Big City Engine

"King's Cross?! London's Euston! Everybody knows that!"

- The Big City Engine to Gordon The Big City Engine is an express tender engine who worked for the London, Midland and Scottish Railway and later British Railways.

Biography
Express engines from the Other Railway often terminated at Tidmouth, spent the night at the sheds, and returned home the following day; the Big City Engine was one of these engines. Once he had gotten into an argument with Gordon and Duck about what the name of the station in London was. Gordon claimed to have visited King's Cross and thought that was the station's name; the Big City Engine thought that it was Euston, and Duck thought that it was Paddington as he had once worked there.

Little did the engines know that they were all correct, as there were many different stations in London for varying railway companies. Even so, Gordon and Duck still argued about it after the Big City Engine went home. When Gordon was given the opportunity to travel to London and find out the name of the station, he jumped at the chance, but was most disappointed to find out that the station he arrived at was St. Pancras—none of the three engines knew that London had several major stations, not just one.

Personality
The Big City Engine is rather pompous, conceited, and single minded, as well as argumentative.

According to his Take-n-Play description, the Big City Engine is a pompous character that thinks London trains are the best. During his visits to Sodor, the other engines always get upset with him.

Basis
The Big City Engine is based on a London, Midland and Scottish Railway "Patriot" Class 4-6-0. These engines were given the nickname "Baby Scots" as the design was based on the Royal Scot Class. All of the original "Patriot Class" engines were scrapped, so it can be assumed that the Big City Engine was as well. Given the fact that he has no nameplate, it is plausible to assume that he is one of the 12 Patriots who never got a name during their working service. A remade of 5551 was being built and the reason to build this engine is because the engine has no name. So they named this engine The Unknown Warrior.

Livery
The Big City Engine is painted in Deep Bronze green with orange lining. His wheels and cylinders are painted grey. His buffer beams are painted red with silver buffers. His Wooden Railway and Take-n-Play toys have green wheels and a crest on his tender with his initials in red.

Appearances
Railway Series=

The Railway Series

 * The Eight Famous Engines - Gordon Goes Foreign

Companion volumes

 * 1976 - Famous Engines
 * 1996 - Thomas the Tank Engine: The Complete Collection
 * 2005 - Sodor: Reading Between the Lines
 * -|Television Series=

Thomas & Friends

 * Series 2 - Gordon Goes Foreign

Videos

 * Mr. Perkins Storytime - Gordon Goes Foreign
 * -|Other Media=

Audio Stories

 * 2009 - The Railway Stories: Percy the Small Engine and other stories

Official Description
2002-2005= From Official Media:

Trivia

 * The LMS Patriots were a very common sight in the North West region of British Railways. However, none were allocated at Barrow in Furness, even though they could be seen in that region during their working lives, despite the fact that they were used on express trains in that region. The only two exceptions recorded were No. (4)5551 and No. (4)5537 Private E. Sykes V.C. in 1945 and 1955 respectively, so it is very likely that the Big City Engine is one of these two engines.
 * His Wooden Railway and Take-n-Play toy shows him with a tender that reads "BCE" on both sides, which stands for "Big City Engine". However, his tender was not seen in The Railway Series.
 * Big City Engine's name comes from Learning Curve, as he was never officially named in the Railway Series. The same thing goes for the Sodor Railway Repair.