Rheneas

Rheneas is a fictional locomotive from The Railway Series by Rev. W. Awdry and the children's TV series Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends. He is one of the oldest engines on the Island of Sodor. Rheneas lives and works on the Skarloey Railway as Engine No.2, and is known as the "Gallant Old Engine" because he saved the railway.

Railway Series history

He arrived shortly after his brother Skarloey, and was the more sensible of the two engines. He was a hard worker right from the start, and when Skarloey became too ill to work, he took charge of the line on his own. It was at this time that he saved the railway when he took a train full of passengers home despite being badly hurt. When Sir Handel and Peter Sam arrived, the Thin Controller was able to send him away for repairs. He returned better than ever, and these days he mainly pulls passenger trains. In 1965, he celebrated his hundredth birthday with Skarloey, both of whom are nearing the ripe old age of 150 by now.

Rheneas in the TV series

Rheneas was introduced in Season 4 of Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends. He is a minor character, and he only spoke in one episode of the 1995 series. He played small roles in Seasons 5 and 6, and had two major roles in Season 7.

When Rheneas returned to the series in 2005 after an absence in Season 8, he was depicted with a more childlike attitude. His first major role of the new series, "Rheneas and the Dinosaur" featured him and Skarloey having a dispute when Rheneas gets to pull a dinosaur skeleton, but can't manage on his own. It should also be noted that Skarloey and Rheneas have never been referred to as brothers in the TV adaptation, being called "friends" in the more recent episodes.

In the Japanese version of Seasons 4-7, Rheneas was voiced by Ryōtarō Okiayu. His new voice actor in Season 9 is Daiki Nakamura.

Merchandise

Rheneas has appeared in some of the major model ranges for "Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends":

*An Ertl Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends model
*A Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway model "(available with the rock crusher cars from 2004-2007)" [ [http://www.myfavoritetoys.com/category.php?subcategoryid=115 Thomas the Tank Engine Discontinued - Last Call! - MyFavoriteToys.com] ]
*A Take-Along Thomas & Friends model "(released in 2007)"
*A Tomy Wind-Ups Model
*A Trackmaster motorized engine "(due 2008)"

Prototype

Rheneas is based on the 1866-built locomotive "Dolgoch" which works at the Talyllyn Railway in Wales.

References