Toby the Tram Engine

Toby is a Character in Sudrian Chronicles. He is going to be voiced by The Train Club.

Origins
Toby is a tram engine who works a tramway with a coach named Henrietta. One day, a stout gentleman and his grandchildren notice Toby. Although Toby is offended when Bridget, the stout gentleman's granddaughter, calls him "electric", he cheers up after giving them a ride and the stout gentleman thanks Toby. The family comes for a fortnight, then leave. Months pass, and Toby's tramway closes down. But, next morning, Toby is woken with a surprise when his crew receive a letter from the stout gentleman.

Thomas is bringing some trucks down from the quarry when he surprises a policeman, who tells him he is breaking the law by going across a public road without cowcatchers and sideplates. Thomas is upset, and the Fat Controller has to leave his breakfast to talk to the policeman, who tells him he cannot change the law. A comment by Thomas makes the Fat Controller remember his holiday, and a certain tram engine. A few days later, Toby arrives to help at the quarry, and after he scares the policeman he and Thomas become friends.

James makes fun of Toby and Henrietta for having shabby paint. When Toby makes a snide comment about bootlaces, James huffs off to get a "slow goods" train. He bumps the trucks so badly they are determined to pay him back. As he goes over Gordon's Hill, the trucks push him down into two tar tankers standing in the yard and Toby and Percy come to his aid. The Fat Controller congratulates Toby and Percy for their work, and promises Toby and Henrietta a new coat of paint.

Mrs. Kyndley is an old lady who lives in a cottage near the line. Although she waves to Thomas every day as he passes, she falls ill and no longer has the energy to wave. One rainy December morning, Thomas makes his way up to Ffarquhar when a dressing-gown waving from Mrs. Kyndley's window stops him. While the driver and a doctor go to see what the matter is, the fireman discovers that the gown was used to warn them about a landslide. The next day, Thomas, Toby, Henrietta, Annie, Clarabel and the Fat Controller go to the cottage to thank her. The Fat Controller offers her tickets to Bournemouth, where she recovers from her illness.

Edward is pulling cattle trucks when some disgruntled cows run into the train and break a coupling. Edward does not realise until he gets home, causing Gordon and Henry to laugh at him, but Toby defends Edward by saying; "You couldn't help it Edward. They've never met Cow, I have, and I know the Trouble they are". Gordon is pulling the express the next day when he is stopped by a cow on a bridge. Henry, both crews and the passengers try to move her, but to no avail. Henry's guard goes for help and a porter brings the cow's calf to the bridge to lure her away. Edward soon finds out and makes fun of the big engines.

Gordon is exhausted after his trip to London, so James does his work while he rests. When Toby visits him on his way to the Works, James brags to him about his importance. When Toby later tries to get a drink at Killdane, the signalman, who is new to the line, tells him he has to clear the line, forcing Toby to struggle on to Kellsthorpe Road. However, Toby's tanks have been nearly empty to begin with and he soon runs out of water. The fireman goes back down the line and asks James to push Toby to the Works. When James and Toby arrive at the station, some boys think Toby has been helping James, who, furious, disappears in a cloud of steam.

Thomas' temporary replacement, a snobby diesel rail-car named Daisy, arrives, and Percy and Toby show her around. She refuses to sleep in the engine shed, but finds the carriage shed good, except for some "rubbish" (Henrietta, Annie and Clarabel). Percy and Toby are tired after staying up late to cheer the furious coaches up, while Daisy is bright and cheerful. She is preparing for her first train when she realises a milk van is about to be coupled to her and refuses to pull it, saying it is "bad for her swerves." Daisy is lying, but this is not known to the crew and so the van is taken away. Daisy, satisfied, realises this allows her to do whatever she wants.

Daisy makes fun of Toby's cowcatchers and sideplates, saying he is scared of getting hurt. Toby tells her they are for stopping him from hurting animals if they stray on the line, but Daisy says that animals will move anyway if you "toot and look them in the eye." Later, Daisy is asked to shoo a bull called Champion to his owner, but he is too busy eating grass to notice. An exasperated Daisy goes back to Elsbridge, and Toby "shoos" Champion for her. That evening, Daisy sees some boys enjoying some sweets called "bull's-eyes" and gets huffy.

Daisy has neglected to take the milk again and Percy is in a bad mood. Toby decides to take the van for him so as to let Percy take his trucks from the quarry. Percy speaks rudely to the trucks, and they plan revenge. As they slow down at a sign to "pin down" brakes, the trucks barge forward and push Percy down the line and into a train of stone trucks. That evening, the Fat Controller scolds Percy, and Daisy too for being lazy, but gives her a second chance for her work after Percy's accident. Thomas comes home the next day, Percy is sent to be mended, and Toby teaches Daisy the finer points of branch line life.

Sudrian Chronicles 1
Toby is a minor Character in Sudrian Chronicles, appearing during the Don't Stop Song, and helps rescue Sir Topham Hatt.

Toby's Basis
Toby is based on the GER Class C53 0-6-0T Wisbech steam tram (reclassified as J70 by the LNER) built at Stratford Works. They were seen by the Reverend Wilbert and Christopher Awdry on a holiday at Yarmouth, hence Toby's origins. The J70 started their career on the Great Eastern Railway and were known as C53. They spent most of their career on the Wisbech and Upwell tramway pulling slow goods trains and, until 1927, passenger trains, though several were also assigned to the docks at Ipswich and Yarmouth. The first withdrawal came in 1942.

Eventually, the sole survivor of this class was withdrawn from service and scrapped at Stratford Locomotive Works by 1955. They were replaced by BR Class 04s, Mavis' class. According to The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways and Sodor: Reading Between the Lines, Toby is BR no. 68221. This tram was built as GER no. 127 on 30th June 1914 as part of a batch of three at Stratford. Shortly after grouping on 1st January 1923, it became LNER no. 7127, this changing to no. 8221 under Edward Thompson's 1944 re-numbering scheme. Upon nationalisation on 1st January 1948, it became no. 68221. It was withdrawn on 31st May 1951 from Ipswich Shed and scrapped at Stratford shortly after.

Trivia

 * Due to an error 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.