This is a page listing the characters who appear in the Trampy Movies. All tropes here are exclusive to this series.
See here for the characters in their The Railway Series depictions, and here for their depictions in Thomas & Friends.
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Engines of the North Western Railway
Thomas the Tank Engine
Thomas the Tank Engine, #1
The North Western Railway's #1 engine, one of the first engines on Sodor. A fussy engine with six small wheels, a short stumpy funnel, and a short stumpy dome with a lot to prove. Once relegated to the station pilot of Tidmouth, a job he absolutely despised, he has since been promoted to run the recently restored Ffarquhar Branch Line.- Adaptational Angst Upgrade: In regards to his desire to get out of the yard. Thomas used to handle all of the work on Sodor along with Edward, but was relegated to station pilot as Henry, Gordon, and James came along. While the books treated this as a childish desire to prove himself, here, his situation is treated as him being shunted into completely thankless work in a toxic work-culture, where he just wants to pull trains again.
- Acquired Situational Narcissism: Getting his branch line really got to his smokebox. In Percy, his arrogance and schadenfreude over the big engines' predicament made it nearly impossible for Edward to work with him, while later on he stupidly destroys his own snowplough, believing he won't need it to run his branch line. In both cases, Break the Haughty quickly sends him down to earth.
- Adaptational Badass: Unlike in The Adventure Begins, Thomas succeeds in coupling himself up to James and braking to slow him down. It's still downplayed in that it fails to stop James' crash, but still prevents it from being a fatal one.
- Adaptational Jerkass: Mostly in regards to his relation with Edward. Thomas in both book and TV canons greatly respects Edward as a mentor, but while the two have worked on Sodor together for a long time, it takes until the present-day for Thomas to gain any respect for him, but after which, he's much more in-line with his original versions in that regard.
- Adaptation Relationship Overhaul:
- Crossing over a bit with Adaptational Jerkass, but Thomas' close bond and respect for Edward does not truly begin until Tricked, where Edward goes to comfort Thomas after a confrontation with Gordon in the sheds. While the series does maintain their mentor-and-student bond afterwards, it notably explores it more, such as in Percy where Thomas' arrogance actually tests Edward's patience to a point where Thomas flatout defies Edward out of spite and gets them stuck on Gordon's Hill, with them only being saved by Percy.
- Neither the books or TV series really showed off what Thomas' initial impressions of Percy were until the latter had to work on Thomas' branch line. Here, Thomas is immediately unimpressed with Percy and the series establishes that Thomas sees Percy as somewhat beneath him for his size and overly innocent/dumb attitude.
- Age Lift: If the timeline of the Trampy Movies uses The Railway Series as a closer base, Thomas is just a tad younger in this version, gaining his branch line in 1921 as opposed to 1924/25. If compared to the television series, Thomas' behavior and motivations are more akin to a teenager thanks to Trampy's voiceover of him and his mannerisms compared to the more child-like character of the show.
- All of the Other Reindeer: Until Percy's arrival, Thomas was the smallest of the five North Western locomotives and was constantly dismissed by the three big engines.
- Bratty Half-Pint: The smallest of the engines on Sodor and with a very bratty and hot-headed attitude to match.
- Character Focus: Returning to the Ensemble Cast of the original books and early seasons, Thomas is not the main character, but is still the focus of several major arcs and several standalone episodes.
- Deadpan Snarker: As an engine who makes his home in a World of Snark, you can expect Thomas to have plenty of snarky comments.
- Dude, Where's My Respect?: As station pilot, he was constantly belittled by the big engines, particularly Gordon, despite shunting their trains for them.
- Dislikes the New Guy: Was not impressed with Percy's size, as he's even smaller than Thomas is, and dismissed the little green engine for his perceived lack of intelligence. He has to eat his words when Percy helps him and Edward up Gordon's Hill. If Snow is of any indication, he still doesn't really respect Percy either.
- Fatal Flaw: Impatience is a big one. He tends to be very reckless at times and not think through his decisions. Suffice to say, they land him in trouble more often than not.
