Neil (S&M No. 2)
Neil is a small green tank engine with an unusual box shape and no cab. He is based on the early shunting engines seen in the 1860s around Northern England. He has a Scottish accent.
Neil appears in the book Very Old Engines, helping Skarloey off his truck after the little engine first arrived on the Island by ship. (The story is told by Skarloey as a memory of 100 years previous). Skarloey said Neil was ugly but kind, and they soon became friends. Little more is known about him.
In Christopher Awdry's book Sodor: Reading Between the Lines, he states that Neil's class is unknown. However, Neil strongly resembles a Neilson "box tank". This was a simple and robust class of engine built in Glasgow and sold all over the world. This would explain both his name and his accent.
Read more about this topic: The Sodor & Mainland Railway, Locomotives