Carole

**Carole the Determined Electric Engine** is one of the deuteragonists and the first electric engine on the North Western Railway.

## Backstory

Carole worked on the Eastern Region with her friends, Stevie, Lisa and William. Unfortunately, Carole had lost her first driver to cancer, and this made her deeply upset. Her friends were able to help her with her grief, but it still pained her. Carole later ended up on Sodor.

## Peel Godred Engines

### Stevie

Stevie's pranks and wild ideas sometimes got on Carole's nerves, but they could also make her laugh. She also appreciated her shunting the trucks in the yards.

### Lisa

Lisa has her face up in the clouds sometimes, but Carole can help her get back on track - metaphorically, of course. She teases Lisa about any of her potential crushes she has.

### Simon

Being the most professional of the trio, Carole had been a big sister figure to Simon. The two often discuss theories about what it's like beyond Killdane.

## Other relationships

### Whiff

Whiff - known as William back in the day - was good friends with Carole. He helped her get through the grief of losing her driver.

## Personality

Carole is a very passionate, determined and even stubborn sort of engine. Once she sets her mind on something, she hardly ever wavers. She also has a strong knack with both goods and passengers, and is the most experienced of the original trio. If there's one thing she, Stevie and Lisa can agree on, it's that horses are the most graceful and beautiful animals in the world.

## Technical Details

### Basis

Carole is based on the one of a kind LNER Class EE1 (Electric Express 1) electric locomotive commissioned by the North Eastern Railway in 1922. Ownership passed to the London and North Eastern Railway in 1923 and to British Railways in 1948.

In 1919 the North Eastern Railway made plans to electrify its York-Newcastle stretch of the East Coast Main Line and this locomotive was a prototype built for hauling passenger trains. It had an electrically heated boiler to generate steam for train heating.

The wheels were arranged as in a 4-6-4 steam locomotive and the driving wheels were 6 ft 8 in (2.032 m) diameter. Each of the three driving axles was powered by a pair of traction motors. Electric locomotives of this design were common in continental Europe and the United States, but this was the only example on a British railway.

After grouping in 1923 the London and North Eastern Railway dropped the electrification project so (apart from some trials on the Shildon line) the locomotive was never used. It survived into British Railways ownership but was withdrawn in August 1950, and scrapped on 15 December 1950.

In common with other LNER electric locomotives, no classification was given to this locomotive until 4 October 1945, when no. 13 was classified EE1 (Electric Express 1). In May 1946, no. 13 was renumbered to 6999; and under British Railways, it became no. 26600 in 1948.

### Livery

Carole is painted purple with black lining, and wears the number (E1) on her sides and a nameplate in gold. She also has a horse painted on her sides.

## Trivia

* Carole is based on Carole Hanson from *The Saddle Club*.
	+ Carole in *The Saddle Club* lost her mother to cancer, while Carole the engine lost her driver.
	+ Carole and Kareen (her human counterpart in this series) have the closest relationships with Starlight, the buckskin gelding who Carole Hanson got in the show and books after her mum died from cancer, and Snowball, the contrary black cat from the Saddle Club books.
	+ Carole Hanson is the most experienced rider of the trio, while Carole the engine is the most experienced engine.
	+ Carole Hanson is an only child, Carole is the only engine of her class.
	+ Carole Hanson wears purple riding outfits; Carole the engine is painted purple.
* Carole, like Stevie, Lisa and Simon, each have a horse painted on their sides.
* Carole is based on the one of a kind LNER Class EE1. Her pre-Sodor numbers were NER 13/LNER 6999/BR 26600. Her Sodor number is E1.
* Carole's preferred actress is Keenan MacWilliam, who plays Carole Hanson in series 1-2 of *The Saddle Club*.