- Idiot Hero: He's not completely stupid, but several of his ideas are extremely reckless, and often ill-conceived.
- Ignored Epiphany: Has one in Snow regarding Percy, flashing back to when they first met...and then telling Terence the Tractor about his experiences with Edward.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Attempts this when he meets Percy; Thomas, not impressed by an even smaller tank engine, immediately dismisses him instead of showing him how to run the branch line when having to do the big engines' work due to their strike. Edward immediately calls him out, but Thomas points out that Percy's belief that the station yard was a branch line already makes him too incompetent to trust him with Thomas'...only for Edward to point out that Percy had never gotten to experience such a thing before and needed instruction, not dismissal. The rebuttal is lost on Thomas, and he is also proven incorrect when Percy, thanks to Edward's crash course, easily handles the line, with Annie and Clarabel quickly taking a shine to him.
- Jerkass Realization: He can act very rude and insufferable, but once the consequences blow up in his face, he'll generally come back down to earth and recognize his errors.
- No-Respect Guy: He feels he gets no appreciation for his shunting work.
- Slept Through the Apocalypse: When a massive blizzard hits Sodor, all three big engines lie wide awake, clearly concerned about the dangers of the next day. Thomas by contrast, slept through the entire thing and remains ignorant of the dangers of snow.
- Unsympathetic Comedy Protagonist: Is this in Snow where he stupidly brandishes forth his fearlessness (read: foolishness) of snow and insults Terence the Tractor to his face. Needless to say, his crashing into a snow drift is well-deserved.
Edward the Blue Engine
Edward the Blue Engine, #2
The oldest engine on Sodor and the most experienced. Edward was relegated to spare engine in the sheds, until a day out showed Sir Topham Hatt that he was still reliable despite his age. Since then, he has been a regular fixture on the railway, providing a bit of common sense to the engines of Sodor...whether they actually listen or no.- Adaptational Badass: Edward's only true foible in the books, and more pronounced in the TV series come the later model and CGI eras, was being very weak-willed and thin-skinned. The Trampy Movies version of Edward has none of this, being a much more on-point Team Dad and mentor figure to the other engines despite his age. A specific example in Strike comes from him giving Gordon and the others a sternful lecture about the foolishness of the titular strike, whereas in the books/show, he became worried over being said to have black/grey wheels.
- Composite Character: Concerning his Era-Specific Personality in the later eras of the show with his original personality; in the present-day Edward is the wise old engine everyone is familiar with, but in his younger days on the Furness Railway, he was immature, impatient, and tended to get into embarrassing accidents, traits more familiar with his late model/early CGI persona.
- The Mentor: A much more pronounced trait in this series; many of the Season 1 episodes have him in this role to teach engines such as Thomas, Percy, and James. His overall attitude makes him a natural fit for the trope as well.
- Nice Guy: Much like in the original series, he's very encouraging and personable, especially towards Thomas. That said, he's also less willing to take shit from other engines, and isn't afraid to call them out if needed.
- Secret-Keeper: Was the only engine to know the truth about Henry's steaming issues, albeit unintentionally since he overheard Sir Topham Hatt talk about it.
- Taught by Experience: In his younger years, he learned the value of bettering himself and never giving up until he could pull the Express. He kept working and working at it until he finally got his chance, and it's clear that this is the source of his wellspring of knowledge.
- Team Dad: The wisest and most mature of the engines, who makes sure that everyone is treated respectfully (well, tries as best as he can given everyone's personalities) and breaks up fights whenever he can.
- Weak, but Skilled: Old age and the newer, heavier trains put Edward into this category. He isn't as strong as more modern engines, but his experience in handling trucks and coaches is invaluable.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Warns Gordon and the others that going on strike is a terrible, stupid idea, doing his best to refute their protests. Gordon refuses to listen.
