Diesel

**Jasper "Diesel" the Shunting Diesel** is one of the deuteragonists and the second diesel on the North Western Railway, although he was technically the first to arrive.

## Backstory

### Main Timeline

If any engine of Sodor were to be the textbook example of a Shakespearean anti-hero, Diesel would most certainly fit the bill, for he has had an extremely complicated history since his first trial on Sodor. Diesel was unfortunately ridiculed and deemed untrustworthy by many of the engines at Paddington - two of them being Duck's siblings, Jackie and Collet. When chosen for the trial, Diesel thought he could make a good first impression there, but this backfired when he first met Duck. After Diesel embarrassed himself, he started harsh rumours and lies about Duck. Then he took his anger out on Henry when he was trying to figure out the real culprit. When sent back to the mainland, Diesel interacted with Arry and Bert, and stuck to them on account of the fact they were the only engines who'd give him the time of day. He also met Diesel 10 around this time, but not much of that is known. When he was trailed again on Sodor, he almost failed due to shunting some trucks into the sea, but he ended up passing after he rescued Thomas.

(Details regarding The Great Railway Show, The Case of the Missing Parts and Engines of the Same Metals to be added)

### Paxton AU

(Details regarding the Paxton AU to be added)

## Main line team

### Henry

Though Diesel did ultimately lie about Henry and use him as a tool to lie about Duck and even made a lie about him, Diesel has been slowly amending his ways. When Diesel was station pilot, Henry was the first to defend Diesel and tell Duck that he's joined the fleet. However, since Arry and Bert returned to Sodor as the Ironworks shunters, Diesel's relationship with the other engines has become strained. Old wounds about Henry's lie being stated to be 'two Henries', did reopen around that time.

### Gordon

Like Henry, Diesel did use Gordon as a tool to lie about Duck. Though Gordon arguably got off the lightest of the big engine trio, his pride did somewhat blind him to this fact. That being said, he did eventually accept Diesel in as one of the family. Diesel also expressed concern for Gordon when he found out Arry and Bert were the ones who informed him of his siblings' scrapping's. Though when Arry and Bert arrived at the Ironworks, things became complicated.

### James

Like Henry and Gordon, Diesel used James as a tool to lie about Duck. However, James did get stuck with the nickname of Rusty Red Scrap Iron, which still does haunt him to this day. He was reluctant to let Diesel into the family, but they do get along decently for the most part. However, when Arry and Bert came to the ironworks, things became complicated.

### Emily

Unknown to Emily, Diesel had stood in her defence when Duck was acting irrationally about her. For a while, the two seemed to get along alright, as Emily did laugh at Diesel's comments about James being haughty. However, when Emily entered her bossy phase, Diesel was one of the worst engines hit with it. This was part of what triggered his "distant" phase with many of the engines.

## Station pilot crew

### Harvey

At the time of Harvey's arrival, Diesel was the yard's station pilot. The two worked really well together, and Harvey was patient in listening to Diesel's past. Diesel also proved to be a good mentor to Harvey around this time. However, when Arry and Bert came to Sodor and Diesel went to keep an eye on them, the duo fell apart. Diesel started to close himself off from various engines for reasons that most of them don't know or understand. Harvey was also an unfortunate victim of Diesel's lies in *A Most Singular Engine*. While it was lucky that Harvey and Daisy turned out okay in the end, Harvey has some serious trust issues with Diesel over that.

## Other Relationships

### Duck

It was no secret the two despised each other at first. Duck sent Diesel on a faux errand with no idea what he was doing, and Diesel spread harsh rumours about Duck. However, time away from Sodor had changed the 08, and he returned a second time. Though Duck stood his ground, walls crumbled on both sides as they saw the better sides of each other. Duck has kept Diesel's affections of ducklings a secret, and Diesel had saved Duck's life from his own kin. Now, the two see each other as confidants, friends and even brothers. They even remained close during Diesel's darker phase, and Duck is one of the only engines Diesel feels he can be his true self around. Duck is also the only engine besides Diesel's siblings to know his real name: Jasper. Diesel saved Duck once again when the pannier tank was getting too close to the flames in an attempt to save Arry, and Duck managed to save Diesel from being captured by one of Addison's engines.

