The Numbered Diesels

The Numbered Diesels, created by Heinrich Bauer, Reginald Walkins, and David "Diesel 11" D'Levin - here you can learn about each individual diesel!

DIESEL 0 Diesel 0 was designed and built by a German railway engineer named Heinrich Bauer, who was curious to see if he could design an engine that could move on its own. He succeeded, but the capabilities of the programming were surprisingly limited, given that it was a prototype. His entire service life was limited as well, to only a few months. The designs later caught the interest of a British railway engineer, Reginald Walkins, who bought the designs for $400, and went on to develop the rest of the Numbered Diesels. Heinrich Bauer, now in his mid-70s and desperate for money, was left with no choice but to sell the prototype for a meager $2000 to a scrapyard. Luckily, David "Diesel 11" D'Levin bought him and saved him from scrap. He is very close to Bauer, and affectionately calls him 'Papa'.

DIESEL 1 Diesel 1 was the first official Numbered Diesel. Just a regular diesel engine, Reginald Walkins intended him to be the "basis" for later developments. The first of the "Phase One" engines, he started out primarily with freight work, before being perimitted to pull passenger trains so long as there was a driver on board who could take over in case of an emergency. While he didn't have an accident, after the trial where he was deemed a danger to society, a 120 day period was granted to allow Walkins to find a museum for him to be donated to, since the court recognized Diesel 1's historical significance. However, he disappeared during this period; who took him and what the motive was remains unknown. He later resurfaced after being found by his brothers.

DIESEL 2 Diesel 2 was the second official Numbered Diesel. Like his brother Diesel 1, he is just a regular diesel engine, as Reginald Walkins intended him to be the "basis" for later developments. The second of the "Phase One" engines, he started out primarily with freight work, before being permitted to pull passenger trains so long as there was a driver on board who could take over in case of an emergency. In January 1990 he suffered a catastrophic failure of his cooling system; the resulting damage was too severe, as it would have cost more to repair him than he was worth. He was sold to the Island of Sodor's then-new dieselworks as a parts engine. Over the years he was subsequently burglarized a great deal, losing many parts to petty thieves after scrap metal that they could sell for quick cash. He later resurfaced after being found by David D'Levin; he was missing about 1/3 of his parts by the time he was recovered.

DIESEL 3 Diesel 3 was the third official Numbered Diesel. He was designed as a shunting diesel. The last of the "Phase One" engines, he started out primarily with freight work in a rail yard, and could not run without a driver. Eventually, due to his good work ethic, the yardmaster permitted him to run without a driver since his job was deemed "low risk." However, as a condition he had to check in with the yardmaster at the beginning and end of each day. In late 1989, Diesel 3 has a nasty accident that marked the first of a string of events that ultimately turned public opinion against the diesels. While shunting, there was a set of points that had been set the wrong way, so some boxcars ended up being shunted onto the nearby station platform track. An express came through that had no intention of stopping, and wound up crashing into the boxcars. Diesel 3 panicked, and suddenly reversed at full speed... into a few flatbeds of pipes. The pipes came lose, and derailed an incoming freight train on that line. The two derailed trains, plus hundreds of thousands of pounds in damage, and more than 120 people injured, caused no one to trust Diesel 3 after that. He was locked in a shed, his APS deactivated, and he was never let out again. He is still unaccounted for, as he has not been recovered yet.

DIESEL 4 Diesel 4 was the fourth official Numbered Diesel. He was designed as a crane diesel, with the steam engine "Dubsy" being Walkins' direct inspiration for the idea. The first of the "Phase Two" engines, he represented a giant leap forward for the Automated Programming System, as now it had to account for both the Diesel's actions and the Crane's actions. The knowledge acquired during his construction would enable future APS systems to be built better. Due to being such an experimental diesel, a driver had to be on board in case of an emergency, much to Walkins' chagrin. In June 1990, Diesel 4 has a nasty accident that forced his withdrawal from service. He was lifting a load of steel girders when suddenly he tilted over and crashed to the ground. Though no one was killed, 11 people were injured, and of them 4 were put in comas. Damaged, Diesel 4 was relegated to a siding, and forgotten. He has since been recovered and now works alongside Diesel 6 for Sodor Fire and Rescue.

