Hurricane

**Hurricane** is a large tank engine who works at the Steelworks on the Mainland along with Frankie.

## Biography

### *Thomas & Friends*

Hurricane worked alongside a diesel shunter named Frankie at the Steelworks on the Mainland, with Hurricane using his strength to provide extra muscle, but the workload soon became too much for just the two of them. Before the events of Journey Beyond Sodor, Hurricane was originally a 0-10-0T engine, but flexibility issues pressured him to have his wheels changed into a 0-6-4T, making it much easier to negotiate sharp curves in the yards and buildings.

Thomas arrived at the Steelworks, looking for Bridlington Goods Yard to deliver his trucks, and he met Hurricane. Upon hearing that the trucks he arrived with are those of his friend James, he responded that along with being clever, he was very cheeky. Hurricane told Thomas to just leave them in a siding, as they will look after them, and he and Frankie brought Thomas inside the Steelworks. They began singing about how exciting the Steelworks is and how right it is for Thomas to stay there. This made Thomas feel excited about being there, and they even got him to agree to stay there.

The following morning, Hurricane shunted Thomas out of his shed, and Hurricane responded that he delivered Thomas' trucks to Bridlington overnight. Thomas said he needed to head back home, but Hurricane and Frankie convinced him to stay by, because they helped him, he should help them in return. So, Thomas set to work carrying molten slag out of the building and to a pit. But when Thomas accidentally bumped into some ladle trucks and spilt molten slag, Hurricane warned him that it was very hot, and if he was caught in it, it would melt his wheels.

Eventually, Thomas started to feel tired, but Frankie was pleased that Thomas was there because now she and Hurricane could do more delivery jobs. Hurricane put in that with the extra workload day in and day out, it is not easy to get everything done with just himself and Frankie. By this point, Thomas wanted to go home, so Frankie again convinced him that they helped them and so he must stay and continue to help them out, and they left him all alone to work.

Thomas found what he thought was a way out, but he ended up derailing on some old and unused track. Soon, Frankie and Hurricane came to his rescue, both disappointed that he tried such a stunt. Hurricane pulled Thomas back onto the tracks and back to the Steelworks, all while being scolded by Frankie for what he did. Thomas again tried breaking out of the Steelworks later that night, and he rammed some flatbeds into the gate, trying to use the cover of a thunderstorm to conceal his escape. The sounds woke Frankie and Hurricane up, raising the alarm, and they immediately told him to stop. Thomas broke through the gates and rushed away, and Frankie and Hurricane chased after him. Thomas escaped onto an old, overgrown siding, and he evaded them.

The next morning, when James arrived at Bridlington Goods Yard to find his trucks there, they told him that they were brought there by Hurricane. Hurricane, who just so happened to be at the same place at the same time, overheard this, and he got a devious idea.

Hurricane and Frankie were unable to find Thomas, but were able to find his friend James. Back at the Steelworks, Frankie and Hurricane tried to convince James that, like they had done with Thomas, this was the place for him with their singing. However, James was not convinced and demanded to know where Thomas was. They pretended they did not know him until James pointed out that Hurricane had delivered his trucks. They realised that James had seen through their lie, and admitted they did not know where he went. But when James said he must go find him, Hurricane and Frankie again lied that Thomas was coming straight back, and they then made James stay and get to work.

When Thomas returned to the Steelworks with three experimental engines named Lexi, Theo and Merlin, Theo and Lexi provided a distraction to draw Frankie and Hurricane out of the Steelworks, and this allowed Thomas to slip inside unnoticed. However, Frankie and Hurricane were not taken by the distraction, and then they noticed Merlin trying to sneak inside the Steelworks to help Thomas. They followed him inside, and they then saw Thomas trying to convince James to leave with him.