### Oliver

Oliver's first impresses of Diesel were relatively positive, as Diesel stood up for Oliver against the trucks singing their awful song. Both gained a great respect for each other, and Oliver liked the "Little Western" nickname he had come up with for the branch line. Oliver is also very grateful to Diesel for saving his cousin from Arry and Bert, and even consoled Diesel when Rickety was crushed. Oliver is one of the few engines Diesel feels like he can be his true self around.

### Thomas

Thomas and Diesel didn't interact with each other at first, but Thomas did hate Diesel due to the latter's lies about Duck and Henry. When Diesel returned the second time, Thomas wouldn't give him a fair chance for that reason. However, he changed his tune when Diesel rescued Thomas from a runaway siding along with Annie and Clarabel. Things were pretty good for a time, and even once confided in each other when Mr. Baldwin was lying about Diesel 10 and his lackies not harming anyone on Sodor. However, their relationship had gotten worse when Arry and Bert arrived back on Sodor. The final straw came when Diesel agreed to Diesel 10's plans to take Thomas hostage in the Dieselworks, and Thomas has been hostile toward Diesel following that incident. What Thomas hadn't realized was that Diesel *never* intended for Thomas to go up in flames. (Details regarding *The Great Railway Show* to be added)

### Daisy

Diesel and Daisy hadn't interacted that much, mostly due to the fact Diesel's been a station pilot at Knapford or has been at the Ironworks. Their relationship took a hit when Diesel went to the Ironworks, and it got worse during *A Most Singler Engine*, but things are getting better as of *Springtime for Diesel*.

### Bruno

Like with Oliver and Duck, Bruno is a very important figure in Diesel's life. He came to Sodor when Diesel was falling back into old habits, and he hastily took him out on a goods run. This was a massive mistake, as Bruno went to a shutdown. Diesel however, got Bruno to calm down when he saw a lake. The two are very close now, and Diesel feels he can be honest with Bruno.

### Ali

Diesel and Ali's relationship has been the most explored out of his siblings so far. It's a fairly strong relationship, as Diesel often looks to Ali for guidance and emotional support. She too has confided in him about certain things like wishing she was a steam engine. Both have a strong distain toward Arry and Bert for their cruelty.

### Arry and Bert

The relationship between Diesel and the Ironworks twins is very complicated. They were the only two engines willing to give Diesel any time of day following his failed trial on Sodor, so he was grateful for that. However, Diesel always felt something was off with his two brothers. He didn't truly realise that until he heard that Oliver and Toad had escaped from their clutches. Knowing his brothers were scrappers, he warns all the engines to steer clear from them. Things only got worse when Arry and Bert snidely told Gordon his siblings were dead, and when Donald was almost scrapped at Arry and Bert's buffers. The final straw came when Duck was nearly given a final firing out of petty revenge, and Diesel's rage came out in full force. Upon their return to Sodor however, Diesel had gone to the Ironworks to keep an eye on them. However, this had mixed results, as Arry and Bert's toxic nature started to get to Diesel. This hasn't made him popular with the other engines. Despite everything, Diesel never wanted to see his brothers die. He almost did though, when Diesel 10 intended to send them and Thomas up in flames. (Details regarding *Engines of the Same Metals* to be added)

### Paxton

(Details to be added)

(Details regarding the Paxton AU to be added)

### Diesel 10

Diesel and Diesel 10 have met each other before, but circumstances aren't made clear as to what that is (aside from Diesel knowing that Diesel 10's real name is Cockade). Diesel is very firm with Diesel 10 on not scrapping the other engines, but he doesn't listen. However, years later when Arry and Bert have been tamed, Diesel feels he could do the same thing with Diesel 10. Unfortunately, this backfired big time as Diesel 10 intended for Arry, Bert and Thomas to go up in flames, much to Diesel's horror.

