Kwaku is a large Garratt engine from Tanzania. He is close friends with Nia.
Biography[]
Thomas & Friends[]
Kwaku once had to bring a goods train to Dar es Salaam Docks and was present when Ace and the other rally cars were racing around the dockyard. He met up with Nia and Thomas when the two brought a goods train to Dar es Salaam and he took the time to catch up on recent events with Nia. Kwaku was last seen hauling another goods train when the Fat Controller had arrived at Dar es Salaam trying to find Thomas, with the former having little to no luck[1].
Stories From Sodor[]
The Search for the Missing Friends[]
Thomas first introduced Jacob to Kwaku when the former two came to visit Africa on their trip around the world[2].
International Friends Near and Far[]
Later, Kwaku and Zane became overwhelmed with work when there was a lot of it at Dar es Salaam Docks[3]. Then, Delilah and Prudence brought a heavy goods train to Dar es Salaam, and the two quickly became friends with Zane and Kwaku[4].
Personality[]
Kwaku is a kind and friendly engine with a good sense of humour. He is good friends with Nia and was aware that she had lost her engine shed and had nowhere else to go. He was shown to be sympathetic before asking Nia about her shed. Like Nia, he is always making sure that his friends' boiler, wheels and any other engine parts are in good working order and that they are being treated well.
Basis[]
Kwaku is based on the East African Railways (EAR) 59 class, a class of 4-8-2+2-8-4 oil-fired Garratt engines built by Beyer, Peacock and Company, which entered service in 1955-56. These were the largest, heaviest and most powerful steam engines to operate on any metre gauge railway in the world and were the mainstay of freight services from Mombasa to Nairobi until the 1970s. Two surviving engines, No. 5918 Mount Gelai and No. 5930 Mount Shengena, are preserved by the Nairobi Railway Museum in Nairobi, Kenya.
Kwaku has been partially modified from his original basis. Whereas his class is metre gauge, Kwaku has been scaled up to standard gauge. Additionally, he has been fitted with buffers and screw-link couplings, allowing him to work with British rolling stock.
Livery[]
Kwaku is painted red with light yellow lining. His cylinders are painted black with red lining.
Trivia[]
- His name is an Akan name for people born on a Wednesday.
- A reference sheet for Percy's model in The Great Little Railway Show reveals that Kwaku was originally named Polo.[5]
References[]
- ↑ T&F.Sp.14."Big World! Big Adventures!"
- ↑ SFS.Sp.10."The Search for the Missing Friends"
- ↑ SFS.IFNAF.03."A Busy Day at Dar es Salaam"
- ↑ SFS.IFNAF.04."New Friends From Africa"
- ↑ https://twitter.com/SeaSwine9/status/1426524771936874496
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