This article is about 'the steam tram'. You may be looking for 'the Railway Series book, the episode, the Buzz Book, the Story Library book or the song'. |
- “What Toby doesn't know about branch line problems isn't worth knowing. Our Toby's an experienced engine!”
- ― Sir Topham Hatt, Percy's Predicament, Branch Line Engines
|
---|
Toby is a LNER J70 steam tram who came to Sodor after his tramway closed down. He has two coaches named Henrietta and Victoria and a luggage van named Elsie. He works on Thomas' Branch Line.
Bio
Toby was built by James Holden at GER's Stratford Works in Stratford, London, England in 1914 and originally lived at Great Yarmouth Docks, Norfolk with his brothers before working on an unnamed tramway. In 1951, Toby came to work at the quarry on Thomas' Branch Line after his old railway in East Anglia closed, as it was found to be illegal for Thomas to go on the quarry tramroad without sideplates or cowcatchers. Toby is old and, at first, was teased by James for his shabby paint. James stopped calling him names after he crashed into some tar wagons and Toby was given chocolate-brown paint for his hard work and a new coat for Henrietta as well.
Toby also got into a bit of a controversy with a female Diesel shunter named Mavis as she was not willing to shunt the trucks where they needed to be. After an accident with some trucks, the two engines made up their quarrel and are now good friends.
Toby once discovered an old castle and an old mine, and, while staying on guard, met the Old Warrior Ghost, who was really a narrow gauge engine named Bertram. After this, the two engines became good friends and now take visitors to and from the castle and mine. During one harsh winter, Toby had to rescue Farmer McColl's lambs that were trapped on a hillside. Toby was given a temporary three-chime whistle while his bell was being cleaned at the Steamworks. It helped with warning Thomas and Gordon that the tracks were blocked. He once was scared of Knapford Junction.
He once ran out of coal while delivering scrap to Crocks Scrap Yard, and after a few unsuccessful attempts at stopping passing engines to ask for some of their coal, Reg decided to lift Toby into the air so that the next engine would see him. Unfortunately, Thomas passed by and thought Reg was about to scrap Toby. After the story spread across the island, Emily took Henrietta to the scrapyard so that she and Toby could explain the truth.
In Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure, Thomas nearly collided with Toby while racing Bertie.
Persona
When he was first introduced, Toby was old but hardworking and knew enough about running a branch line to justify running Thomas' with Thomas and Daisy after Percy's accident with the trucks. He is also savvy enough to control the trucks. However, his advanced age and design means that he is weaker than the other engines. One time, one of The Horrid Lorries said that the railway was a mess and that Toby "belonged" in a museum.
Since the fifth season, Toby had been portrayed as being nervous about the capabilities of his work and uncertain about being an old steam tram, believing that he is not a proper engine, only good enough as a museum piece and not really special at all.
Toby enjoys listening to the birds in the birdhouse next to his shed. He also is friends with the pigs at Farmer Trotter's Pig Farm.
Since King of the Railway, Toby has been portrayed closer to his original wiser and more jovial personality, having more subtle shades of nervousness.
Basis
Toby was inspired by a GER C53 0-6-0T Wisbech steam tram (classed as J70 by the LNER) seen by the Reverend Wilbert and Christopher Awdry on a holiday at Yarmouth, hence Toby's origins.
Livery
In the Railway Series, Toby was painted brown with black cowcatchers and sideplates (which sported "LNER" in bright yellow letters) before working on his tramway, where he was repainted greyish-brown with grey sideplates and cowcatchers. After helping James he was repainted chocolate-brown with olive frames and blue sideplates.
In the television series, Toby has consistently been painted brown with grey sideplates and cowcatchers. Toby has a number "7" painted on his sides in bright yellow with a red border.
In the Railway Series, he carries two plaques on the sides of his cab stating that he works on the NWR, his number, and the last time and place that he was rebuilt.
Toby on the Big Screen
Toby was voiced by Colm Feore in Thomas and the Magic Railroad. In the movie, after Diesel 10 eavesdropped on Thomas and Percy talking about the buffers to the magic railroad, Toby followed him to the Smelters Yard. There, he distracted Diesel 10 by ringing his bell, in result of Diesel 10 demolishing the shed that he, Splatter, and Dodge were in.
