Annie and Clarabel (T&F)

## Clarabel

**Annie** and **Clarabel** are a pair of orange-brown coaches who work on the North Western Railway. The pair usually work on the Ffarquhar Branch Line - or as part of "The Local" on the Main Line - with Thomas, who loves them dearly.

## Biography

Thomas met Annie and Clarabel for the first time when he thought they were the Express Coaches. He apologised and introduced himself, leaving Annie and Clarabel impressed. At that time, they were often pulled by James. When Thomas received his branch line after rescuing James, the two coaches were given to him to use.

When Emily first came to Sodor, she accidentally took the pair not knowing they were Thomas' coaches. A similar incident happened with Neville when he first arrived a few years later.

Once, Annie and Clarabel were accidentally coupled to the back of Caitlin's Coaches by Charlie, leading to them being dragged behind Caitlin from Knapford Yards to Ulfstead Castle, and then from the castle to the Mainland, with Thomas chasing behind. Fortunately for all involved, Hiro was able to save the pair and brought them back to Sodor.

While Thomas was working at the quarry one winter, the Fat Controller asked Daisy to work on his branch line. At first, she insulted Annie and Clarabel, thinking she would not need them; however, as traffic on the branch line picked up, Daisy was asked to take them so she could carry more passengers. While she was pulling the pair, Annie and Clarabel made remarks about her making a terrible noise in order to get revenge. This backfired when Daisy left them at Maithwaite in order to have her fitter check her over. Both of them were later scolded by the Fat Controller for it, and the next day had to work with Diesel as punishment while Daisy went away.

## Personalities

Annie and Clarabel are respectful to all of the engines, but most of all Gordon and Thomas. The only exception to this is Daisy, who they respect least of all for insulting them and Henrietta. They show a kind and caring side to everyone on the railway. However, despite their kindness and sweetness, they can be stern when needed, especially Annie. For instance, they scolded Thomas for teasing Gordon after his accident, although they are no saints themselves. Once when Daisy was rude to them, they naughtily tricked her into thinking there was something wrong with her which caused confusion and delay. When the Fat Controller found out he told them that two wrongs do not make a right and that he expected better from both of them. Annie and Clarabel are best friends, but like all friends, sometimes they fall out. Despite this, they always try to make things right in the end.

Although the two respect Gordon, both Annie and Clarabel do not tolerate his arrogance more than other engines and like others they seek to teach him a lesson, as Annie was shocked by Gordon's rude comments about Edward. Additionally, when Gordon begged Thomas to speed up on Gordon's Hill, Clarabel smiled smugly at the express engine both before and after he got stuck on the hill. Furthering their morals, though, they do have a sense of humour, and did not hesitate to laugh at Gordon when he told them and Thomas about his trousers mishap.

## Technical Details

### Basis

Annie and Clarabel are based on LBSC Stroudley Coaches built between the early 1870s and late 1880s. Several coaches of this type are preserved on the Bluebell Railway and the Isle of Wight Steam Railway. An An and Yin-Long share the same basis.

In the first series, several other coaches share the same basis as Annie and Clarabel.

### Liveries

Annie and Clarabel painted in a bright orange livery with their names painted on their sides in white. In the fifth series, they were refurbished, repainted and their buffer shank housings became red at the request of Lady Hatt.

In Thomas' imagination where he gets streamlined in *The Great Race*, Annie and Clarabel are repainted in NWR blue with a white stripe near the bottom and a thicker white stripe with red borders near the top.

In the magazine story, Thomas, Terence and the Snow, Annie and Clarabel were coloured greenish-grey.

## Names in other languages

 Spanish (Latin America)
 French
 Dutch
 German
 Italian
 Portuguese (Brazil)
 Russian
 Korean
 Mandarin (Taiwan)

