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Thomas the Tank Engine Wikia
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Percy

Revision as of 07:31, 4 October 2015 by SamTheTrainFan (Message Wall | contribs)
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This article is about 'the engine'. You may be looking for 'the Story Library book, the Railway Series book, the 1997 magazine story, the 2002 magazine story, the My First Railway Library book or the Random House book'.
“That's the one! If I choose you, will you work hard?"
"Oh Sir, yes, Sir!"
"That's a good engine! I'll call you Percy.”
― Sir Topham Hatt and Percy, Trouble in the Shed, first season
PercyatBrendamDockspromo
Percy
  • Number: 6
  • Class: GWR Avonside 0-4-0ST with No. 1430 "Trojan" body shape and 1361 Class bunker
  • Designer: Avonside Engine Company
  • Builder: Avonside Engine Company
  • Configuration: 0-4-0ST  
  • Built: 1905
  • Arrived on Sodor: Sometime between 1923 and 1935

Percy is a cheeky saddletank who was brought to Sodor to help run the railway during the big engines' strike. His favorite job is to deliver the Mail Train. He works on Thomas' Branch Line as a goods engine.

Bio

Percy was most likely built by Avonside and had gone through a subsequent rebuild in the years preceding his second-hand sale to the North Western Railway. He is said to have been found wearing Hunslet parts, according to workers at Crovan's Gate.

When Gordon, James, and Henry went on strike in protest of the extra work they had to do since Thomas left to run his branch line, the Fat Controller decided that the railway needed another tank engine. Going to the engine workshop, the Fat Controller saw a green saddletank and when the engine confirmed he was willing to work hard, the Fat Controller bought him and named him Percy. Bringing him back to Sodor, Percy was charged with running the branch line while Thomas ran the Main Line with Edward and was allowed to stay after the big engines surrendered and returned to work. At first, Percy liked to annoy the big engines. Percy was later waiting at Tidmouth, but forgot to whistle to the signalman, and thus was startled when Gordon came running towards him with the express. Gordon managed to stop in time, but Percy was so frightened, he ran away, and ended up stuck in a sandbank. He was rescued by Gordon and took up the duty of station pilot at Tidmouth.

Percy was still a cheeky engine and often liked to play jokes on Gordon and James, but one day the other engines got their revenge when Percy failed to recognise a "backing signal". After this, Percy was subject to bullying from the big engines until Duck arrived and helped Percy to put the big engines in their place, although Percy still received a reprimand from the Fat Controller for it.

With Duck's arrival, Percy was sent to Thomas' Branch Line to help build Knapford Harbour and has stayed there ever since as a goods engine.

Persona

Writing in The Thomas the Tank Engine Man, Brian Sibley described Percy as "one of the most engaging engines in the shed, with his slightly roly-poly appearance and a look of wide-eyed innocence". As the television series has progressed, Percy has been dumbed-down in order to teach viewers difficult words: he would say "dingy-fried" where anyone else would say "dignified". He is also shown to make silly mistakes, but then fix them upon realising what he has done before further damage is caused.

Percy is incredibly accident-prone and holds the dubious record of the most accidents in one season - five, in the second season - crashing into some buffers, falling into the sea, being pushed onto a brakevan, colliding with a cart, and being hit by a falling crate of treacle. So far, his silliest accident yet was in the sixth season, when he slipped on oily rails, crashed through the chocolate factory, and emerged covered in chocolate. Despite this, he always tries to do his best, learn from his mistakes, and get his jobs done, a loyalty which Sir Topham Hatt has praised him for on several occasions.

Since the second season, Percy has had a small rivalry with Harold, stemming from their race. However, they are always willing to help each other when in trouble.

He also had held a grudge from the big engines about their tricking him into misinterpreting a signal, but silenced this with some help from Duck. This shows that, when nonsense goes too far, Percy will not stand for it and seek help to settle the matter for good, even if he faces a reprimanding from Sir Topham Hatt for it.

Basis

Percy is primarily based on a GWR Avonside 0-4-0ST with the body of GWR 1340 Trojan, the bunker of a GWR 1361 class locomotive, Hunslet underframes and valve gear, a smokebox protruding from his saddletank, external cylinders and motion, and sandboxes underneath the tanks on his footplate.

Modifications made to Percy's shape include the angled smokebox supports and the cab being cut down slightly from the back for the bunker.

A similar looking engine painted red, lived with Percy at the Workshop where he used to live before arriving on Sodor, in the My Thomas Story Library, The Fat Controller.

