Tramway Engines is the twenty-sixth book of The Railway Series published in 1972. This was the last book that was written by The Rev. W. Awdry and was the last Railway Series book until 1983. The book contains four stories, the first two about Thomas and Percy's misadventures and the other two about a diesel named Mavis.
- Ghost Train: Percy claims his driver saw a "ghost train" the previous night, but Thomas does not believe him and Percy's driver confirms that the engine was on television. On his way home from working at the harbor all day, Percy crashes into a cart of lime that had stuck at Crowe's Farm Crossing. When the signalman remarks that Percy looks like a ghost, Percy makes a plan, and convinces Thomas he has crashed and returned as a ghost, scaring Thomas out of the shed.
- Woolly Bear: Thomas is still annoyed at Percy, and when Percy is delayed picking up haybales Thomas claims Percy is a "green caterpillar with red stripes". Percy, furious, resolves to be quick, but is delayed when a crate of treacle falls on him. The worst is wiped off, but as Percy returns home a gale whips up and Percy is covered in hay.
- Mavis: Mavis is a stuck-up Diesel working at Anopha Quarry who loves rearranging the trucks in the sidings. This creates confusion and Toby is cross. When Mavis sees Daisy, Daisy tells her that Diesels are better than steam engines, making Mavis prouder than ever, until the trucks hold Mavis back and Toby has to help.
- Toby's Tightrope: Mavis is restricted to the quarry after her incident. After a frost comes and goes, work increases and Mavis manages to convince the manager to let her go as far as the crossing. She formulates a plan to go further down the line and asks the trucks to push her at the crossing, but when Toby comes they decide to do it to him and he ends up suspended over a raging torrent on a pair of dangling rails. Mavis rescues him and, even though it was her fault, is forgiven and allowed to go down the line.
The book contains examples of:
- Acquired Situational Narcissism: Mavis becomes more conceited after Daisy tells her that diesels are superior to steam engines.
- Actually Pretty Funny: Toby is surprisingly easy going about the incident with the bridge, saying his driver told him about circus tightropes, but he didn't fancy doing it himself.
- Big Brother Mentor: Toby to Mavis, much to her chagrin.
- Butt-Monkey: Percy in "Woolly Bear".
- Call-Back: Mavis remembers Percy's accident 11 years before and takes no chances with the quarry trucks.
- Character Development:
- Mavis started off as completely full of herself, thinking that her way of shunting trucks is more efficient much to Toby's impatience, but she became more humble after nearly causing Toby to fall off of the bridge.
- Downplayed but it’s also implied Toby is more patient and less huffy with Mavis afterwards and helps her out with later mistakes.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: Mavis gets one. After all the trouble she's caused, she’s forgiven and is allowed to go down the line.
- Easily Forgiven: The Fat Controller didn't punish Mavis for the trouble she caused with the trucks and Toby, since they were pleased with her rescuing Toby. Of course, she admits that it was her fault. Toby himself is also pretty easy-going, especially considering his moodiness with Mavis in the previous story.
- End of an Age: This is the final book written by Rev. W. Awdry and the last book of the series until 1983 where Christopher Awdry takes over.
- Fantastic Racism: Downplayed by Daisy. She sympathizes with Mavis and tells her that while steam engines have their uses, anything they can do, diesel can do better.
- Fire-Forged Friends: Toby and Mavis at the end of "Toby's Tightrope".
- The Freelance Shame Squad: Thomas and Toby make jokes about Percy looking like a woolly bear caterpillar at the end of "Woolly Bear".
- Funny Background Event:
- Toby can be seen wedged among the trucks Mavis has shunted in the first illustration of "Mavis".
- A hindsight case in the illustration of Toby pulling away Mavis. The shed he was resting in when the driver had to coerce him into helping her can be seen not far behind, implying Mavis was in sight of Toby the whole time and he still didn't want the bother.
- Ghost Train: The title of the first story of the book. Percy thought a ghost train exists, but Thomas doesn't believe him. Then Percy gets covered in limestone and thinks of a plan to scare Thomas.
