Which Classic Rail Characters are Likely to Return?

On the Thomas Wikia, there's a poll going on about which classic series rail characters people would want to see come back. I'm going to be listing which characters I feel are likely to come back, from least preferred to most preferred. My choices might cause a bit of a stir, until we get to the top four, but bear with me on this.

THE OPINIONS, THOUGHTS AND MUSINGS IN THIS BLOG POST ARE SOLELY THOSE OF ZACK WANZER, NOT THE THOMAS FANDOM IN GENERAL

Least Likely: Smudger (63 votes)

Why would anyone want to wish for him to return? Smudger (or Stanley, if you prefer going by the books) was never intended to be a starring character - he was simply mentioned in passing by Duke to get Stuart and Falcon to behave, and was never mentioned again. Heck, no one gave a damn about Smudger when Duke was found! Unless they recreate Duke in CGI (and hopefully, get right what season four didn't), Smudger's a no-go.

11. S. C. Ruffey (35 votes)

He was pulled apart by Oliver and in the story, S. C. Ruffey was scrapped, and yet on TV, he was rebuilt! Considering the Spiteful Brakevan's death in season two, that's quite hypocritical of Britt and David to rebuild S. C. Ruffey. A mention would be fine, but a full return? Sorry - no can do.

10. Fergus (43 votes)

I'm hardly shocked that Fergus ranked pretty darn low. He's pretty much Duck and Ferdinand mashed with a rail-counterpart to Trevor (don't take it the wrong way) and he barely made any impact in the three episodes he appeared in! I would've preferred to have Toby in his place in Bill, Ben and Fergus.

9. The Diesel/Class 40/D261/D4711 (50 votes)

Like S. C. Ruffey and Smudger, D261 (or "Bowler", if you prefer) was intended to be a one-shot character. He was boastful in front of the steam engines, and he got his comeuppance when a bowler hat was sucked into his air intake. If he does return, they should restrict him to being a mainland engine only - maybe as a foil for the likes of Connor and Caitlin?

8. Stepney (238 votes)

Just make him a visitor to Sodor. His TV portrayal is just bad, and it ruins what made him a great character in the books. I have absolutely no idea why he ranked third on the poll.

7. Bertram (40 votes)

Wait, what?

Despite him being a Duke repaint, I feel Bertram does have a bit of potential - maybe he could be working at the Blue Mountain Quarry alongside Freddie and Mighty Mac, should they also reappear. I mean, it can't just be Luke working there all the time, y'know? Plus, doesn't Prince (Duke's counterpart) have/had a few sisters of her own?

6. Derek (58 votes)

Huh, this reminds me that I should take a look at Double Teething Troubles. Despite the criticisms season five has gotten in recent years, I do like a number of episodes - some even feel like RWS leftovers, and Derek's sole starring role is a prime example of this.

5. Old Slow Coach (34 votes)

Come on, people - why did she rank last? She could really work in the new series! With the appearance of the Slip Coaches, anything is plausible in CGI. Not too sure who she could work with though...

4. Murdoch (168 votes)

Now we're getting to the ones I'd go for too. We've got a lot of small engines on the NWR - isn't it time we brought in some bigger ones to balance things out a bit? We've already got Hiro, yes, but he's a visitor. The NWR needs a permanent strong goods engine, and Murdoch perfectly fits the bill.

3. BoCo (737 votes)

Yep, BoCo, the most well-loved absentee only ranked third. Why is he there? Well, he doesn't have much persona other than being good-natured, which is a trait shared by many characters. Yes, he'd complete the Wellsworth branchline crew, but his persona on whole is a bit too similar to Edward's. Add some more to BoCo's character, and he's good to go.

By the way, for those of you bashing Daisy and wanting BoCo instead - who cares?! Daisy came before BoCo; it's the writer's choice - live with it!

2. Arthur (148 votes)

Even though I prefer some characters over him, Arthur does have a ton of potential, especially since the Fishing Village has made a reappearance in the 15th season. Since Paul Larson did a great job with him in season seven, I wouldn't be surprised if he wrote for him again in the new series.

Most Likely: Duke (278 votes)

I bet many of you saw this coming, huh? Here are the reasons why Duke ranks the top spot:

1. The adaptations of his stories in season four were incredibly poor - even the good ones had problems. With the appearance of the Arlesdale Railway in Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure, there's a chance they'll re-adapt Duke and get it right.
2. Very Old Engines was never adapted for TV. That was another issue with season four; the Skarloey engines' introductions very much took up half the season and they could've been used for seasons two and three. Another reason is that Very Old Engines was a perfect build up to Duke, but instead, the latter was adapted first, and the story Little Old Twins from The Little Old Engine was left out completely.
3. The Mid-Sodor Railway didn't get much exposure. Should the writers ever feature the old railway, they could tell it in flashback and give the other Mid-Sodor engines a chance to shine, even if they only appear for one episode.
4. He completes the trio of himself, Peter Sam and Sir Handel. They are the three (known) survivors of the Mid-Sodor Railway, and as the Railway Series shows, they have a bond like you wouldn't believe - it even brings out a more sensitive side of Sir Handel!