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For other uses, see William (disambiguation).


William is a green tender engine, who Jacob saved from scrap. He used to have his own coach painted in a similar livery to his own, but now primarily works with Mildred.

Biography[]

Jacob and Friends:All Grown Up[]

Season 1[]

One day, Jacob and Henry had to take a train of scrap from Sodor to The Other Railway. When they got there, they found William. William explained to them that he had been there since 1975 and was scheduled to be broken up the following week. Jacob, feeling bad for William, decided to buy him and take him to Sodor. After speaking with the yardmaster, Jacob did just that, and he and Henry took William to the Sodor Steamworks to be repaired[1].

Once William was fully repaired, he started living at Knapford Sheds. He then told the Knapford Sheds Engines about his past. He told them how he and his original owner were best friends, until his owner left him in a garden for years. Then, after his owner died in 1975, his son sold William to a scrapyard on the Other Railway, where he stayed until Jacob found him 48 years later[2].

Stories From Sodor:Future[]

Season 9[]

After being Jacob's private engine for eight years, he decided to let William take on regular goods and passenger work[3].

Season 13[]

William took Jacob and Anna to Woodham Brothers Scrapyard to save Barry[4]

Season 24[]

When William needed a coach, he went searching for one. He eventually found Old Slow Coach in the back of a shunting yard on The Little Western in a state of disrepair. He took her to the Sodor Steamworks for repairs. William then asked Jacob is Old Slow Coach could become his permanent coach, to which the controller agreed[5].

Season 26[]

William was given the special job of taking the evening Express. He wanted to take Mildred with him as a part of the train, but Jacob told him not to as she was not suited for the job. After talking to Mildred, however, William did not have the heart to tell her she could not come on the journey, so he took her anyways. After getting over Gordon's Hill, the two ran into trouble, as Mildred's brakes were not strong enough to slow the heavy train, resulting in William derailing at the bottom of the hill[6]. While in the Steamworks, William was rebuilt.

International Adventures[]

Personality[]

William is a kind old engine. He has a great hatred of diesels after being replaced and nearly scrapped by them.

He can also on occasion have an "I know best" attitude, which can lead him into trouble.

He has also been shown to occasionally let compliments go to his head, which can also lead him into trouble.

Basis[]

William is based on a Philadelphia and Reading Railway C1a Class 4-4-4 locomotive. Four locomotives were built, road numbers #110-113. They used front and rear trucks that were effectively identical. During a year of operation, they proved to be quite unstable; after that year, they were rebuilt to 4-4-2 "Atlantic" locomotives, reclassified as P7sa, and renumbered #350-353. The locomotive carrying William's number, 110, was later scrapped.

When he returned from the Steamworks in the twenty-sixth season, William was rebuilt into a Great Northern Railway large boiler Class C1. One member of this class is currently preserved at the National Railway Museum.

Livery[]

William is painted green with brown lining. He has a brown running board and cowcatcher. He also has his number "110" and "P&RR" in brown on his cab and tender, respectively.

Following his rebuild in the twenty-sixth season, William remained painted green with brown lining. He now has a red running board and bufferbeams. He has brown piston rods and his new number "42" on his tender in yellow with a red outline.

Trivia[]

  • From the twenty-sixth season onwards, William's number is in the same font used by MBM Motorsports in the NASCAR XFinity Series.

References[]

  1. JAFAGU.01.06."Saved From Scrap"
  2. JAFAGU.01.10."William's Backstory"
  3. SFSF.09.28."William's New Job"
  4. SFSF.13.01."Barry"
  5. SFSF.24.08."William's New Coach"
  6. SFSF.26.04."William Gets the Express"



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