Rheneas (T&F)

Rheneas is a vermillion narrow gauge well tank engine and the Skarloey Railway's second engine.

Biography
When Rheneas first appeared in the fourth series, he was one of many engines who came and went on the Mid Sodor Railway and were outlasted by Duke. When Skarloey took visitors to the mountains to search for Duke and found him, Rheneas helped Skarloey transport Duke back down to the Skarloey Railway for restoration. In the meantime, the two engines were feeling their age and easily tiring, so the manager sent two engines, Sir Handel and Peter Sam, to help and the older engines promised to give them a big welcome.

Despite being fond of Peter Sam, Rheneas would join in the other engines' mockingly saying, "You and your special funnel!" when Peter Sam was impatiently waiting for his new one. When he got it and demonstrably performed better than everyone, Rheneas and the others stopped teasing him and instead wished they had a funnel like it. Likewise, Sir Handel's broad tyres were a source of mockery as Rheneas would join in on shouting, "Look at his steamroller wheels!" After Sir Handel supposedly caused George the steamroller to go away, Rheneas became visibly annoyed at the blue engine's newfound source of incessant bragging.

When Duncan was complaining about the passengers, Skarloey decided to tell him the story of how Rheneas saved the railway on his own with a full train and jammed valve gear on a rainy day to teach Duncan the importance of not stopping in the wrong place. Rheneas came home from the works the next day and was greeted to a chorus of whistles by engines large and small. He told Skarloey that this made a little engine to feel that at last he had really come home.

Rheneas and Skarloey are Rusty's best friends and they are best friends with each other as well. The three of them were chased by a boulder when it had rolled off from its cliff. While Rusty had to outmanoeuvre the boulder and Skarloey needed to get himself out of the boulder's rampaging path, Rheneas' line did not have any points, so he was forced to try and outrun it once the boulder came dangerously close to colliding with him head-on. He did so, speeding across a viaduct and ended up derailing. The boulder passed by, which Rheneas' driver found preferable to getting squashed.

In the sixth series, the three engines were headed to the quarry to help Duncan. Their fascination of the incline's mechanics quickly became soured with an impatient Duncan telling them what to do. Rusty tried to mollify the vocally displeased red engines, but even Rusty and also Rheneas had enough when the "Bossy Boots" engine told them they were as slow as snails and Rheneas crossly chuffed that no more than four slate trucks could be sent up at a time. Eventually realising that Duncan would not listen, the three best friends left with their slate. They helped clear up after Duncan's crash, after which Duncan owed them an apology.

The three best friends have worked the Skarloey Railway for each of their entire lives, but work at the quarry clashed with Rusty's maintenance work. This caused the line to fall into disrepair and be shut down, forcing Rheneas and Skarloey to work at the quarry with Rusty. A period of blasting gave the engines two weeks to attempt to repair the line and Rheneas determinedly worked harder than ever with a hopeless Skarloey, a clever Rusty and an initially derisive Elizabeth. The railway was restored in the allotted time and the two tank engines were very happy at this turn of events.

In the seventh series, Rheneas saved Skarloey from his state of dangling from a broken bridge. Because Skarloey was too scared to cross the bridge again, Rheneas had to collect both of their trains every morning. Eventually, this caused Rheneas to run out of water right on the bridge. Skarloey forced himself to cross the bridge to save his best friend and Rheneas thanked him for his bravery.

Rheneas' own bravery would become important when he was tasked with making a school trip special and his doubt in his own best made him really feel his small size. Rusty assured Rheneas that he knows the mountains better than any engine, which Rheneas did not deny, but none of the everyday locations that his driver pointed out felt exciting, important or even special. Rusty's workmen accidently sent Rheneas down a closed and bumpy mountain track. Rheneas was frightened at the dangerous turn the trip was taking, but his driver did not stop him racing through the mountains with all his might like a roller coaster. Though tired at the end of it, Rheneas had given the children the time of their lives and thus felt really useful instead of his size.

