| “ | Perhaps this Railway ISN’T any different after all! You call this ‘deceit’? My dear Sir, IT IS SURVIVAL! - the only thing that matters in this age of scrap! Well, you’ve won the battle - but NOT the war! I’ll take my leave at your request - but you WILL remember me! | „ |
| ~ Dudley's reminder to Sir Topham Hatt. |
Dudley, also known as Dudley the Vagrant Engine, is the titular main antagonist of Dudley the Vagrant Engine, the third installment in The Extended Railway Series books by The Buried Truck, an extension of the Thomas and Friends universe.
He is a long freight steam locomotive who does anything in his power to make the North Western Railway his home, which includes causing accidents for other engines just so he can take their trains and sabotaging others so that he can rob their jobs. He hates diesels due to them replacing steam, and it shows when he sabotages Bear and makes up lies about him to get him into trouble.
He is voiced by the narrator, though the author pictures him sounding like Scar from the Lion King, who is voiced by Jeremy Irons.
Personality[]
Originally Dudley was said to be a lone wolf, before the age of steam began to end. Dudley is said to be like the steam locomotive equivalent of Devious Diesel. He is manipulative, scheming, sadistic, deceitful, destructive, cruel, self-centred, mean-spirited and absolutely ruthless. His lust for a safe haven on the Fat Controller's railway drives him to the point where he is willing to cause an accident with one of his engines just so he can substitute for them.
Due to how steam engines were being phased out with diesels as part of the modernisation plan, Dudley hates diesels, to the point where he only sees the worst in them.
History[]
Dudley[]
Dudley first appears pulling a goods train into Tidmouth station, where he meets Sir Topham Hatt and says that he is filling in for a derailed diesel (which he claims wasn’t keeping a proper lookout). Topham is impressed with Dudley and sends him to Tidmouth Sheds for a rest where he quickly befriends the other engines, except for BoCo and Bear whom he is quick to ignore. Bear is sad about being shafted by the newcomer, but Donald assures him that Dudley will eventually warm up to him. When Dudley leaves the next morning, the other engines discuss the possibility of him staying on the railway.
Later while nobody is around, Dudley moves Henry’s passenger train forward so that the front coach is fouling the points, causing Henry to crash into it, damaging his tender. This leaves the Fat Controller in need of a substitute to do Henry’s work, to which Dudley suggests taking seeing as he won’t be busy if he returns to the other railway. The deal is arranged as Dudley brings Henry to the works. Though Donald is suspicious of Dudley's presence.
Sparks fly for Bear[]
Bear's attempts at befriending Dudley keep getting ignored as the big engine tries brushing off his diesel colleague as he proves his worth to the others. One night Bear wakes Dudley up to tell him that it’s nearly time to collect the Flying Kipper, unfortunately Dudley gives out about being woken up, which leads Bear to offer to take the Kipper for him before he snaps back.
The next morning, Dudley meets Donald in the yard where he spots a fuel tanker sitting in a siding away from the other trucks. Donald tells him that it’s waiting for repairs on it’s brakes, giving Dudley an idea. When Bear comes into the yard, Dudley pretends to have steaming troubles and asks Bear to take his train for him while pretending to apologise for his outburst. He tells Bear to collect all the fuel tankers for the train (including the one awaiting repairs). This leads to the tankers breaking away while Bear is delivering the train and starting a fire in a nearby field.
When the fire is put out and the Fat Controller and an inspector come to inspect the accident, they question why the faulty tanker was on Bear’s train. Bear tries to explain that Dudley told him to collect all the tankers until Dudley shoots him down defending himself. After the Fat Controller and the inspector leave, Dudley intimidates Bear, accusing him of suggesting that Dudley was sabotaging him (even though he was), leaving Bear disappointed and confused.
Cannonball[]
After the incident, Bear is confined to local passenger trains. He is still feeling bad about the accident, but Donald comforts him telling him that he’s still able to pull passenger trains rather than being strictly a goods engine, to which Dudley hears.
When Gordon is in need of maintenance, Dudley expresses his disappointment about being strictly a goods engine, which the other engines empathy him about. James tells him that he and Bear usually manage the express when Gordon isn’t operational and that they would be more than happy to let Dudley have a go. Bear, who doesn’t want to be demonised again, agrees to let Dudley pull the express.
The Fat Controller agrees to this, and allows Dudley to pull the express. Unfortunately it is raining heavily one day and a speed restriction is placed on the main line. Bear tries to warn Dudley about this but Dudley ignores him thinking he can manage just fine.
