Sir Edgar Woolwinder

Sir Edgar Woolwinder
Number: 2305 Class: Hawthorn Leslie Saddle Tank Designer: Hawthorn Leslie Build date: 1899 Configuration: 0-4-0ST Scrapped: 1969

Sir Edgar Woolwinder was a small tank engine.

Bio

Sir Edgar Woolwinder was built in 1899 at Hawthorn Leslie's works.

He was purchased from them by his first owner, Sir Edgar Woolwinder III, who owned a large estate in the west country. The saddle tank (later named after Sir Woolwinder) was used on his owner's private estate, where a short standard guage railway had been built from the mansion to a lakeside, on which Edgar the tank engine operated.

In 1927, Sir Woolwinder passed away, leaving his estate to his son, who disliked railways. Therefore, Edgar was sold on, being purchased by a private firm, Yelland & Dawson Inc in Baffleton, Norfolk.

Edgar enjoyed his work here, as his little shed overlooked a railway line nearby, where big express trains would rush past and whistle to him. Sometimes, the local railway company would let Edgar go and shunt a nearby yard, which let him explore a bit more of his surroundings.

In 1951, Edgar was again sold, this time, to the National Coal Board. He ended up being transferred to the ex-Backwell, Kelling & Four Bridges Colliery system in Somerset, where he remained for some time.

At one point, he accidentally upset some trucks, and in retaliation they pushed him into a set of buffers.

In 1960, his cousins, Theo and Otto, invited him to the Dark Railway to celebrate his 61st birthday. While there, he ended up in a few arguments with Sir Eustace Missenden, shared some shunting advice with the shunters on the line, and got involved in a drinking game with Theo and Otto in which he lost his handrail. Later that year, Edgar helped Dave, Brian, and Raymond obtain some parts for the twins' teleporter by distracting the diesels guarding them.

A few years later, Edgar turned up at the DR, having travelled the world. He quickly got on the engine's nerves, and Theo and Otto knocked him out and placed him on a ship bound for America. On this ship, Edgar met a tank engine called Bob the Invisible Pink Sailor, and they quickly bonded. They were sent to Castle Rock Railroad, where they quickly got on the resident engines' bad sides by accidentally blowing up a yard. They managed to escape the railway and return home, getting their revenge on the twins as they did so.

Some time later, Edgar and Bob were contacted by Theo and Otto to help rescue Dave from the clutches of Leanne. They arrived just in time to stop Leanne from shunting Dave into a furnace, derailing her and bringing Dave back to the DR.

Edgar continued working for the National Coal Board until 1969, when the NCB decided to withdraw Edgar from service due to his small size and ongoing issues with his cylinders. He was scrapped at Thomson & Sons Scrapyard, Milverton, Somerset in February 1969 at the age of 70, not having the chance to say goodbye to his cousins, Theo and Otto, or his friend, Bob (who was scrapped the year before).

Persona

Sir Edgar Woolwinder was very likeable, and gets on with anyone. He is also rather clever and cunning, which makes him a good ally for the Dark Railway engines. Unfortunately, he can be a bit obsessive, and is easily influenced by his friend Bob.

Livery

In Edgar's appearances, he has been painted in a plain black livery, with the letters "NCB" painted on his side in faded yellow.

Basis

Edgar was based on a Hawthorn Leslie 0-4-0ST.

Appearances

The Dark Railway Series

Episodes:

• Series 1 - The Party and The Road to Radstock
• Series 3 - The Return of Sir Eustace Missenden (mentioned) and Revenge of the Forgotten

Specials:

• The Adventures of Sir Edgar Woolwinder and Bob the Invisible Pink Sailor
• 200 Subscribers

Trivia

• When depicted with a face by Dark DJ, Edgar had a large beard covering the lower half of his face. This was also mentioned in The Road to Radstock.
• Edgar was originally going to star in a spin off series called "The Adventures of Sir Edgar Woolwinder & Bob the Invisible Pink Sailor". The series itself never materialised, but the pilot episode was re-released on Dark DJ's channel a year later under the "TDRS Specials" banner.
• It is still unknown exactly how and when Theo and Otto contacted Edgar and Bob in "Revenge of the Forgotten". It is possible that the twins used an experimental piece of technology to contact them, but that is up for debate.
• Edgar was scrapped in 1969, therefore, the character will no longer appear in "The Dark Railway Series".