Bertram/Behind the Scenes

Television Series
Bertram is a fictional narrow gauge saddletank tender locomotive created by Britt Allcroft and David Mitton.

In 1998, Bertram was introduced in the fifth series of Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends. He only appeared in the episode, Toby's Discovery with no dialogue and the music video, Percy's Seaside Trip via stock-footage.

For ease of filming, the fifth series introduced larger-scale versions of the narrow gauge engines and from the sixth series to the twelfth these larger models were used almost exclusively. Due to budgeting reasons, no large scale model of Bertram was built and this can be attributed as to why he never appeared after the fifth series. This makes him one of the few characters to remain absent since his introduction the fifth series.

Like Duke, Bertram is based off the engine Prince, a 0-4-0ST+T engine on the Ffestiniog Railway at Porthmadog, North Wales.

O gauge model (Small scale)
Bertram's model was recycled from Duke's model, which was custom built to run on O gauge track to the Gauge 1 Scale Standard. It was repainted using glossy car body paint and lined with red Letraline pin-striping tape.

Bertram's drive wheels were sourced from 10 Spoke Wantage Tramway driving wheels made by Slater's Plastikard and tender wheels were sourced from 10 Spoke LNER 02 Bogie Wheels. Bertram used rods directly lifted from an OO scale Triang Hall class with little modification.

Bertram was only ever depicted with one happy face. This face was actually recycled from Smudger, another narrow gauge engine. Three other facial expressions were initially made for Smudger that appeared on-screen, but were never worn on Bertram. These faces were first sculpted in clay and from that resin casts were made of a silicone mould.

Bertrum?
Bertram's ERTL toy and packages, TrackMaster prototype toy, and the 2014 map of Island of Sodor spelled his name as "Bertrum".