Merlin

*"Invisibility on!"*

-Merlin

## Merlin the Invisible Engine

Magician (fanfic, as a human)

### Family

Duchess Bourdain (wife, in the fanfic), Duchess of Hamilton (sister-in-law, in the fanfic), Henry (cousin-in-law, in the fanfic)

### Friends

Thomas, Percy, James, Gordon, Edward, Henry, Emily, Rebecca, Nia, Toby, Sir Topham Hatt, Duck, Bill and Ben, Timothy, Rosie, Stanley, Ryan, Sonny, Diesel, Daisy, Salty, Porter, Paxton, Sidney, Philip, Victor, Skarloey and Rheneas, Whiff, Marion, Skiff, Hiro, Kenji, Mavis, Annie and Clarabel, Charlie, Billy, Terence, Bertie, Bulgy, Cleo, Ruth, Donald and Douglas, Cranky, Carly, Judy and Jerome, Elizabeth, George, Peter Sam, Sir Handel, Mighty Mac, Duncan, Freddie, Duke, Owen, Merrick, Harvey, Millie, Luke, Stephen, Glynn, Shane, Aubrey and Aiden, Tamika, Ace. Isla, Spencer, Henrietta, Hugo, Rocky, Harold, Flynn, Captain, Butch, Belle, Nelson, Jack, Alfie, Oliver, Max and Monty, Kelly, Byron, Ned, Isobelle, Patrick, Brenda, Buster, Darcy, Kevin, Oliver, Ashima, Rajiv, Noor Jehan, Shankar, Charubala, Lorenzo, Beppe, Gina, Stefano, Ester, Gabriela, Gustavo, Raul, Marcia and Marcio, Fernando, Hank, Sam, Gator, Norman and Dennis, Hong-Mei, Yong Bao, An-An and Yin-Long, Den, Dart, Beau, Toad, Lexi, Theo, Hurricane, Frankie, Beresford, Caitlin, Connor, Ferdinand, Bash and Dash, Emerson, Lei, Natalie, Cassia, 'Arry and Bert, Bert, Rex, Mike**Fanfic:** Ten Cents, Sunshine, Theodore, Emily, Hercules, Big Mac, Warrior, Grampus, O.J., Top Hat, Big Mickey, Sally, Boomer, Frank and Eddie, Oliver, Foduck, The Dispatcher, Izzy Gomez, Captain Star, Captain Zero, Zak, Zorran, Zebedee, Zip, Zug, Mighty Mo, Lucy, Phillip and Filmore, Hank, George

### Likes

Makes himself invisible, helping to hide Thomas from Frankie and Hurricane, helping Thomas to find his way home to Sodor, working on the Steelworks, being really useful**Fanfic:** His wife, working on both the Steelworks and the British Railway, doing his performance

### Dislikes

Percy upsets when he couldn't see him**Fanfic:** Thomas fell seriously ill

## Character's Bio

### Nicknames

Merlin the Invisible EngineMerlin the Invisible

### Birthdate

Sometimes in August 1925 (built)7th March 1934 (fanfic, as a human)

## Physical Apearance

### Hair Colour

Auburn-brown with silvery-gray highlights (fanfic, as a human)

### Complexion

Silver with red running board and black smoke deflectors (cartoon)Pale (fanfic, as a human)

### Status

Alive

**Merlin** is one of *Thomas & Friends* characters. He was an experimental engine with three funnels who believes that he has a power to turned himself invisible.

He was voiced by British actor Hugh Bonneville, who portrays Henry Brown on 2014 film *Paddington* and 2017 film *Paddington 2* and Robert Crawley, the 7th Earl of Grantham on *Downton Abbey*.

In the fanfic, *The Secret & Dearest Life of Everything in Sodor,* Merlin's last name, Bourdain, was a reference to late American chef, Anthony Bourdain, who died of an apparent suicide by hanging on 8th June 2018.

## Biography

### *Thomas & Friends*

When Thomas travels to the Mainland, he befriended the experimental engines: Merlin, Theo and Lexi. Merlin sails through life, full of confidence, believing that he has the ability to become invisible. Helping to hide Thomas from Frankie and Hurricane, he promised to help him find his way back to Sodor. Later, Merlin, along with the other experimental engines, helped Thomas rescue James, who had been trapped in the Steelworks.

Afterwards, Merlin offered to stay at the Steelworks to help Frankie and Hurricane and helped Thomas to convince the other experimental engines, Theo and Lexi, to do the same.

When Merlin first came to Sodor, he showed everyone he can become invisible, except Percy, who was upset he did not get to see him. When Percy heard an unfamiliar whistle in the distance but could not see who it belonged to, he assumed it was Merlin, and rushed off to tell Thomas. However, the "invisible engine" turned out to be Trevor.

## Personality

Merlin sees himself as a hero. He is proud and confident of his abilities and in particular his special skill - the ability to make himself invisible. All he has to do is say "Invisibility on!" and shut his eyes and he is convinced that nobody can see him. He knows he was specially designed in order to be hard to see and his three funnels, which were intended to disperse his smoke and steam, are there to prove it. What Merlin does not know is that his experiment did not work. Merlin wants to be able to prove himself and show everyone all the things he can do. He honestly believes you can do anything you set your mind to or at the very least, you can try! Merlin is fun and funny and wants to be a good friend, but his lack of judgement and sense of his own limitations can create its own challenges.

## Technical Details

### Basis

Merlin is based on a London and South Western Railway (LSWR) N15 Class, referred to as the "King Arthur" class by the Southern Railway, specifically No. 783 *Sir Gillemere*. In 1940, Sir Gillemere was fitted with three stovepipe chimneys by Oliver Bulleid as a wartime experiment. The way the smoke was spread out was meant to make the trains less visible to bombers overhead. The experiment was not a success, and the engine was quickly converted back to normal. No. 783 became No. 30783 under British Railways after nationalisation in 1948 and was withdrawn in March 1961.

Merlin's name is likely taken from another King Arthur engine, No. 740 *Merlin*. A single King Arthur is preserved as part of the National Collection, No. 777 *Sir Lamiel*, and is based at the Great Central Railway, currently awaiting overhaul.

## Physical Appearance

### Livery

Merlin was painted silver with a red running board and wheels and black smoke deflectors. He has red and gold nameplates on his sides. His number (783) is also painted white on his front buffer beam, the sides of his cab and tender.

### Fanfic

As a human, Merlin's skin tone is pale in colour, he has auburn-brown hair with silvery-gray highlights on both his bangs and cyan eyes.

In his train driver uniform, he wears a silver-gray coat with 8 gold buttons and black lining on each lapel, white shirt, black ascot like necktie styled in a full Windsor knot, silver gray vest with black buttons, silver-gray trousers and black dress shoes.

In his magician tuxedo, he wears black jacket, white shirt, black vest, deep silver-gray bow tie, black trousers and dress shoes.

## Fanfics

The Secret & Dearest Life of Everything in Sodor

Merlin's appearance in the fanfic as a human and also married to his wife Duchess, who was a royal train driver. He works on both the Steelworks and the British Railways as one of the train drivers. After working in the Mainland, he comes to Sodor to work on the Vicarstown Station alongside Henry, Edward and Sonny. In the night, he was doing his magic performance at the park in the city of Vicarstown. Long after his performance was finished, he found Percy alone, sitting on a bench and sobbing sadly that Thomas was seriously ill.