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Duck the Great Western Engine
- "There are two ways of doing things: the Great Western Way, or the wrong way."Voiced in English by: Steven Kynman (Series 17 - Series 23)Voice in Japanese by: Kōzō Shioya (Series 2 - Series 7), Kiyonobu Suzuki (Series 12 - Series 23, excluding "Ryan and Daisy" and Big World! Big Adventures!), Shoto Kashii ("Ryan and Daisy"), Nozomu Sasaki (Big World! Big Adventures!)Number: 8, Originally 5741Basis: Great Western Railway 57xx 0-6-0PTBuilt: 1929
An ex-Great Western Railway tank engine, Duck came to Sodor to help out Percy at the Big Station. He demands order and discipline, and doesn't let bigger engines bully him. He eventually gets a branch line of his own, shared with Oliver.
- All of the Other Reindeer: He gets this from the other engines in the earlier episodes, though he really brought it on himself with his constant harping on about the inherent superiority of the Great Western Railway above all others.
- Berserk Button: As Donald found out, he doesn't like it when he's told that he quacks like a duck as far as talking too much goes.
- Big Brother Mentor: To Percy, whom he teaches to stand up for himself.
- Big Brother Worship: Though not engines of the same class, he idolizes City Of Truro.
- Big Damn Heroes: His crew and he, prevented twenty heavily-loaded brake-way trucks from causing a serious accident further down the line.
- Big "SHUT UP!": Says this to the trucks who were teasing Diesel in "Dirty Work" and then says this to Gordon, James, and Henry who were teasing Edward at the big station in "Edward's Exploit".
- Break the Haughty: What Diesel pulls on him. This is a rare case of this trope though. Despite being proud, before Diesel told lies about Duck, the latter actually tried to stand up for him when the trucks were singing the rude song, "Pop Goes The Diesel". Diesel did not take to it very well.
- Bully Hunter: He doesn't stand for any nonsense from the bullying engines as, for example, he stood up for Percy against the trio of Gordon, James, and Henry when he first arrived on Sodor.
- The Bus Came Back: Disappeared after season 7, with only a few brief appearances in season 12, but he returned in season 17, becoming a series regular from then on.
- Character Catchphrase:
- "Beg pardon, Sir..."
- "There are two ways of doing things. The Great Western way or the wrong way."
- Contrasting Sequel Main Character: With Thomas, as far as station pilots are concerned. Thomas is cocky, bratty, fun-loving, and loves to play tricks on the big engines. Duck on the other hand is no-nonsense, practical, and not afraid to butt heads with the big engines.
- Cultural Posturing: He's fond of claiming that there are two ways of doing things, "the Great Western
way or the wrong way". Fortunately, he got over it quite quickly. - Deadpan Snarker: Often makes snarky comments to arrogant engines like Gordon and James.
- Demoted to Extra:
- Before he disappeared altogether, from when the show started deviating from the books. His last starring role prior to "The Thomas Way" in season 17 was Season 4's "Fish". By season 7, he had effectively become a minor character, appearing in only two non-speaking roles that year, and vanished entirely in the following seasons.
- This was almost reversed, as he reappeared in the 12th season, only to disappear again until the 17th season.
- Do Not Call Me "Paul": He doesn't like being called Montague, his real name.
- Embarrassing Nickname: Inverted. He insists on being called Duck rather than his real name, Montague.
- Flanderization: Not an overwhelming case, but he does talk about his Great Western pride a lot more often in the CGI episodes.
- Hero with Bad Publicity: He became shunned by Gordon, Henry, and James in "Dirty Work" when Diesel spread lies about them to the Troublesome Trucks and gave him the blame. Duck's boasting about doing things The Great Western Way didn't exactly do him any favors.
- Humiliation Conga: As if the trucks forcing him to crash into a barber shop wasn't enough, the angry owner decided to shave and lather him! The Fat Controller ensures this is rectified however and Duck is praised for his hardship.
- Karmic Trickster: Has a fondness for playing tricks on engines he finds conceited.
