Rosie

**Rosie** is a lively little tank engine who idolises Thomas, which sometimes bothers him. She works as both a shunting engine and a mixed traffic engine. She used to work mainly at the Knapford Shunting Yards, but is now based at Vicarstown.

## Biography

### *Thomas & Friends*

Rosie began idolising Thomas to the point of hero-worship and imitation. Though this is said to be the most sincere form of flattery, it only served to irritate Thomas whilst he was trying to deliver a special birthday post train to Alice at High Farm. He even started to try and avoid her, but after Thomas had an accident in the course of delivering this train, Rosie helped him and he started to respect her.

Rosie was later called to help Thomas shunt trucks until Hector frightened her away.

Rosie was charged with acting as a back-engine to Emily with the funfair special. Wanting to take the train herself and thinking she was doing Emily a favour, Rosie succeeded only in creating confusion and delay on a grand scale, but eventually set things right.

Rosie rescued Thomas when his fire went out after playing a game of "Splish, Splash, Splosh". She later let Diesel take her train of flowers which was headed for market.

One day Rosie had a cracked wheel, so Thomas and Butch brought her a new one.

On Sodor Surprise Day, Thomas bumped some coal trucks to surprise Gordon, but ended up surprising her instead. She was later cleaned up with Whiff at the washdown and joined Gordon and Thomas at Callan Castle to see Harold decked out in bright lights to make Gordon laugh.

Sometime after she was repainted into her red livery, James challenged her to a race. When Rosie realised that there was something wrong with James' brakes, she warned him to go to the Steamworks to have them checked before they got worse. James did not follow her advice and as a result, when he sped down Gordon's Hill, his brakes would not work and he went on a runaway until he crashed into the wall at the end of Tidmouth Sheds.

Soon after, James went to the Vicarstown Goods Yard, looking for Henry's train to take to the Mainland. Rosie told him that she knew they were important and that was why Thomas came to take them earlier.

During Valentine's Day, Diesel bumped her just as Cranky was loading her flatbed with a crate of roses, which ended up crashing on the tracks. Bill and Ben later saw Thomas telling off Diesel, causing the twins to think they were attracted to each other, much to their embarrassment. A bit of teasing and a meet-up with Thomas at the washdown caused her to avoid him for fear of humiliation and she was not exactly pleased to know that she was heading to the same place he was. After a brief conversation with Edward, she rushed off so fast that she took the shunter's pole with her before it was moved out of the way. Thomas and Rosie ended up front to front at Vicarstown, where they made up for recent events and found that their specials were for Lady Hatt's Valentine's Day surprise.

## Personality

Rosie is a friendly, respectful and helpful tank engine who likes Thomas very much. She and Thomas like to have fun and also like to help each other when they are working. Rosie can be described as a feisty, energetic and free-spirited tomboy who is not afraid to do hard work. She loves to race just as much as she loves to be really useful, and is very eager to prove her worth, as evidenced by her wanting to help Thomas deliver Alice's birthday presents, or even attempting to pull a special train on her own.

With the pass of the time, Rosie became more levelheaded and mature, serving as a voice of reason to James' arrogance. She also stands no nonsense for teasing or rudeness, although she does have a good sense of humour and likes a friendly joke.

Rosie still manages a friendly relationship with Thomas, though at times he can unintentionally worry, annoy, or even embarrass her.

## Technical Details

### Basis

Rosie is based on an SR USA Class 0-6-0T. Originally classified as the USATC S100 Class and designed for shunting duties in Europe during the Second World War, after the war ended, fifteen of these engines were sold to the Southern Railway, who modified them for use as dockyard shunters at Southampton. There, they worked alongside the LB&SCR E2s (Thomas’ class). Both classes were replaced by BR Class 07 diesels (Salty's class) in 1962, though members of the class remained in service on departmental duties until 1966.

Four members of this class are preserved in the UK, including one at the Bluebell Railway and several more exist in various conditions throughout the world. In addition, several Yugoslavian-built copies of the S100 design also exist, including two that have been imported into the UK and modified to represent USA Class members.

Rosie's basis

### Livery

From her debut up until The Great Race, Rosie was painted lavender with light grey tank panels, red lining and gold boiler bands. Her wheels were red with light grey wheel rims.

