Donald

Donald is a Scottish engine that works on the North Western Railway. He is the 9th engine to arrive on Sodor and managed to bring his brother Douglas over in order to save him from scrap.

Biography
Donald worked in Scotland alongside his twin brother Douglas from the minute the two were built. The two are considered twins because Donald is a mere 35 minutes older than Douglas. In 1959, Donald and Douglas grew increasingly concerned with the number of diesels on the railway. These suspicions turned to reality when Donald was sold to the North Western Railway and Douglas was set to be scrapped. In an act of bravery, Donald made the decision to smuggle his twin over to Sodor in order to save him from scrap. Donald told Douglas to play dumb and act as if both of them were ordered. They both numbered themselves 9 and 10 for this reason. Upon their arrival, they were both put on trial. Donald assured his twin that if everything went to plan, they'd both be staying on Sodor. During their trial, a brakevan named Dimitri had been rude to Douglas and caused him to be late. Donald bumped him for his mischief but was scolded by Duck for it.

However, after putting the brake coach at the front of the express train, Douglas was worried that he'd be sent away. Donald decided to take the blame and have them swap tenders. This plan saw little success as the Fat Controller caught on easily. The Fat Controller then forced a confession out of Douglas, who admitted he was supposed to be sent for scrap. The Fat Controller promised to try and keep both twins on the railway, but stated there was little he could do.

A few days later, Donald crashed into a signalbox at the yard, which left the Fat Controller perplexed as to what to do. Douglas joined him in the works that night where Donald began to vent his frustrations on the current state of British Railways and the mistreatment of sentient vehicles. Donald believed that sentient vehicles were much more than just machines, and that they should have their own individual rights. Donald returned home from the works the next day to find the yard in complete chaos. The police were at the sheds after Douglas accidentally killed Dimitri the Brakevan. Donald watched as his twin was arrested alongside Henry and James. He and the other engines were then informed that three new diesels would be coming to Sodor on trial.

Donald met the three diesels a few weeks later, and after a few days, became increasingly suspicious of them. He followed them to Knapford Station where his suspicions proved to be correct, but was caught by Diesel 10 and dragged to Crovan's Gate Works. He remained there as Thomas, Edward, James, Percy, and Toby were captured as well. They were initially held hostage by Diesel, however, Edward managed to convince him to set them free. Diesel left the works and the engines unattended. Gordon managed to set them free soon after and Donald took an injured Toby to hide on the old Kirk Ronan Branchline. He then joined Thomas, Edward, Gordon, and Oliver in chasing Diesel 10. Donald assisted Gordon and Oliver after crossing the Vicarstown Bridge. After returning to Sodor, Donald and Douglas were both recognized as official members of the North Western Railway and their nameplates were inscribed on their boilers.

Personality
Donald is often seen as the more mature, stable twin when compared to Douglas. He is much more confident and has an easier time controlling his emotions. Donald has passionate opinions about the rights of sentient vehicles and feels that they have been mistreated for far too long.

Basis
Donald is based on a Caledonian Railway (CR) McIntosh 812 Class 0-6-0 goods engine.

Livery
Donald is painted in a black livery with a yellow number 9 with red lining and red and white lining on his tender. His nameplate is red and yellow that is placed on the middle of his boiler.

Season 1

 * Sodor Then and Now 9: The Caledonian Engines (S1, E9)
 * Sodor Then and Now 10: Boomer's Reign (S1, E10)

Trivia

 * Donald was initially going to appear on his own in a very old production when GTSH did not own Douglas.
 * Donald's model is the Hit Toys Donald from 2006 whereas Douglas' model is the Trackmaster 2012 Douglas.
 * Donald's model is missing the small black cylinder where the coupling hook goes on the back of his cab. His coupling is held together with duct tape.
 * GTSH prefers Donald over Douglas.
 * In an original cut of Boomer's Reign, Donald was going to get extremely injured which would've set off Douglas.
 * A deleted scene of the Boomer's Reign final draft saw Donald fighting Splatter and Dodge before being knocked out by Diesel 10. The scene was never filmed.
 * Donald wasn't added into the final chase until the very final draft of Boomer's Reign.
 * Donald (and Douglas) are GTSH's second favorite characters.