### Collet

(Details to be added)

(Details regarding the Paxton AU to be added)

## Personality

Diesel is one complicated character. He does have a cunning mind and is able to fabricate lies out of minor truths. However, all he really wanted was to be loved, apricated and noticed. He also has some deep rooted loyalty to the Sudrians, and tells them to keep out of Arry and Bert's way. He never wants to see anyone die, and seeing Duck nearly being given a forced final firing has given him some serious scars. This only became worse when he saw Thomas, Arry and Bert nearly burnt alive by Diesel 10.

## Technical Details

### Basis

Diesel is based on a British Rail (BR) Class 08 diesel-electric shunter. In the real world, BR Class 08s were in fact the most successful shunting engines in the world with 996 of them built. Over seventy of them are preserved by heritage railways, such as the Dean Forest Railway and museums, such as the National Railway Museum. Around one-hundred BR Class 08s also remain in service on the national rail network. Diesel's 'real life' counterpart is 13238/D3238/08170. This engine was built on the 15th of February, 1956, withdrawn on the 23rd of March, 1986, and scrapped on the 4th of May, 1989.

Arry, Bert, Paxton, Sidney, Ulli, Zeke, Rayker, Matias, Ali, Prisca and Lyla are also based on BR Class 08s.

### Livery

Diesel is painted in the BR mixed-traffic black livery, which was the standard livery for shunting engines from 1948 until the mid-1960s, with his BR number (later NWR number D2) on his sides. His side rods were painted silver, but when he moved to the ironworks in series 8, he had them repainted black (signifying a darker change in him). His paint is chipped in certain places during this time, and shows signs of weathering. However, after the events of *The Case of the Missing Parts*, he is repainted in a more glossy black livery with his name "Jasper" painted in the same white that his "D2" is numbered. After the events of *Engines of the Same Metals*, he also has a purple stripe running down his side, with white NWR initials on the stripe.

## Differences from the episodes, the books and the SeventyVerse

* Per the television series, Diesel is a permanent resident of the North Western Railway, whereas in the books, he is a two-time visitor. Only in this series, Diesel became a permeant resident as a result of the mashup of *Diesel Does it Again* and *Thomas and the Evil Diesel*. In the TV show, it's never explained.
* There is no mention of a family relationship with the other 08s on Sodor - Arry, Bert, Paxton and Sidney. In the SeventyVerse, they're all stated to be brothers with each other. This series also includes Sadie and Delilah (this universe's genderflipped Splatter and Dodge), Ulli and the Bridlington Goods yard shunters (the others named Zeke, Mathias and Rayker); Ali (Arry and Bert's alleged triplet from an obscure video game) Prisca and Lyla (two background 08s from the Railway Series) as Diesel's siblings.
* Like with Paxton and Sidney, Diesel bears his real name on his sides after *The Case of the Missing Parts*.
* Diesel's real name is Jasper, but only his siblings, Duck and possibly Oliver know the truth.

## Trivia

* TobyandMavisforever briefly assumed Diesel had a crush on Daisy, but Railfanbronymedia didn't think Diesel would be the type to pursue romance. It was agreed that Diesel and Daisy would remain as friends and nothing else.
	+ In this case, it is highly possible that Diesel is Aro, though it's not confirmed or denyed.
* Diesel's pre-Sodor number was D3238. This is one of the possible 08s suggested by a Youtube user that could have been Diesel.
	+ The numbers the real life Diesel had were 13238/D3238/08170.
* Diesel's Sodor number in this series is D2.
* Diesel's character and his relationship with Duck in this series is one of TobyandMavisforever's favorite things to write about.
* Diesel's purple stripe comes from *All Engines Go!*