- Motor Mouth: The whole plotline of "Donald's Duck" kicked off after Donald told him to zip it.
- Nice Guy: Despite his moments of boastfulness of being Great Western, he is a mild-mannered and respectable engine.
- Not So Above It All: Despite being one of the most sensible engines on the line, he has his shortcomings. One example comes from "The Thomas Way" where he has caused an accident and earned a scolding from the Fat Controller (albeit pivoted partially by Thomas' misbehavior).
- From "All At Sea", he dreams about traveling on a boat in faraway lands, which is unusual coming from a mature and hard-working engine. However, he eventually learns the best travels are those we can only dream about.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: His given name is 'Montague,' but most call him 'Duck,' after his tendency to waddle on the rails. Henry, Gordon, and James have quacked at him in the past.
- The Protagonist: Of the three episode arc "Pop Goes the Diesel", "Dirty Work", and "A Close Shave."
- The Reliable One: For all his bragging about being Great Western, it's noted that he makes the railway run like clockwork.
- Rightly Self-Righteous: Duck boasts about his Great Western heritage, much to the annoyance of the rude and arrogant engines like Gordon, Henry, and James. However, as Duck puts it, "The Great Western Way" implies that he's a reliable engine who works hard and gets the job done without any complaints. Deconstructed in "The Thomas Way" when his stubbornness causes an accident and he has to compromise with Thomas.
- Right Way/Wrong Way Pair: According to him, there's The Great Western Way and the wrong way. This was the main focus in The Thomas Way where he took on Thomas' option, now claiming there are three ways of doing things, but the Great Western Way is usually the best.
- She's a Man in Japan: In the Greek dub, Duck is female and named "Jackie".
- Sixth Ranger: After he took over as Tidmouth's station pilot in Season 2. He became more of a supporting character once he got his own branch line.
- Small Name, Big Ego: Is very proud of his Great Western heritage, and very vocal about it, especially in the CGI seasons.Duck: I'm a great Western and...
Other Engines: Don't we know it! - Vitriolic Best Buds: Earlier in the series, he had this with Gordon, Henry, and James.
- Whoopee Cushion: Whoopee Whistle, in his case. In Mike's Whistle, his driver boils an egg on his whistle and some of the egg got stuck, resulting in his whistle sounding like farts.
- You Shall Not Pass!: In "A Close Shave", he holds back twenty runaway cars from crashing into a passenger train.
Donald and Douglas, the Scottish Twins
Donald
Douglas
- "There's merre comin' should yer misbehave" - Donald"Don't mention scrap! It makes mah wheerls wobble!" - DouglasVoiced by: Rob Rackstraw (Donald) and Joe Mills (Douglas)Number: 9 (Donald originally 57646) & 10 (Douglas originally 57647)Basis: Caledonian Railway 812 0-6-0Built: 1909
A pair of mixed-good twins, Donald and Douglas came from Scotland when the Fat Controller needed a goods engine. He planned to send one of them away, but after they proved how useful a team they make, he decided to keep both.
- Adaptation Dye-Job: In the books, they were painted blue after Sir Topham Hatt decided to keep the both of them. With three blue engines already, the TV producers decided to keep their black paint, mostly to not confuse the kids watching.
- Adaptational Wimp: Ultimately fell victim to this by the time of the CGI series. Their book counterparts were highly respected on the railway, owing to their tough, no-nonsense attitudes, and their great knowledge of goods work, becoming designated Utility Engines that could go all around the island, a job important enough that the Fat Controller began searching for an engine specifically to help them when modern demands began to tax them out. The CGI series all but deleted these aspects, with Gordon note calling them silly engines due to their Sibling Rivalry taking over their other traits and becoming the main conflict driver in their episodes.
- A Day in the Limelight: Since Season 6, they tend to get one spotlight episode per season...which tends to be the only time they ever get screentime (The CGI series has only included them in background shots in a total of two episodes, and they don't have the supporting roles that they had in the Railway Series).
