Bill and Ben. The lack of Railway Series pictures means that we had to use this one from the TV Show.
Bill & Ben are twin tank engines who work for the Sodor China Clay Company, who ordered their construction. They are painted yellow, have four wheels each and have their names attached to their sides on brown nameplates. Apart from their nameplates, they are absolutely identical—which can be confusing to engines who don't know them well.
They are much smaller than the engines of the North Western Railway due to having to regularly pass under a narrow clearance on their private line.
They arrived in 1948 when the China Clay Works at Brendam first opened, according to The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways, but were first written about in 1966. They are young and cheeky and love playing jokes on any engine that happen to be passing by, but are kept in order by Edward and BoCo.
The extraction of China Clay ceases during winter, so the twins are lent to help the Fat Controller's engines to keep the Clay Works' income flowing. They have also gone to Crovans Gate Works on separate occasions for repairs.
Bill & Ben are based on two 0-4-0 tank engines built by Bagnall's of Stafford. They worked at Par in Cornwall and were named Alfred and Judy. They are unusually low, allowing them to fit under bridges that taller engines could not. The real examples are both preserved at the Bodmin and Wenford Railway.
They first appeared in the book Main Line Engines and played a major role in Thomas and the Twins.
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