## Voice Actors

### Annie

* Shelley-Elizabeth Skinner (Thomas and the Magic Railroad)
* Teresa Gallagher (UK/US; Blue Mountain Mystery - twenty-fourth series)
* Tomoko Naka (Japan; first-eighth series)
* Saori Gotō (Japan; ninth-eleventh series)
* Sakura Yoshioka (Japan; Blue Mountain Mystery onwards)
* Sonja Spuhl (Germany; Thomas and the Magic Railroad)
* Julia Holmes (Germany)
* Renate Pichler (Germany; Audio Books only)
* Marianne Westby (Norway; Blue Mountain Mystery - Tale of the Brave, excluding the seventeenth series)
* Lena Meieran (Norway; seventeenth series only)
* Krystyna Kozanecka (Poland; Blue Mountain Mystery - seventeenth series)
* Zuzanna Galia (Poland; Tale of the Brave only)
* Agnieszka Kunikowska (Poland; eighteenth series onwards, excluding Cautious Connor)
* Anna Apostolakis (Poland; Cautious Connor only)
* Blanche Ravalec (France and French speaking Canada; seventh series onwards)
* Norma Iturbe (Latin America; Blue Mountain Mystery - Not So Slow Coaches)
* Olga Hnidey (Latin America; Tale of the Brave - Samson at Your Service)
* Ana Teresa Ávila (Latin America; The Adventure Begins onwards)
* Mia Kadosh (Israel)
* Marjolein Algera (The Netherlands)
* Mariana Zink (Brazil)
* Olga Kuznetsova (Russia; seventeenth series onwards)
* Susa Saukko (Finland; Blue Mountain Mystery onwards)
* Paqui Horcajo (Spain; Blue Mountain Mystery - seventeenth series)
* Mercedes Espinosa (Spain; eighteenth - twenty-third series)
* Anna Cugini (Italy)
* Vina Papadopoulou﻿ (Greece)
* Kovács Nóra (Hungary)
* Lee Je-in (South Korea)

### Clarabel

* Shelley-Elizabeth Skinner (Thomas and the Magic Railroad)
* Teresa Gallagher (UK/US; Blue Mountain Mystery - twenty-fourth series)
* Chisato Nakajima (Japan; first-eighth series, excluding Sir Topham Hatt's Holiday)
* Tomoko Naka (Japan; Sir Topham Hatt's Holiday only)
* Saori Gotō (Japan; ninth-eleventh series)
* Sakura Yoshioka (Japan; Blue Mountain Mystery onwards)
* Sonja Spuhl (Germany; Thomas and the Magic Railroad)
* Margrit Strassburger (Germany; Blue Mountain Mystery only)
* Monika Hein (Germany; King of the Railway only)
* Marion von Stengel (Germany; seventeenth series onwards)
* Marion Martienzen (Germany; Audio Books only)
* Marianne Westby (Norway; Blue Mountain Mystery - Tale of the Brave, excluding the seventeenth series)
* Marit Berg (Norway; seventeenth series only)
* Ewa Serwa (Poland; Blue Mountain Mystery - seventeenth series)
* Lidia Sadowa (Poland; eighteenth series onwards)
* Blanche Ravalec (France and French Speaking Canada; seventh series onwards)
* Ruth Toscano (Latin America; Blue Mountain Mystery onwards)
* Talya Barkay (Israel)
* Marjolein Algera (The Netherlands)
* Claudia Victoria (Brazil)
* Olga Kuznetsova (Russia; seventeenth series onwards, excluding Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure)
* Susa Saukko (Finland; Blue Mountain Mystery onwards)
* Paqui Horcajo (Spain; Blue Mountain Mystery - seventeenth series)
* Mercedes Espinosa (Spain; eighteenth - twenty-third series)
* Laura Amadei (Italy)
* Vina Papadopoulou﻿ (Greece)
* Sági Tímea (Hungary)
* Jeong Yu-jeong (South Korea)

## Trivia

* Annie and Clarabel are the only coaches and the only female characters to appear in every series. Henrietta had appeared in every series as well, but her streak ended when she was absent in the twenty-third series.
* As of the twenty-second series, Annie and Clarabel are the only non-human twin characters who are both still voiced by the same actress.
* A real coach based on the television series version of Clarabel (a former LNER "Sunshine" coach) has been put into service at the Llangollen Railway in North Wales.
* Originally, there were plans to give Annie and Clarabel 3D grey faces similar to the engines in the twelfth series, as it would be easier to animate. During the production of said series, they were referred to as **Annabel and Clarabelle**.
* Bachmann HO models of Annie and Clarabel appeared in the 2015 Marvel film "Ant-Man", along with models of Thomas and Emily's Coaches.
* In the French dub of the model series, Annie and Clarabel were known as *Annette and Claudette*.
* On early Spanish translations of the Random House books, Annie and Clarabel were known as *Anita and Clarita*.
* Several merchandise items and CGI promos of Clarabel lack her guard compartment.
* Up until the debut of the Slip Coaches in the eighteenth series, Harold, Annie and Clarabel were the only characters with embedded faces ever since that practice had phased out.
* Clarabel's eyes are slightly further apart than Annie's; her nose is slightly broader as well.
* Henry and Rebecca are the only members of the Steam Team - current or former - who were not seen pulling or being coupled up to Annie and Clarabel.