Clarabel

Thomas and the Magic Railroad (2000)

Calling All Engines! (2005)

The Great Discovery (2008)

Hero of the Rails (2009)

Blue Mountain Mystery (2012)

King of the Railway (2013)

Tale of the Brave (2014)

The Adventures Begins (2015)

Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure (2015)

The Great Race (2016)

Journey Beyond Sodor (2017)

Big World! Big Adventures! (2018)

Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go! (2021)

### Portrayers

Teresa Gallagher (UK/US, 2012-present)Shelley-Elizabeth Skinner (2000; Thomas and the Magic Railroad)

### Fanfics

The Secret & Dearest Life of Everything in Sodor (upcoming)

## Character Information

### Occupation

Thomas' coach (books and cartoon)Coach woman (fanfic, as a human)

### Friends

Thomas, Percy, James, Gordon, Edward, Henry, Emily, Rebecca, Nia, Toby, Sir Topham Hatt, Duck, Bill and Ben, Timothy, Rosie, Stanley, Ryan, Sonny, Diesel, Daisy, Salty, Porter, Paxton, Sidney, Philip, Victor, Skarloey and Rheneas, Whiff, Marion, Skiff, Hiro, Kenji, Mavis, Charlie, Billy, Terence, Bertie, Bulgy, Cleo, Ruth, Donald and Douglas, Cranky, Carly, Judy and Jerome, Elizabeth, George, Peter Sam, Sir Handel, Mighty Mac, Duncan, Freddie, Duke, Owen, Merrick, Harvey, Millie, Luke, Stephen, Glynn, Shane, Aubrey and Aiden, Tamika, Ace. Isla, Spencer, Henrietta, Hugo, Rocky, Harold, Flynn, Captain, Butch, Belle, Nelson, Jack, Alfie, Oliver, Max and Monty, Kelly, Byron, Ned, Isobelle, Patrick, Brenda, Buster, Darcy, Kevin, Oliver, Ashima, Rajiv, Noor Jehan, Shankar, Charubala, Lorenzo, Beppe, Gina, Stefano, Ester, Gabriela, Gustavo, Raul, Marcia and Marcio, Fernando, Hank, Sam, Gator, Norman and Dennis, Hong-Mei, Yong Bao, An-An and Yin-Long, Den, Dart, Beau, Toad, Duchess, Lexi, Theo, Hurricane, Merlin, Frankie, Beresford, Caitlin, Connor, Ferdinand, Bash and Dash, Emerson, Lei, Natalie, Cassia, 'Arry and Bert, Bert, Rex, Mike**All Engines Go!:** Kana, Sandy

**Fanfic:** Ten Cents, Sunshine, Theodore, Emily, Hercules, Big Mac, Warrior, Grampus, O.J., Top Hat, Big Mickey, Sally, Boomer, Frank and Eddie, Oliver, Foduck, The Dispatcher, Izzy Gomez, Captain Star, Captain Zero, Zak, Zorran, Zebedee, Zip, Zug, Mighty Mo, Lucy, Phillip and Filmore, Hank, George

### Likes

Thomas pulls Annie and her, being inseparable, making Thomas drives faster

### Dislikes

James' showoffs, naughty children, loud crying infants (briefly), derailed, Daisy's hatred of pulling coaches, being separated from Annie

## Character's Bio

### Nicknames

Thomas' Coaches (alongside Annie)The Coaches (alongside Annie)

Old Beach Huts on Wheels (by Lady Hatt along with Annie)

Rubbish (by Daisy along with Annie and Henrietta)

Bumpy Old Annie and Clarabel (by Daisy along with Annie)

### Birthdate

Unknown (books, built)Early 1870's and late 1880's (cartoon, built)

14th February 1928 (fanfic, as a human)

## Physical Apearance

### Species

Passenger coach (books and cartoon)Human (fanfic)

### Complexion

Orange-brown (books)Brown with yellow stripe (books)

Orange (cartoon)

Red (cartoon, in Season 5)

Greenish-grey (magazine story)

NWR blue with white stripe near the bottom and thicker white stripe with red borders near the top (The Great Race, in Thomas' imagination)

Pale (fanfic, as a human)

### Status

Alive

**Clarabel** is one of *Thomas & Friends* and *The Railway Series* characters. She's one of Thomas' faithful coaches along with her older twin sister Annie, whom he loves dearly and would never dream of being separated from them.

Annie and Clarabel both have seating accommodation for carrying passengers; Clarabel also has a brake compartment for luggage and a guard. The two coaches are nearly always seen coupled together, with Annie usually facing Thomas and Clarabel facing backwards.

## Biography

### *The Railway Series*

Annie and Clarabel were given to Thomas in 1925 when he was given his branch line. They operate as a push-pull set. They have had several adventures, such as losing their guard and becoming runaways. Clarabel once derailed on a set of trap points when Thomas slipped on some oily rails and had to be helped by Diesel.

### *Thomas & Friends*

Thomas met Annie and Clarabel for the first time when he thought they were the Express Coaches. He apologized 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.

At times when Thomas is away, James, Percy, Toby, Duck, Stanley, Emily, Rosie (*unseen*) and Ryan have all taken his place to pull them. Emily and Neville have both taken them not knowing they were Thomas' coaches and Caitlin has once taken them without realizing they were coupled to her own coaches and Hiro saved them. Gordon also pulled them once, when Samson took his Express Coaches by mistake. Ashima, Daisy, Diesel and Nia have also pulled them.

### *Thomas & The Magic Railroad*

In the film, after Thomas met Junior and Lily the two agreed to help and together to find Mr. Conductor at the Windmill, he told Annie and Clarabel that Percy will pick them up, leaving Annie and Clarabel behind stating that they have heard that before.

## Personality

Clarabel was respectful to all of the engines, but most of all Gordon and Thomas, whilst she respects Daisy least of all for insulting Annie, her and Henrietta. They show a kind and caring side to everyone on the whole railway. However, despite their kindness and sweetness, when needed they can be stern, 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 but 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.

## Technical Details

### Basis

In *The Railway Series*, Annie and Clarabel are a pair of bogie coaches (i.e. each coach is supported on a pair of four-wheeled bogies or "trucks"). As currently illustrated, they appear similar to LMS Suburban Coaches. In the 1987 annual, Christopher Awdry implies the pair were likely built in the early twentieth century on the Mainland and that they were possibly six-wheeled designs. Sometime after being brought to Sodor, their bodies were lengthened, placed on bogie frames and upgraded with electric lighting.

In the television series, Annie and Clarabel are based on LBSC Stroudley Coaches built between the early 1870's and late 1880's. 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.

## Physical Appearance

### Livery

In *The Railway Series*, Clarabel was originally painted orange-brown and were later painted brown with a yellow stripe.

In the television series, she was painted in an bright orange livery with her name painted on her sides in white. In the fifth series, she was refurbished, repainted and her buffer shank housings became red at the request of Lady Hatt.

In the CGI Series, her livery are a more vibrant orange. In Thomas' imagination where he gets streamlined in The Great Race, Annie was 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, Clarabel was coloured greenish-grey.

### Fanfic

As a human, Clarabel had pale complexion, shoulder length dirty blondish-gray hair tied in a bun, blue eyes and wears light brown sweater blazer, pale white shirt with a big silver and amber button, brown skirt, light beige tights and dark brown high heeled shoes.

## Fanfics

The Secret & Dearest Life of Everything in Sodor

Clarabel appears in the fanfic as a human, she becomes one of Thomas' coach women alongside Annie. Percy takes Thomas' place to running Ffarquhar Branch Line when he was seriously ill.