Hugo/Behind the Scenes

Television Series
Hugo is a fictional standard gauge rail Zeppelin locomotive created by Ian McCue and Andrew Brenner.

In 2016, Hugo made his debut in the twentieth series of Thomas & Friends in the episode, Engine of the Future.

Hugo is voiced by Rob Rackstraw (UK/US) in the CGI version of the series on both sides of the Atlantic, respectively. Rackstraw gave the character a German accent to match his country of origin.

Hugo is based on the Schienenzeppelin, known as "the Rail Zeppelin".

CGI Model
In 2009, the series introduced Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI) as a replacement for the show's long-standing live-action models. In 2016, Hugo created from scratch in CGI by Arc Productions for the twentieth series. The model was "hand-sculpted" in Maya, a 3D animation and modelling software.

Hugo has some modifications compared to his basis:
 * His height has been reduced considerably.
 * Much of his front nose has been flattened to accommodate a face.
 * He appears to have two additional windows on his cab compared to his basis.
 * He is fitted with a siren which he uses to warn nearby people that his propeller is starting.
 * He runs on diesel fuel instead of petrol (gasoline), unlike the first shape of the Schienenzeppelin he is based upon. The real engine would eventually gain a diesel motor after its last rebuild.

Voice Actors

 * Rob Rackstraw
 * Yuta Odagaki
 * Diego Estrada
 * Yannick Blivet
 * Zvika Fohrman
 * Mark Bremer
 * Jos Gómez
 * Jacek Kopczyński
 * Cléber Martins
 * Denis Bespaliy
 * Baek Kyung-hoon