Class 40 (RWS)

"Look at me Duck and Stepney. Now I’ll show you something."

- Class 40 bragging to Duck and Stepney Class 40 (also known as The Diesel, Diesel 4711 or simply Diesel) is a big green diesel engine who once visited the North Western Railway on loan from British Railways.

Background Information
Class 40 is a fictional standard gauge diesel locomotive created by the Rev. W. Awdry. He appears in The Railway Series book, Stepney the "Bluebell" Engine, which was published in 1963.

Class 40 as seen in the Railway Series:

Biography
Class 40 was built at the Vulcan Foundry in Newton-le-Willows, Lancashire, England. Class 40 was sent to Sodor in 1962 to assist the engines with goods and express work towards the end of Stepney's visit, but he only insulted the other engines by saying they were out-of-date, should be scrapped and bragged about his modernity. He got his comeuppance when an inspector's bowler hat jammed his air intake, causing him to break down and to become as sick as boiler sludge after attempting to show off to Duck and Stepney. He sulked in the shed while Duck and Stepney took the Express for him to Cronk.

While everyone was fare-welling Stepney, a disgraced Class 40 crept away, leaving behind "the nasty smell of bad manners and a battered bowler hat".

Personality
Class 40 is snobbish, smug and rude with his snide remarks, believing that diesel engines are superior and should take over from steam engines while also showing off to engines such as Duck and Stepney. In the end however, he would also show his cowardly side as shown when he slipped away after his embarrassing incident when no was looking.

Basis
Class 40 is based on a British Rail (BR) Class 40 1Co-Co1. Old Stuck-Up and D782 are also members of this class. 200 members of this class was built from 1958 to 1962, and the last was withdrawn in 1985. They were given the nickname "Whistlers" because of the strange whistling noise their engines would make. Seven Class 40s are preserved with the first built, D200, at the National Railway Museum.

Livery
Class 40 is painted in the BR two-tone green livery, with enclosed yellow warning panels on his front to back end, and his rooftop being painted grey. His face is yellow.

Appearances
Railway Series= {{Scroll box|

The Railway Series

 * Stepney the "Bluebell" Engine - Bowled Out
 * James and the Diesel Engines - Old Stuck-Up

Companion Volumes
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 * 1976 - Famous Engines
 * 1980 - Annual
 * 1987 - The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways
 * 1995 - The Thomas the Tank Engine Man
 * 1996 - Thomas the Tank Engine: The Complete Collection
 * 2005 - Sodor: Reading Between the Lines
 * 2007 - Thomas the Tank Engine: The New Collection

Trivia

 * Class 40's livery is slightly inaccurate as none of the Class 40 diesels received British Railways two-tone green livery.
 * His number is completely fictional, as no diesel engine ever is known to have worn this number.
 * Despite never receiving a name, in supporting material though, the Awdrys would call him Diesel 2 to distinguish him from Diesel 1 (from Duck and the Diesel Engine).