Duncan (Thomas & Friends)

Duncan is a character from The Railway Series and its adaptation Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends. He was created by W.V. Awdry. Duncan is a stubborn engine that likes to complain that he is overworked. He is known for swaying on the track dangerously, which his driver calls "Rock 'N' Roll".

Railway Series history
Duncan was introduced in the story Home at Last, in the series' fourteenth volume. In earlier books, he caused trouble for the Thin Controller by getting stuck in a tunnel, derailing due to his swaying, and even stalling on a viaduct with a train full of passengers. However, in later volumes, he mellowed out. He stayed on task and did his best to help out in the most recent of stories.

Duncan in the TV series
Duncan was introduced in the adaptation of Home at Last in the fourth run of Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends. Rather than having his red coat of paint with the other engines in the books, he is painted bronze yellow in the TV series. A number of roles he had in the Reverend's books were televised in the same season, but all the stories featuring him in future seasons were originally written by hired writers, as well as the director and creator Britt Allcroft.

Duncan continues to make mistakes while being stubborn and ignorant in current seasons, seemingly forgetting the lessons he's learned in the past. He has appeared in every season since his introduction (with the exception of Season 8, which featured no Narrow Gauge engines)

In the Japanese version, he is voiced by Ryoichi Tanaka.

Merchandise
Duncan has also been adapted in his TV series form into several products, which include:


 * An Ertl Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends die-cast model
 * A Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway model
 * A Tomica/Track Master motorised engine and wind-up toy
 * A Take-Along Thomas & Friends die-cast model

Prototype
Duncan is based on Douglas, a 0-4-0 engine built in 1918 that works on the Talyllyn Railway in Tywyn, Wales. The engine is currently running under the guise of the character. Duncan is depicted through the engine with his original red coat and a Scottish cap above the face.