These four engines worked on the Wellsworth and Suddery Railway, and were scrapped sometime after 1919.
Reuben and Theodore
Reuben and Theodore were a pair of saddle tank engines who worked on the Wellsworth and Suddery Railway.
Biography
Reuben and Theodore were the first engines bought for the Wellsworth and Suddery Railway and were purchased "off-the-peg" from Manning Wardle. They were sufficient for most work on the line and were retained following the line's amalgamation into the Tidmouth, Wellsworth and Suddery Railway in 1912 and later the North Western Railway in 1914. It is also known that the two survived until at least 1919, however they were in very poor shape and at some point afterwards, scrapped.
Technical Details
Basis
A slide from the Railways of Sodor lecture reveals Reuben and Theodore to be Manning Wardle Q Class 0-6-0STs.[2] This is anachronistic, as they are said to have been purchased around the time of the railway's opening in 1870, however the first engine of this class would not be built until three years later in 1873. In said lecture, however, the W&S was stated to have opened in 1878, thus justifying their basis. It can be assumed that when retconning the opening year to 1870, Awdry may have changed the basis for these two engines. At the time Manning Wardle had three 0-6-0ST designs, the Old I class, the K class and the M class of which several still survive in preservation. In the 2023 YouTube presentation of the lecture, (in place of the Q Class) a slide of the M Class was used, a prototype appropriate for 1870.
Liveries
Reuben and Theodore were painted in the Wellsworth and Suddery Railway's standard livery of light blue. Livery details such as lining are currently unknown.
Appearances
The Railway Series
Companion Volumes
- 1987 - The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways (not named; mentioned)
- 1995 - The Thomas the Tank Engine Man (not named; mentioned)
- 2005 - Sodor: Reading Between the Lines (indirectly mentioned)
Lectures
- 1976 - Railways of Sodor (not named; mentioned)
Trivia
- Christopher Awdry revealed Reuben and Theodore's names through an email correspondence with Sodor Island Models in 2026.[1]
Julius
Julius was a tender engine (formerly tank engine) who worked on the Wellsworth and Suddery Railway.
Biography
In 1881, the Wellsworth and Suddery Railway decided a spare engine was required, so bought one of the nine Sharp Stewart 0-6-0 tank engines which the Cornwall Minerals Railway had pledged to the Yorkshire Wagon Company, that being Julius. Sharp Stewart fitted Julius with a bunker in place of the rear railing of the footplate, however once this was done, it was found that his weight with his tanks and bunker both fully loaded made him much too heavy for the lightly-laid railway. Thus, he had to run with both his bunker and tanks only half-full.
In 1912, when the railway amalgamated with the Tidmouth, Knapford and Elsbridge Light Railway to form the Tidmouth, Wellsworth and Suddery Railway, Julius was sent back to Sharp Stewart to have the bunker removed and a four-wheeled tender attached. To save time and expense, the tanks were initially left in place, however they were later removed at his next major overhaul. It is also known that he survived until at least 1919, however was in very poor shape and was scrapped at some point after his second overhaul.
Technical Details
Basis
Julius is based on the Cornwall Mineral Railway 0-6-0Ts. These engines were built with inset rear buffers and doors to enable back-to-back close coupling, allowing one crew to drive two engines.[3] Eight of these were sold to the Lynn and Fakenham Railway circa 1876 and later converted into tender engines of similar description to the Wellsworth and Suddery's example.
.png "CornwallMineralsRailway0-6-0(Rebuilt).png (200 KB)")
Livery
Julius was painted in the Wellsworth and Suddery Railway's standard livery of light blue. Livery details such as lining are currently unknown.
Appearances
The Railway Series
Companion Volumes
- 1987 - The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways (not named; mentioned)
- 1995 - The Thomas the Tank Engine Man (not named; mentioned)
- 2005 - Sodor: Reading Between the Lines (indirectly mentioned)
Lectures
- 1976 - Railways of Sodor (not named; mentioned)
Trivia
- Christopher Awdry revealed Julius' name through an email correspondence with Sodor Island Models in 2026.[1]
Willie
| For other uses, see Willie. |
Willie was an 0-6-0 tank engine who worked on the Wellsworth and Suddery Railway.
Biography
It is recorded in The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways and The Thomas the Tank Engine Man that the Wellsworth and Suddery Railway had four 0-6-0 tank engines of its own. All four were still in service by the time of the 1914 grouping but were later scrapped.
Technical Details
Basis
It is unknown what Willie would have been based on.
Livery
Willie was painted in the Wellsworth and Suddery Railway's standard livery of light blue. Livery details such as lining are currently unknown.
Appearances
The Railway Series
Companion Volumes
- 1987 - The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways (not named; mentioned)
- 1995 - The Thomas the Tank Engine Man (not named; mentioned)
- 2005 - Sodor: Reading Between the Lines (indirectly mentioned)
Trivia
- It is currently unknown whether Willie had side, saddle, pannier, or well tanks.
- Only three engines were mentioned in the 1976 Railways of Sodor lecture. The fourth engine was added as a later addition in the 1987 publication of The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways.
- Similarly, a fourth Coffee Pot engine was introduced in the same manner.
- Christopher Awdry revealed Willie's name through an email correspondence with Sodor Island Models in 2026.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Sodor Mysteries SOLVED! Huge Thomas Lore REVEAL for 2026!
- ↑ Stuart [@_buggleskelly_]. Twitter. 1 August 2022. "Done a bit of digging and here's the slide in question not long after it was rediscovered . Accessed 20 August 2025. Archived from the original on 3 August 2022.
- ↑ https://rogerfarnworth.com/2020/05/17/the-cornwall-minerals-railway-part-1/
| Locomotives | Steam | Edward | Donald | Douglas |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | BoCo | |
| Former | Reuben | Theodore | Julius | Willie | |
| Non-Rail Vehicles | Trevor | |
| People | The Vicar of Wellsworth | |
| Affiliates | Sodor China Clay Company (Bill and Ben) | |
| Infrastructure | Stations | Wellsworth | Suddery | Brendam |
| Sheds | Wellsworth Sheds | |
| Locomotives | Steam | Mineral Tramway Engines | Bill | Ben | The Blue Tank Engine | Silas | Clarus | Clifford | Conrad | Lincoln | S&M #1 | Neil | S&M #3 | The Goods Engine | Reuben | Theodore | Julius | Willie |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | Mavis | |
| Other | Ministry of Defence Engine | Skarloey Funicular Railway Trams | |
| Rolling Stock | Ffarquhar Quarry Company Trucks | Haulage Wagon | Skarloey Funicular Railway Cars | Transporter Wagons | |
| Railways | The Mineral Tramway | Ballaswein Tramway | Cronk and Harwick Railway | "The Railroad" | Skarloey Funicular Railway | Sodor and Mainland Railway | Sodor China Clay Company | Tidmouth, Knapford and Elsbridge Light Railway | Wellsworth and Suddery Railway | |
| Landmarks | Bill and Ben's Shed | The Drain | Mavis' Shed | Ffarquhar Quarry | Sodor Aluminium Company | |