Rusty the Diesel
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Rusty the Diesel is a Ruston & Hornsby diesel engine on the Skarloey Railway in The Railway Series of childrens' books by the Rev. W. Awdry, and the spin-off TV series Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends. He is responsible for hauling maintenance trains for gangers to repair the track. He also occasionally pulls trucks and, when the railway is very busy, passenger trains.
In The Railway Series, Rusty is painted black. He is No. 5 on the Skarloey Railway, and often has arguments with another engine called Duncan.
Many believe him to be the only diesel on this narrow gauge railway, but in fact he wasn't, according to a book published by Christopher Awdry. Engine No. 9 "Fred the Maintenance Diesel" was another diesel, who was taken ill when it was his turn to haul the weedkilling train.
[edit] Rusty in the TV Series
Rusty was introduced in the 4th season of Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends, and ran with an orange coat, rather than his black one in the books. Like all of the engines, he received a larger-scaled model in Season 5 for easier filming. This new model (pictured) has a much larger face than the original. As the series progressed, Rusty isn't as responsible as he was in his earlier episodes, and tends to work in quarries rather than maintenance gangs at times.
Rusty's gender is currently a major topic still in discussion. Although he was generally believed to be male, in the American version of the 9th season, Rusty's gender was referred to as female. This angered a lot of old Thomas fans. It is believed that this act was done to add more female engines to the show. However, in the British version, Rusty's gender was referred as male again. However, in the new American video releases, the narration is redone and Rusty is referred to as a male. It was because it was a continuity error and it also believed that it was to introduce more female characters to the show.[citation needed]