Henry the Green Engine
Henry the Green Engine, #3
A dour, cynical, grump of a big engine with a penchant for complaining and getting ill owing to a flawed design.- Achilles in His Tent: Tries to stay in a tunnel to avoid his paint from getting wet/rusted so he can look as well as Gordon. Needless to say, he quickly gets bricked up as punishment and considers himself an idiot for trying such a stunt.
- Adaptational Intelligence: Unlike in the books and show, Henry remembers the consequences of disobeying Sir Topham Hatt and initially refuses to join Gordon's strike for want of avoiding a similar punishment. He even realizes some of the flaws in Gordon's plan (or lack thereof as he later says), but his cynicism gets the best of him and causes him to stick by Gordon.
- Adaptation Personality Change: Henry is portrayed as the grumpiest of the three big engines, a stark contrast to the official canon in which he is the nicest of the trio. His short temper is best displayed in the Quickie Water, in which he is repeatedly a smartass to Percy and makes barely-provoked threats to him, Bill, and Ben compared to the light ribbing from in canon.
- Cartoon Creature: To his detriment. Henry was ordered as an Atlantic (4-4-2) locomotive, but came to Sodor with a 4-6-0 design and a Pacific-like boiler...that had a very small firebox. As a result, Henry cannot burn coal properly and gets ill very often until Welsh Coal is gained. After crashing in Flying Kipper, Henry is sent away to Crewe to receive a larger firebox, which in canon served to standardize his design into a Black Five configuration.
- Character Development: One of the first engines to really display this in Season 1. When the Trampy Movies begin Henry is shown to have an Inferiority Superiority Complex and refuses to do work that is beneath him, or avoid circumstances that could ruin his image. One Break the Haughty two-week long tunnel time-out later, and his character, while remaining very grumpy and cynical, is notably more down-to-earth as he takes his responsibilities more seriously. Even his participation in Gordon's strike is reluctant compared to the books and show, as he quickly pokes holes in it and immediately regrets going along with it. Even later on, in Flying Kipper, one could hardly compare the Henry willing to put in 110% on his jobs to earn a spot on the Express roster to the Henry in Rain who shut himself up in a tunnel out of fear for his paint being spoiled.
- The Cynic: Very rarely believes that things get better, and this is his reasoning for joining Gordon's strike. It ends up being his undoing.
- Deadpan Snarker: Probably exudes this the most out of all of the engines. Almost all of his dialogue is sarcastic and dour snark.
- Detrimental Determination: Gets a case of this in Flying Kipper when he crashes into the back of a parked goods train. Despite getting smashed up the way he did in canon (actually worse thanks to the giant bruise on his face), Henry insists on being lifted back on the tracks and continuing the journey, despite how that's obvious impossible to do. It takes Percy putting his wheel down for Henry to finally concede the point.
- Everyone Has Standards:
- Henry has little respect for James, but looks downright depressed when he hears about his crash.
- Henry may be the embodiment of grouchiness and the engine with the darkest sense of humor, but he knows that snow is not to be messed with and tries to warn Thomas about it. Unfortunately, Thomas doesn't listen, much to Henry's exasperation.
- Fatal Flaw: Cynicism and poor self-image. The former makes him liable to join in on schemes, while the latter, more majorly, has screwed him over big time; it was why he got bricked up in a tunnel, and caused a sense of Skewed Priorities after crashing into a goods train, as he was particularly desperate to prove that he was Express-worthy despite being in no condition to keep pulling a train.
- Hidden Depths: For all of his grumpiness, Henry notably has a fondness for animals. Gordon is shocked at this, moreso because of a Black Comedy laden suggestion about running a cow over that quickly devolves into the two arguing about the content matter.
- Hospital Visit Hesitation: Henry does not want to go to Crewe at the end of Flying Kipper, saying that it's a place for "mental engines and cuckoos". Sir Topham Hatt of course, shoots down this denial.
- Pet the Dog:
- In Triumph, Henry sadly points out how quiet the sheds are after Thomas leaves to work on his branch line, showing that he misses him alongside the other engines and hopes he's happy (except for Gordon, who complains that he has to shunt his coaches own now).