- Halfway Plot Switch: The first two stories are about Thomas and Percy pranking each other and Toby has little to do with the plot, and the second two stories involve Toby heavily as he has to deal with Mavis' cocky attitude. How is this book called Tramway Engines again?
- Jerkass: Thomas is quite unpleasant in the first two stories. In the first, he calls Percy a silly little engine for believing in the ghost train, and then when Toby tells him of Percy getting into an "accident", he showed more concerned about being late than being concerned for Percy. In the next story, after learning about Percy's ghost trick, he calls him a "green caterpillar with red stripes" and criticizes him for being late. In the end, he teases Percy for being covered in hay and tells Toby about it, with the story ending with both engines making jokes about woolly bear caterpillars at Percy's expense. The foreword even notes the author put in "Ghost Train" just to take Thomas down a peg after he suggested adding all the other engines' humiliating stories into the book.
- Karma Houdini: The trucks hassle Mavis and nearly kill Toby and suffer no repercussions.
- Karmic Trickster: Percy in retaliation for Thomas insulting him in "Ghost Train".
- Miles Gloriosus: Thomas in "Ghost Train".
- My God, What Have I Done?:
- Mavis has one when she asks the trucks to push her down the line where she isn't supposed to go, only for them to push Toby instead.
- The trucks themselves look pretty horrified in the illustrations. They wanted to push Toby for a laugh, but not off a collapsed bridge, least of all with them still coupled to him.
- Never Say "Die": In part of Percy's trick on Thomas, Toby informs him that Percy had an accident and the worst part is he saw what may be Percy's ghost.
- Non-Indicative Name: Despite the book's title, the first two stories focus on Thomas and Percy.
- No Sympathy: Thomas, who doesn't like it when an engine makes him late, is dismissive of Percy's reason for his lateness caused by the hay on the line. Granted this is also clearly him being sour about Percy not letting him live down the prank of the previous story.
- Not So Above It All: After spending the first two stories laughing at Thomas and Percy's petty feud, Toby very quickly is left huffy himself from dealing with Mavis. After their own feud reaches boiling point and Mavis gets in hot water, Toby sulkily refuses to help her, only relenting when his driver suggests the possibility of a word from the Fat Controller.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: After realizing Percy's ghost trick and after being teased about it, Thomas retaliates by calling Percy a "Green Caterpillar with red stripes" and criticizes him for being late.
- Refuse to Rescue the Disliked: After Mavis gets stuck on the line after ignoring his warnings about the trucks, Toby refuses to help her. When his driver points out the trucks are technically his responsibility however, he "thoughtfully" decides to go after all.
- Averted in Toby's Tightrope when Mavis immediately races to Toby's rescue when she realises it was her fault.
- Screw the Rules, I Have Connections!: At first Toby thinks his part in Mavis' dilemma isn't his problem, assumed none of his workmen will tell on him. His driver coyly plays along, though notes he won't have to if the Fat Controller finds out about the road block. Toby relents at that possibility.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Tired of playing "Hunt the Trucks" with Mavis' impractical shunting, Toby tells Mavis to take the train herself, and refuses to get caught in her mess again when she inevitably screws it up. However, he relents when his driver reminds him that, being his trucks originally, he could also get in trouble.
- Skewed Priorities: When Toby informs Thomas that Percy had an "accident", Thomas is more annoyed about being late than being concerned for Percy.
- Take That!: The "Green Caterpillar with red stripes" description is actually Rev. Awdry's less-than-stellar opinion of Percy's appearance as drawn by one of the books' illustrators.
- Time Skip: The events of this book took place in 1964.
- Very Loosely Based on a True Story: "Toby's Tightrope" is based on a real event involving a timber trestle in the United States of America.
- Well, Excuse Me, Princess!: Mavis, much to Toby's annoyance.
- Whole Episode Flashback: Although published in 1972,
Word of God is that the stories all took place eight years earlier.