Seeing their two "friends" betray them, Frankie and Hurricane began forcefully attempting to make Thomas and James stay. They followed James inside and repeatedly tried to stop him, but James kept dodging their attempts. Thomas and Theo cleared James's track while Lexi and Merlin blocked Hurricane and Frankie inside, and James managed to escape the building, but the trucks Theo was pushing hit a control panel and a magnet picked Thomas up, suspending him over a vat of molten slag. Theo tried to get Thomas down, but Thomas was dropped towards the molten slag, only to be knocked away by another bucket at the last minute. Thomas hit some more slag trucks, and the slag poured onto the floor, dangerously close to Thomas. Hurricane saw the danger Thomas was in, and he rocketed to Thomas' rescue, selflessly shoving him out of the way of the slag, but his wheels were caught and began to melt. Frankie was horrified, as she did not know what to do, but thankfully, Merlin shoved Hurricane out of the slag, saving his life.

Hurricane was out of commission because of his melted wheels, and now Frankie was left to do everything alone. James and Lexi scolded her for all that she and Hurricane have caused, and Frankie began crying. She ends up admitting that she only wanted someone to help her and Hurricane, as there was too much work for just the two of them, and no other engines were available or even wanted to help them. Thomas got her to stop crying by saying that he knew some engines who are free to help: the experimental engines. Although Theo and Lexi were reluctant at first, Thomas and Merlin were able to encourage them to stay and help out, and so they agreed to, as does Merlin.

Hurricane later got his wheels replaced, and Lexi, Theo, and Merlin soon settled in with their new lives at the Steelworks, helping Frankie. When Hurricane was fully repaired, he joined in with his new friends once again.

## Personality

Hurricane is a very big tank engine. Although he is named after the name of a dangerous storm, Hurricane is gentle, level-headed and kind. He is happy to see Thomas and treats him from the start like a new friend.

He is however very loyal to Frankie, and follows her lead, trying his best to keep up with her plans and help her realise her schemes. Hurricane turns a bit of a blind eye to the mean side of Frankie, preferring instead to see her as a loyal companion.

He is hard-working, easy-going, generally cheery and his kindness cannot help but show through.

## Technical Details

### Basis

Hurricane is based on the GER Class A55 "Decapod", an experimental tank engine named so for its ten driving wheels. It was designed to prove that steam locomotives could compete with emerging electric locomotives. It achieved its goal on 26th April 1903, during stormy weather. It never entered regular service and was rebuilt to an 0-8-0 tender engine in 1906, being assigned to haul coal trains for GER's March district, remaining the only eight-coupled steam locomotive to work on GER. It was later scrapped in 1913 due to being non-standard.

Hurricane's basis

Decapod rebuilt as an 0-8-0 Tender Engine

### Livery

Hurricane is painted reddish brown with a black running board, red lining, steam pipes and wheels. He has brass nameplates on either side of his running board, the number "20" painted on his front buffer beam in yellow and brass and red number plates on either side of his coal bunker.

## Appearances

* Television Series
* Other Media

#### Music Videos

* **Journey Beyond Sodor** - The Hottest Place in Town and The Most Important Thing is Being Friends

### Books

* **2017** - Friends to the Rescue, Journey Beyond Sodor, Journey Beyond Sodor: Sticker Activity Book, Journey Beyond Sodor: The Movie Storybook and Thomas at the Steelworks
* **2018** - Character Encyclopedia

## Voice Actors

* Jim Howick (*UK/US*)
* Isamu Yusen (*Japan*)
* Konrad Makowski (*Poland*)
* Héctor Moreno (*Latin America*)
* Achim Buch (*Germany*)
* Forgacs Gabor (*Hungary*)

## Trivia

* While Hurricane is not one of the experimental engines Thomas meets en-route to the Steelworks, his real-life basis was an actual experiment.
* Unlike his basis, Hurricane's four rear driving wheels are not connected to the front six and have their own separate pair of side rods, therefore making him an 0-6-4-0. This was done so that he could navigate around the tight bends in the Steelworks; had he retained the single chassis of his basis, he would be longer than Frankie and require bends that are not as sharp.
* According to Sam Wilkinson, Hurricane's face was based off Channing Tatum.