Conner

> *”I’m a Challenger, so I can take on anything.“*
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> *"Go f\*\*\* yourself, that was a bad pun."*
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-Conner when he pushes himself beyond his limits and Ryan cringing at his awful pun

## Technical Details

### Railroad

Port Ogden and NorthernHarrison and Highland Valley Railroad (formerly)

Union Pacific (formerly)

**Conner** is a large steam locomotive and is the seventh locomotive in Mr. Evans' fleet. He used to be a member of the Harrison and Highland Valley Railroad.

## Bio

Conner was built in 1943 for the Union Pacific Railroad. For the next two decades, he was assigned on fast freight trains from Cheyenne to Laramie. In 1955, he was withdrawn and put up for sale. He was put on trial for the Harrison and Highland Valley Railroad. However, his arrogance caused serious problems which almost forced the railroad into bankruptcy. Because of this, he was sent to the Port Ogden and Northern Railroad in disgrace. Frustrated and full of guilt, he refused to let the same thing happen to him here and saw the error of his ways, and reunited with his cousin, Byron, in 1960.

In 1975, Conner was showing off. While doing so, a spark left from his stack and caused a wildfire, which burned across Stevens National Park for three days and destroyed $76,000 worth of property. Conner was put into storage for a year following the incident.

One day, he mocked Mr. Thompson for having a bad day, much to Byron's annoyance. He however misunderstood the power of karma and suffered from a string of bad luck, including almost crashing into Sheldon and being chased by him down the line. His bad day ended with him crashing into Mitchel's freight train.

Later, he got jealous when Byron was selected to be the railroad's mascot. This, combined with pressuring from Lachlan and Umit, caused him to go crazy to point where he crashed into Byron. After a reconciliation, he and Byron were both selected to be the railroad's mascots.

## Persona

Conner is proud of his Union Pacific heritage, and talks endlessly about it, which can annoy the other engines. Although he means well, he can be boastful and cocky. This often leads to mishaps and accidents. However, he still cares about his friends and only wants to feel useful.

Conner is inspired by his big brother and wishes to be just like him. He always comes to his defense whenever someone bothers him. He also looks up to Byron as a brotherly figure.

If it's one engine Conner hates, it's Gwen. The two often bicker about childish topic like "who is the pride of Union Pacific". Occasionally, fights break out between the two, which annoys Rhyon and Byron. Although Gwen doesn’t usually speak, it is very clear that she doesn’t say no to any of Conner’s challenge. Conner also holds a notable grudge with Cabott.

Sometimes, Conner has shown a tendency to lose his sanity whenever he gets jealous. This is proven when he obsessed over the fact that Byron was chosen to be the railroad's mascot instead of him.

## Basis

   Conner is a Union Pacific "Heavy" Challenger locomotive, classed 4664-5. They were built in various different classes per order, and made for freight trains and also hauled passenger trains. Several were converted to burn oil in post-war years. His class was also the last batch of challengers ordered by UP.

Today, only two of the 4664-4 class, 3985 and 3977 survive, with the former in excursion service until October 14th, 2010. Because of the restoration of Big Boy 4014 and mechanical issues that were deemed too much to handle, it was officially retired in January 2020, and later donated to Railroading Heritage of Midwest America in 2022 for restoration to operating condition. RRHMA has began restoration on 3985 in January 2023. 3977 is currently on display at Cody Park Railroad Museum in North Platte, Nebraska.

Conner is based the engine carrying the number 3940. The locomotive stood alongside Union Pacific Big Boy 4009 (Byron’s basis) in *Last of the Giants*. It was scrapped in the late 1950s.

## Livery

Like most of Union Pacific's steam locomotives, Conner is black all over, with the exception of the white number 3940 on his cab and the white Union Pacific lettering on his tender.

## Trainz Model

Conner's model is jacksonbarno's reskin of anl's Union Pacific Challenger. Both these models can be found on Trainz Forge.

## Appearances

#### Episodes

* Conner, It’s Just A Logo!
* Rhyon Stays Home
* Conner's Bad Day
* Right-Of-Wrong-Way
* No More Mr. Nice Guy
* April Fools

### Specials

* Rhyon’s Christmas Carol
* Rail Tales of Terror

**Shorts**

* Welcome to Gwen's World

## Trivia

* His name is a reference to Connor from *The Full Bucketniers*, only his name is spelt differently.
	+ TheN&WClassA1218 also improvised a similar voice.
* AllosaurFan choose his model based on a scene from *Last of the Giants*, which also featured Byron’s basis.
* His operating costs contributed to the railroad's financial crisis.
* He is the first character to speak in the whole series.