Cranky

Cranky is a tall, grumpy dockyard crane who lives and works at Brendam Docks.

Personality
Cranky is extremely grumpy because he is initially kept working day and night without rest. Although nowadays he is able to sleep properly, he still maintains his cranky attitude. Cranky loves teasing the engines and has an intense dislike for Salty's stories. He rarely pays attention to tact due to his perpetual bad temper. According to Big Mickey, throughout all the years he has been at the docks, Cranky has never said a single word to him.

However, Cranky has at times shown a bit of kindness, such as when he sympathised for Percy after Thomas went missing on Misty Island and also when he used a large reflective mirror to show Henry his glowing paint. He has started to become friends with the engines working at the docks.

Basis
According to an interview with Robert Gauld-Galliers, Cranky is based on photographic references of various cranes from the 1920s to the 1950s.

Livery
Cranky is painted olive with black and brown pulleys amongst his mechanism. He also has two nameplates on his sides that display his name in yellow lettering.

Appearances

 * Season 1 - The Trouble With Trucks (cameo)

Trivia

 * Cranky can be dismantled and shifted to different locations, despite it never being mentioned or shown in the show; however, there are some cases where Cranky has not been seen at Brendam.
 * Before the script was cut, Cranky was to have a much larger role in Thomas and the Magic Railroad.
 * In the aforementioned film, he was located in the yards at Knapford Station rather than Brendam Docks.
 * In the Serbian dub, Cranky's name is Mrgud, which is also Bulgy's name in the same language.
 * One of Cranky's models used to be on display in Canada at Nitrogen Studios.
 * Cranky's ladder clearly leads to nothing and no door has even been seen - it is unknown how his crew is able to enter him. Furthermore, he has never been seen with a crew.
 * Concept art of him pointed out where the door hatch would be, which is actually under the grey back part of himself. Although being a concept, there is no knowledge if the design made it to the actual model.
 * Cranky's original Plarail and Wooden Railway toys were painted light grey instead of olive green.
 * Cranky has gone through several changes in the Television Series:
 * Series 5:
 * Chains held his crane arm to his body wrapped around a pipe between his nameplates.
 * Series 6:
 * Two metal strips are shown replacing the chains.
 * His shocked face mask lost its teeth for the rest of the model series.
 * Series 8:
 * His nameboards are now positioned in the centre of his cranehouse roof.
 * Series 12:
 * His nameboards are positioned back to where they were originally were during Series 5-7.
 * Hero of the Rails:
 * His nameboards are positioned in centre of his cranehouse roof again.
 * Series 13:
 * The design of his hook changes.
 * Cranky was the first non-Awdry character introduced to the TV series who was not Railway Series-related as well as the first freelance basis introduced in the franchise.
 * The My First Thomas toy of Cranky is incorrectly painted blue instead of green.
 * According to an interview with Sodor Island Forums, Cranky is one of Mark Moraghan's favourite characters alongside Percy.
 * Cranky has two seagull friends named Seagull and Stuart.