DIESEL 5 Diesel 5 was the fifth official Numbered Diesel. He was designed as a rail maintenance diesel. The second of the "Phase Two" engines, he was unique in that he needed a crew to be on board, to inspect the tracks he cleaned after they had been cleaned. Given the special purpose, Walkins had to design this diesel from the ground up. This diesel was not designed to pull trains; only two specifically built cars Walkins also designed. The rail cleaning was in 4 steps. The first was sweeping and vacuuming; any debris on the rail would be removed, and depending on its weight was either gathered in a "bucket" of sorts, to be disposed of later, or was cast aside beside the railway tracks. Mostly small things like pebbles, twigs, dirt; things that wouldn't leave an impact. The second stage was rust removal; Walkins designed a special sensor that would spray a chemical that would remove rust, but not the normal metal in the rails. The third stage was a wash; to clean away any chemical left behind so it would not affect the environment. The last stage was smoothing; a very unique process to ensure the rails were straight and properly aligned, and when there was a problem it was resolved. Walkins would not discuss the process in public because he didn't want the technology to be replicated by others. In late 1989, Diesel 5 was retired because he was deemed outdated. New rail maintenance vehicles had been brought in that were more efficient than Diesel 5, so Diesel 5 was removed from service in favor of the new vehicles. He is still unaccounted for, as he has not been recovered yet.

DIESEL 6 Diesel 6 is the sixth official Numbered Diesel. He was designed as a firefighting diesel, with the choice of a foam cannon being the result of reasoning that a water cannon could cause problems if the water mixed with Diesel 6's fuel. The last of the "Phase Two" engines, he and the rest of the Phase Two diesels are considered "Civil Service" engines, given the nature of their jobs. Unique among the diesels, Diesel 6 actually requires a driver to help him out, because he can only look ahead, so he needs help aiming his foam cannon accurately. Furthermore, someone needs to be on board to reload Diesel 6's foam canisters when they run out. He never had or caused an accident, and in the court case where the Diesels were forbidden from running again, Diesel 6 was granted exemption on the grounds of his distinguished service, so long as he never drove himself again. He technically never went missing, and now Diesel 6 works for Sodor Fire and Rescue. He looks identical to Diesel 10, except instead of a claw, he has the foam cannon on top. He is the only Numbered Diesel to date not directly owned by D-11; he is owned by the Sodor Fire and Rescue Company, who see Diesel 6 as a valuable asset, being the only foam-based firefighting engine on Sodor. (Flynn and Belle of the Sodor Search and Rescue Center can only use water, which cannot put out oil fires). He has a strong sense of duty, and is very brave.

DIESEL 7 Diesel 7 was the seventh official Numbered Diesel. He was designed as a minimum gauge diesel. The first of the "Phase Three" engines, he was inspired by a visit to the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway by Reginald Walkins. This phase was marked by Walkins experimenting with gauge for the Automated Programming System. Walkins started with the smallest possible gauge first, reasoning that if he could build an APS for a minimum gauge diesel, then he could build and APS for any size diesel. Diesel 7 was eventually acquired by an amusement park in England, where they had a minimum gauge line running throughout it as one of the featured attractions. He was not allowed to run without a driver at first, but eventually the theme park warmed up to him and he was allowed to run without a driver so long as he never exceeded 35 Kilometers per hour. The "driverless" diesel was a very popular attraction In May 1990, the theme park Diesel 7 worked at suffered a great loss when its owner died. His children were not interested in running it, so the park was shuttered until a new owner could be found. To this day, he sits in the park's train shed, and because Walkins has not found the paperwork proving his ownership of Diesel 7 until recently, Diesel 7 has not been recovered yet. However, he may not want to leave the park, as he has built a close friendship with the three engines he worked with.

