Zephie

**Zephie**is a young scissor-lift chugger like a trolley. She was introduced in Season 1.

## Bio

Zephie is a very kind scissor lift trolley who is good friends with the trainees Koko, Wilson and Brewster. She is really useful around Chuggington as she can spin around 360 degrees and zoom up and down to manoeuvre her cab as she is a scissor-lift trolley Train. Eddie often uses Zephie to help him get to hard to reach places and she zips around the depot running errands for Morgan. Zephie is fitted with a bell but in one of the episodes she has some fun with her newly fitted siren! Zephie giggles through life and although she can be a little coy, excitable and childish she knows the importance of hard work.

## Basis

Zephie is loosely based on an early San Diego cable car, which can not spin around 360 degrees as this is an unrealistic feature. The spinning function may have come from a Manchester horse drawn tram. It had the ability to turn 180 degrees at terminal. The spinning feature may also have been inspired by certain North American track inspection cars ("speeders"), such as certain versions of the Fairmont P-5, which are equipped with a drop down lifting pivot. In such cars a central foot is dropped between the rails from the centre of the car, raising the entire machine (including the wheels) off the rails, and enabling the operator to spin the entire car around by hand.

## Trivia

* In Zephie's Zoomaround, Zephie was fitted with a siren. However, before that episode and since then, she only has her bell.
* She used to be a trainee with Hodge as stated Outward Bound Olwin. However, some episodes seem to prove that Zephie may not be a trainee yet. As in Brewster's Little Helper for instance, she loads her cargo too roughly and delivers her loads to the wrong places. It may be possible that her size and weight meant that she could only do some of the training. She still does some more training in Brewster to the Rescue.
* Zephie idolises Brewster.
* She was not built for heavier loads like the other engines as seen in Brewster's Little Helper.
* Zephie gets tipped over more than any other engine.
* She is the only character to have extreme flexibility, and loves to spin around fast, and cannot get dizzy.
* She sometimes likes to tip over - most notably in the episode "Brewster and the Dragon". In the same episode, she has the capability to get back up on her own, but other times she either doesn't have the strength or cannot be bothered to get up in other episodes.
* Zephie is the only chugger who cannot pull heavy loads.
* In the episode "Zephie's Star Club", she appears to have enough high strength to attempt to pull Toot away from Hoot during an argument, most likely due to adrenalin.
* She was the only tram in Chuggington until Decka entered the series but does not run a scheduled passenger service like Decka does.
* In German, she is called "Sophie". In Polish, she is called "Zosia".
* Acording to an early storyboard for Zephie's Zoomaround, Zephie was intended to be smaller, more boxy, and have two horns.
* In Chuggington Interactive Railway, Zephie is not so good at switching tracks.
* She cannot give the usual danger/assistance needed signal (three honks) as her bell is too small, so she shouts "Chugger down!"
* She is around 10-13 years old.
* Zephie appears in Thomas and Twilight Sparkle's Adventures Series.
* Zephie is friends with Emily.