eye for detail, speaks with an optimistic voice, and fancies himself as an investigator. 257 also happens tp be preserved in real life. The real 257 is owned by Southern Locomotives Limited and can be found on the Spa Valley Railway in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Status: Operational; also on loan to the North Western Railway.
* Theo and Otto: Theodore and Otthaniel, or Theo and Otto for short, are a pair of 0-4-0 Saddle Tanks built by Hawthorn Leslie in 1893. Unlike most of the other engines on the Dark Railway, they have lived on the railway their entire lives, having been the first two engines to work there. They are currently painted in Dark Railway Black with blue and white lining, with Theo (number 1) carrying the full Dark Railway lettering and Otto (number 2) carrying the abbreviation for the Dark Railway (DR). The two engines are very mad and have also shared an interest in science, one time they turned a railway gun into a superweapon dubbed the Tau Cannon. Being small engines, they are primarily assigned to smaller duties including shunting and helping turn their old stables at the Soma Quarry into a mining museum. Status: Operational; have spent some time at the Galen Junction Railway Museum.
* Hannah: Hannington Hall, aka Hannah, is a Great Western Railway 4900 class 4-6-0 mixed traffic engine built by Swindon Works in 1933 and arrived on the Dark Railway in 1968 and is painted in BR Green with the late crest. Despite being female, she knows the importance of hard work and rarely declines her jobs. She is also a logical thinker, always on the lookout for reasonable explanations for problems and can hold out against the lads of the Dark Railway. As mentioned above, she and Dave are in a relationship and have been ever since Season Five. Status: Awaiting overhaul; on display in the Galen Junction Railway Museum.
* Abomination: Abomination is a Hunslet Austerity 0-6-0 Saddle Tank built by Hunslet in 1964 and arrived in 1968. Like Theo and Otto, the Dark Railway is the only company Abomination has worked for as no one was interested in buying him. Furthermore, he was also the last steam engine to be built by Hunslet, so they held onto him for four years until he was bought by the Dark Railway. He is currently painted in Dark Railway Lined Black. Abomination is very thoughtful, intelligent, and a versatile engine as there many of his class that were produced and many of them have survived. Despite this, he also has a tendency to be lazy and can be very complacent with jobs that require little effort. Status: Awaiting overhaul, on display in the Galen Junction Railway Museum.
*Leno: Leno is a Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway class 5 2-4-2 tank engine built by Horwich Works in 1890 and arrived on the Dark Railway in 1965. He is currently painted in BR Lined Black with the late crest, but has been seen wearing his original livery of L&YR black which he wore up until his temporary departure in Season 9 after being placed on loan to the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway in Yorkshire. Being the oldest engine on the railway, Leno is very straightforward and wise, always having time to listen to the other engines and give them meaningful advice. He can get along with almost anyone he meets, but he did have a fear of diesel engines seeing as "they were the reason why he was withdrawn". His name is a reference to the song Poor Leno by the Norwegian music duo Royksopp. Status: Operational.
*Ed: Ed is a London Midland and Scottish Railway 4F 0-6-0 goods engine built by Derby Works in 1927 and arrived on the Dark Railway in 1968. Despite being built by the LMS, Ed spent most of his years working on the old Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway where he was painted in the railway's Prussian Blue livery and given the number 30. Being currently painted in BR unlined black with no crest, Ed is seen is a generally good natured engine, but can come across as insensitive and vulgar at some instances and tries to seek an easy life, believing he shouldn't work too hard because of his power class of 4f which most British 0-6-0 tender engines rarely exceeded. He also has a good relationship with his best friend Sid, whom he appears alongside with in their own spinoff show, Ed and Sid, focusing on their days on the S&D and showing doing nothing but sitting around and doing random things that not even we can predict. Status: Operational.
*Sid: Sid is a London Midland and Scottish Railway 2P 4-4-0 passenger engine built by Derby Works in 1928, originally with inside cylinders, and rebuilt in 1962, with two outside cylinders and a third inside cylinder, before arriving on the Dark Railway alongside Ed in 1968. Like Ed, he also worked on the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway and the two engines could be seen slagging off in their shed at Templecombe, which is the main premise of the spinoff show he and Ed appear in, Ed and Sid. He is currently painted in BR lined black with the late crest. Despite having some mannerisms that can be considered ANNOYING, he is able to get along with the other engines, especially Ed. He is loyal to his friends and to those who are nice to him too and HE EVEN HAD THE HONOR OF PILOTING GORDON FROM THE RAILWAY SERIES!!!! Status: Operational.