- In Flying Kipper, after the infamous crash, James accuses Percy, who had been banking Henry, of causing the accident. Despite his big break chance going down the toilet, Henry stands up for Percy and says that it wasn't his fault.
- Sitcom Arch-Nemesis: Taking a page from the Christopher Awdry era of the books, this is Henry's dynamic with James. Both tend to get plenty of verbal spats with one another and clearly do not respect each other all that much. When Gordon claims that a good review from the Railway Board will ensure his promotion to another line, this is what Henry has to say.Henry: Transfer railways huh! That's a good one Gordon, leave me here with James.
- Skewed Priorities: In Flying Kipper, Henry crashes into the back of James' night goods train, and in desperation, tries to get James and Percy to grab a set of cranes to put him back on the line and resume his journey...despite the fact that said accident effectively put him out of commission. Percy finds this incredibly foolish, calls Henry out on it, and ultimately Henry is forced to accept the outcome.
- What the Hell, Hero?: In Flying Kipper, Percy blows his whistle, scaring him and the other engines awake at two in the morning, Henry screams at the little tank engine to go back to sleep.
Gordon the Big Engine
Gordon the Big Engine, #4
The North Western Railway's premiere express locomotive, and very proud of that fact. He'll remind you of it constantly, of course.- Adaptational Nice Guy: More than a few scenes showcase him being willing to stick up for the others, which is worth noting since Gordon hasn't yet had his Character Development from the books or later seasons. One example in particular is his view on Henry; early on, Gordon seemed to look down on Henry for having a Gresley knockoff design and was envious of his new shape, whereas here, Gordon seems to at least view Henry as more Express-capable than James, and takes learning about Henry's condition much more seriously than James does. ...That being said...
- The Big Guy: The largest engine on Sodor and theoretically the strongest...but he was designed to pull express trains, not goods, and will make that point very clear. Thomas isn't impressed by this attitude.
- Crippling Overspecialization: In Thomas' opinion anyways. Gordon was built to pull Express trains, not Goods. While he is shown as being capable of course, he really, really hates pulling them, and Thomas says that it's because of this attitude that they now have James. Flying Kipper later reveals that this actually is true, when Henry and Gordon argue about the latter's duties.
- Everyone Has Standards: Even he thinks James calling Henry's condition out as him not working hard enough crosses a line, letting out an "oh wow" at hearing it.
- Heel–Face Revolving Door: He has played the role of both protagonist and antagonist at several points throughout the first season of the Trampy Movies, with the latter being most prominent in Edward and Strike, with the former being more noticeable in Main Line.
- Normal Fish in a Tiny Pond: On the Island of Sodor and the North Western Railway, Gordon is the cream of the crop, the most famous engine on the railway...but in the greater world, literally no-one has ever heard of him, in comparison to his brother, the truly world-famous Flying Scotsman.
- Small Name, Big Ego: Gordon may be the North Western Railway's express engine, but his view of himself is still overinflated. He says he is "too famous to die" in response to hearing he will die if he tries to continue pulling the express with a burst safety valve, believes that his build heritage is sufficient leverage to use for a strike, and is absolutely mortified when Percy doesn't know who he is.Thomas: Gordon, no one in a three-mile radius knows who you are.
James the Red Engine
James the Red Engine, #5
A self-proclaimed splendid red mogul who tends to seek greater things than his size would really suggest or allow.- Abled in the Adaptation: He is not said to have wooden brake blocks in this continuity. Instead, he gets pushed down the hill because the trucks knocked his crew off his footplate. Flying Kipper implies that he may have gone to Crewe to get them removed before coming to Sodor.
- Adaptational Dye-Job: While the Trampy Movies make use of edited show screenshots, James is never shown in his black livery. This is justified however, as the time-frame given reveals that he has been on the railway for two years by the present-day, so if he did have it, it has long since been removed.
- Adaptational Early Appearance: James didn't debut in the books until the end of Thomas', whereas here, reflecting how he was used in earlier episodes before his proper introduction, he is present from the very first movie, though later ones confirm that he is still the newest engine on Sodor.