Livery

Percy is painted NWR green with NWR red-and-yellow lining and a "6" painted on his bunker sides in yellow.

In the Railway Series, he carries two builder's plates, one on either side of his cab.

Green Caterpillar

The Reverend W. Awdry and C. Reginald Dalby did not get along very well. Awdry considered Dalby's drawings "toy-like"; this relationship was worsened by the creation of Percy, who was depicted as an Avonside 0-4-0ST/GWR 1340 Trojan with a bunker.

When Percy the Small Engine was published, Awdry wrote to Dalby, criticising his illustrations and claiming Percy resembled "a green caterpillar with red stripes". This was too much for Dalby and he promptly resigned. However, the insult was not forgotten: Thomas called Percy "a green caterpillar with red stripes" in Tramway Engines as well as the televised episode Woolly Bear.

Arrival

It is debated as to what year Percy arrived. The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways states that Percy was made the station pilot at Tidmouth in 1949, somewhat implying that he arrived on Sodor in that year. However, Henry is said to have been rebuilt in 1935 and Percy makes several appearances in the presence of the pre-rebuild Henry, suggesting that either Henry was rebuilt later on or that Percy arrived before 1935. A post on SiF states that Christopher Awdry affirmed the arrival date in The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways to be incorrect and that Percy came to Sodor before 1935.

Appearances

Railway Series

Television series

Specials:

Percy is likely to appear in The Great Race (special).

Magazine stories

Percy also appeared in the magazine stories, A Good Hiding Place, A Job for James, A Long Way Up!, A Puzzle for Percy, Big Catch, Bill and BoCo, Boat Afloat, Bulgy's Dream, Clean Getaway!, Clever Climbers!, Come back, Please!, Daisy and the Fish, Dressing Up, Engine Plates, Fast Food!, Fish and Fog!, Fishy Diesel!, Flying James, Funnels and Tunnels, Glider Rider, Good Games, Bad Sport!, Happy Holiday!, Harvest Time, Henry and Diesel, How Does Percy Work?, I Spy with my Little Eye, Jack Frost, Jim's Jungle Ride!, Just Right, Keeping Dry, Lazy Wheels, Letting off Steam!, Looking Splendid, Lost Luggage!, Making a Mess!, On Inspection, Percy gets Wet!, Percy's House, Percy's Plight, Percy's Spooky Tooth, Percy's Stories, Percy and Terence, Percy and the Trucks, Pigeon Passengers!, Pink Cows, Proud Percy!, Puzzles, Really Useful Edward, Rhyming Engines, Rushing Around, Seeing Steam, Snake Mistake, Sodor's Strongest Engine, Spooky Station, Spotty Spencer, Steaming Along!, Taking Toby, The Balloon Race, The Big Ship, The Camel Train, The Cat Controller!, The Christmas Sacks, The Cloud Factory!, The Dodgems, The Flying Broomstick, The Flying Horse, The Lost Parcel, The Runaway Percy, The Trainspotters, The UFO, There and Back, and Think Pink.

Voice Actors

Trivia

  • One of Percy's models is currently on display in Japan at the Hara Railway Museum (previously on display at Nitrogen Studios).
  • Percy's large scale model used for the spin-off series, The Pack, is currently on display in Japan at Thomas Land.
  • One of Percy's face masks is now in the possession of SiF user Brj38.
  • In Jack and the Sodor Construction Co., Percy's dome is green and the steps up to his footplate are red.
  • According to Abi Grant on her website, Percy is her favourite character. He is also Mark Moraghan's favourite character.
  • Percy's whistle sound is actually Edward's higher pitched.
  • In the fifth season, Percy's lamp kept appearing and disappearing.
  • Percy went through several changes in the television series:
    • Thomas and the Magic Railroad:
      • He gained a permanent lamp.
    • Season 6:
      • His cab was blacked out (except for cab shots filmed on a larger model).
    • Hero of the Rails:
      • His cab became open again.
      • The counterweights on his wheels vanished.
    • Season 19:
      • His side-rods become silver.

Quotes

"Do you know what?" asked Percy.
"What?" grunted Gordon.
"Do you know what?"
"Silly," said Gordon crossly, "Of course I don't know what, if you don't tell me what 'what' is."

- A conversation between Percy and Gordon, "Percy the Small Engine"

"Nobody listens to me now! They think I'm a silly little engine, and order me about. I'll show them."

