Oliver

Oliver is a Great Western 14xx auto tank engine who works on the Little Western. He has two Great Western autocoaches, named Isabel and Dulcie, and a brake van named Toad, who he shares with Douglas.

## Bio

Oliver: A guy with a warm personality who never has a stale idea! He's always popping up with new stuff!

## Personality

Despite his heroism and daring feats of escape, Oliver is an engine who is willing to admit every day is a learning curve. When he was still new to Sodor, he let the other engines' responses to his courage, resource and sagacity from his amazing recounts of daring escapes and adventures get to his smoke-box and he became conceited. However, when the Troublesome Trucks pushed him into the turntable well, he grew into a much more humble, settled engine and was far warier of trucks. But later, with some help from his brakevan Toad, he did gain much respect and authority among the trucks when he showed his strength with the ringleader of the trucks, S.C. Ruffey, a little more than he had perhaps been intending. Oliver still has gumption, but is now a more obedient, sensible engine. He feels his responsibility on the railway deeply, is ever thankful for being aided in his escape from scrap by Douglas and is a trustworthy, tenacious, plucky engine. However, he can still be occasionally boastful, or temperamental; but despite this setback, Oliver is still one of the more really useful and well-behaved engines on Sodor.

## Appearance

### Basis

Oliver is based on a GWR 14xx Class 0-4-2T. These engines were fitted with a mechanical system allowing the driver to control the locomotive remotely from the cab of an 'Autocoach', such as Isabel. They were originally assigned numbers in the 48xx series, but were renumbered into the 14xx series in 1946. Oliver's number comes from a real 14xx, No. 1436, which was built at Swindon Works in August 1934 as No. 4836 and worked in the West of England until it was withdrawn in October 1958. It was scrapped at Morkot Ltd., Caerphilly on the 30th of April, 1959. According to The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways and Sodor: Reading Between the Lines, "It is doubtful whether this (1436) was the number actually allotted to him in 1946". Four engines of this class survive in preservation.

Oliver's basis
### Livery

In the Railway Series, Oliver is painted in the Great Western Railway's Brunswick green livery with yellow lining, black wheels, brass GWR numberplates on the sides of his cab and a brass safety valve bonnet. Before he came to Sodor, he was painted in the British Railways Brunswick green livery, with a BR crest painted on the sides of his tanks.

In the television series, his paint had faded by the time he was rescued, leaving him in a rusty red colour. After his rescue, he was repainted in the North Western Railway's green livery with the 1934 GWR crest painted on the sides of his tanks and the number "11" painted on the sides of his cab in yellow and has remained like this ever since, from Tale of the Brave onwards, he is painted in a slightly brighter shade of green.

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

## Trivia

* Oliver is named after Oliver Wicks, who was a much respected member of Stroud Baptist Church. He was the Rev. W. Awdry's next door neighbour in Rodborough, Stroud.
* Oliver speaks with a Cornish accent.
* Oliver's original third season whistle sound is Gordon's at two whole steps higher in pitch, and in some episodes, he shared the same whistle sound as Edward.
* One of Oliver's models was on display at Nitrogen Studios but is now on display at the Hara Model Railway Museum in Japan.
* Oliver's theme first heard in the third season is a musical variation on the theme from the 1963 film, The Great Escape. It's also reminiscent to a portion of the TUGS Danger theme.
* Ironically, Oliver’s first appearance involved him escaping from somewhere.
* Some of Oliver's earlier merchandise had black wheels, indicating he was based off how he looked in the Railway Series. This was later fixed so it resembles how he looks like in the television series.
* In the French version from Seasons 3 to 7, Oliver is called Olivier.