- All There in the Manual: The Fat Controller only purchased engine #57646; as the twins arrived without numbers, he never knew which engine carried it. According to the Railway Series, It was Donald. Douglas was 57647, and if Donald had left him behind, he would've been scrapped. It was hinted at in several stories in the books though.
- Also one of the more subtle cases of the Rev. Awdry showing his work... the last real-life Caledonain Railway 812 or 652-class locomotive that was built had the number #57645.
- Affectionate Nickname: They call each other 'Donnie' and 'Douggie' respectively.
- Argument of Contradictions: Donald and Douglas are all over the place with this, especially in "Emily in the Middle". First, they argue about whether or not they're able to take the heavy train. Second, they argue over who never listens and always does what they want, all while biffing each other. Third, they argue over who is to blame for Emily getting knocked off the rails by the snowball. Lastly, they argue about who came up with the idea of them pushing behind the train.
- Big Brother Instinct:
- Well, more like Twin Brother Instinct, but Donald is very much like this to Douglas. On top of their debut episode (see Bully Hunter), the moment he realised that Douglas was stranded in the snow in Love Me Tender, he goes out looking for him, despite the fact they had a fight earlier.
- This is inverted in the episode Twin Trouble, however, when Douglas' (the younger twin's) instinct takes over. Duck barely has time to say "Donald's in trouble" before Douglas races to the rescue.
- Although never stated how Douglas got to Sodor, Donald had to help smuggle him over somehow. If that's not brotherly love, then what is?
- Brave Scot: To summarise, Donald was purchased by the NWR to be their new goods engine. However, that would have come with a terrible price: Douglas was to be left behind for the scrapheap. Neither would let this happen, however, and they rushed over to Sodor together, so they would both be safe, which is what eventually ends up happening.
- Break-Up/Make-Up Scenario: In "Love Me Tender", Donald and Douglas' arguing causes Douglas' tender coupling to break, leaving Douglas stranded by himself. When Donald realizes he has Douglas' tender with all of Douglas' coal and water in it, he rushes back to find Douglas, and the two soon make up with each other.
- Bullying a Dragon: Gordon and Henry tried to tease them during their first few days on Sodor. The twins responded by sneaking up on them and asking threateningly about what the two were talking about, intimidating the big engines into backing off.
- Bully Hunter: Donald as the Spiteful Brake Van learns.
- Demoted to Extra:
- Got hit with this during Season 8 due to the focus on the 'Steam Team'. They did appear in "Gordon and the Engineer" and "Saved You!", but that was it. It wouldn't be until Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure that they would appear full-time again, and until Season 20 when they got an episode to themselves.
- Despite their reintroduction in Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure, they haven't really appeared much compared to the other Little Western characters, with their screen-time being reserved for their focus episodes. In season 21, they only had a cameo in one episode and another episode to themselves; their last appearance to date.
- Don't Split Us Up: Despite their bickering, when they first arrived, they really didn't want to be separated. Given their matter was a case of life and death, it was very understandable. They even provide the trope picturenote and above quotes.
- Feud Episode: In "Twin Trouble", "Love Me Tender", and "Emily in the Middle".
- Flanderization: Their Sibling Rivalry with one another. The first few seasons, which had been adapted from the Railway Series, showcased perfectly well that the two were capable of working apart from one another without need of arguments (And in fact, was quite crucial to their role as Utility Engines who could work anywhere on the island). The TV Series, from Season 6 onwards, tends to showcase them as always being together and not being able to work as well without the other, as well as making their arguments more detrimental to their job performance.
- Foil: Collectively speaking, they are this to Bill and Ben. Both sets of twins are primarily defined as such, but while Bill and Ben tend to be tricksters, Donald and Douglas are much more straight-laced and work-oriented.
- Good Is Not Soft: Sure, they're friendly and jovial and ready to help another engine out of trouble, but when Donald learn the Spiteful Brakevan has been making Douglas' life hell, he goes straight over and rams into him, hard, with the promise of worse punishment if he continues to misbehave. He doesn't.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: A variant between brothers. As twins, they are very close. Even when they have their falling-outs, they always get back together again.