- Adaptational Nice Guy: Perhaps one of the legitimately nicest version of James to date that still retains his vanity and temper. This version of James is depicted as more of a legitimate go-getter, even with his obsession over his unique paintwork. Some examples are seen in Coaches and Strike; in the former, he is the one to warn Thomas that he left his train behind, while in the latter he refuses to join Gordon's strike until Gordon strokes his inner desire to not have to pull goods again.
- Big "SHUT UP!": Delivers a huge one to a bickering Gordon and Henry when the strike fails and they get shut up in the sheds.James: Ohhhhh, SHUT UUUUUUUP! SHUT UP! BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP!
- Butt-Monkey: A lot of the more unfortunate incidents happen to him. From getting pushed down Gordon's Hill by trucks, to getting spun on a turntable in winter weather, and getting to suffer the night shift trains, James goes through a lot.
- Comically Missing the Point: In Firebox, after the dramatic revelation of why Henry is sick (and thus that it is not just him complaining), James has this say in amazement.James: Oh my god, Henry could have been an Atlantic!
- Hot-Blooded: Very quick to anger, as when he overhears the coaches badmouthing him behind his tender, he quickly begins bumping them, yelling at them in the process.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He's not as much of a jerk as he was in either canon, but he's still fairly rude and snarky. When the chips come down though, he turns out to be fairly understanding, moral, and apologetic.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Outright says that joining Gordon's strike was the dumbest thing he ever did and now because of this, Sir Topham Hatt thinks he's a worthless garbage engine. Henry tries to say that it's not that bad, but gets another "shut up" in response.
- The Napoleon: While not the smallest engine on Sodor, he fits this trope when in comparison with Gordon and Henry in the main line trio. James has an enormous ego and a desire to prove himself as good as Gordon, but at the same time, neither engine respects him all that much, and when Thomas is promoted from his station pilot duties, James is now at the bottom of the totem pole.
- No-Respect Guy: He has his usual vanity and desire to prove himself...whilst being second-to-last on the totem pole of the railway hierarchy. When Thomas leaves for his branch line, James is now on the bottom.
- Pet the Dog: He's had a few moments.
- He's the one who warns Thomas of his mistake in leaving a train behind and swears not to tell. Gordon and Henry find out anyways, but the fact remains that James kept his promise.
- James, alongside Edward and Henry, admits that he misses Thomas after he goes to work on the Ffarquhar Branch in Triumph. All three engines hope Thomas is happy now, though Gordon complains that he has to shunt his own coaches now.
Percy the Small Engine
Percy the Small Engine, #6
An engine of unknown build origin dumped in a workshop, Percy was bought by Sir Topham Hatt and brought to Sodor to serve as the new station pilot with Thomas' promotion to branch line duties. The smallest engine on Sodor by far, and one who brings a mix of innocence and cheekiness to the railway.- Adaptational Angst Upgrade: Percy's background is shown, and while he's The Pollyanna concerning his situation, it still bears mentioning that his owner dumped him at the workshops, and not even the foreman knows who his maker is. His titular movie expands on this; he wasn't even allowed to sleep in the sheds on his old railway, and had to sleep in the sidings, nor was he ever noticed in the workshops in the first place.
- Ascended Extra: While Percy is usually an incredibly prominent player in the entirety of the Thomas franchise as a whole, one has to remember his role in Season 1 was not very large and it wasn't until Season 2 that he truly became a main character. The Trampy Movies adapting Season 1 gives Percy much more substantial roles that he did not have in any canonical source prior; he is the one who comes up with the idea of Welsh Coal for Henry, and even gets to play a major supporting role in Flying Kipper.
- The Baby of the Bunch: Moreso for Season 1 of Trampy Movies, but his size and attitude certainly evoke the trope regardless of whatever past experience he has had as a station pilot.
