hauntedclipp
copper-crowned
The Crabs' tenders were standard Fowler tenders, which are also the standard tenders used on the North Western Railway in The Railway Series books, as exemplified by Edward, Henry, James, and Gordon. This of course differs from how they appear in the TV series.
It's theorized that the four original tender engines initially came to Sodor with the tenders they were originally delivered to their first owners with. Edward from the Furness, James from the Lancashire & Yorkshire, Henry from the LMS, and Gordon from the Great Northern.
For example, Gordon likely arrived with an eight wheel GNR tender, the same type used by the earlier A1's. With the NWR's considerably shorter mainline (I believe a little more than 60 miles), the larger fuel capacity of the GNR tender was unnecessary and swapped with a smaller six wheel Fowler tender. Turntable length may have been a factor in the switch as well.
Using a standard tender design also gave the four engines a somewhat uniformed look, which most railways did with their various loco classes and may have been Reginald Dalby's intentions when he first illustrated the four.
Later on, when Sodor's fictional origins were thoroughly explained in two books, the tenders were revealed to be of Fowler design, which tied in nicely with Sir Toppham Hatt's origins working at Crewe, where no doubt many Fowler locos came for maintenance.
Oof, I'm rambling again...
It's theorized that the four original tender engines initially came to Sodor with the tenders they were originally delivered to their first owners with. Edward from the Furness, James from the Lancashire & Yorkshire, Henry from the LMS, and Gordon from the Great Northern.
For example, Gordon likely arrived with an eight wheel GNR tender, the same type used by the earlier A1's. With the NWR's considerably shorter mainline (I believe a little more than 60 miles), the larger fuel capacity of the GNR tender was unnecessary and swapped with a smaller six wheel Fowler tender. Turntable length may have been a factor in the switch as well.
Using a standard tender design also gave the four engines a somewhat uniformed look, which most railways did with their various loco classes and may have been Reginald Dalby's intentions when he first illustrated the four.
Later on, when Sodor's fictional origins were thoroughly explained in two books, the tenders were revealed to be of Fowler design, which tied in nicely with Sir Toppham Hatt's origins working at Crewe, where no doubt many Fowler locos came for maintenance.
Oof, I'm rambling again...