Den and Dart

**Den**and **Dart**are a big diesel-hydraulic engine and a small diesel shunter who runs the Vicarstown Dieselworks.

## Biography

### *Thomas & Friends*

In Day of the Diesels, Den and Dart took Thomas to the back shed of the Dieselworks while Percy, Diesel 10, and the other Diesels took over the Steamworks.

In the fifteenth season, he, along with Dart and Diesel, tried to find a Christmas tree for the Dieselworks whilst in competition with Thomas. Den later teased Flynn for spraying the Fat Controller and Gordon.

In the sixteenth season, they helped Thomas fix Ol' Wheezy and repaired Gordon's bufferbeam.

In the seventeenth season, Den, with Dart, help fixed a sputter in Salty's engine.

In the eighteenth season, Den, along with Dart, Sidney, and Diesel hid from Paxton, causing Paxton to search for them.

In the nineteenth season, Den was sent to the quarry as a replacement for Mavis while she was at the Dieselworks. Initially, Den struggled with the troublesome trucks, but after some encouragement from Toby and Henrietta, he toughened up and finished his job. When Mavis came back, Den went back to the Dieselworks.

In The Great Race, Den, along with Dart and Paxton, was part of Diesel's plot to be taken to The Great Railway Show. Diesel had the three put under crates in a large train, making them resemble vans. When the Fat Controller was in the final stages of choosing who would go to the show, Diesel would then honk his horn to signal the three to start pushing, making it look as if Diesel was moving the train by himself, whereas the other three diesels would actually be doing most of the work, which Diesel hoped would convince the Fat Controller to take him to the show. The day before the show, Diesel refused to move his train from blocking all ways in and out of the yard, leading Thomas, who was in a hurry to demonstrate his shunting skills to convince the Fat Controller to enter him in the shunting competition, to move Diesel's train himself. When he whistled after a shunter coupled him up, the diesels mistook the tank engine's whistle as Diesel's horn and started pushing the train as they were instructed to. Thomas was surprised at the train pushing him and Diesel was horrified, thinking Thomas was pulling the train, realising his chance would be ruined. Though Sir Topham Hatt was impressed with the heavy train Thomas was "pulling," Thomas then collided with Norman at a set of points, losing his left buffer and ruining his chance to enter the show as well. Later, Diesel confronted the three and nearly forced Dart off the Dieselworks turntable, but instead made Dart bump into a button, sending a crate down on Diesel. Diesel later escaped to Brendam Docks, and the three continued to hunt him down, only for Cranky to load him onto a ship bound for the mainland.

## Biography

### *Thomas & Friends*

In Day of the Diesels, Dart complains about needing a new crane and hides Flynn's hose in the rubbish by order of Diesel 10.

Later on, he went with Thomas, Den and Diesel to Misty Island in search of a Christmas tree for the Dieselworks. Dart later teased Flynn for spraying Edward and his driver.

They helped Thomas fix Ol' Wheezy and later fixed Gordon's bufferbeam.

In the eighteenth season, he hid from Paxton along with Diesel, Den, and Sidney causing Paxton to make an island-wide search for them.

At one point, Mavis had an accident, and Den was forced to replace her at the quarry. Dart was distraught at being separated from his best friend, and was slow to start repairing Mavis. When Mavis reminded him that the quicker she is fixed, the sooner he can be back with Den. Dart took her advice and soon, Den returned.

## Personality

Den is the diesel engine who runs the Vicarstown Dieselworks, repairing other diesels. He is stately and deeply pensive. He tries to make sure everything he says is deeply considered, can often be heard muttering "what I mean to say is...", and can tend to over-think. He may come across as a little slow, but nothing could be further from the truth. He is rather astute and likes to take into account as much as he can with regards to a problem. Although he is not a worrier, he may tend to be on the fence about taking particular action over a matter before making a calculated, informed decision that will be worth the wait. Sometimes though, Dart, his assistant at the Dieselworks, can tell what he is thinking and cut to the chase a little quicker for the benefit of the other engines, which is why they support each other so well as a team. Den is a hard worker and is popular and well respected among the diesels for fixing them with a whisk of his wheels, even if his tools may be old and shoddy and his machinery may be outdated. Although he is trustworthy and authoritative, Den may have the occasional chuckle at an engine's expense.

Dart works at the Vicarstown Dieselworks to support and assist Den. Den and Dart have worked together for so long that Dart can often guess what Den is thinking before he can get it out himself. Although not so much the thinker of the duo, he is usually the doer and can be the chattier of the two. He quickly buzzes about the Dieselworks, occasionally bashing, crashing, and clanging into things. He can be heard to grumble "Dizzy Diesels!" when something goes wrong. Dart is very able in his work and a valuable team player. Despite being small in size, he is feisty and fast. Dart also like jokes, sometimes to the annoyance of the other Diesels. If feeling bothered, particularly by the steam engines, Dart is far from devious, but can get grumpy, gruff, irritable, cantankerous, and sometimes cheeky too, but otherwise he is the quick-witted assistant of the Dieselworks.

## Trivia

* Den and Dart will make their guest starring appearance in *Thomas and Twilight Sparkle Meets The BFG (1989),* *Thomas and Twilight Sparkle's Adventures of Minions, Thomas and Twilight Sparkle's Adventures of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs,* *Thomas and Twilight Sparkle's of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2*
* Den and Dart along with Murdoch became best friends with Bulk Biceps.
* Although Diesel 10 also runs the Dieselworks, Den and Dart won't obey his devious orders any more since they become friends with the steam engines and fix good diesels as well as bad diesels but despite that, Diesel 10 knows that they're perfect of looking after the Dieselworks while he's gone planning evil devious plans againest the steam engines and the ponies.