Thomas & Friends number 3 engine is Henry. He's a big green engine similar to Gordon. Henry is a major core character in Thomas and Friends stories going right back to The Railway Series. But for some reason Henry is given short service in the thomas toy line. In the Thomas movie The Adventure Begins the important early design of Henry and storyline is ignored. There was a time when Henry No3 looked identical to Gordon No4, but a railway accident saw Henry rebuilt to the modern Henry we know today. The original look of Henry and his conversion to blue is something that is rarely examined apart from a 60th Anniversary Thomas Wooden Railway Henry that pulls all sorts of different prices on e-bay. My toy investigation into Henry started after meeting a small boy at St Lukes 2016 train show. This boy asked me if I had a Trackmaster Classic Henry. This video is my look over the Henry toys I could find in my Thomas toys collection and how difficult it was for me to find more Henry toy trains. I only have one Trackmaster 2 Henry and I feel it's the most difficult engine to find. But why? I could go out and buy literally hundreds of Toby's, Percy and Thomas but the larger engines can be very tricky to find. I haul all my Henry collection together and I feel the best person to own these is the boy who so politely asked me for a Trackmaster Classic Henry. And in true leokimvideo style I find more than just Henry Thomas toys to make this an awesome surprise prize after a 6 month wait for me to make it happen. The small boy now has my Henry's and I'm certain they went to the perfect person who will look after them forever.
Henry is an LMS Stanier 5MT mixed traffic engine. Originally the hybrid shape of an GNR A1 Pacific and a GNR C1 Atlantic, and a poor steamer, Henry was rebuilt into his current shape in 1935. He is a kind engine, but can sometimes be moody or worrisome. In The Railway Series Henry was vain and stopped in the Ballahoo Tunnel and refused to come out, citing that his paintwork would be spoiled by the rain. After several attempts to move him failed, he was bricked up in the tunnel until Gordon broke down while pulling the Express. As Edward was unable to move the train himself, the Fat Controller offered to let Henry out of the tunnel to help. Henry eagerly accepted.
Henry performed very well and the Fat Controller promised him a new coat of paint, since Henry's existing paintwork had been spoiled more by his stay in the tunnel than it would have been by the rain. Henry asked to be painted blue like Edward. However, many people confused him with Gordon, to the bigger engine's annoyance. The matter was worsened after a trip to the Works when Henry was given spares of Gordon's buffers. Sometime before 1935, Henry, when again offered new paint, chose green and so ended the Gordon/Henry confusion. It would be epic if the real story of Henry being blue was explored in todays Thomas stories and have toys that reflect this change. Sure it would cause confusion and delay but that's all part of the fun. If James can be black, surely Henry can turn blue.
Web Links :
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_t...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rai...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_...