Nia is an African tank engine who moved to Sodor and is currently assisting at the Swahilli Waterpark Resort. She first cameos in Beached Wheels.
Personality
Nia is fun, feisty, and adventurous! She works hard around the railways she travels to, and her experiences equips her with excellent problem-solving skills that come in handy in the railway yards! Though she can get frustrated when friends do silly things, Nia can also be positive, patient, and emphatic, but is not afraid to speak her mind when someone does something wrong.
Nia is currently helping at the Swahilli Waterpark Resort, while Mtambo, the regular park engine, is away helping on an important mission far away. Her experience and knowledge of animals, as well as ease in picking up passengers and freight makes her the perfect temporary engine whenever she's needed to assist!
Technical Details
Basis
Nia is based on the KUR ED1 class, a class of 2-6-2 tank locomotive built by Vulcan Foundry for the Kenya-Uganda Railway between 1926 and 1930. Primarily used for shunting duties, they were also used to haul branch line trains. They were later operated by the East African Railways and were reclassified as part of the EAR 11 class. One member of this class, No. 327, has been preserved at the Nairobi Railway Museum in Nairobi, Kenya.
Nia has been modified in order to work on British railways. Whereas her original basis was metre gauge, Nia is standard gauge and she has been given buffers and screwlink couplings in order to work with the other engines.
Livery
Nia is painted orange with yellow lining. She has stripes with an African pattern consisting of red, yellow, green and purple painted along her tanks and dome, as well as green and yellow lining on her cylinders and green stripes on her brake pump and her footplate is painted red. Her name and the number "18" are painted on the sides of her tanks and cab respectively in yellow within black squares.
Whistle
Trvia
- Nia was included in Beached Wheels as Mtambo has yet to receive a model; she may appear in future works featuring the resort, but will not be a regular character.