Leno

Leno
Number: 50700, previously 1700 and 10700 Class: L&Y Class 5 Designer: John Aspinall Build date: 1890 Configuration: 2-4-2T Arrived on the DR: 1965

Leno is an old tank engine who lives on the Dark Railway.

Bio

Leno was built in 1890 at Horwich Works. Not much is known about his life prior to the 1960s, but in 1965 after a service life of 75 years, he was withdrawn by British Railways, causing him to retreat to the south where he learned that steam was still used.

Eventually, Leno ended up at Colhapper, where he was discovered by Colin and Eddie, who were there on unrelated business. The two engines took pity on him and brought him back to the Dark Railway. Unfortunately, at this point, the DR was in a financial crisis, and the engines had to pretend that Leno had been sent as a gift by BR, though Mr. Dark saw through it straight away. Leno was asked to take a train to Soma, but as he reached the viaduct, he stopped having run out of boiler pressure. Theo and Otto also took pity on him, and offered to assist him back to Galen Junction, but Leno once again failed on the way. Mr. Dark decided that he could not afford to repair Leno and arranged for a diesel to take him away. At the last minute, however, Theo and Otto obtained a large sum of money from an anonymous donor, allowing Mr. Dark to have Leno repaired and purchased outright. Leno was quickly sent to the works and repaired, which included the fitting of a new boiler which raised steam quickly.

Leno was soon assigned to work on the Soma branch line, though he sometimes ventured out onto the main line as well. When Cammer arrived on the railway, he became more exclusively used on the passenger shuttles between Galen Junction and Soma. He helped to show Owen what to do when he arrived at Soma, and ended up accidentally revealing to Eddie the truth about Colin and his sister, Ellie.

Leno returned to traffic in 1969, plying his trade on the Soma Branch again as a passenger locomotive. He later comforted Owen after Theo and Otto picked on him one day. After a fire at Galen Junction resulted in the deaths of Colin, Cammer, and Owen, Leno began investigating the cause of the fire and quickly deduced that the blaze was caused by dynamite stolen from Soma a few days prior. Leno was the only engine not to pester Five about the developments at the Junction and defended him when Theo and Otto tried threatening him with their Tau Cannon. To his surprise, Leno was chosen to go on temporary display in the new Galen Junction Railway Museum, where he loved telling visitors the stories of his past. When Andy arrived on the railway and started working on the Soma branch, Leno feared that he would be out of a job, but his fears were put to rest after talking with the new arrival.

In 1975, Leno was placed on loan to the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway, close to where he worked during his working life. He worked the line's vintage train and was commended to his handling of the line's gradients. Whilst there, he encountered Repulse on a mainline charter and was stunned to realise she had assumed Leanne's identity. He returned to the DR in 1978 and was quickly persuaded to keep quiet about Repulse by Barry. After learning that his job had been taken over by Goose in his absence, the pair spoke to their owners and it was agreed to have them share the shuttles between them. Leno was also given a new role as the line's inspection engine, complete with a new set of coaches for the job.

Persona

Leno is very straightforward and wise, and always has time to listen to the other engines and give them meaningful advice. He gets along with almost any engine he meets, but did have a fear of diesels for a time, seeing as they are the reason that he had been withdrawn (in his eyes).

Livery

Leno is currently painted in British Railways lined black with the late crest. When first built, he wore L&Y lined black, then LMS unlined black. By the time he arrived at the Dark Railway, he was painted in BR lined black with the early crest. He once again carried L&YR black between 1970 and 1978.

Basis

Leno is based on a Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Aspinall Class 5 2-4-2 Tank with a saturated (none-superheated) boiler.

Appearances

The Dark Railway Series

Episodes:

• Series 3 - Poor Leno, Super 8, Who Goes There? and Revenge of the Forgotten
• Series 4 - Cammer, Colin and Cows (does not speak), Owen's Woes and Instant Crush
• Series 5 - What a Catch! (does not speak), Abomination (cameo), Haunted Hannah, Ed and Sid and Claim to Fame
• Series 6 - Ouverture, Trepid (cameo), Fustercluck, Ed, Ed and Eddie (does not speak), Plunk 'n Bang, Asphalt Assault (mentioned), Burnin' (mentioned) and The Prime Time of your Life
• Series 7 - Futura, Smashing! (mentioned), The Road to Colhapper, Ey Up?, Mothership Reconnection, Rollerskate Disco, What a Clarence! (cameo) and The Man in Overalls (cameo)
• Series 8 - Revolution 909, Face to Face, Short Circuit, Autumn (mentioned) and Outro (mentioned)
• Series 9 - 9 (mentioned), Rock Shock (mentioned) and Meanwhile...
• Series 11 - The Times, Relations (cameo), Quatro (mentioned), Puppets, Further (mentioned), Sundowner (mentioned) and The Brickenkopf
• Series 12 - Outrage, High Fidelity and Eternal Feedback

Specials:

• The Aspergers Flyer
• You Bang Snowploughs

Trivia

• Leno has an unusual wheel arrangement, being a 2-4-2 tank engine.
• Leno is named after the Royksopp song "Poor Leno", which is also the name of the episode that he makes his first appearance in.
• Leno has a keen interest in Thermodynamic Sciences, hence how he struck up such a good friendship with Theo and Otto (who are also keen on science and technology).
• Leno's number is entirely fictional, having never been assigned to a real British Railways engine. This makes him unique for having a wholly fictional BR number in the series.
• Leno is the oldest locomotive on the Dark Railway, but is not the longest serving. That honour goes to Theo and Otto, who are three years younger, but have lived on the DR all of their lives.
• Leno's temporary departure from the series in Series 9 was due to the news that Caledonia Works were creating a new L&YR Class 5 model. When the model was completed, he returned to the series in Series 11.
• Leno’s L&YR & BR numbers are fictional, but his LMS number, 10700, was actually carried by a class 5 tank engine in real life.