DIESEL 8 Diesel 8 was the eighth official Numbered Diesel. He was designed as a mountain diesel. The second of the "Phase Three" engines, he was inspired by a visit to the Snowdon Mountain Railway by Reginald Walkins. He was put to work on the Snowdon Mountain railway after he was built, but due to strict rules he could not run without a driver, and he could only handle freight duties In April 1990, Diesel 8 was found operating without a driver one day, a "blatant violation and disregard for the rules" as it was put, so Diesel 8 was locked in a shed and they would not let him out again. He sat in a shed for many years before finally being recovered by David "Diesel 11" D'Levin.

DIESEL 9 Diesel 9 was the ninth official Numbered Diesel. He was designed as a narrow gauge diesel. The last of the "Phase Three" engines, he was inspired by a visit to the Talyllyn Railway by Reginald Walkins. After passing his tests, he was contracted to a private railway where the owner was impressed by his ability to drive on his own. In fact, he was free to drive on his own so long as he did not cause any trouble. Eventually, he was sold to another private owner in an all-cash transaction, leaving no paper trail for Walkins to follow. Due to missing paperwork, Walkins was unable to prove that Diesel 9 was still his engine He was eventually found and recovered.

DIESEL 10   Diesel 10 was the tenth official Numbered Diesel. He was designed as a Class 42 with a claw on top. The first of the "Phase Four" engines, he was designed for jobs like scrap salvage removal and clean up; being able to load cars then take them away. After passing his tests, he was contracted to British Rail where he would work with clean-up and salvage removal type jobs, though he regularly found work in scrapyards. In June 1990, he, along with Diesel 11 and Diesel 12 went berserk one day. No one is quite sure what set them off, but they charged into a rail yard, where they proceeded to destroy cars that had been loaded aboard transport trucks, and a car bridge that went over the rail yard they were in. After they were stopped, in the ensuing trial Diesel 10 was sentenced to immediate scrapping; but he ended up going nuts and escaping to Sodor, where an eventual accident on the viaduct caused him to end up in a sludge barge, where he was subsequently captured by the government. It is unknown what happened after that. He was eventually recovered and made prominent appearances in the story, in the Colormen's story he has so far appeared in two major occasions. He briefly ruled over Sodor, and he dreamed about the Colormen stopping him. Ultimately he was overthrown and his memory of this time was wiped. He later tried to get his hands on the Prism fragments during the War of the Shards; but since the Sole use of the prism is granting the Colorfolk their powers, it is unknown why he wanted the Prism since he could not utilize it.

DIESEL 11   Diesel 11 was the eleventh official Numbered Diesel. His design was based on the Class 42 with a claw on top that had been developed with Diesel 10. Diesel 11 however, had 2 claws on top. The second of the "Phase Four" engines, he was designed for jobs like scrap salvage removal and clean up; being able to load cars then take them away. After passing his tests, he was contracted to British Rail where he would work with clean-up and salvage removal type jobs, though he regularly found work in scrapyards. He had to wear special mirrors though, because although he could see just fine with where the front claw was, he couldn't see what his back claw was doing, so the mirrors helped with that. In June 1990, he, along with Diesel 10 and Diesel 12 went berserk one day. No one is quite sure what set them off, but they charged into a rail yard, where they proceeded to destroy cars that had been loaded aboard transport trucks, and a car bridge that went over the rail yard they were in. After they were stopped, in the ensuing trial Diesel 11 was sentenced to immediate scrapping; while waiting in a shed his and Diesel 12's A.P.S. systems were ripped out with crowbars and sledgehammers, and they were loaded onto flatbeds to be taken away. How he got his A.P.S. back and reunited with Diesel 10 is unknown. He was eventually recovered and made prominent appearances in the story, with one of his major roles to date being his presence during the War of the Shards, trying to collect fragments with his brothers.

