Percy

### Residence

Ffarquhar ShedsTidmouth Sheds (occasionally), Avonside Locomotive Workshop (formerly)

## Technical Details

### Railway

North Western RailwayAlexandra Docks Railway/Great Western Railway (formerly)

### Owner(s)

Sir Topham Hatt I (formerly)Sir Bertram Topham Hatt II

### Arrived on Sodor

1926

**Percy** is a little green saddle tank engine who works on the North Western Railway and is the railway's number 6 engine.

## Biography

Percy was built in 1897, and in 1903, he was purchased by the Alexandra Docks Railway, which was absorbed into the Great Western Railway in 1923. By 1926, the railway had more than enough saddle tank engines to do Percy’s work and was left in a workshop, until The Fat Director bought him to help with trains on Sodor, when the big engines went on strike.

Percy is a rather cheeky, but kind engine. He normally behaves well, yet he also gets himself in trouble by jumping into situations without adequately thinking them through first. He loves teasing other engines, especially bigger ones such as Gordon and James, but is always brought down to earth in due course by anyone who gives him the moral to learn, especially the Fat Controller. He can also be somewhat timid. Percy can also be questionable and naive to certain difficult words: he would say "depotstation" whereas anyone else would say "deputation", "dingy-fried" instead of "dignified" etc.

Percy is incredibly accident-prone and has many accidents, sometimes due to his own silliness or his tricks backfiring. Despite this, he always tries to do his best, learns from his mistakes and gets his jobs done, a loyalty which the Fat Controller has praised him for on many occasions. Although their friendship has been turbulent at times, Thomas is Percy's best friend. He is also good friends with Toby. While he has a small rivalry with Harold stemming from their race, they are always willing to help each other when in trouble.

Percy can also be seen as an easy target for teasing by the big engines, more particularly Gordon and James, especially whenever he has an accident or when he is afraid of something. He also has held a grudge against Gordon and James about their fooling 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 the Fat Controller for it.

From Season 10 onwards, Percy became slightly wiser and a little less cheeky. This could be because he learnt his lesson for being cheeky or because he did not want to get in trouble again. Also, Percy and Thomas' friendship has expanded and they hardly ever argued. Despite his increased maturity, Percy still falls victim to occasional bouts of naivety and misunderstandings.

In 1926, he was sold second-hand to the North Western Railway by the Avonside Engine Company in Bristol on the Mainland. When Gordon, James and Henry went on strike in protest of fetching their own coaches following Thomas' departure to run his branch line, the Fat Director decided the railway needed another tank engine. At the engine workshop, Sir Topham Hatt I saw a green saddle tank. When the engine said that he was willing to work hard, Sir Topham Hatt I bought him and named him Percy. Bringing him back to Sodor, Percy was assigned to run the Ffarquhar branch 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 Wellsworth, 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 Knapford.

Percy was still a cheeky engine and often liked to play jokes on Gordon and James, only for the two engines to have 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 Director 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. He met a self-centred white helicopter named Harold who said that railways were "slow and out-of-date", so Percy decided to race him and won. When Percy had to take the Sunday School children home, he came across a flooded paddock which swashed away his fire. Thankfully, he got some help from Harold (who dropped supplies of hot drinks for his crew and the passengers) and was able to get the children home.

Despite being really useful, Percy was prone to having accidents were due to him sometimes acting naughty or being careless. He was naughty when he asked the trucks to push him past a danger notice, only to end up in the water until he could be lifted out and taken to the Steamworks by Henry. When a diesel railcar named Daisy came to look after Thomas' Branch Line, she constantly kept leaving behind the milk van every time Percy shunted it for her. Fed up with taking the milk for her, Percy offered to take Toby's trucks for him while he took the milk. However, the trucks were unfamiliar with Percy and when he ordered them about, they decided to seek revenge by pushing him onto a line of stone trucks.

## Basis

Percy is an 0-4-0 saddle tank engine, he was believed to have been built by the Avonside Engine Company of Bristol.

## Livery

When Percy was built in 1897, he was painted in *what would be* Great Western green and with yellow lining around his windows. He had a black running board with red bufferbeams and valances. His coal rails are painted black and has a gold dome. He had numberplates (1350) on both sides of his coal bunker, and later in 1923, when the Alexandra Docks and its Railway merged with the Great Western Railway, the logo of the railway was painted on both sides of his saddle tank in yellow with a red drop shadow.

When he joined the North Western Railway in 1926, he was eventually painted in his current livery some time after Gordon, James and Henry were let out of the sheds. He is now painted in NWR green with red lining around his saddle tank. His current number (6) is painted on his bunker in yellow with a red outline and his running board was repainted from black to white.