- Percy, "Percy the Small Engine"

"Wheeeeeeeeeeesh!" Percy gave his ghostly whistle. "Don't be frightened, Thomas," he laughed, "it's only me!"
"Your ugly fizz is enough to frighten anyone," said Thomas crossly. "You're like..."
"Ugly indeed! I'm..."
"A green caterpillar with red stripes," continued Thomas firmly. "You crawl like one too."
"I don't."
"Who's been late every afternoon this week?"
"It's the hay."
"I can't help that," said Thomas. "Time's time, and the Fat Controller relies on me to keep it. I can't if you crawl in the hay 'til all hours."

- An argument between Percy and Thomas, "Tramway Engines"

"Harold told me you were a ..... uh wizard. He says he could beat you at some things but not at being a submarine. I don't know what you two get up to sometimes but I do know you are a really useful engine." - Sir Topham Hat, after Percy took a swim in "Percy's Promise"
"I can't see any," said Percy. "Where are they?"
"Any what?" said Gordon.
"Ideas above the station - the sky is empty."
"Like your smokebox, Percy!" laughed James.

- A brief example of Percy's curiosity, "A Better View for Gordon", fifth season

Merchandise

Gallery

Merchandise Gallery

See also

* RWS only | ** T&F only | --- Dropped
Locomotives Steam Thomas | Edward | Henry | Gordon | James | Percy | Toby | Duck | Donald and Douglas | Oliver | Wellsworth and Suddery Railway Tank Engines* | Bloomer* | Bill and Ben** | Stepney** | Harvey** | Emily** | Arthur** | Murdoch** | Fergus** | Molly** | Neville** | Rosie** | Whiff** | Billy** | Stanley** | Hank** | Flora** | Victor** | Charlie** | Bash and Dash** |Ferdinand** | Scruff** | Belle** | Porter** | Timothy** | Marion** | Ryan** | Dustin** | Nia** | Rebecca** | Sonny** | Barry* | The Austerity Engine*
Diesel Daisy | BoCo | Bear* | The Works Diesel* | Pip and Emma* | Diesel** | Mavis** | Derek** | 'Arry and Bert** | Diesel 10** | Salty** | Dennis** | Den** | Dart** | Paxton** | Norman** | Sidney** | Philip**
Other Sodor Railway Repair* | Peel Godred Engines* | Flynn** | Winston** | Stafford**
Former Coffee Pots | Hiro** | Glynn**
Rolling Stock Coaches Annie and Clarabel | Henrietta | Alice and Mirabel* | Isabel and Dulcie* | Victoria* | Old Slow Coach** | Slip Coaches** | Hannah** | Dexter** | Express Coaches | Branch Line Coaches | Old Coaches | Thomas' Special Coach* | The Quarryman's Coach* | Emily's Coaches** | Toby's Museum Coach** | Flora's Tram Coach** | Open-Topped Carriages** | Ulfstead Castle Coaches**
Trucks Troublesome Trucks | S.C. Ruffey | Elsie* | Fred Pelhay* | James' Trucks** | Thomas' Trucks** | Plank Trucks | Quarry Trucks | Utility Trucks | The Calliope** | Mine Trolleys** | Hoppers | Hector** | Vans | Mail Vans | Utility Vans | Animal Wagons** | Tankers | Flatbeds, Conflats and Wellwagons | Misty Island Log Trucks** | Ladle Trucks** | The Traveller** | Aquarium Tank Wagons**
Brake Vans Brake Vans | The Spiteful Brake Van | Toad
Other The Breakdown Train | Rocky** | Judy and Jerome** | The Circus Train | The Funfair Train** | The Flying Kipper | Gordon's Snow Machine** | Pump Trolley** | The Photographer's Draisine**
Non-Rail Vehicles Kevin** | Cranky** | Carly** | Big Mickey** | Reg**
People Sir Topham Hatt (Stephen Hatt*) | Albert Regaby* | Kevin Volley* | Old Bailey** | Mr. Conductor** | Mr. Arkwright** | Mr. Perkins**
Lines The Main Line (Main Line Loop**) | Ffarquhar Branch Line | The Little Western | Brendam Branch Line | Kirk Ronan Branch Line | Peel Godred Branch Line | Norramby Branch Line | Toby's Branch Line** | Stepney's Branch Line** | Misty Valley Branch Line** | Killdane Branch Line** | The Loop Line** | Ulfstead Branch Line** | Harwick Branch Line** | Coaling Plant Branch Line**
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