DIESEL 12   Diesel 12 was the twelfth official Numbered Diesel. His design was based on the Class 42 with a claw on top that had been developed with Diesel 10. Diesel 12 however, had 1 claw on top that was significantly bigger than Diesel 10's. The third of the "Phase Four" engines, he was designed for jobs like scrap salvage removal and clean up; being able to load cars then take them away. After passing his tests, he was contracted to British Rail where he would work with clean-up and salvage removal type jobs, though he regularly found work in scrapyards. He had to be very careful though, as his claw created some issues with the loading gauge. In June 1990, he, along with Diesel 10 and Diesel 11 went berserk one day. No one is quite sure what set them off, but they charged into a rail yard, where they proceeded to destroy cars that had been loaded aboard transport trucks, and a car bridge that went over the rail yard they were in. After they were stopped, in the ensuing trial Diesel 12 was sentenced to immediate scrapping; while waiting in a shed his and Diesel 11's A.P.S. systems were ripped out with crowbars and sledgehammers, and they were loaded onto flatbeds to be taken away. How he got his A.P.S. back and reunited with Diesel 10 is unknown. He was eventually recovered and made prominent appearances in the story, with one of his major roles to date being his presence during the War of the Shards, trying to collect fragments with his brothers.

DIESEL 13 Diesel 13 was the thirteenth official Numbered Diesel. He was designed as a clawed diesel, like Diesel 10, 11 and 12. He was the last of the Phase Four Diesels. Unfortunately, he was plagued with problems. He constantly broke down and had accidents, and his claw proved so problematic it had to be removed. Even as a regular diesel, he had problems, and eventually he got into an accident so severe the cost to repair him exceeded what he was actually worth. Unable to bear the thought of scrapping one of his diesels, instead Walkins took him to a shed on Sodor, where he was locked up and forgotten. Eventually he was recovered and restored by David "D-11" D'Levin, though his jinx is still present, as his engine often smokes.

DIESEL 14 Diesel 14 was the fourteenth official Numbered Diesel. He was designed as a standard gauge diesel. The first of the "Phase Five" engines, he was built to rebound from the failure of Diesel 13. Walkins' reputation took a bad hit after Diesel 13's failure, so to save face, Diesel 14 marked a "back to basics" as he was built as a regular diesel, similar to Diesel 1 and Diesel 2. After his tests he was permitted to pull long distance freight trains... provided there was a driver on board in case of an emergency. Eventually, the policy was relaxed and he was allowed to run without a driver and pull passengers... as long as he didn't cause trouble. In March 1990 a terrible accident resulted in Diesel 14 crashing a passenger train; he plummeted into the Irish Sea while the Vickerstown Bridge was up. The accident resulted in 30 deaths and marked a stark decline in reputation for the diesels. He was eventually found and recovered from the Irish Sea.

DIESEL 15 Diesel 15 was the fifteenth official Numbered Diesel. He was designed as a Garrett configuration Diesel. The second of the "Phase Five" engines, he was built by a request from a railway that was run by Garrett steam engines. The owner wanted a Garrett Diesel, and commissioned Walkins to build one. He passes his tests, and the owner of the railway permitted him to run without a driver so long as he did not cause trouble. In Mid 1990, a flood devastated his railway. the water damaged his APS beyond repair, and though he was eventually repaired and could run, his APS was deemed repairable. Since then, he has been withdrawn from service. He has not been found and recovered yet.

DIESEL 16 Diesel 16 was the sixteenth official Numbered Diesel. He was designed as a broad gauge diesel. The third of the "Phase Five" engines, he was built at the request of a struggling broad gauge line, desperate for money. The line was on its last leg, and needed an engine to save it. Unable to afford a driver, Diesel 16's ability proved to be a blessing. Eventually, the railway recovered and Diesel 16 was hailed as a hero to the local towns that benefited from the railway.In May 1990 the broad gauge railway did in fact, close down, and Diesel 16 disappeared shortly afterward. He was eventually found and recovered, though Sodor has very few broad gauge lines, meaning he usually cannot even leave the numbered diesels shed.

