Pre-Sodor numbering

[JLK2707]

Did Thomas, Edward, Henry, Percy, Toby, Duck, Donald and Douglas, Oliver, Daisy and BoCo have numbers before coming to Sodor? If so, what were their numbers? Also, what colour was Thomas before arriving on Sodor?

[panniertankboy8751]

Thomas, Edward, Henry, Percy, Gordon, and James all received their numbers in 1951, when Henry the Green Engine was released. Prior to that, it's implied they would have had numbers, but they're never revealed to us (as far as I know). Toby would have carried the number ranging in the 130s in GER days and 71-- in LNER days. The date he was built determines what the blank numbers would be. Duck and Oliver carried their G.W.R numbers; 5741 and 1436 respectively. Donald and Douglas would have carried their numbers from BR; 57646 and 57647, again respectively. Daisy seems to have arrived with no number and was numbered D1 on Sodor. BoCo arrived with D5702 as is BR number before being renumbered D2. As for Thomas' livery when arriving on the Island, it probably would have been in LBSCR Black with what I would say yellow letting on his side tanks like this.

Hope this helps!

[MilwaukeeRoadfan261]

Henry wouldn't have had a number before coming to Sodor as he was (like Gordon) an experimental engine and didn't receive a number. How ever unlike Gordon, Henry was built by the most likely the Midland Railway sometime around 1919 or 1920 from plans stolen from Sir Herbert Nigel Gresley (who had designed Gordon) for a hybrid Ivatt C1/Gresley A1 4-6-0 (or 4-4-2 or 4-6-2 depending on the illustrations as the early Railway Series illustrations had Henry depicted as a 4-6-0, 4-6-2 and 4-4-2 of which a 4-4-2 was what Henry was supposed to be according to the Rev W Awdry or his son Christopher) and was flawed in his design (the firebox being the culprit). And as an experiment and a flawed engine, Henry wouldn't have been given a number and was sold to the NWR in 1922. Gordon wouldn't have had a number either as he was an experimental engine as well and was sold to the NWR around a year after Henry after the grouping in 1923 which created the LNER, LMS, GWR and Southern Railways. Not much is known about Edward's life before Sodor so no one really knows what his number would have been prior to arriving on the NWR. James is like Edward, not much known about his history before Sodor including his number. And Percy wouldn't have had a number before Sodor as he was purchased by the NWR only a couple years after he was built (having been built sometime between 1928 and 1932 and purchased by the NWR in 1935 from a workshop somewhere) otherwise Percy's history in the years between him being built and being purchased by the NWR are unknown.

[Blackfive1994]

So far for pre-Sodor Numbers:

Thomas: 70, noting 70th anniversary
Duck: 5741
Donald: 57646
Douglas: 57647
Oliver: 1436

anymore, just quote.