TTTE - Donald and Douglas

Donald and Douglas are Scottish twin engines. They are often described as "practical, peppery, and proud", but despite their maturity, they enjoy playing practical jokes and have been known to impersonate one another in the past. They were fitted with nameplates to specifically end this element of their humour.

Donald and Douglas are very able workers, strong performers and handle any task well. They are fully capable of being firm with the other big engines, such as Gordon and Henry, and even the Troublesome Trucks know better than to try their tricks on them. They are both used to harsh winter conditions too. Coupled back to back, with a coach between their tenders, they are very capable of patrolling the lines, clearing them of the snow. The twins both pull their weight on the Main Line and both Duck and Edward's branch lines. They can enjoy a joke with any engine. They are happy to act as the brawn of the Fat Controller's steam-driven goods haulers. While both are smart, Donald tends to be the charming, witty, happy-go-lucky joker whereas Douglas is the quick-thinking, calmer-natured one of the pair. Both display a keen sense of wit and the pair usually get to have the last laugh, more often taking the moral high ground. But that does not mean they will not be just a little bit smug about it when a deserving engine meets their comeuppance.

Donald and Douglas hate to be parted from each other, but, like most twins, they occasionally have their argumentative feuds among themselves and can squabble with one another. Also, Donald and Douglas used to have a strong resentment of diesels. But over time their resentment for diesels has softened and they appeared to have grown accustomed to their diesel companions.

Donald and Douglas were built together in Scotland and work together practically all the time. When the Fat Controller needed a goods engine, he ordered Donald. To his surprise, two engines arrived instead. Donald's twin, Douglas, could not stand to be separated from his brother, and he was smart enough to realise that he would eventually be scrapped if he stayed in Scotland. This caused the Fat Controller to keep both until he could determine which engine was freeloading on his hospitality.

Both engines resolved to give outstanding service so that the Fat Controller would want to keep both of them. This plan quickly went to pieces, however, after Donald crashed into a signal box at Tidmouth and Douglas accidentally destroyed a Spiteful Brake Van, who had caused trouble for him earlier.

Despite all this grief, the twins' professionalism, competency, strong work ethic and personable natures had begun to win them support, particularly when they demonstrated an aptitude for snowplough work that they had learned in Scotland. After rescuing Henry from just such a snowy ordeal, the other engines came over to Donald and Douglas' side which ultimately led to the engines of Sodor taking industrial action. After a suggestion by Edward and being pushed into it by Gordon, Percy was presented to the Fat Controller as a deputation to argue the twins' case on their behalf and pleading that if they were sent away, they would be scrapped. Although the Fat Controller did not approve or appreciate them trying to interfere with his decision-making, he understood the engines' feelings upon the matters of saving steam engines and scrapping in general. In the end, Percy's statement and the twins' excellent performance was enough for the Fat Controller to take pity on the twins and keep both. He demonstrated this intent with an offer of a fresh coat of paint for both engines, as well as giving them both nameplates to avoid any more confusion.

Eventually, Douglas helped save Oliver and Toad from the prospect of scrap. The Fat Controller soon found out about this, and ge arranged for the two to be repaired and painted in Great Western colours.

After Donald teased Duck about his "quacking", Duck's crew got a humorous payback by slipping a small duckling into Donald's tender. When discovered, the duckling became friends with Donald and his crew and eventually settled down at Tidmouth Hault, where a small pond was nearby. She was named Dilly by the stationmaster, but she is known to everyone else as Donald's duck.

The twins work together practically all the time, but they sometimes fall out with each other. This was shown when the two crashed into Trevor's hay cart. Donald accused Douglas of pushing him into the cart while Douglas accused Donald of pulling him. The twins refused to speak to each other for the rest of the day, leading to Donald taking the opportunity to help Duck at the Sodor Ironworks so as to get away from Douglas. While Douglas missed his twin and was ready to make up, Donald began to experience lapses of incompetence and demanded an apology. Eventually, Donald was not looking where he was going and crashed through some buffers into a ditch. As soon as Douglas heard from Duck that Donald was in trouble, he immediately rushed over to help his twin and the two engines made up.

Later, Callan Castle was to be reopened by Lord Callan and Donald and Douglas took some equipment up to the castle. The two argued whether or not the monster inside the lake existed. Unfortunately for the twins, a landslide occurred and the two became stranded. The Fat Controller promised help, but soon night came. The twins saw a shape moving towards them on the causeway and were petrified until they realised it was only Harvey who had come to help with a Breakdown Train. Soon, the twins got their equipment to the castle on time and Lord Callan called them Really Useful engines.

Once, some points were jammed and Gordon was sent to pick up the engineer to mend them. Unfortunately, Gordon instead picked up a carpenter. He tried to reverse to Abbey hoping to collect the engineer, but Douglas was in the way. Gordon decided that Douglas should go to Wellsworth which was where Donald was and that Donald go to Maron to collect the engineer and bring him to Douglas to bring him back to Gordon. The plan was carried out and the points were fixed; Gordon thanked the twins for helping him.

Afterwards, Harvey was sent to help the twins after a tree had been knocked down. Thomas, however, misunderstood the situation and accidentally sent Harvey the wrong way. Thomas was proud of himself for being so helpful until he saw that Donald and Douglas were stuck and needed Harvey's help. He found Harvey and gave him the correct directions needed to help the twins. Thanks to Thomas and Harvey, the line was cleared, and the twins were on their way.

The twins later helped with the construction of the Harwick Branch Line, delivering most of the heavy construction materials. When Douglas went over the unstable trackbed that hid the tunnel into Calles Cavern, it began to crack, and the workmen only just stopped Donald from going over it. A little while later, the twins witnessed Rocky lifting Captain Calles' Pirate Ship out of the cavern and helped deliver it to Arlesburgh Harbour. They later attended the branch line's opening ceremony.

Once, they had to clear snow from the tracks during winter, but they kept arguing over which tracks to clear next. Douglas was accidentally separated from his tender and left behind by Donald, who eventually found him in a siding with some help from Toby.

Donald and Douglas were among the engines who asked the Fat Controller to take them to the Great Railway Show, but they were not chosen.

Another snowy day, they had to take a large shipment of pipes to Vicarstown and Emily came along to help. During the journey, Douglas told Emily about some of Donald's accidents and she began laughing which Donald could hear echoing through the pipes. Irritated, Donald stopped the train and got Douglas to take his place at the front. As they continued, Donald began telling Emily about Douglas' accidents, until Douglas stopped the train on Gordon's Hill and demanded that he and his brother swap back. With both twins uncoupled and busy squabbling and bumping each other, Emily was left holding the train on her own. They did not notice till too late that Emily and the train were slipping back down the hill - to make matters worse, a lump of coal shaken out of Donald's tender by a bump from Douglas had formed a giant snowball, which knocked Emily off the rails. Donald and Douglas instantly began arguing whose fault the accident was until Emily cut in and scolded them both for their behaviour. After Harvey had cleared away the mess, both twins took the rear of the train while Emily took the front and they reached Vicarstown without any further trouble.

Donald and Douglas were later seen at Knapford Station with Philip, Diesel, Emily, Gordon, Duck, Henry, James, Edward, Percy, Daisy, Oliver, Toby, and the Thin Controller to welcome Thomas and his newest friend, Nia, to Sodor, following the pair's adventure around the world.