The Island of Sodor: The New Stories.

Bertha the Banking Engine (NWR No. 21):

Bertha is another interesting case. She is, in fact, not the original engine that worked the Lickey Incline. The original engine was built in 1919 and scrapped in 1956. She was never officially named, but everyone called her "Big Bertha." The new Bertha was built on Sodor in late 1998. She was built to help bank trains on Gordon's Hill and do odd jobs out of Wellsworth. Originally that was Edward's job, until he became the designated passenger engine for the Brendam Branch. For a while, an engine would be transferred to Wellsworth for the day and help bank trains. This worked for a while, until trains started to become longer and heavier. In the RWS, Gordon's Hill has a gradient of 1 in 75 and goes on for 5 miles. This is incredibly steep, but this stretch of line is very short. In this universe Gordon's Hill goes on for another 2 miles. Since heavy trains were getting stuck more often, it became abundantly clear that Wellsworth needed a dedicated banker, so in December of 1997, Sir Stephen acquired a copy of the plans for Big Bertha. Work started a month later and she was completed in September 1999. Bertha was mostly the same as predecessor with some cosmetic differences. Like the original Bertha, she was painted black, but she also had blue lining and a number 21 on her side. She also had nameplates on either side of her smokebox. The original Bertha was abrasive and rude to most engines she encountered. The Sudrian Bertha is shy and introverted but is an absolute joy once you know her. Everyone warmed up to her almost immediately. She gets along well with everyone. She banks trains up Gordon's Hill most of the time, though she'll take the occasional goods train every now and then. She lives at the shed at Wellsworth with Edward and Boris. She looks up to Edward like most engines and sees him as sort of a father figure. She is also good friends with Neville and John. The trio bond over how nonconventional their designs are. One thing Bertha likes to do is listen to music. One of her favorite songs is actually a song about her predecessor by a man named David Goulder.