Thomas The Tank Engine

by Aaron Spangler

Engines

*James - is a special mixed traffic engine who pulls trucks or coaches quite easily. Although he caused much trouble at first, he now tries hard to behave and sometimes even pulls the express.

*Percy - is responsible freight traffic. A happy, cheeky little chap who loves playing jokes, Percy sometimes gets into trouble but has learned to be careful on the Main Line.

Oily Diesel - thinks he knows everything, however his lies and scheming cause trouble amongst the engines.

The Tar and Milk Wagons - are two types of freight rolling stock often pulled by Percy, however, they are rarely pulled by Gordon and the other Main Line engines.

Sodor Mail Coaches - are normally pulled by Thomas and Percy. Loaded with the post every night at the harbour, they are pulled through stations to deliver their special load.

*Culdee - is a mountain engine named after a mountain railway. Although the mountains are steep, Culdee never slips thanks to teeth in his pinion wheels which fit into a rack rail.

*Wilbert - is a saddle tank engine like Percy. Although based in a forest on the Mainland, he had a splendid time exercising his wheels on the Sodor Railway.

Douglas - has a twin called Donald. Although the twins sometimes cause confusion, the twins are splendid in the snow, coupling back to back with a van between their tenders and snow ploughs on their fronts.

*199 Diesel - Like many other diesels, thinks he is superior to the steam engines. One day he broke down and his nickname soon changed from Old Reliable to Spamcan.

*Express Coaches - are popular with passengers because they ride smoothly and have extra comfortable seats. The coaches are usually pulled by Gordon but James helps out too.

Breakdown Truck - has a crane for lifting heavy things like engines, coaches, and trucks. Always called upon in accidents, the truck is kept very busy at Sodor Railways.

*Old Coaches - The sturdy Old Coaches are similar in age to *Annie and *Clarabell and have enjoyed many years loyal service.

Godred - was the very first engine in the Mountain Railway. Named after a king, a conceited engine, he carelessly rolled down the line until one day he fell off.

Mavis - is a young diesel who works at the quarry. She loves rearranging things and taking trucks makes her feel important.

*Troublesome Trucks - take great delight in bumping engines and throwing them off the rails. Noisy little rascals they sing rude songs and are the very chief source of tomfoolery on the Sodor Railway.

*Oliver - works alongside Duck on the little western branch line. A proud engine, he never forgets how Douglas helped him to escape the scrapyard and join Sodor Railway.

Toad - is Oliver's brake van. Having once worked on the GWR, Toad has no time for the insults of Troublesome Trucks. In fact, he once helped Oliver earn some respect from these rascals.

*Daisy - the Diesel Rail Car was built especially for service on Thomas' Branch Line. Highly sprung up and right up to date, Daisy refuses to pull trucks because pulling is bad for her swerves.

*Duck - is very proud of his GWR past and talks tirelessly about it. Whenever Duck sees the ships in the annual Island Regatta, he always dreams of sailing to far away lands.

*Lord Harry - thinks he is an up-to-date engine who can travel at twice the speed in perfect safety. The 'terror' of the mountains, coaches reluctantly accompany him on journeys.

*Rusty - a kindly sort of diesel, Rusty is generally used for track maintenance and breakdowns. He even rescued *Stepney from the Scrap Yard.

The City of Truro - is a domeless GWR locomotive who once made a special visit to Sodor Railways. It is rumoured to be the first steam engine to reach 100 MPH.

*Henry - is a fast and proud engine who once refused to move from a tunnel in case the rain spoiled his lovely green paint and the red stripes.

*Gordon - the senior member of the Sodor Railways. Gordon requires a lot of coal and water but as he often reminds the other engines, "Big Engines have big needs."

*Sir Handel - used to work on the same line as Duke, but now helps Skarloey and *Rheneas. Often rude to coaches, he is very proud of his small but sturdy steam-roller type wheels.

*Sixteen - worked at a Steelworks. He always got tired of stopping in the same place but soon paid the price for ignoring a danger sign.

The Chinese Dragon - is made of paper and arrived at the harbour for a carnival. When Thomas pulled the Chinese Dragon on a low-loader, he gave Percy a big fright!

The Diesel - is a snooty type of chap who doesn't think too highly of steam engines.

*Edward - is a kind, hard-working engine who enjoys shunting trucks. Although getting on in years, he is still quite strong and really useful.

*Toby - is a steam driven 0-6-0 tram engine designed by Mr Holden of the Great Eastern Railways for use on roadside tramways and harbour lines.

*Henrietta - is Toby's faithful coach. Saved from a sad future as a hen house, Henrietta fondly recalls the days when she used to help connect farms and villages to the main line.

*Thomas - a cheeky little blue engine. He used to work in the station and now he puffs proudly along his own branch line which was a reward for helping James the red engine.

Vehicles

Bulstrode - is a disagreeable barge who never stops complaining. After an accident in the harbour, Bulstrode was towed to a local beach for children to play in all day.

*The Fat Controller's Car - "I always favour trains over any other form of transport. However, I also occasionally travel in my faithful saloon car."

*Harold the Helicopter - hovers in the sky above Sodor, checking no one is in trouble. Always glad to be of service to the engines, he nevertheless believes railways are slow, not much use and quite out of date.

*Terence the Tractor - is endlessly teased by the engines about his caterpillar wheels, however, his wheels allow him to go almost anywhere and he always helps the engines in emergencies.

Bulgy - often growls at passengers, he has earned the reputation of a 'mean scarlet deceiver'. The double decker bus hates railways and believes the tracks should be ripped up.

*Bertie the Bus - helps passengers catch their trains on time. He can climb hills better than some engines, and is a good friend of Thomas, with whom he works quite closely.

* = I have got models of these characters!

Quote from Aaron

"I started liking Thomas because on the way to Longleat my friends gave me a Thomas the Tank Engine magazine. Then later on the trip, we saw a train go by. And then while we were at Longleat, we went for a ride on a train. That is how I began liking Thomas. Now I have a great collection of Thomas'."