*De La Trip: Sir Mador de la Porte, better known as De La Trip or just Trip, is a London and South Western Railway (actually built during the days of the Southern Railway) Class N15 "King Arthur" 4-6-0 express engine built by the North British Locomotive Company in 1925 and arrived on the Dark Railway in 1971. Despite being part of the 'Scotch Arthurs", De La Trip lied about his birthplace and told other engines that he was built at Eastleigh, falling into the ways of his company and became a Southern Railway supremacist. Being painted in Southern Railway wartime black at the time of writing, Trip abused engines who weren't deemed as true Southern designs, which he had taken on from a history of being bullied by older Southern designs. When his secret was exposed, however, he has since mellowed out and is trying to change, still remaining jealous when he feels like he's being upstaged by other engines and gets in a foul temper as a result. One engine who taunted Trip a lot was Clyde who would often poke fun at him whenever Clyde had the chance, especially when Trip began running out of steam on hill and when his firebox stays collapsed. His name is a reference to the song of the same name by the German musician Ian Pooley. Status: Awaiting overhaul: on display in the Galen Junction Railway Museum.
*Colossus: Colossus is a London and North Western Railway Class G2 0-8-0 goods engine built by Crewe Works in 1922 and arrived on the Dark Railway in 1972. He is currently painted in LNWR black, which caused a great surprise to the other engines as during his days on the LNWR, he carried the number 13 which is believed to be an unlucky number. However, bad things ended up happening to the other engines because they had scared themselves into failure because of the superstition. Moving on, Colossus is depicted as a wise freight engine who has experienced the nitty gritty parts of life and appreciates the ups and downs of railway operations. He has always tried to understand the feelings of his friends, but is not above looking at the bigger picture and understanding that he and all of his fellow engines are all made by humans to serve humans. But we can understand that, right?? In the Dark Railway's universe, Colossus is confirmed to be the only member of his class in preservation. However, the true sole survivor of his class in real life in engine number 49395 has been preserved as part of the National Railway Museum's collection and is on display at Locomotion in Shildon. Status: Operational.
*Caracus Smash: Caracus Smah (named after his owner, Mr. Smash) is a BR Standard 7MT "Britannia" 4-6-2 mixed traffic engine built by Crewe Works in 1954 and arrived on the Dark Railway in 1970 when he officially received a name. Unlike most of the engines on the line, Caracus is not owned by the Dark Railway. Instead, he is owned and maintained by his namesake, Mr. Caracus Smash, alongside Barry, Buzz, and Mr. B. He is currently painted in BR lined green with the late crest, which he wore for most of his life. Unfortunately, I'm not able to provide his personality thanks to it not showing up on the wiki, but it anyone who has seen Caracus's true colors in the Dark Railway Series and can write them down onto this page, feel free to do so. Caracus was originally going to be seen in his future owner's yard in an early episode of the DRS, but this was changed and the best theory available is that the 7MT that was there was his brother, 70013 "Oliver Cromwell" (also preserved in the National Railway Museum's collection) before it was used to haul the 15 Guinea Special, making it the final steam engine to be preserved by British Railways for the National Collection. Status: Operational; boiler ticket due to expire in 1980 which (in the DRS timeline) is VERY SOON.
*Barry: Barry is a British Railways Standard 9F 2-10-0 heavy goods engine built by Crew Works in 1956 and arrived on the Dark Railway in 1970 along with Caracus. He is also owned by Mr. Smash along with Buzz and Mr. B and is currently painted in BR lined black with the late crest. Barry is shown is VERY insane, talking nonsense most of the time and annoying others as he does so, especially with his catchphrase "Ey up?" Regardless. he still maintains a strong loyalty to his friends, even if they have upset him and does his jobs well... at least when they don't interrupt him pretending to be human. He also dislikes Scotland for an unknown reason, so I'd imagine that him and Clyde going out would NOT be possible. Barry is also the first permanent character in the DRS to have a different voice actor, said actor being Anthony Sims of High Lane Productions, who impressed Dark DJ on his vocal rendition of the character. Status: Operational; boiler ticket due to expire in 1980.