- Cartoon Creature: Justified as Percy is a 0-4-0 saddletank, which tended to have many custom or nonstandard designs, but this series notably comments on it; the head of the workshops outright doesn't know who his maker is, and it's not likely that Percy has any idea himself.
- The Ditz: Can be very scatter-minded at times. Neither Henry or Thomas are all that impressed with him because of it (along with his size). Case-in-point, despite hearing Gordon's name numerous times, he still didn't catch on that the big blue engine who clearly wasn't James or Henry was Gordon.
- Friendless Background: None of the engines on his old railway respected him that much and made him sleep outside in the sidings; not even his controller seemed to care much about him, and the workshop engines and staff generally ignored him. He's mesmerized by the idea of sleeping in a shed, much to Edward's concern.
- The Heart: Quickly develops into this. He's easily the most compassionate and emotional of the first six engines on the railway, and the effect shows as he integrates into the workings of Sodor.
- Naïve Newcomer: The first new engine to come to Sodor, and appropriately, much of Percy and Main Line focus on him adjusting to his new workload. He likewise doesn't understand why there has to be any rivalries on the Express, asking why the big engines simply can't share it. Edward is on-board with the proposal, but Gordon and Henry are revolted.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Percy is usually rather dim-witted and up-in-the air...but after seeing Henry's Detrimental Determination causing a sense of Skewed Priorities (i.e. Henry trying to resume pulling the Flying Kipper after going through a terrible collision), he puts his wheel down and tells James to get the Breakdown Train while he goes to get Sir Topham Hatt.
- The Pollyanna: Percy has been through a lot; never allowed to sleep in the sheds with the other engines and having to make do with a siding, getting dumped into a workshop unceremoniously, and then being ignored. He reacts to all of this by seeing the positives and is overjoyed to be on Sodor.
- Sixth Ranger: The first new engine on Sodor. His number even matches the trope.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: Not in Season 1, per se, but if Quickies 3: Water is anything to go by, by the time that story takes place, he's much more on the cheeky side than the innocent side, being displeased at Henry shooing away Bill and Ben and quickly teasing the big green engine for his own troubles with water.
Staff of the North Western Railway
Sir Topham Hatt
The controller of the North Western Railway.
- Adaptation Name Change: While the series is ostensibly set back in the original setting of The Railway Series and early seasons of the show, Sir Topham Hatt is never referred to as "The Fat Controller" and is always referred to by his name.
- Adaptational Nice Guy: Whilst he is still every bit as stern as he was in the books and early seasons, in the source material, Sir Topham Hatt could take on a slightly antagonistic role or make very harsh decisions, as seen with the Caledonian Twins...and of course, Henry. In the books, he seemed ready to throw in the towel and send Henry away to be scrapped, whereas this series establishes his fatherly traits much faster, so instead of threatening to scrap Henry, he merely intends to relegate him to spare engine due to his steaming issues. It also helps set him apart more from the mainland controllers, as Percy mentions the original intent as a trait of his old controller.
- Adaptational Seriousness: In the early books and CGI-era (from Season 19 onwards, to be more specific), he had a bit of a comic relief role or was Not So Above It All. This version of the character is fully in-line with his later Railway Series persona, standing for no-nonsense and taking issues on his railway seriously.
- Decomposite Character: Acting as a Mythology Gag as well, as stated in Adaptational Nice Guy, Sir Topham Hatt does not intend to scrap Henry when his steaming issues get critical, but does plan to get a new engine and relegate Henry to small, spare jobs regardless. The original intent is instead given to Percy's old controller, who was going to do this to one of his engines until a driver persuaded him to use Welsh Coal instead.
- A Father to His Men: He is a bit of a stern parent when the need arises, but he takes care of his engines and would never send them away. This is best shown in Firebox when he keeps Henry despite the big green engine being of a flawed design, even as his illness gets worse.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: He may be no-nonsense, but Sir Topham Hatt truly wants what is best for his engines. He knew fully well that the yard would need a new shunter (and was about to order one before Gordon pulled off his strike), and has zero intention to send his engines away if they are not feeling well.