- Identical Twin ID Tag: Their name plates and numbers. Douglas has a slightly deeper toned whistle.
- Long Bus Trip: They were entirely absent from seasons 8-10 and 13-19, with only two minor appearances in the intervening seasons. While they finally returned to the series as regulars in Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure and the season 20 episode "Love Me Tender", the pair would ultimately disappear again, this time permanently, after season 21, having only made five speaking appearances since season 7.
- Nice Guy: Very friendly and get on with any work with no fuss. Of course, if you get on their bad side...
- Noble Fugitive: Due to how they escaped from BR's modernization plan, they count as this.
- Not Even Bothering with the Accent: In season 6, Alec Baldwin doesn't even give them a Scottish accent.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: Donald is often the quick-tempered red to Douglas' calmer natured blue oni. Best seen in Emily in the Middle. Donald jumps at the chance to pull a train that takes three engines, while Douglas is more cautious and tries to talk Donald out of it.
- Sibling Rivalry: They develop this kind of relationship in the CGI Series. For all their arguing, they would always get back together again. This is shown to have had a negative impact on their prior work ethic and reputation however, as it has caused them to screw up jobs that they had no problem doing together otherwise.
- Single-Minded Twins: They have individual roles at times, but mostly retain the same personality. The CGI episodes have tried to differentiate the two by giving Donald a rougher, louder voice, and Douglas a softer tone voice and by emphasizing their Sibling Rivalry with one another.
- Trauma Button: Do not like to talk about scrapping.
- Trickster Twins: Notice that they are almost the only characters labeled by name and number: Hatt specifically insisted on this after one too many Twin Switch gambits.
- Violent Glaswegian: While they're nice Scots, they can get temperamental when pushed.Donald: "Spite Douggie, would ye? Take that!"
- You Can't Go Home Again: They had to leave their old home of Scotland behind due to the modernization plan threatening to scrap them. Even when the show diverged from the books, Season 7's Bad Day At Castle Loch notes that they still miss their old home, indicating that even with the fear of scrapping seemingly disappearing, the two still can't return there.
Oliver the Western Engine
- "I don't feel good gracious-whatever it is. I just feel silly."Voiced by: Joe MillsNumber: 11, Originally 1436Basis: Great Western Railway 14xx 0-4-2TBuilt: 1934
An ex-Great Western Railway tank engine that was supposed to be scrapped, but ran away to Sodor with his brake van, Toad. Thanks to Douglas, he's living a much happier life on Duck's branch line.
- Acquired Situational Narcissism : In the episode Oliver Owns Up.
- In "Toad's Adventure", this seems to have returned with a vengeance, to the point where Toad is utterly fed up with hearing about his arrival on Sodor.
- Ascended Extra: For Season 5, where he got a few spotlight episodes/supporting roles.
- Adaptation Dye-Job: In his debut in the The Railway Series, his paint was worn, but still unmistakably green. In the TV series, however, he was in such poor condition that he was a very rusty red and already marked for scrap.note
- Adaptational Early Appearance: He gets rescue from scrap just before Stepney did in the books.
- Break the Haughty: He gets a little too prideful in Oliver Owns Up, and end up bunker-down in a turntable well.
- Brooklyn Rage: Has a Brooklyn accent in the US version of "Oliver Owns Up".
- Demoted to Extra:
- Like Duck, he was absent from the 8th season until the 12th, where he managed to get two speaking roles before vanishing again. However, in Tale of the Brave, he made a cameo and had several minor roles throughout Season 18. He's made several appearances since then, even being part of Marion's subplot in Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure.
- However, in the CGI series, he never got his very own episode. Even Toad had more spotlight episodes than him. In fact, he didn't appear in seasons 21 and 22.