Appearances
Voice Actors
- Colm Feore (Thomas and the Magic Railroad)
- Ben Small (UK; Hero of the Rails - eighteenth season)
- Rob Rackstraw (UK; Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure onwards)
- William Hope (US; Hero of the Rails onwards)
- Yasuhiko Kawazu (Japan; first - eighth seasons)
- Tomohiro Tsuboi (Japan; ninth season onwards)
- Kōichi Sakaguchi (Japan; Misty Island Rescue only)
- Espen Sandvik (Norway; Hero of the Rails onwards)
- Herman López (Latin America; Hero of the Rails onwards)
- Jürgen Theuns (The Netherlands)
- Tom Deininger (Germany; Thomas and the Magic Railroad)
- Volker Hanisch (Germany; twelfth season onwards)
- Mieczysław Morański (Poland; Hero of the Rails onwards)
- Jarosław Domin (Poland; Marion and the Dinosaurs only)
- Albert Cohen (Israel; Thomas and the Magic Railroad)
- Gadi Levy (Israel)
- Fadulli Costa (Brazil; Hero of the Rails onwards)
- Miguel Ángel Poison (Spain)
- Michel Lasorne (France and French speaking Canada; eighth - twelfth season)
- Bernard Demory (France and French speaking Canada; Hero of the Rails onwards)
- Petri Hanttu (Finland)
Trivia
- In Thomas Comes Home, the illustrations of "Toby's Megatrain" show Toby with a face at the rear cab as well as the front cab. This is the only time in the Railway Series that Toby has been illustrated with two faces.
- One of Toby's models is currently on display in Japan at the Hara Railway Museum (previously on display at Nitrogen Studios) and is currently wearing his scared face mask. Another was previously on display at Drayton Manor but the model was stolen from the display in early 2011.
- Toby is Christopher Awdry's favourite engine. This is because while on a trip in Yarmouth, he and his father got to ride in the cab of a J70 tram, thanks to Wilbert's good friend, the late Reverend Charlie Rand.
- In the fifth season episode Baa, Toby revealed that his favourite station is Maithwaite.
- In an interview with SiF , Andrew Brenner stated that Toby was one of his favourite characters, along with James, Bill and Ben.
- According to a interview with Robert Gauld-Galliers, Toby was originally going to appear in Emily's New Coaches but was replaced with Oliver.
- Toby went through numerous changes throughout the TV series. These include:
- Season 2:
- His bell changed sound.
- Season 4:
- His bell sound returned back to it's original sound.
- He had a unseen whistle (a lower pitch of Percy's).
- Hero of the Rails:
- His side-rods and pistons disappeared.
- His bell sound changed to the same as Flora's.
- His cabs appeared to be blackened out.
- Toby's New Whistle:
- His damaged bell was replaced with a three chime whistle, however his bell was soon restored.
- Season 2:
- In the CGI series, he is regularly driven from his rear cab instead of his front one. However, since Blue Mountain Mystery, Toby's crew are seen in his front cab.
- His second season bell sound was heard after Ryan stops the pirate ship in Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure.
Merchandise
- ERTL (normal and Gold Rail; both discontinued)
- Wooden Railway (normal, talking, bronze (cancelled), and Battery-Powered)
- Take Along (discontinued normal, metallic, and in multi-packs)
- My First Thomas
- Motor Road and Rail (normal and talking; discontinued outside Asia)
- TrackMaster (normal, flip-face, and talking)
- Hornby (discontinued)
- Bachmann (HO and large scale)
- My Thomas Story Library (discontinued)
- Thomas Engine Collection Series (discontinued)
- Mini Die Cast Collection (discontinued)
- Departing Now (discontinued)
- Thomas Town (discontinued)
- Capsule Collection
- Trading Cards
- Take-n-Play (normal and talking)
- De Agostini (discontinued)
- Brio (discontinued)
- LEGO (discontinued)
- Mega Bloks (discontinued)
- Tomica
- Pez
- Discover Junction
- Wind-up
- Pocket Fantasy (Discontinued)
- Diablock
- DVD Bingo (discontinued)
- Collectible Railway
- Motorized Railway
- Departing Now
- Boss (discontinued)
- Micro Rubber Engines
- Push Along
- Minis (classic, robo, neon, graffiti and advent calendar)
- Choro-Q
- MV Sports (in three pack with Thomas and Mavis; discontinued)
- Pre-Cut Model Engine Books (discontinued)
- Rail Rollers