Starting from the twenty-first series onwards, Rosie is painted cherry red with dark raspberry tank panels, gold boiler bands and light grey lining. She has gold lining above her wheels and around her ladder. Rosie has the letters "NWR" written on her tank panels in light grey and the number "37" in light grey under her cab windows. She still retains her original red buffer beams and wheels with light grey wheel rims however.

## Appearances

* Television Series
* Other Media

### *Thomas & Friends*

* **Series 10** - Thomas and the Birthday Mail
* **Series 11** - Hector the Horrid!, Thomas Sets Sail and Thomas and the Runaway Car
* **Series 12** - Rosie's Funfair Special
* **Series 13** - Steamy Sodor (*cameo*), Splish Splash Splosh and Hiro Helps Out (*cameo*)
* **Series 14** - James in the Dark (*cameo*), Diesel's Special Delivery, Merry Winter Wish (*cameo*), Thomas and the Snowman Party (*cameo*), Thomas' Crazy Day (*cameo*), Jumping Jobi Wood! (*cameo*) and Merry Misty Island (*cameo*)
* **Series 15** - Gordon and Ferdinand (*cameo*), Toby and Bash (*cameo*), Percy's New Friends (*cameo*), Henry's Happy Coal (*cameo*), Surprise, Surprise (*cameo*), Stuck on You and Kevin the Steamie (*cameo*)
* **Series 16** - Race to the Rescue (*cameo*), Ho Ho Snowman (*cameo*), Flash Bang Wallop! (*cameo*), Thomas Toots the Crows (*cameo*), Bust My Buffers! (*cameo*), Percy and the Calliope (*cameo*), Salty's Surprise (*does not speak*), Sodor Surprise Day, Muddy Matters (*cameo*), Whiff's Wish (*cameo*) and Happy Birthday Sir! (*cameo*)
* **Series 17** - Steamie Stafford (*cameo*), Henry's Hero (*cameo*), The Thomas Way (*cameo*), Percy's Lucky Day (*cameo*), Bill or Ben? (*cameo*), Away From the Sea (*cameo*) and No More Mr. Nice Engine (*cameo*)
* **Series 18** - Signals Crossed (*cameo*), Toad's Adventure (*cameo*), Long Lost Friend (*cameo*) and Samson at Your Service (*cameo*)
* **Series 19** - The Beast of Sodor (*cameo*), Very Important Sheep (*cameo*) and Philip to the Rescue (*cameo*)
* **Series 21** - Hasty Hannah (*cameo*), The Fastest Red Engine on Sodor and Emily in the Middle (*cameo*)
* **Series 22** - Forever and Ever (*cameo; fantasy*), Confusion Without Delay (*does not speak*), An Engine of Many Colours (*fantasy*) and Rosie is Red
* **Series 23** - Chucklesome Trucks (*cameo*) and Steam Team to the Rescue! (*cameo*)

She is likely to appear in the twenty-fourth series.

#### Specials

* **2008** - The Great Discovery (*cameo*)
* **2009** - Hero of the Rails (*cameo*)
* **2010** - Misty Island Rescue (*cameo*)
* **2011** - Day of the Diesels (*cameo*)
* **2012** - Blue Mountain Mystery (*cameo*)
* **2013** - King of the Railway (*cameo*)
* **2014** - Tale of the Brave (*cameo*)
* **2015** - Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure (*cameo*)
* **2016** - The Great Race (*cameo*)
* **2017** - Journey Beyond Sodor
* **2018** - Big World! Big Adventures!

#### Music Videos

* **Series 10** - Navigation and There's Always Something New
* **The Great Discovery** - Thomas, You're the Leader
* **Series 14** - All You Need
* **Day of the Diesels** - Day of the Diesels
* **Series 15** - Hear the Engines Coming
* **Series 16** - Go, Go Thomas
* **King of the Railway** - Working Together Again and It's Gonna be a Great Day
* **Series 17** - Hey, Hey Thomas! and On a Journey Today
* **Tale of the Brave** - Let's Be Brave
* **Series 18** - The Best Friends Express
* **Thomas' YouTube World Tour** - A World Around You, Down by the Docks, It's Great to be an Engine and The Whistle Song
* **Series 19** - Engine Roll Call
* **Journey Beyond Sodor** - I Want to Go Home (*cameo*)
* **Big World! Big Adventures!** - Where in the World is Thomas?
* **Series 22** - Engine Roll Call, All the Girls Around the World, The Steam Team and Let's Dream

#### Videos

* **2018** - Still the Best of Friends (*cameo*)

