Andreas

**Andreas** was a narrow gauge tank engine. He worked on the Mid Sodor Railway from 1920 up until its closure in 1954. He and the other MSR engines were then sold to the Skarloey Railway.

## Biography

Andreas was built in 1916 by the Hunslet Engine Company. Four years later, he arrived on the Sodor to work on the Mid Sodor Railway as its express engine.

In 1938, Andreas took offense on behalf of Rebecca when a man, Mr. Burke, extinguished his cigarrete in one of her seats. At the platform, Andreas confronted Burke and demanded he apologized, despite Rebecca insisting he leave it, and when Burke laughed at the idea, Andreas doused him with steam, drenching his suit. Burke left coughing and promising Andreas he'd regret it.

After Stanley joined their railway and lamented over being "jinxed", Andreas suggested he becoming a generator behind the sheds, much to Stanley's dourness and Falcon's fury, which he immediately regretted saying. He did apologize offscreen, although Duke still scolded him for it after Andreas kept suggesting Stanley's supposed "jinx" was responsible for all the issues they'd had since he'd arrived. After Toby brought the Lucky Lamp to the Mid Sodor Railway, he and Duke explained its story to Andreas and Stanley. They both become convinced of its effects when a fully-staffed fire train just happened to be present when a fire broke out.

A disgraced Burke took his revenge upon Andreas by sabotaging a set of points and sending him and his coaches down a hill. Andreas luckily didn't fall off the cliff, and none of his passengers were seriously injured.

In 1948, an accident with Atlas revealed Andreas' belief that industrial engines are not "proper engines". He chalks up the accident to incompetence, which Edward and Duke question. Duke points out that since Andreas' accident a decade prior wasn't his fault, he shouldn't presume that Atlas is to blame. Edward tells Andreas and Duke the story about how he held such beliefs about industrial engines in his early days and how he overcame that prejudice, but the story fails to change Andreas' mind.

Ironically, by the end of 1954, the struggling Mid Sodor Railway had been forced to shut down passenger services entirely and had become an industrial railway, much to Andreas' chagrin. On a run up to the mine in his usual disgruntled manner, Andreas overheard a loud crash; some slate trucks had broken away from the incline and damaged Atlas. Andreas was actually concerned for Atlas and fetched help, and when Atlas was determined to get back to work, Andreas had to remind him that his wellbeing came first. Atlas' devotion to duty finally changed Andreas' mind about industrial engines, and he apologized for all he said to him. He assured Atlas that he would cover all his duties as best he could.

Almost immediately after the Mid Sodor Railway was finally forced to shut down, the now-former MSR engines were all sold to the Skarloey Railway, including Andreas. He often worked with Duncan, whose nature of constantly complaining Andreas couldn't help but comment on. In 1961, when helping with the railway's expansion into the Nartwin Valley, both engines were waiting to be relieved by Atlas. Duncan started to insult Atlas and brought up the irony of Andreas defending him despite his past opinions on him, but Andreas countered that he was wrong to think such things and that Atlas is a valuable worker, but Duncan didn't take much notice. When Atlas finally did arrive with the new engine, Rusty, Andreas immediately tried to soften the blow of Duncan's blunt attitude towards the diesel by cordially introducing himself. Andreas and Duncan could at least agree on the shoddy operations of the munitions factory being the fault of the new supervisor, but Duncan took it a step further and blamed it on nepotism (the supervisor is the foreman's son) and likened it to Sir Handel, who "couldn't compete with the roads" on the MSR, being their new manager, to Andreas' displeaure.

Andreas held the supervisor responsible for an incident with improperly secured dynamite and remained cautious even a week later, much to the supervisor's annoyance. The supervisor decided to tell his father about Andreas' behavior, to which Andreas was incredulous. Andreas's driver, Murray, decided they should go before they find out what would happen, but Andreas was quick to notice that Murray was feeling under the weather and encouraged him to see a doctor. Murray obliged as Andreas set off on his own, promising to take the blame if Sir Handel had a problem with it. Upon hearing that Duncan derailed in the gorge, Andreas left his train behind to see if Rusty needed help rerailing Duncan. The two argued about why Duncan would not thank Rusty, leading to both wondering why Andreas ever bothered trying to connect with Duncan at all. Although the offer to help was a wasted effort, it did get Andreas away from his train; he had been right to be cautious about the workman's effort, as the dynamite went off, sending the train up in smoke. The engines and workman all tried to evacuate the gorge from the ensuing landslide, but Duncan got stuck among the rocks. Andreas gave Duncan a hard shunt out of the way but was unable to escape himself. He was crushed by the falling rock, much to Duncan's horror.

Duncan worked the hardest to dig Andreas out, but there was nothing he could have done as Andreas had been killed the moment the rock struck him. Three days later, the engines commiserated over their deceased friend, and Duncan had become incredibly guilt-ridden. Sir Handel informed the engines that the supervisor had been found responsible for Andreas' death and had been taken into custody and that he had arranged a funeral for Andreas that Friday. Even some the big engines came to offer words of support at the funeral, but it did little to help the greaving narrow gauge engines, and the former-MSR engines even held Duncan responsible for Andreas' death. Duncan apparently agreed with this opinion and, in an attempt to make up for it, threw himself into his work and became the most helpful he had ever been.

## Persona

Unlike in WildNorWester's series, in Victor Tanzig's series, Andreas had matured, and acted as a polite, yet stubborn, figure to the other engines, being a young engine. Though he might have been stubborn and arrogant, if a friend was in need, he did see to it that they get the assistance they need.

## Livery

Andreas was painted yellow with black wheels, running board and cylinders and red buffer beams at his front and back.

## Basis

Andreas was based on the largest single type narrow gauge locomotive in the United Kingdom, a 'War Office' Hunslet 4-6-0 built in 1916, which more info can be found here: http://www.warofficehunslet.org.uk/introblurb.html

## Trivia

* Andreas was the only Mid Sodor Railway engine who possessed buffers.
* He is the first narrow gauge engine to be killed off in the series, and the fifth engine overall after Adam, Lily, Alfred, and Colin.

## Appearances

### The Stories of Sodor

#### Season 1

* Legality *(does not speak)*
* Carriages
* Jinxed
* Luck

#### Season 2

* Visitor *(cameo)*
* Strike *(cameo)*
* Sabotage
* Affection *(cameo)*
* Parade *(cameo)*

#### Season 3

* Aftermath *(cameo)*
* Industry
* Closure
* Fog *(does not speak)*

#### Season 4

* Mountain
* Diplomacy *(cameo)*
* Animosity *(cameo)*
* Expansion *(death)*
* Creature *(mentioned)*
* Revelations *(mentioned)*

#### Sodor Shorts

* Preview *(in the preview)*
* Club

## References

1. http://wildnorwester.wikia.com/wiki/Andreas
2. http://www.warofficehunslet.org.uk/introblurb.html