Howard

"Pleased to see me?"

— Howard, Tender Moments of Tender Engines

Howard
Number: 55008, previously D9008 Class: BR Class 55 Designer: English Electric Build date: 1961 Configuration: Co-Co Scrapped: 1969.

The Green Howards, also known as Howard, is a large diesel engine.

Bio

Howard was built in 1961 at the Vulcan Foundry. Unlike most of his classmates, he often worked in the Southern Region hauling express trains. It was because of this that Howard one day arrived at Galen Junction and witnessed Colin accidentally leaving his coaches behind at the station. He laughed at the little tank engine as he left the station. Sometime later, in 1962, Howard was at a small station with nothing to do when he suddenly saw Dai, who was on his way home to the Somerset and Dorset Railway. Deciding to make himself some money, Howard prepared to take Dai to a scrapyard, but the 7F managed to escape, resulting in a chase that ended with Howard being diverted off the mainline into a siding and straight into a line of milk tankers. 

In 1964, Howard was used by a group of men to help track down the runaway 257 Squadron. After being told his location by Sir Eustace Missenden, he found 257 at Merecombe, and was about to take him away when Eustace, who had had a change of heart, blocked his path out of the station. Howard became enraged when he learned that 257 had been purchased by Mr. Dark and tried to take him anyway, only to flood his engine and fail in his eagerness. Humiliated, he was helped back down to the Junction by Eustace and 257.

In 1969, Howard was loaned to the Dark Railway for a few weeks whilst Turbo was being repaired. He was unpopular with the others due to his taunts and sneers, but was put in his place by Repulse and Abomination, humiliating him. On the last day of his visit, his engine caught fire as he made his way to the Junction, and he had to be rescued by Allan, who pushed him under the water tower. Left in a heavily damaged state, Allan left Howard in a siding, but later returned to find he had disappeared.

During their mission to rescue Dave from the "Alt" dimension in 1976, Clyde and Pogo encountered a demon which took Howard's form. This demon goaded Clyde over his fear of being discovered by British Rail or shunned by the others if he failed in his mission, but was driven off after bearing witness to Clyde's shapeshifting capabilities.

Persona

Howard is intimidating and has something of a sadistic side, as he has no issues with taking steam engines to their demise, be it to his benefit or not.

Livery

Howard is currently painted in British Railways blue with full yellow warning panels. Before 1964, he wore BR two-tone green with small yellow warning panels.

Basis

Howard is based on a British Railways Class 55 Co-Co locomotive. These were known as "Deltics" due to the twin Napier-Deltic diesel engines they used.

While the real 55008 didn't survive into preservation, being withdrawn in Dec 1981 and scrapped at Doncaster Works in Aug 1982 one of the engines cabs has been preserved. The engines cab is owned by the Deltic Preservation Society and is based at Barrow Hill Roundhouse. It is mounted on a trailer and has toured the country attending numerous events including open days/weekends. In recent years it has been modified to become a simulator where the engine in virtual form can be driven along the East Coast Main Line.

Appearances

The Dark Railway Series

Episodes:

• Series 2 - Colin and the Coaches (not named) and Goodbye, Dai
• Series 3 - Tender Moments of Tender Engines and Who Goes There? (mentioned)
• Series 6 - Burnin' and The Purple Man (mentioned)
• Series 9 - Pogo / Mere Anarchy

Specials:

• Brian and the Bank Robbery (not named)

Trivia

• Howard was originally intended to become a resident of the Dark Railway, which explains his presence in the intros of the episodes of the first two series'. This no longer seems to be the case, as his page has been moved to "supporting characters" on Dark DJ's official website.
• When depicted with a face by Dark DJ, Howard has a grey beard around his mouth.
• Howard was a temporary resident of the Dark Railway in 1969, but caught fire on his last day and was left in a siding, but then disappeared.
• According to Dark DJ in his Season 9 Wrap Up Livestream: Howard was to become a permanent character later in the TDRS series, the story being that Zeke would have gone to a scrapyard looking to purchase another diesel locomotive and he would come across Howard who would beg Zeke to save him. He would be saved but would need to try his hardest to change his attitude towards the dark railway engines especially the steam engines. However it was decided to drop Howard as a character so his fate became, he was taken away by an eastern engine where mechanics deemed him beyond conventional repair and scrapped him. His appearance in the episode Pogo / Mere Anarchy showed him as a dead engine.