## Appearances

### Season 1

* Trouble in the Shed
* Percy Runs Away
* Thomas Saves the Day *(does not speak)*
* It’s Good To Be Gordon
* Whistles and Sneezes
* Dirty Objects
* Thomas’ Christmas Party
* Off the Rails
* The Trouble With Mud *(cameo)*
* Paint Pots and Queens

### Season 2

* Thomas, Percy and the Coal
* Cows *(does not speak)*
* Saved From Scrap *(cameo)*
* Old Iron
* Percy and the Signal
* Duck Takes Charge
* Percy and Harold
* The Runaway *(does not speak)*
* Percy’s Promise
* Percy Takes the Plunge
* A Close Shave *(cameo)*
* The Missing Coach *(cameo)*
* The Deputation
* Thomas Comes To Breakfast
* Daisy
* Bull’s Eyes *(cameo)*
* Percy’s Predicament
* Ghost Train
* Woolly Bear
* Thomas and the Missing Christmas Tree *(does not speak)*
* Thomas, Percy and the Dragon

### Season 3

* A Scarf For Percy
* Time For Trouble
* Gordon and the Famous Visitor
* Thomas Gets Bumped
* Diesel Does It Again
* All at Sea
* Trust Thomas *(mentioned)*
* Donald’s Duck
* No Joke For James
* Thomas, Percy and the Post Train
* Toby’s Tightrope
* Tender Engines *(cameo)*
* Oliver Owns Up
* Toad Stands By
* Percy, James and the Fruitful Day
* Thomas and Percy’s Christmas Adventure

### Season 4

* Granpuff
* Sleeping Beauty
* Bulldog
* Four Little Engines *(cameo)*
* Gallant Old Engine *(cameo)*
* Thomas and Stepney
* Train Stops Play
* Bowled Out
* Henry and the Elephant
* Thomas and the Special Letter
* Fish *(cameo)*
* Stop Thief!
* Mind That Bike!
* Mavis and the Lorry
* Toby Takes the Road
* Special Attraction

### Season 5

* Cranky Bugs
* Horrid Lorry
* A Better View For Gordon
* Lady Hatt’s Birthday Party
* James and the Trouble With Trees
* Gordon and the Gremlin
* Thomas, Percy and Old Slow Coach
* Thomas and the Rumours
* Bye George!
* Baa!
* Put Upon Percy
* Happy Ever After
* The Fat Controller’s Holiday *(does not speak)*
* Double Teething Troubles
* Make Someone Happy
* A Surprise For Percy
* Snow

### Season 6

* The World’s Strongest Engine
* Harvey to the Rescue
* No Sleep For Cranky
* A Bad Day For Harold the Helicopter
* Thomas the Jet Engine
* James and the Red Balloon
* Percy’s Chocolate Crunch
* Thomas, Percy and the Squeak
* Edward the Very Useful Engine
* Gordon Takes a Tumble
* The Fogman
* Jack Frost

### Season 7

* James and the Queen of Sodor
* The Spotless Record
* Best Dressed Engine
* Something Fishy *(does not speak)*
* Harold and the Flying Horse
* Gordon and Spencer *(cameo)*
* Toby’s Windmill *(cameo)*
* Peace and Quiet *(cameo)*
* Bad Day at Castle Loch
* Three Cheers For Thomas

### Season 8

* Percy’s Big Mistake
* Edward the Great
* The Lightning Tree
* Spic and Span
* Halloween
* James Goes Too Far

### Season 9

* Percy and the Oil Painting
* Molly’s Special Special
* Respect For Gordon
* Nelson Gets Carried Away
* The Magic Lamp
* Scaredy, Scaredy
* Byron Saves the Day
* The Great Discovery

### Season 10

* Hero of the Rails
* Victor Says Yes
* Blue Mountain Mystery

### Season 11

* King of the Railway
* Wayward Winston
* Gordon Runs Dry
* Steamie Stafford
* The Phantom Express
* Percy’s Lucky Day
* The Missing Christmas Decorations
* No Snow For Thomas
* The Frozen Turntable
* Scruff’s Makeover
* Not Now, Charlie!
* Calm Down Caitlin
* The Smelly Kipper
* Thomas’ Shortcut

### Season 12

* Scrambled Eggs *(does not speak)*
* Tale of the Brave
* Toad’s Bright Idea
* Missing Gator
* The Perfect Gift
* Toad’s Adventure
* Marion and the Pipe
* Spencer’s VIP
* Long Long Friend
* Last Train For Christmas

### Season 13

* Who’s Geoffrey?
* The Truth About Toby
* Very Important Sheep
* Reds Bs Blues
* Wild Water Rescue
* Snow Place Like Home
* The Other Side of the Mountain
* The Little Engine Who Raced Ahead

### Season 14

* Sodor’s Legend of the Lost Treasure
* Goodbye Fat Controller
* Sidney Sings
* Bradford the Brake Van
* Letters to Santa
* Pouty James
* Engine of the Future
* Henry in the Dark
* All in Vain
* Three Steam Engines Gruff
* The Christmas Coffeepot
* The Big Freeze

### Season 15

* The Great Race
* Springtime For Diesel
* Dowager Hatt’s Busy Day
* Philip’s Number
* P.A Problems
* Hasty Hannah

### Season 16

* Off to See the World
* Rebecca the Substitute *(does not speak)*
* Washout
* Frozen Mavis

## Gallery

Percy’s current livery (1926-present)Percy’s current number 6 (1926-present)Percy’s old GWR livery (1897-1926)Percy’s old GWR logo (1923-26)Percy’s old GWR 1350 numberplates (1897-1926)
## Trivia

* Percy is the only engine who is known to have been named by the Fat Controller.
* Percy is the first engine in the series to have only four wheels.
* Percy is the first character other than Thomas to be the protagonist in a special, with that special being Tale of the Brave.