Lenny

"'Okay.'""-Lenny, when he is given a suggestion or order"Lenny is the main protagonist of Gentle Giant.

Bio
Lenny was first built for the Union Pacific in 1996. He was assigned with Eric and Andy, who were quick to befriend him. Lenny was nervous for the first of his time on the railroad, but Eric and Andy kept telling him not to worry.

Lenny was also known for having reliability trouble, like the other members of his class. When he broke down, he would feel sorry for himself and beat himself up over it.

However, Lenny was assured that he had friends, as shown in 2001 when he helped Eric over Galveston Hill on his autorack train. Eric praised him for his effort.

The year 2004 would not be so good for Lenny. After suffering his third breakdown, he had to do a trial inspection. Even after he broke down going up Galveston Hill, he was determined not to let his friends down, so he tried to push forward unsuccessfully. However, Eric, Andy, and several of Lenny's friends were there to help him continue up the hill.

That night, the inspectors returned to take Lenny away. Eric and Andy followed him to the EMD plant, where they found out that Lenny was officially retired. Lenny told Eric that he isn't scared anymore and that he's tired of the long trains and hills. He also told Eric that someday they'll pull a train over Galveston Hill someday, but not for a while. Eric and Andy said their last good-bye to Lenny, where they left him to meet his supposed fate.

Basis
Lenny is a Union Pacific EMD SD90MAC-H numbered 8926.

Specials

 * Gentle Giant

Trivia

 * He is named after Lennie from John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men (though the character's name in the book is spelled "Lennie").
 * His model was inspired by a photo the creator found of UP 8926 halfway through scrapping.
 * Since the making of Gentle Giant, it was revealed that the real UP 8926 might not have been scrapped, as it was saved by a railroad in Mexico.
 * He is the first character to not have an on screen death.
 * In reality, UP 8926 was built in 1999 and retired in 2007.