Thomas the Tank Engine Wikia
Register
Advertisement
This article is about the narrow-gauge engine. You may be looking for the standard gauge engine, the Story Library book or the Engine Adventures book.

Victor is a dark red narrow gauge tank engine from Cuba who works at the Sodor Steamworks with his assistant, Kevin.

Biography

Victor used to work at the Manuel de Céspedes Sugar Mill in Cuba, until he was transferred to Sodor by boat. During his journey, the chains holding him down snapped. Upon arriving at Brendam Docks, Victor tried to tell the workmen about his problem. However, they could not understand him as he only spoke Spanish and Luke - an engine they had picked up during the journey - was lifted off of the ship first, but he accidentally bumped into Victor, causing him to roll off the deck and into the sea. Although Victor was able to land on a jetty, he was left in the seas for a very long time due to the bad weather. When it cleared out, Victor was finally lifted out of the water and was sent to the Sodor Steamworks. During that time, he decided to learn English and his first word of English was "red," as that was the colour he chose to be repainted in.

Victor now works at the Sodor Steamworks and is always busy finding, delivering or collecting parts and supervising activities around the yard. He works closely with Kevin, whose clumsiness often annoys Victor. He is a wise and friendly engine who is always ready to help his friends, though he does not tolerate any nonsense.

In his first appearance, Victor helped Thomas restore Hiro with the help of Kevin. Victor would leave flatbeds of old engine parts for Thomas and the other engines to bring to Hiro. After the Fat Controller found out about Hiro, he had Victor oversee Hiro's restoration.

Victor has helped to repair many engines, but such work can sometimes overwhelm him. Once he had seven engines awaiting their turn for repairs when he and Kevin were trying to fix some trucks. Victor quickly rearranged the workload and told the other engines to come back later whilst he attended to Gordon.

Until recently, Luke believed that Victor had been scrapped as a result of the damage he had sustained after Luke had accidentally knocked him off the boat. Years later, he finally reunites with Luke and tells him the truth behind the accident, and that he was not to blame.

Victor visits the Skarloey Railway once a week to examine the narrow gauge engines. Once, Peter Sam did not want to bother him prior to his visit, even when Skarloey, Sir Handel and Duncan needed repairs. However, when Peter Sam ran out of coal, he asked Rheneas to get Victor. Victor informed Peter Sam that it is his job to fix engines, so it would not be a bother to ask for his assistance.

In the seventeenth series, Victor allowed Kevin to work at the docks, gave Scruff a makeover and allowed Edward and Henry to sleep at the Steamworks when the turntable at Tidmouth Sheds was frozen.

In the eighteenth series, when Duncan became exceedingly grumpy during the holidays, Victor and Mr. Percival made him a bet; if the Scottish engine could go a whole day without complaining, Victor would give him a new coat of paint before the other engines.

When Kevin got lost in the snow, Victor feared the worst and set out to find him, in spite of his dislike for the snow. He refused to give up the search until he was eventually informed that Kevin was safe and sound back at the Steamworks.

When the Great Railway Show was being held on the Mainland, Victor assisted in preparing the Sudrian contenders for the competitions. He insisted that Gordon wait for the workmen to complete their safety checks after his streamlining, but the big engine refused, eager to compete and see his brother. When Thomas was left behind to be repaired, Victor tried to cheer him up, only for Kevin to reveal that Gordon's safety valve mechanism was not properly reassembled. Knowing the potentially catastrophic results of Gordon racing without a safety valve, Victor insisted that Thomas head to the Show and give it to him. Unfortunately, he was not successful.

Personality

Victor is a charming narrow gauge engine that keeps the Sodor Steamworks operating. He is a busy engine with a winning sense of humour and a heart of gold, which causes him to never get angry easily. He is highly respected among all of the Sodor engines for helping to sort their repairs and see to their needs. He is very friendly, can often put a smile on an engine's smokebox, and will often help guide an engine where he feels it may be to their benefit. Victor also has a firm manner when something needs to be sorted and stands no nonsense from naughty steam engines or lurking diesel engines. He takes his work very seriously and takes great pride in helping to maintain the service of the Steamworks. In his time, Victor has helped restore, repair and repaint many of Sodor's locomotives and he keeps the Steamworks a welcoming, bustling, hospitable environment. He keeps a keen, watchful eye over Kevin the crane, who assists him in the works' operations. Kevin's clumsiness and antics may cause Victor bother and disturbance, but Victor is fond of Kevin and glad to have him as part of the team. Due to coming from a warm country, he has a deep hatred of snow, but he was able to overcome this when Kevin was in danger.