*Goose: Goose is a Great Western Railway 5400 0-6-0 Pannier Tank built by Swindon Works in 1931 and arrived on the Dark Railway in 1975. Unlike the engines owned by the Dark Railway or those owned by Mr. Smash, Goose was saved by neither. Instead, he had been saved by the mayor of Brentwell before being sold to the third organization based on the Dark Railway: The Dark Railway Preservation Society. Goose has a habit of making quacking noises whenever he speaks, similar to those that a duck or a goose would make. This was the reason why his voice actor, Reilly Cornwall, was casted into the role partly due to his ability to make these noises. Painted in GWR 1942-1947 Green, Goose is seen as fussy and stubborn, preferring to do a variety of work instead of being stuck with just one job. He also holds a disdain for certain authority figures who dismiss the feelings of engines, thinking that anyone who blindly obeys orders are just caught under their thumb. He also felt shocked when the Dark Railway Preservation Society fell into disbanding with it's former locomotives and rolling stock being sold off to new owners, one of them going to the Island of Sodor to serve as a spares donor for his brother who lived there, now realizing that he was the final engine of the society left on the railway. Thankfully, the former chairman of the society, Mr. Chairman, purchased Goose and his two GWR Autocoaches for himself, ensuring Goose's stay on the Dark Railway. His debut episode shows him with the number 5404, which is worn by Virgil, another 5400 who appears in EpicBanastard's "Rails to Refuge", but this was corrected in the next episode. Goose was also originally going to be based on a GWR 5700 Pannier Tank, but Dark DJ decided to reinvent him as a 5400, making him and Virgil the only surviving members of their class as ZERO 5400s were saved from scrap. Status: Awaiting repairs to cylinders and valve gear: on display in the Galen Junction Railway Museum.
*Eddie: Eddie is a Great Western Railway 2251 0-6-0 goods engine built by Swindon Works in 1946 and arrived on the Dark Railway in 1962. Currently painted in GWR postwar green, Eddie is seen as a kind and down to earth engine, but is upset easily and can pull himself back together when necessary. One instance of him loosing his mind is when his former best friend, Colin, began dating his sister, Ellie, who lived on the Servern Valley Railway before moving to the South Devon Railway. However, all three engines apologized before going off to the SVR and returning two years later in 1969. That same year though, Eddie felt devastated when Colin was killed in an act of arson at the Galen Junction shed along with two diesels named Cammer and Owen. Eddie was consoled by Sid the Fowler 2P, but to no avail with Eddie eventually dragging himself out of the sadness. Eddie met an imaginary version of Colin whist he was on display in the museum who channeled through his negative emotions, but when Colossus was displayed alongside Eddie, the goods engine stood up against this new subconscious, who revealed that he wanted Eddie to push forward and say goodbye to his old friend, a chance that he never got. Eddie also stood up for Goose when the Pannier was afraid that he would be sold off to another railway, only to learn that Mr. Chairman had bought him and his autocoaches for his own; this could prove that Eddie can sometimes go a little to far if he isn't properly informed about things happening on the railway. Status: Operational.
*Clyde: Clyde is a Caledonian Railway Class 191 4-6-0 built by- Actually, Clyde does appear as a Caledonian Railway Class 191 4-6-0, but in truth he started his life as a British Rail Class 37 diesel locomotive built in 1962 by the Vulcan Foundry and arrived on the Dark Railway ten years later, albeit as a regular visitor. You may be asking, "How can a locomotive start it's life as a Class 37 but then become a Caledonian steam engine?" Well, Theo and Otto used their Tau Cannon on Clyde to give him a disguise so that he wouldn't be found by BR after the Dark Railway's mainline connection had been ripped up. However, not only did Clyde become the engine he is today, but the gun also backfired upon itself and got destroyed. Clyde survived, but now had the power to shapeshift into any engine he wanted to be which he eventually lost after rescuing Dave from the hands of a demon, now in the form of a Caledonian Railway 191 4-6-0 for all time. Painted in Caledonian Railway blue, Clyde is seen as a warm chap who has sympathy for steam locomotives on the plight of BR. Despite this, he was seen with a malicious side as he abused his shapeshifting powers, depressing Hannah when he took on her form to "amuse" 257 Squadron and bullying De La trip until he apologized to him for his rude behavior. Nevertheless, he has a strong loyalty towards the Dark Railway and would do anything to help it. Status: Operational. 
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Category:Users who joined in 2011