While out on the run, Dudley grins about having two big engines out of the way and starts planning on getting rid of Bear. This distracts him from the collapsing soil that lands on the line ahead, so when he notices, it’s too late to stop. Dudley advises his crew to put more power into him, allowing him to go faster and make it past the landslide.
While the passengers and stationmaster praise Dudley's heroic action, the Fat Controller reprimands him for not listening to the warning and putting the passenger's lives at risk, but Dudley pretends he did not know about the speed restriction, and when the inspector asks about Bear telling him, he lies saying that Bear has been jealous and trying to sabotage him. The Fat Controller decides to forgive Dudley for the incident, but his suspicions lead to an investigation being arranged.
Bear returns later that night, only to be scolded severely by Gordon and James, who believe Dudley. Bear tries to prove his innocence but Dudley denies any good intentions of him. This upsets Bear, causing him to regret staying on the railway.
Lifting the Curtain[]
The next day, Donald visits Henry at the works where he tells him about what’s happening with Bear's mishaps and his suspicions of Dudley. Henry realises that Dudley is up to no good and warns Donald to inform the Fat Controller about this before Bear gets in more trouble, recounting what happened when Diesel visited the railway and what he did to Duck.
Donald goes to the shed where he finds Bear sitting alone feeling depressed. Donald comforts the sad diesel and tells him that Henry believes him, cheering him up. The two start coming up with a plan to expose Dudley's true colours.
The next day, Dudley is resting in the shed where he hears Bear and Donald discussing a VIP train and Bear pretends to get ready for the "special guest". Dudley overhears this of course and follows Bear to a siding where he blocks him in by putting some trucks on the points while he’s pretending to sleep.
Dudley soon starts searching the yard for the VIP train until he hears a voice calling for him. He follows the voice into a siding, only to discover Toad. Dudley is cross that the VIP train isn’t there, but is suddenly surprised when Bear comes in. Dudley asks him how he got out of the siding, only for Donald to show up too, revealing that he helped him and asks Dudley how he knew about this. Dudley stutters attempting to explain, before the Fat Controller steps out of Toad, demanding to know the truth. Dudley suddenly admits what he was really up to, while continuing to slander Bear, calling him a "rat". While the Fat Controller agrees that he wouldn’t sent an engine to his end, he still decides that Dudley isn’t welcome on his railway and sends him back to BR, much to Dudley’s horror. The Fat Controller tells him that deceit has no place on the railway and that he welcomes any engine, steam or diesel, who is both useful and honest in their work. He suggests that Dudley should change his ways if he wants to be preserved and asks him to leave. Dudley follows this request, but not before he talks back to the Fat Controller, telling him that he hasn't won the war and that he'll remember him.
Dudley then takes a long goods train as he leaves Sodor. Bear feels a bit of sympathy for Dudley as he leaves, despite being abused by him, but between him and Donald, the chances of Dudley redeeming himself seem unlikely.
Dudley seemingly vanishes after leaving Sodor, but many diesels claim to have seen a ghostly steam engine making its way to the North Western Railway.
Appearances[]
- "Dudley the Vagrant Engine"
- "Dudley" (debut)
- "Sparks fly for Bear"
- "Cannonball"
- "Lifting the Curtain"
- "Demons" (corpse)
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Dudley carries the number 63971, which was the number of a real LNER O2. However the real 63971 was scrapped in 1963 whereas the book is most likely set in 1967 or 68. Though it is likely that Dudley could have gone into departmental stock, or - knowing his schemes, would have snuck into yards, sabotaging other engines in his search for preservation.
- Dudley is similar to Devious Diesel in various ways.
- They’re both black locomotives with a deceitful and devious nature to them.
- They both told lies about the protagonists of their respective books who were the opposite type of locomotive.
- They both felt superior to the opposite type, so much to the point where they didn’t listen to advice from them.
- They both fooled Gordon and James into falling for their trick. While Henry learned not to jump to conclusions, Gordon and James did not, but being absent during the events and how close he was to Bear likely had a role in Henry's response to Dudley's tricks, as well as Diesel telling lies about him.
- They both got sent away after being caught out.
- Dudley’s facial structure is also remarkably similar to Diesel’s.
- The scrapped engine in Demons is believed to be Dudley, although it is a different design, featuring a triangular firebox and a straighter running board, similar to Gordon. The scrap engine was designed before Dudley’s basis was finalized, hence the minuscule differences. Despite this, they do carry various similarities, namely the face design and Dudley also saying the engine's "You disturbed my sleep!" line in Sparks Fly for Bear.
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 Villains
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