In the ninth series, when Mr. Percival needed two careful engines to transport a dinosaur skeleton to the Sodor Museum, Rheneas offered to have himself and Skarloey demonstrate how careful they can be. Rheneas did better than Skarloey, whose excitement got the better of him and offered to try again following the mishap. Mr. Percival gave him one last chance, so Rheneas decided to prove that he could take the dinosaur on his own. He did so by delivering a long and heavy line of coal trucks. He gained the job, but he could not make it up Culdee Fell Hill. Skarloey, still upset, found his way blocked and Rheneas apologised for what happened, declaring that he will always want the two of them to work together. This cheered up Skarloey and the two happily transported the skeleton the rest of the way.

The height of the Skarloey Coal Yard's incline has frightened Rheneas, so when he brought empty trucks there, he backed away quickly, much to Skarloey's amusement. Rheneas came back to the incline the next day with Duncan and found Skarloey, still coupled to his trucks, being hauled up the incline. They were surprised and awestruck at this supposedly brave act before Skarloey's weight promptly broke the incline and sent him flying down the track, much to Rheneas' shock and into a snowbank, which Rheneas helped him out of. Rheneas and Duncan brought supplies to repair the winch, excited to see Skarloey take the coal trucks down the incline himself. Rheneas looked happy at Skarloey instead doing the right thing in contrast to Duncan's disappointment. Rheneas also tried to tell Duncan that he would be late when Duncan was going back and forth on some bumpy tracks for fun. Rheneas left without Duncan listening.

Rheneas and Skarloey like to race each other and they introduced themselves to Freddie as the fastest engines in the hills. They became excited at Freddie's offer to race them and prove he was the fastest. As Rheneas and Skarloey raced, their age did not hinder them, whereas Freddie's did. So right as they were about to catch up, they did not notice Freddie go a different way. Rheneas expressed his admiration at how fast Freddie supposedly went and the three of them raced again. Rheneas decided that they would race down the opposite, steeper side of the mountain, but he ended up derailing and rolling down a hill. Freddie used his knowledge of the old tracks to find Rheneas and helped him back onto the rails. Freddie apologised for cheating and admitted that Rheneas and Skarloey are much faster than him. Rheneas did not mind and instead wanted to hear about Freddie's tales of the old tracks.

Skarloey saved Rheneas from some logs tumbling down a hill, denting himself in the process. A grateful Rheneas noticed Skarloey's sad demeanour and asked what the matter was. Rheneas was surprised at Skarloey's fear of the Wharf, having heard from Rusty about Skarloey braving the old wooden bridge for him and the stream for Duncan and said that Skarloey is the bravest engine he knows. Rheneas also brought up how disastrous the log incident would have been for him had Skarloey not saved him.

Later, he decided to help an overworked Skarloey by secretly taking his coal trucks to the wharf for him. Coupled with his own trucks, Rheneas found the train too heavy to pull up the hill and decided to take his own trucks up first and then take the coal trucks. When he returned to the hill, he found that the coal trucks were not where he had left them. Knowing that Skarloey will get into trouble, Rheneas forwent the secret and started planning to have the engines search for the trucks, but this was not needed as Peter Sam revealed that he had the trucks, not knowing who they belonged to. Rheneas was happy, knowing he had given Skarloey a well-earned rest.

In the eleventh series, Rheneas was surprised by Thomas' loud whistle, bumping into his flatbeds and spilling the pilings on it as a result. This amused Skarloey, Sir Handel and even Rheneas himself. Rheneas and Skarloey hid and watched as Thomas decided to surprise Rusty next, which the three best friends found very funny. Rheneas playfully chased after Rusty, leaving the scattered bricks behind. He did this again after they all surprised Sir Handel, leaving flour all over the warehouse. Lastly, they surprised Peter Sam, who pushed his logs into the canal. Only then did the engines realise what their playfulness had done, but Rheneas still wanted to play and Thomas insisted that they had to get their work down immediately.

During a thunderstorm, Rheneas and Peter Sam were informed by Skarloey about stranded sheep up in the hills that needed to be brought down to the farms. Unlike Skarloey, the other two were brave. Rheneas and Peter Sam could not wait to get started and Rheneas eagerly went up the hill first. Rheneas and Peter Sam made so many uphill and downhill trips through the storm, bringing many sheep down in the process, that they ran out of coal. This forced Skarloey to brave the storm himself to finish the job and Rheneas and Peter Sam congratulated their friend.

