Henry

Bio
Henry was built using plans stolen from Sir Nigel Gresley around 1919. The prototype turned out to be something of a cross between a GNR A1 Pacific and a GNR C1 Atlantic. Although the design was a failure, Henry was sold in 1922 to Sir Topham Hatt, who was desperate for a locomotive.

Henry was vain and stopped in a tunnel and refused to come out, citing that his paintwork would be spoiled by the rain. After several attempts to move him failed, he was bricked up in the tunnel until Gordon broke down while pulling the Express. As Edward was unable to move the train himself, the Fat Controller offered to let Henry out of the tunnel to help. Henry eagerly accepted.

Henry performed very well and the Fat Controller promised him a new coat of paint, since Henry's existing paintwork had been spoiled more by his stay in the tunnel than it would have been by the rain. Henry asked to be painted blue like Edward. However, many people confused him with Gordon, to the bigger engine's annoyance. The matter was worsened after a trip to the Works when Henry was given spares of Gordon's buffers. Sometime before 1935, Henry, when again offered new paint, chose green and so ended the Gordon/Henry confusion.

Basis
Henry's history is unusual. He was built from rejected plans for Sir Nigel Gresley's A1. The plans were stolen from Gresley by a rival. The resulting engine was a mix of a GNR A1 Pacific and a GNR C1 Atlantic, with a 4-6-2 wheel arrangement. Henry in this shape developed performance issues from flaws in the design, compounded by his stay in the tunnel. Henry was a bad steamer: with good-quality coal he could get enough heat to make plenty of steam, but when there was a poor lot delivered, his undersized firebox could not hold enough coal to make a proper fire. On advice from Henry's fireman, the Fat Controller ordered high-grade Welsh Coal, which made an appreciable difference in Henry's performance. When Henry suffered an accident and severe damage that winter, the opportunity was taken to send him to Crewe, where he was rebuilt an LMS Stanier 5MT "Black Five" 4-6-0. After "The Eight Famous Engines," Henry's LMS Stanier 5MT tender was replaced by a Fowler tender. In the television series, Henry has always had a one-window cab with an LNER-style tender. The main difference between his shapes was removed splashers and the Belpaire firebox replacing the tapered. This was done to ease the changeover to his "Black Five"-esque appearance.

Appearances
The Missing Coach