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The Works Diesel is a character who first appears in the Railway Series-only story "Deep Freeze" when he rescued JamesJames after he broke down. He then appeared in the story "Thomas and the Missing Christmas Tree" as the engine who brought the Christmas tree from the Other Railway for Thomas. His last appearance to date was in the first illustration of "Out of Puff", talking to Gordon. At first, it was unclear if they were one and the same, but Christopher Awdry revealed that the diesel seen in all three books is the "Works Diesel".
He is a friendly engine who lives at Crovan's Gate and does odd jobs around the railway. It is suggested in "James and the Diesel Engines" that he is one of a number of new diesels on the railway.
He is loaned from British Rail, and is based on a Class 47 diesel. "The Works Diesel" is a reader-applied name; he is unnamed in the stories themselves.