Whilst working at the Blue Mountain Quarry, Rheneas' paintwork was severely scraped after becoming a runaway after having gone too fast over the collapsing Blondin Bridge. This resulted in the brief period when he was painted yellow with blue lining.

One Christmas, after hearing Thomas and Toby talk about Christmas trees, Rheneas decided to go to Misty Island to go tree hunting... but with the help of Toby and a well wagon due to the Island's standard gauge lines. Unfortunately, the gallant old engine constantly pressed Toby into going fast, scaring the tram into closing his eyes and zooming past any trees Rheneas saw. The Logging Locos eventually helped them find a perfect tree in time for Christmas morning.

He currently works on the Skarloey Railway, along with Skarloey, Sir Handel, Peter Sam, Rusty, Duncan and Luke.

Personality
Rheneas has been called a "gallant old engine" before and deserves such a title; he is highly determined, brave and courageous. Rheneas is a tough, committed worker despite his age and takes great responsibility in his work. He is keen to keep his friends smiling and, although he is a level-headed engine, he can be a bit of an adventurer too. Though he may often try to struggle on alone, Rheneas knows when it is time to call on the help of his friends. Nevertheless, Rheneas is always highly dedicated to the task at hand.

Between the ninth and twelfth series, Rheneas, just like Skarloey, was shown to be rather energetic, childish and reckless such as when he and Skarloey raced at high speeds, causing him to derail go and down the mountain side. From Blue Mountain Mystery onwards, Rheneas returns to being closer to his original personality.

Basis
Rheneas is based on the Talyllyn Railway's Dolgoch, a Fletcher Jennings Class Bb 0-4-0WT. In the Railway Series, Dolgoch is Rheneas' twin. Smudger is another member of this class.

Livery
Rheneas is painted vermilion with black and gold lining and brass fittings. He has black and brass name and number plates on the sides of his boiler and coal bunkers respectively. In early magazine illustrations, he was painted carmine. This carried over to nearly all his merchandise. In Blue Mountain Mystery, he was repainted yellow with blue lining to play a joke on Thomas. He has been painted back into his original livery since then.

Appearances
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Thomas & Friends

 * Series 4 - Granpuff, Sleeping Beauty , Four Little Engines , A Bad Day for Sir Handel , Peter Sam and the Refreshment Lady , Trucks , Special Funnel, Steam Roller, Passengers and Polish , Gallant Old Engine, Rusty to the Rescue and Fish
 * Series 5 - Bye George!, Toby and the Flood , Toby's Discovery , Duncan Gets Spooked and Rusty and the Boulder
 * Series 6 - Dunkin Duncan, Rusty Saves the Day and Faulty Whistles
 * Series 7 - The Old Bridge, The Refreshment Lady's Tea Shop, Toby's Windmill , Rheneas and the Roller Coaster, The Runaway Elephant , The Grand Opening and Trusty Rusty
 * Series 9 - Tuneful Toots, Rheneas and the Dinosaur, The Magic Lamp and Skarloey the Brave
 * Series 10 - Follow that Flour, Duncan Drops a Clanger, Fearless Freddie, Which Way Now? , Wharf and Peace and Missing Trucks
 * Series 11 - Thomas and the Big Bang, Skarloey Storms Through, Cool Truckings, Wash Behind Your Buffers and Sir Handel in Charge
 * Series 12 - Mountain Marvel, The Party Surprise , Duncan and the Hot Air Balloon , The Man in the Hills and Push Me, Pull You
 * Series 13 - Steamy Sodor
 * Series 16 - Don't Bother Victor! and The Christmas Tree Express
 * Series 17 - Luke's New Friend and The Switch
 * Series 18 - Disappearing Diesels, Duncan and the Grumpy Passenger, Long Lost Friend , Duncan the Humbug, Emily Saves the World and Samson at Your Service
 * Series 20 - Henry Gets the Express, Bradford the Brake Van, Saving Time and The Missing Breakdown Train
 * Series 21 - Runaway Engine

Specials

 * 2008 - The Great Discovery
 * 2009 - Hero of the Rails
 * 2012 - Blue Mountain Mystery
 * 2013 - King of the Railway
 * 2016 - The Great Race
 * 2017 - Journey Beyond Sodor