- Does Not Know His Own Strength: The Fat Controller asks him if he suffers this after he pulls S.C.Ruffey apart. Downplayed in that the train was too heavy for Oliver to pull in the first place, the trucks were holding back, and S.C.Ruffey's wood and frame were already rotten and rusted.
- The Dreaded: He becomes this to the trucks in "Toad Stands By" after pulling S.C.Ruffey apart. They are now terrified of him and actively warn each other not to mess with him when he has to take them.
- Flanderization: In the classic series, he did get a bit haughty about his escape from scrap, but he learnt his lesson. In the CGI series, however, all he does is brag about his escape from scrap, with Toad in annoyance...in the only episode where he actually got a somewhat large role.
- Foil: To Duck. Both are from the Great Western Railway, but Duck is extremely proud of his heritage, boasting about it when it strikes him, which can annoy the other engines. Oliver, by contrast, is far more mellow and doesn't really seem interested in it, and as such has far fewer difficult relations on Sodor.
- Nice Guy: He's a very mellow individual all things considered, even with Acquired Situational Narcissism.
- Noble Fugitive: He was a steam engine who escaped from scrap with the help of Douglas.
- One-Steve Limit: He shares his name with an excavator who works for the Sodor Construction Company. This became a crucial plot point in Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure.
Toad the Brake Van
- "I'll always look forward to the future. Busy going backwards, so to speak."Voiced by: Joe MillsBuilt: 1890/99
Oliver's trusty brake van who escaped scrap with him. A very gentlemanly brake van (always referring to the engines as Mr. and Miss), he keeps Oliver's trucks in order, but can sometimes have spells of over-imagination.
- Ascended Extra/ A Day in the Limelight: Unlike the Railway Series, he's had a lot more screentime, even moreso than Oliver. There was "Busy Going Backwards" in season 5, as well as "Toad's Adventure" and "Toad's Bright Idea" in Season 18 and "Toad and the Whale" in Season 19.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: In "Busy Going Backwards", he wishes that he could go forwards when he sees the engines and their coaches looking happy as they move forwards, since he is always facing backwards. When he expresses his desire to go forwards to Oliver, the Troublesome Trucks overhear and decide to grant his wish by breaking away from Oliver as he climbs to the top of Gordon's Hill. At first, Toad likes being able to go forwards, but he soon realizes that he can't stop since his guard has jumped clear. He crashes through the gates of a level crossing, narrowly avoiding hitting Bertie in the process, and he also narrowly avoids crashing into Gordon and James when the signalmen switch the points. He is eventually diverted into a muddy pond, at this point learns that sometimes it's better to go backwards.
- Bully Hunter: Helped Oliver put the trucks in their place after they wouldn't stop teasing him.
- Chekhov's Skill: In "Toad's Adventure", he tells James that his brakes are very strong. This became useful when James' train got uncoupled and Toad saved himself and the runaway train from crashing into Thomas and Percy.
- Dreadful Musician: As shown in "Toad and the Whale", Duck and Oliver think his singing is atrocious.
- The Jeeves: To Oliver, in a sense.
- Mr. Imagination: He can be very over-imaginative at times.
- Nice Guy: He is very polite, calling people "Mr.".
- Nice Mean And In Between: Of the three sentient brake vans, he's the Nice to the Spiteful Brake Van's Mean and Bradford's In-Between. He is very polite, helps Oliver brake, and keeps the Troublesome Trucks in order when they go down hills.
- Not Now, Kiddo: A frequent victim to this. Especially in "Toad and the Whale", where, initially, no one believed him about the whale.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: "Toad's Bright Idea" is the first episode in which Toad gets visibly angry. He still retains his polite speech, though.
- Undying Loyalty: To Oliver. No matter how many times he gets fed up with his constant boasting about his escape from scrap, Toad will always stick by him, and they are almost never seen without each other.
- Verbal Tic: Tends to address people with the pronoun "Mr."
The Slip Coaches
- Voiced by: Jonathan Broadbent, Rebecca O'Mara, Steven Kynman
Three coaches Sir Topham Hatt brought from the other railway. They each have "slip hooks" that allow them to be uncoupled from their train without stopping.
