Nicholas

Nicholas is the main protagonist of the Trainz 2010 series, Rails of Highland Valley.

History
Nicholas was created by Youtube user RichmondCityRailfan and is named after his real name.

Nicholas was built in 1979 as a Conrail #6515. He worked for Conrail for years until 1999, when Conrail merged with Norfolk Southern and he was renumbered to #3421 (his current number). He remained in his Conrail blue paint scheme until 2002, when he was repainted into the Norfolk Southern black paint scheme with the "horsehead" logo.

Personality
Nicholas is a hardworking and dependable locomotive. He hangs around Highland Valley a lot along with his friends Will, Josiah, J.P., Kerry, Lilim, Marie, Shawn, Benjamin, Bridget, Matthew, Zach, Ryusei, Harrison, other good engines, and more often than not, his girlfriend Lily. He is very proud of working for Norfolk Southern (and his Conrail heritage) and would not want to work on any other railroad. Although he's usually friendly, he sometimes gets annoyed by his friends' shenanigans. He can also get impatient or anxious when he feels like he's in a hurry and has to wait too long for anything. He also hates running late or being part of equipment moves, as he would rather be pulling a train. However, he does have a sense of humor and can easily brighten up his friends' day.

He is often used for locals and switching assignments, but he also pulls mainline freights regularly, which he enjoys. He likes pulling trains at night, as the night air brightens him up. While he greatly enjoys his home state of Pennsylvania, he enjoys occasionally working on the NS Richmond District and getting to visit Richmond, VA. During his free time, he likes (formerly) making GoAnimate videos, watching TV (especially Thomas The Tank Engine, TUGS, Galaxy Railways, Regular Show, Family Guy, and other shows) playing video games such as Super Mario games and Plants vs. Zombies, and playing Lionel Traintown Deluxe, Eight Marbles 2, and Trainz 2010. He also enjoys old school games such as Pac-Man and Bubble Bobble.

Appearance
Nicholas is a Norfolk Southern ex-Conrail SD40-2 #3421 (formerly #6515). He is painted in the Norfolk Southern black paint scheme with the "horsehead" logo.

Trivia

 * He is based on a Norfolk Southern SD40-2 numbered 3421. His real life model is still operating for Norfolk Southern.
 * In an early development, his number was going to be 3406, which later became Jaden's model. In another early development, he was going to be an NS GP38-2 numbered 5316.
 * He appears in Steamnation and in the now-discontinued Rails of the Macon District as the same model as model.
 * In 2017, there was a rumor of his real life counterpar having its horn replaced with a P3. However, this was proven false.