- "Don't be so happy. It might replace us."
- — Sunshine in a early draft of the first episode
A diesel-powered tugboat can be seen under construction at Lucky's Yard. In the first few episodes, he only appeared as a hull frame. As the series progressed, he became a red oxide hull.
Biography[]
The production team had planned to flesh out the diesel tug with concepts having been drawn up by Paul Knight.
According to Chris Lloyd, he was disliked by the steam tugs, who feared the thought of a new diesel tug. [1]
An outline featured in the documentary Tugs: A Bigg Retrospective goes into more detail on the planned plotline, with the various Star Tugs expressing differing opinions: O.J. views Diesel Tug as a sign of progress, capable of pulling even larger barges; Warrior fears they will all be scrapped because one tug will be able to do the jobs of three or four; Big Mac does not understand the differences in their engines; Sunshine hopes he will be fun to work with; Top Hat thinks a diesel tugboat lacks style; and Ten Cents is just curious about the equipment that is getting added to the tug. The finale would have seen the Diesel Tug launched and going away for sea trials.
Basis[]
Going by his model blueprints, the completed diesel tug would have been based on H.C. Jefferson in terms of design. H.C. Jefferson was a diesel tugboat built in 1937 for the Curtis Bay Towing Company and then became apart of the Moran Fleet (the basis for the Z-Stacks) in 1958.
In 1991, H.C. Jefferson was renamed J.R. Martin and sunk by its owners as an artificial reef.
Appearances[]
Episodes[]
- Sunshine (wooden frame)
- Pirate (wooden frame)
- Regatta (2/3rds red hull covered in tarp)
- Munitions (red hull)
- High Tide (2/3rds red hull covered in tarp)
- Quarantine (red hull)
- Ghosts (red hull)
- Jinxed (red hull covered with tarps on both ends)
- High Winds (red hull)
Trivia[]
- The diesel tug was originally meant to be a recurring subplot in Season 1, with characters mentioning it throughout the span of a year in conjunction with its construction under way. He was described by designer Paul Knight in Tugs: A Bigg Retrospective as a herald of the eventual replacement of steam tugs with diesel tugs.
- Though never depicted on the show itself, the diesel tug was built as a completed vessel without a face. According to Jeremy King, his model was fully painted in a red oxide color, likely representing an undercoat. [1]
- The diesel tug's model was built with the ability to split into various subsections to represent his construction during the series.
- On both the concept art and a prototype hat, the character is labelled as "Deisel Tug".
- In Regatta, when a tarp is removed from Zorran's timber barge, a large silver engine is seen next to it. Fans have speculated that the timber and engine were for the Diesel tug, and Zorran's subdued personality later in the series was from helping to build the steam tugs' replacement.
- The Diesel Tug's engine (mentioned above) appeared in the Thomas & Friends episodes Diesel Does it Again (in a truck full of scrap) and Tender Engines (in a truck).
- His face was based on American singer Elvis Presley.
Gallery[]
Television Series[]
Promotional Material[]
Behind the Scenes[]