Charlie the Driver
One of the drivers on the North Western Railway. His job is unfortunately made much more difficult thanks to the engines he drives being very finicky and liable to get into trouble.
- Adaptational Job Change: If he is the same Charlie Sand from the books, then he seems to work with Gordon more than he does Edward, whose crew were among the few who were actually named.
- Enraged by Idiocy: To say he is not amused by the antics of the engines is an understatement.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: He gives a brief, but fitting one to Gordon in Edward when the big blue engine refuses to pull a goods train up the hill, even when he's apparently embarrassed by needing Edward's help.Charlie: You're a fraud, you know that?Gordon: WHAT?!Charlie: You're a fake! You're no "pride of the line"!
- Recurring Character: The engine driver who appears the most in the Trampy Movies and thus can be seen as their overall representative in the cast.
Rolling Stock
Troublesome Trucks
The rowdy and mischievous goods wagons on the North Western Railway.
- Adaptational Nice Guy: While still a bunch of rude and vengeful assholes, the Troublesome Trucks display some more altruistic qualities; The trucks Thomas pulled in Edward's place apologize to Sir Topham Hatt for their tricks (even though one of them admits he still found the whole situation funny), and the group Thomas pulls as practice during "Runaway" offer him genuine words of encouragement.
- Foil: To the Mainline Coaches. The trucks are Hated by All, while the coaches are A Lighter Shade of Black; after all, the trucks cause engines to become runaways and potentially derail while the coaches, while prissy and fussy, ultimately only ever complain. On the flipside however, the trucks' methods, though much more brutish, do mean that a respectful engine will have no trouble with them once the respect is earned. The coaches, having much higher standards, will still criticize an engine unless the situation is truly dire.
- Jerkass: They're very rude and will gladly try to get engines to crash. Even for engines who treat them well like Edward, they're not above insulting him behind his back.
- Hated by All: No-one, read no-one on the railway likes the Troublesome Trucks. Henry outright says that they can be cremated for all he cares.
The Mainline Coaches
The gossipy coaches on the mainline of the North Western Railway.
- Adaptational Jerkass: In the books and show, the Mainline Coaches, whenever given dialogue, tended to be encouraging, or were at least considered better than the Troublesome Trucks since they don't try pushing engines off the line. While the latter part is true for the Trampy Movies, here, the coaches are depicted as fussy Gossipy Hens, and it is due to James overhearing their disapproval of them that causes the infamous Bootlace Incident.
- Gossipy Hens: They tend to critique the engine pulling them right behind (or in front of) them.
- A Lighter Shade of Black: While the coaches may cause their own brand of trouble for the engines (they very rarely help out in starting the train via letting off their brakes for example), the engines agree that while they can be prissy and unhelpful, they aren't the Troublesome Trucks.
- Pet the Dog: For as much as they put James down, when he tries to pull the express, they decide to help him and the heavy train suddenly becomes much easier to pull. Considering how before James had told Thomas coaches don't help engines, this instance says a lot.
- This Is Gonna Suck: In Triumph, this is their reaction to learning that James will be pulling them.
Annie and Clarabel
Thomas' two faithful coaches on his branch line.
- Composite Character: Annie and Clarabel are mostly based on their book and early model depictions but incorporate aspects of their CGI depictions as attempted voices of reason for Thomas who sometimes share his cheekier aspects.
- The Dividual: Both have essentially the same personality, with their dialogue with one another usual bouncing off each other.
- Women Are Wiser: They act as voices of reason for Thomas, telling him not to go so fast or fussy and telling Percy that they'll put in a good word for him when Thomas returns to his branch line duties. They also rebuke him for his harsh words towards Henry.
- You Are Better Than You Think You Are: In Snow, after Thomas get's stuck and his driver, Bob, angrily tells him off for stupidly thinking he didn't need his snowplow, the tank engine is left depressed and believes he truly is stupid. Annie and Clarabel comfort and reassure him that, while he does make stupid decisions most of the time, he is by no means stupid.
