Rusty is a diesel who does maintainence work on the Skarloey Railway. He speaks with a Welsh accent.
Bio[]
Rusty was built by Ruston and Hornsby in 1954 and came to Sodor in 1955 to help Sir Handel and Peter Sam and do maintainence work while Skarloey and Rheneas were being repaired.
When Sir Handel claimed to be ill in 1958, Rusty promised to follow after Peter Sam with Sir Handel's trucks. He later helped Peter Sam away from the wreckage of the slate trucks.
After a bridge was found to have been swept away in 1962, Rusty took workmen to repair it.
Rusty was present at Skarloey and Rheneas' 100th birthday in 1965. In 1984, Rusty took workmen up the line to clear the rails of brambles.
As Fred was supposedly sick in 1996, Rusty had to pull the weedkiller train.
Persona[]
Rusty is usually helpful and kind, but initially refused to help Duncan after he derailed. He is occasionally impatient, careless and prone to procrastination.
Basis[]
Rusty is based on the Talyllyn Railway's Midlander.
Livery[]
In RWS, Rusty is painted charcoal-black with gold lining.
Rusty is painted orange with his name and the number "5" painted on his side in white.
Voice Actor[]
- Matt Wilkinson (UK/US (Blue Mountain Mystery onwards))
Trivia[]
- A major continuity error occurred in the original American broadcasts of the 9th season, where Rusty was referred to as female by Michael Brandon. While Rusty was clearly slated as being male in the original books, not once in the television series had he been referred to in gender-specific terms until then. Nonetheless, the two episodes that contained this error, Tuneful Toots and Duncan & the Old Mine, were edited for their DVD releases, now identifying Rusty as male.
- Rusty is actually named after his makers, Ruston and Hornsby, not his orange colour.
- The original Wooden Railway model of Rusty was first released with a white cab roof. When he was re-released, he gained the correct black roof.
- Rusty receives a two-tone horn and air vents added his sides.