Henry

## Henry the Green Engine

Henry is a green mixed-traffic tender engine who works on the Main Line. He was originally a failed prototype engine, and needed special Welsh coal to operate properly. Following his accident when pulling The Flying Kipper, Henry underwent an extensive rebuild, giving him a new shape.

## Personality

Henry is generally well-behaved, but is sometimes arrogant. Henry is at heart, a very hard worker, but his frequent bouts of illness hinder his work. His illnesses almost always have something to do with his boiler.

In the television series, Henry has been portrayed with a much kinder and softer personality. He has been shown as a nature-lover as evidenced in Henry's Forest. This personality carried on throughout the more recent seasons with Henry being occasionally a tree-hugging engine too as he tried to prevent the tall pine tree and the wishing tree from being cut down.

In the newer seasons, Henry is portrayed as not too bright and sometimes really worrisome, as shown in multiple episodes. This worrisome personality was also featured in The Adventure Begins, which greatly contrasts to the original version of The Sad Story of Henry. He has shown instances when he was either moody, arrogant and vain, but proud, strong and witty, much like the earlier seasons.

## Technical Details

### Basis

Henry's history is unusual. The Fat Controller had intended to buy a Robinson Atlantic of the Great Central Railway, but was swindled and instead received Henry. He was built from rejected plans for Sir Nigel Gresley's A1. The plans were stolen from Gresley by an anonymous rival. The resulting engine had a superficial likeness to Gordon, but aesthetics were as far as this went. Henry in this shape developed performance issues from flaws in the design, compounded by his stay in the tunnel. Henry was a bad steamer: with good-quality coal he could get enough heat to make plenty of steam, but when there was a poor lot delivered, his undersized firebox could not hold enough coal to make a proper fire. On advice from Henry's fireman, the Fat Controller ordered high-grade Welsh Coal, which made an appreciable difference in Henry's performance. When Henry suffered an accident and severe damage that winter, the opportunity was taken to send him to Crewe, where he was rebuilt an LMS Stanier 5MT "Black Five" 4-6-0. After "The Eight Famous Engines," Henry's LMS Stanier 5MT tender was replaced by a Fowler tender.

In the television series, Henry has always had a one-window cab with an LNER-style tender. The main difference between his shapes was removed splashers and the Belpaire firebox replacing the tapered. This was done to ease the changeover to his "Black Five"-esque appearance. However, Henry kept his parallel boiler instead of the tapered one that the Black Fives had. He later regained a full set of splashers in Season 2 onwards. The Grey Tender Engine from Big World! Big Adventures! is another member of this class.

Henry’s original basis, the LNER Gresley A1Henry’s original basis, the GNR Ivatt C1Henry’s rebuilt basis
Eighteen members of the class have survived into preservation. Two class members, 44781 and 44871, were used to haul the Fifteen Guinea Special on August 11th 1968. 44871 has survived into preservation whereas sister engine 44781 was purchased for use in the film, The Virgin Soldiers, and was scrapped after being used in a train scene disguised as a continental locomotive.

### Livery

Henry is painted in NWR apple green with red and yellow lining. His number is painted on the sides of his tender in yellow with red lining and the lining around his cab windows is yellow.

He was repainted in NWR sky blue with red and yellow lining at the end of "The Three Railway Engines" and remained so until the beginning of Troublesome Engines, when he was given back his own livery to avoid him being too similar to Gordon. In Henry and the Express, he was briefly painted red-orange as an undercoat before his standard green coat was applied. In Henry in the Dark, he was accidentally painted with a glow in the dark green livery.

In the Railway Series, he carries two builder's plates on the sides of his cab.

In the learning segment, Being Repainted, he had a cream undercoat.

## Appearances

### Thomas and Friends

* **Season 22** - Forever and Ever, Confusion Without Delay (does not speak), An Engine of Many Colours (does not speak)

## Trivia

* Henry has appeared in the Railway Series more than any other engine, having been in both the most books and the most individual stories.
* In the 1997 annual story, We Wish You a Merry Christmas!, Henry's fireman was revealed to be named Ted. In the magazine story, Henry Helps, Old Bailey is Henry's driver.
* Awdry's own model of Henry was as troublesome as its fictional counterpart; it never really worked properly. The model was eventually scrapped but never replaced.
* Henry is the second character to be removed from the Steam Team, the first being Edward.
* In the Greek narration of the Classic Series, Henry is called "Charlie". From the thirteenth season onwards, Henry has been referred to with his original name.
* One of Henry's models is on display in Japan at the Hara Model Railway Museum (previously at Nitrogen Studios) and is currently wearing his sad face mask.
* An ERTL Henry appeared in the American sitcom, Everybody Loves Raymond.
* Henry's ERTL model lacked splashers and was modelled after his rebuild in Season 1 making him closer to both the original Dalby illustrations and his real-life counterpart.
* No merchandise line has produced a model of Henry in his original shape, although a prototype was produced for the Thomas Engine Collection Series.
* When nameboards were still used in the series, Henry never had a nameboard shot where he was in his new shape.
* Martin Sherman said in an interview with Sodor Island Fansite, that he originally auditioned to voice Henry, but did get the part for Thomas and Percy instead.
* Henry, Thomas and James are the only characters to speak in every special. They, along with Gordon are the only characters to appear in every special.
* Although he does not have a Fowler tender in the television series, some merchandise of him have him with said tender.
* Henry was called Henri in the French dub of the first seven seasons.
* Henry’s old shape whistle is the same as Gordon’s.