Duck (RWS)/Behind the Scenes

The Railway Series
Duck is a fictional standard gauge tank locomotive created by the Rev. W. Awdry. Duck lives and works on the North Western Railway. He carries the number 5741.

He first appeared in the Railway Series book, Percy the Small Engine, which was published in 1956. His last appearance was in Thomas and his Friends, published in 2011.

Front of Duck:

Duck is based on the Great Western Railway 57xx Class 0-6-0 pannier tank engine with added sand boxes.

Awdry's model
Duck originated as a GWR 57xx pannier tank engine produced by Gaiety Models. It was purchased as a "spare" engine for exhibitions in 1949, seven years before Duck would make his debut in The Railway Series. As originally purchased the model suffered a defect, a malformed wheel that gave it a pronounced waddle. Wilbert's children promptly christened the engine "Duck" upon observing this, a name that persisted even after the original wheels were replaced and the waddle cured.