### Magazine Stories

* **2007** - Airship
* **2008** - Flower Engine and Perfect Promise
* **2011** - Rumble Rescue, Snug in a Rug, Market Day, Rosie's Rocks, Rosie's Really Useful Scrap!, Harold and the Kites, Flower Engine and Diesel's Special Delivery (*does not speak*)
* **2012** - Stuck On You, The Fat Controller's Bedtime Story (Issue 643), Snug in a Rug and Messy Rescue!
* **2013** - Sodor Surprise Day (*speaks in speech bubble only*) and Boiler Bother (*speaks in speech bubble only*)
* **2015** - It's Okay to be Scared

Rosie also appeared in the magazine stories, Frying or Flying, Mighty Magnet!, Really Useful Rosie, Red for Rosie, Rushing Around and Stone Signal.

### Books

* **2018** - Character Encyclopedia and The 12 Engines of Christmas
* **2019** - Ten Little Engines

### Video Games

* **2018** - Go Go Thomas! and Thomas and Friends: Adventures!

## Trivia

* Rosie is the first engine of several things:
	+ The first engine of an American class introduced in the television series and the second such engine (after Stanley) introduced in the franchise overall.
	+ The first engine in the television series to have their debut livery changed permanently and the second character in the television series overall, the first being S.C. Ruffey.
	+ The first engine in the television series to receive a number who did not already have one.
	+ The first engine in the television series to be lettered for the North Western Railway. She is the second in the franchise overall after Emma.
* In Red for Rosie, one illustration incorrectly depicts her with a tender.
* A magazine fact file states that she works on Thomas' Branch Line, although she is yet to be seen doing so in the television series.
* Most merchandise lines depicted Rosie without the lip gloss and blush that she had worn prior to the twenty-first series.
* Since her debut, Rosie has appeared in every series and special except The Adventure Begins, which was set before she arrived on the railway and the twentieth series, possibly due to her model being reworked for the twenty-first series and Journey Beyond Sodor.
* In the twenty-first series, Rosie was given the number **37**, this is a reference to her being the **thirty-seventh** standard gauge engine to be introduced in the television series.
* According to SiF, Rosie, was intended to have at least one other episode in the twenty-first series. This episode, along with seven others, were cancelled to make way for production of the twenty-second series.
* The My First Thomas & Friends' Railway Pals variant of Rosie was the first piece of merchandise to introduce her in her new red livery.
* Since her recolour, most merchandise ranges give Rosie cherry red wheels, although her wheels still retain their original red colour.

## Quotes

*“Rosie was a cheerful, chirpy little tank engine. She was always pleased to meet Thomas. She liked him so much that she wanted to be just like him.”*
―The narrator introducing Rosie, Thomas and the Birthday Mail, tenth series
*“Hello, I'm Rosie. I want to/wanna be just like Thomas, a really useful engine.”*
―Rosie's website audio
## Merchandise

* Wooden Railway (*normal, battery powered; discontinued, holiday versions; discontinued, early engineers; discontinued and roll and whistle*)
* Take Along (*discontinued normal, metallic and "lights and sounds"*)
* Take-n-Play (*normal, talking and glow racers; discontinued*)
* Collectible Railway
* Motor Road and Rail (*normal; discontinued, cherry red livery*)
* TrackMaster (*many versions all discontinued*)
* TrackMaster Push Along
* Bachmann (*normal and cherry red livery*)
* Mega Bloks (*discontinued*)
* Minis
	+ Classic Minis
	+ DC Super Friends Minis (*as Supergirl, Starfire, Hawkgirl and Star Sapphire*)
	+ SpongeBob SquarePants Minis (*as Mrs. Puff*)
	+ Tootsie Minis (*Charms*)
	+ Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers Minis (*as the Pink Ranger*)
	+ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Minis (*as April O'Neil*)
	+ Fantasy Minis
	+ Camo Minis
	+ Light Up Minis
	+ Neon Glow Minis
	+ Bunny Minis
	+ Rainbow Minis
* My First Thomas (*discontinued*)
* My Thomas Story Library (*discontinued*)
* Capsule Plarail (*normal, metallic, transparent and cherry red livery*)
* Boss (*discontinued*)
* Discover Junction
* Bath Toys
* Micro Rubber Engines
* Adventures (*normal and light-up racers; discontinued*)
* My First Thomas & Friends
* Wood (*redesigned in 2019*)