DIESEL 17 Diesel 17 was the seventeenth official Numbered Diesel. He was designed as a diesel rail-car. The last of the "Phase Five" engines, he was the result of a New Years Resolution Walkins made in 1965. Until Diesel 17, the numbered Diesels that could pull trains were relegated strictly to freight duties, over safety concerns. Determined to show that there was nothing to worry about, Walkins designed and built Diesel 17, a dedicated Diesel rail-car, with two attached coaches. Diesel 17 was given a one week trial, and passed with flying colors. The rules regarding the diesels were now relaxed, and they could pull passenger trains by mid-1965. However, it would not be until 1972 when the diesels were finally allowed to pull passenger trains without drivers... as long as they didn't cause any trouble. Following Diesel 14's accident, no one trusted Diesel 17 anymore. Though he never had an accident, about 5 days after Diesel 14's accident no one would ride him anymore. When he arrived at the platform, passengers threw rocks at him, and called him a "deathtrap on wheels." The passengers demanded driver-controlled engines, and Diesel 17 was subsequently withdrawn from service. A few days later, any numbered diesels still in service were relegated to freight duties following Diesel 14's accident. He is yet to be recovered.

DIESEL 18 Diesel 18 was the eighteenth official Numbered Diesel. He was designed as a mobile missile platform diesel. The first of the "Phase Six" engines, he was part of a secret military project during the Cold War. Most details of his life are classified, due to the Phase Six diesels being part of a project directly run by the military Eventually, the project was shut down because it was deemed unnecessary after the Cold War ended. He is currently abandoned in a military train yard with his brother Diesel 19.

DIESEL 19 Diesel 19 was the nineteenth official Numbered Diesel. He was designed as a mobile RADAR platform diesel. The second of the "Phase Six" engines, he was part of a secret military project during the Cold War. Most details of his life are classified, due to the Phase Six diesels being part of a project directly run by the military Eventually, the project was shut down because it was deemed unnecessary after the Cold War ended. He is currently abandoned in a military train yard with his brother Diesel 18.

DIESEL 20 Diesel 20 was the twentieth official Numbered Diesel. He was designed as a "Charity diesel." He was painted in a special livery, and pulled eight boxcars and a brakevan also painted in the livery. Every Christmas he would come out and pull a special train. The boxcars contained toys and gifts for patients at children's hospitals, and every year there were 8 stations the diesel would stop at, and one boxcar per station would be unloaded for its respective hospital. A special shed was built for him, where he would be kept the rest of the year until Christmas time. In April 1990 he was stolen from his shed, and has been missing since. Only his boxcars and brakevan remain, slowly rotting away in the shed built for him. He is yet to be recovered.

DIESEL 5000 XL Diesel 5000 XL is the 22nd Numbered Diesel to be built. To date, he is the only Numbered Diesel built by David "D-11" D'Levin (AKA Diesel 11, not to be confused with the diesel). He is the biggest Numbered Diesel built, and has five claws: three on his cab, and two on his side. His rather "aggressive" personality, combined with his rather high weight, has lead to him being the primary point of argument for those against the numbered diesels.

DIESEL XXX Diesel XXX​ is a mysterious new diesel engine with three claws and no Automated Programming System. Diesel XXX was first seen attacking Thomas and Percy, and holding them as hostages, which didn't work out too well, due to the fact that they were at a station. He was able to knock them off the rails; however, some of the Numbered Diesels fought him, and nearly won. However, when it was revealed that he did not have an APS, it left them speechless, and he was able to get away. Frank, Tug, Sherman the Rail-Tank, and Paulie the Sea Train fought him as well, and were able to investigate him. He had "ISE" inscribed on his cab, and the group went to follow on a personal lead of Tug's. Meanwhile, Diesel 11 had gotten a famous Swedish detective named Adolf Gunnarson to find out who had made him, because neither Bauer, Walkins, or D11 had. He has three claws, 'one per X'. 'XXX' does not stand for 30. It instead is signifies that he is the worst diesel of all, because, for example, XXX movies are some of the worst out there. His name can be pronounced 'Diesel Ex-ex-ex' or 'Diesel Triple-X'. It is currently unknown how he is able to drive himself, as without an Automated Programming System, this is impossible.