Railway Series History
Sir Handel can be badly behaved at times and is very prone to temper tantrums when he does not get his own way. He has also been known on at least two occasions to pretend to be ill in order to avoid work, but this usually backfires on him. He is not popular with the trucks because he always bumps them regardless of how they behave, and they often play tricks on him. Generally, he feels that he should only pull coaches with bogies.
He was originally called Falcon and lived on the Mid Sodor Railway with Duke and Stuart. When the railway closed, he and Stuart were sold to the Sodor Aluminium Company, and then later to the Skarloey Railway, where he was renamed and given a red coat of paint.
He had problems with staying on the track, so he was fitted with a set of wheels with wide tyres, nicknamed "steamroller wheels" by the other engines. He was taken to pieces for a television programme when he pretended to be ill. Later, he was sent to the Talyllyn Railway in Wales when one of their engines needed repairs. Most recently, he caused trouble for the Thin Controller by deliberately damaging his firebox.
Sir Handel was renamed after the founding member of the Skarloey Railway, and does not get on well with either trucks or coaches (although he eventually befriended some in the original books and TV series).
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