Technical Details

Basis

Victor is based on Minaz No. 1173, an 0-4-0ST+PT locomotive built by Baldwin Locomotive Works that worked at the Carlos Manuel de Céspedes Sugar Mill in Cuba. The engine carried water in its saddle tank and oil in its side tanks. It was in poor condition and withdrawn after 1993. 1173 was rescued from Céspedes on 3 August 2012. From there it was transferred to the Patria Sugar Mill Museum where it was repainted and put on display with other engines rescued from Céspedes and other sugar mills.

As the Sodor Steamworks is based on high profile locomotive works (such as Crewe, Doncaster, and Darlington), Victor is also based on the narrow gauge locomotives that lived there, delivering parts to different departments. So, while Victor's prototype is standard gauge, he - like the high profile works locos - is narrow gauge.

Livery

Victor was originally painted in bright yellow with aqua blue lining and was numbered 1173. After falling into the sea and getting rescued, the first English word he learned was "red", because that was the colour he wanted to wear from that point on, so he was repainted dark red with yellow lining and black and yellow hazard stripes on his front buffer beam; the black and yellow hazard stripes on the rear of his cab are above his rear buffer beam. The Sodor Steamworks logo is painted on the sides of his cab.

Appearances

Thomas & Friends

Specials

Music Videos

Storytime

Magazine Stories

Annual Stories

  • 2013 - The Biggest Present of All (does not speak)

Audio Files

Whistles

First used Last used Sound Effect
Series 15 Active

In the early version of the Guess Who? Puzzles segment and the mobile game app, Race On! Victor was formerly portrayed with the Rainbow Sun's whistle.[4]

First used Last used Sound Effect
Guess Who? Puzzles Race On!

In the mobile game apps Magical Tracks, Thomas & Friends: MINIS, and the 2018 update for Go Go Thomas!, Victor has Peter Sam's Series 4 and Rheneas' Series 6-12 whistle sound at four steps lower in pitch, which sounds very similar to his own whistle.

First used Last used Sound Effect
Magical Tracks Go Go Thomas! (2018 version)

From Thomas Game Pack to Quarry Find, as well as some merchandise, Victor has an alternate whistle.

First used Last used Sound Effect
Thomas Game Pack Quarry Find

Trivia

  • Victor is one of the very few steam engines in the series to be an oil burner.
  • Victor is also the first Hispanic character, with Hector having a hispanic accent in the US dub of Series 12.
  • In the UK dub of the thirteenth to sixteenth series, Victor and Kevin had the same voice actor. However, Victor also had a Spaniard sound-a-like accent before his voice was changed to his US actor in "Blue Mountain Mystery" so that it could reflect his basis' origin.
  • Victor is the only narrow gauge engine owned by the North Western Railway and the only one to be seen using a snowplough and to appear in every CGI season.
  • Victor is the first engine to speak a language other than English (said language being Spanish, though it was changed to Greek in the Spanish, Brazilian and French versions). Other engines who are also shown to speak different languages, include Millie, Daisy (at least somewhat), Axel, Etienne and Carlos.
    • His voice actor David Bedella is fluent in Spanish in real life.
  • In his original yellow livery, Victor has the same number (1173) as his basis.
  • In the nineteenth series, Victor gained a tail lamp.
  • Victor is the first narrow gauge engine to appear in the CGI series.
  • Victor is a narrow gauge engine, but his basis is a standard gauge engine. This was done to make it easier for him to go around tight turns and through small spaces at the Steamworks.
  • As he has been scaled down to narrow gauge, Victor's cab is smaller than his basis. And when standing, his crew's eye level is higher than the top of his windows. As a result, Victor has rarely been seen with his crew entering or exiting his cab.
  • Victor currently has the most merchandise of any narrow gauge engine.
  • Victor was the last engine to be released in the My First Thomas range.
  • Victor's whistle is based on the LMS Black 5 class which is known to be Henry's basis.

Quotes

“Hello, I'm Victor. At the Sodor Steamworks, we'll have you repaired in no time, to keep the Island of Sodor steaming along.”
― Victor's website audio

Merchandise

References



--- Dropped | * 1991-1994 maps only | ** 2014 map only
International Characters

* RWS only | ** T&F only | ✦ Changed location
Advertisement