Mike

**Mike** is a small strong grumpy red engine who prefers goods trains to passengers. He works on the Arlesdale Railway.

## Biography

Mike means well and works hard, but can sometimes appear a little cunning and arrogant. He thinks he should be in charge of the other two engines, though neither of them really let him boss them around. Bert simply humours him, but Rex goes out of his way to tease Mike and wind him up, which is not very difficult given the fact that he is hot-headed. Mike much prefers pulling goods trains to passengers, unlike Gordon, as he considers goods much more straightforward and less likely to complain. He is proud of his strength and appears rather confident, but he would not be so easy to tease if he was not hiding at least a little insecurity. He can sometimes be a little argumentative and irritable and it is common for him to overheat when he loses his temper.

When Marion meets the Arlesdale engines for the first time, Mike took her belief that they were magical much less kindly than the other two. The following day when Thomas came up to Arlesburgh West, depressed about being sent to work on the new branch line as punishment for derailing the express coaches, Thomas became overly eager to be useful, which lead to him falling into Calles Cavern. At dusk that day, Mike was shunting ballast wagons onto the chute when Marion reappeared at their junction to make a wish; while Rex and Bert managed to escape unnoticed, Marion trapped Mike on the chute with her shovel and held on until she made her wish. Mike escaped at full speed when Marion let go, but this only strengthened Marion's belief. When Sailor John went through with the pirate ship two nights later, the three small engines shunted a train of ballast wagons off the chute in front of the ship to decrease its speed after hearing Thomas approaching the junction. The ship ran over most of the hoppers, but one got caught under the flatbed the ship was on, lifting its front bogey off the track and slowing it down as a result. A loose rope from the ship then got caught on Ryan's buffer and he was able to derail the slowing ship.

Mike lost his whistle when he came across a cow and his temper when he came across some sheep.

In 1975, Mike was the one to discover Smudger in the abandoned Mid-Sodor shed. Since he had a collision with a cow that was sleeping on the line, Smudger tells Mike a story of what would happen if you become reckless.

## Basis

Mike is based on the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway's River Mite.

## Livery

Mike is painted in scarlet red with blue lining and yellow cab window frames. The word "ARLESDALE" is painted on his tender in yellow with a red outline. He has a black running board with red buffer beams and valances. He also has a brass dome and brass nameplates with red backing.

Prior to arriving on the Arlesdale Railway, Mike was painted green, which often ended up with him and Rex being mistaken for each other.

## Appearances

### Season 14

* Sodor’s Legend of the Lost Treasure
* Tit For Tat
* Mike’s Whistle
* Useful Railway

### Season 15

* Daisy’s Perfect Christmas (not named; does not speak)

## Trivia

* His name is a pun on both River Mite's and his wheel arrangement, the Mikado, or Mike for short.