Derek is September's
Engine of the Month

Derek is a dark green Paxman Diesel, who was brought to Sodor to help Bill and Ben in the quarry. Because he was new, he suffered from 'Teething Troubles', which often resulted in his engine overheating due to a bad cooling system and breaking down. He considered this a setback, especially when his engine failed whilst helping Bill and Ben pull a train. Luckily, Bill and Ben prevailed, and Derek was mended. Upon discovering Derek's friendliness, Bill and Ben were happy when he returned from the Works.

Class 17 was a class of British Railways diesel locomotives. It was ordered as a successor to the pilot scheme Type 1 locomotives, fitted with a centre cab. This class was probably the least successful of any type, as the long bonnets in each direction gave the driver poor visibility and the Paxman 6ZHXL gave unreliable performance (overall reliability was around 60%). Withdrawals started in the late 1960s and the final locomotives were withdrawn in 1971.

• DVD: Calling All Engines – cameo appearance

• TV Episode: Double Teething Trouble

RC2 Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway Derek Engine