- A Day in the Limelight: Their introduction episode, Duck and the Slip Coaches.
- Chekhov's Skill: Their ability to slip from their train becomes useful when Connor has to take extra passengers during a blizzard.
- Expy: They fill the roles of Alice and Mirabel, Duck's coaches from The Railway Series.
- Old Friends: They previously worked with Duck on the Great Western Railway.
- Single Minded Trio: They share the same thoughts and aren't afraid to speak it out following each other's lead.
- Two Guys and a Girl: The first and third coaches are male, while the middle one is female.
The Arlesdale Railway
Left to right: Bert, Rex, and Mike
- Voiced by: Tom Stourton (Rex), Keith Wickham (Bert), Tim Whitnall (Mike)Basis: Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway No. 7 River Esk (Rex), No. 3 River Irt (Bert), and No. 9 River Mite (Mike)Built: Rex 1923, Bert 1894, Mike 1966
A miniature gauge railway that runs from the end of the Arlesburgh line to hills and quarries which supply ballast for the NWR. Duck, Oliver, Donald and Douglas frequently interact with them. It is based largely on the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway.
- Adaptation Explanation Extrication: In the books, Rex explained where they came from, but this is never mentioned in the show.
- Adaptational Late Appearance: They're the only Railway Series characters to debut in the show after season 4. As a result, the trio were never involved with Duke's search as they appear much later after Duke was found back in the fourth season.
- Adapted Out: There were more engines on the line like Frank and Jock, but they haven't appeared in the show.
- Adaptation Dye-Job: A minor example. In the books, they all have black wheels, while in the show, their wheels match the color of their paintwork (red wheels for Mike, green wheels for Rex, blue wheels for Bert).
- A Day in the Limelight: In The Railway Series and the TV show, they all have their own spotlight stories. Mike has "Mike's Whistle", Bert has "Tit for Tat", and Rex has "Useful Railway".
- Berserk Button: The three of them collectively share a hate for being mocked for their small size.
- Big Damn Heroes: They attempt this near the climax of Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure, teaming up to throw their ballast wagons onto the tracks in an attempt to stop Sailor John from stealing the pirate ship. They succeed, and slow down Sailor John himself enough for Thomas to catch up to boot.
- Big Ol' Eyebrows: Bert has these eyebrows.
- Butt-Monkey: Bert. His spotlight episode has him get covered in mud thanks to the Thin Clergyman, and he's shown to the most simple-minded of the three.
- Chromatic Arrangement: Mike is red, Bert is blue, and Rex is green.
- Fiery Redhead: Well, more like "Fiery Red-Painted Engine", but Mike is red-painted and has a temper to match.
- Foil: Mike is this to James. Both are red engines with hot tempers, but while James hates pulling trucks, Mike hates pulling passenger trains.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: Mike. His safety valve nearly blows because of this. The Small Controller is aware of how much he tends to overheat as a result.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Mike, yet again. Temperamental as he may be, he's still really useful.
- The Leader: Rex is the leader of the trio, even though Mike considers himself the leader.
- Literal-Minded: Bert, who believed that he would be made into a book (In reality, the Thin Clergyman was going to write about him) and that the engines would have to guide sheep down the tracks (When they were really just taking farmer's wool in bales in their trucks).
- Nice Guy: Rex is easily the most kind-hearted of the trio, with Bert following behind.
- Not So Above It All: Rex is a good friend to all engines, but he isn't exactly above teasing Mike every once in a while, leaving him to deal with Marion's antics in one instance.
- Pay Evil unto Evil: In "Tit for Tat", Bert tries to get revenge on the Fat Clergyman for (accidentally) splashing him with muddy water by splashing him in return. This gets him in trouble and sent to his shed. However, he and the clergymen make up after they apologize for the accident, and Bert apologizes for his own behavior, and the clergymen clean him.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: The three are constantly bickering with each other, but stick together nonetheless.