Music Videos
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 * Series 4 - Thomas' Anthem Grand Finale, Gone Fishing and The Island Song
 * Series 5 - Night Train, Accidents Will Happen, Every Cloud has a Silver Lining, It's Great to be an Engine, Come for the Ride and Percy's Seaside Trip
 * Series 6 - James the Really Splendid Engine, Little Engines and Winter Wonderland
 * Series 7 - Five New Engines in the Shed and There Once Was an Engine Who Ran Away
 * Series 8 - Determination
 * Series 9 - Buffer Up and Share
 * Jack and the Sodor Construction Company - The Work Song and One Friendly Family
 * Series 10 - Navigation, Responsibility and Strength
 * Series 11 - The Narrow Gauge Engines
 * The Great Discovery - Thomas, You're the Leader
 * Blue Mountain Mystery - Working Together and Blue Mountain Mystery
 * Series 18 - It's Christmas Time and The Best Friends Express
 * Thomas' YouTube World Tour - Never, Never, Never Give Up and The Whistle Song
 * Series 19 - Engine Roll Call
 * The Great Race - Will You Won't You
 * Series 21 - Set Friendship in Motion and Little Engines

Magazine Stories
Rheneas also appeared in the magazine stories, Boat Bother, Duncan Gets Upset, Hello, Skarloey!, Rusty's Plan, The Balloon Race and The Mountain Railway.
 * 1997 - The Colourful Engine
 * 1998 - Really Useful Rusty!
 * 2000 - Creepy Cutting!
 * 2002 - Big Ideas!
 * 2004 - Windsurfing, The Grand Opening and Brave Skarloey
 * 2005 - Water Sport
 * 2006 - Rheneas and the Dinosaur
 * 2007 - Cliff Ride and Works Outing
 * 2008 - Wash Behind Your Buffers!
 * 2009 - Thomas and the Big Bang and The Man in White
 * 2010 - Big Ideas
 * 2011 - The New Works and Flight Sight
 * 2012 - The Fat Controller's Bedtime Story (Issue 645) and Blue Mountain Mystery
 * 2013 - Don't Bother Victor! and Christmas Tree Express
 * 2014 - Edward the Helpful Engine, Whistle-Stop Tour and Flight Sight
 * 2015 - Dusty Rusty and Duncan the Humbug

Annual Stories
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 * 1997 - Skarloey Gets a Scare!
 * 2001 - The Good Old Days

Songs

 * Will You Won't You

Whistles
Between the sixth and twelfth series - as well as at the beginning of A Bad Day For Sir Handel and in some games, including the mobile app Read and Play! - Rheneas has Peter Sam's original whistle.

Trivia

 * Rheneas' name has been pronounced differently in The Railway Series and Thomas & Friends. When Willie Rushton narrated the Railway Series, he pronounced Rheneas' name as Ren-ee-as [ˈrɛ.ni.əs], stressing the first syllable of his name. However, in the television series, his name is pronounced as Re-nay-us [rɪ.ˈnɛj.əs], stressing on the second syllable instead.
 * In the French dub, from the sixth series onward, he was called Phileas.
 * Rheneas is the only one of the original seven narrow gauge engines not to be released in Brio.
 * His 2004 Wooden Railway toy had Sir Handel's face. This is probably because some promo images of Rheneas have Sir Handel’s face mask on.
 * Rheneas holds the reputation of being Misty Island's only narrow gauge visitor and the last engine to visit it.
 * In the Indonesian dub of eleventh series, Rheneas is female.
 * His whistle sound from Blue Mountain Mystery onwards was reused for Luke, but in a different pitch. It was later reused for Gina and Raul in The Great Race onwards, though in slightly different pitches as well. It was later reused for Carlos in Big World! Big Adventures! onwards, but at a different pitch.
 * Ben Small and John Hasler give Rheneas a Welsh accent, reflecting his basis' origins. Both of his voice actors voiced Thomas in the UK dub (Ben Small formerly, John Hasler currently).
 * Rheneas' large scale model is currently on display at the Hara Model Railway Museum in Japan and is wearing his chuckling face.
 * Rheneas' small scale model is currently owned by Twitter user TomsProps and is wearing his unused laughing face.