Mavis

**Mavis** is a diesel shunter who works for the Ffarquhar Quarry Company.

## Biography

Mavis was supplied by the Drewry Car Company and sent to Sodor in 1962. Mavis was particularly fond of putting the trucks at Anopha Quarry in different places, despite Toby's protests. Toby finally lost patience and left Mavis to her own devices. Mavis - urged by Daisy - started to ignore Toby's advice and ended up looking silly when she got stuck in the middle of a crossing outside Ffarquhar.

Mavis was then forbidden to leave the quarry, but when a thaw increased production at Anopha Quarry, Mavis persuaded the manager to let her go up to the first crossing in order to shunt trucks quicker and formulated a plan to pass the level crossing with help from the trucks. However, the plan backfired when the trucks decided to bump Toby instead and he ended up being suspended by flimsy rails over a rushing stream and Mavis had to help. Mavis confessed, but the Fat Controller and the Manager were pleased by Mavis' courage and honesty and allowed her occasional trips to Ffarquhar.

In 1987, Mavis was involved in a collision with a lorry and Toby had to do her work while she was absent. She returned to the quarry for the next few years until 1991 when she took Toby's stone trains while Thomas was in York and in 1995 attended the Golden Jubilee of the Railway Series at the Big Station.

She was able to keep Bill and Ben in order. When Salty came to work at the quarry, he was upset that he was not working by the sea, so Mavis did her best to comfort him while trying to stop Bill and Ben from complaining about Salty's talent with working with trucks. Mavis tried to stop Bill from being so jealous and grumpy when Ben went to get new buffers. Fergus was sent to help Mavis and the twins. Mavis got on well with Fergus and helped him out of a rock slide caused by Bill and Ben. In the eighth series, Mavis was one of the diesels given bad fuel. This resulted in her and the other diesels breaking down, so Thomas collected new fuel and helped them.

## Personality

When Mavis first came to Sodor, she was naïve, arrogant and did not take advice very well. She was mostly interested in her own ideas but was brought down to earth after her embarrassing incident at the Ffarquhar crossing. Still, she wanted to see more of the line and schemed to have the trucks push her past the level crossing beyond the quarry - this inadvertently resulted in a near accident for Toby. After rescuing him, Mavis resolved to change her ways for good. She is now more capable of keeping the trucks in line and more willing to take advice.

Unlike many Diesels, Mavis shows respect for the steam engines and unlike most engines, hauling trucks makes her feel important. She is a reliable, honest, and hard-working engine.

Over the course of time, Mavis has matured and acts as a motherly figure to the other engines.

## Technical Details

### Basis

Mavis is a based on the BR Class 04 0-6-0 diesel locomotive. She is more specifically based on the BR Class 04's that worked on the Wisbech and Upwell Tramway, as they were fitted with additional cowcatchers and sideplates so they could run near public roads. Eighteen of these locomotives are preserved, including one "tramway" example.

### Livery

Mavis is painted black with yellow hazard stripes on her front and rear. She has her name and "**The Ffarquhar Quarry Co. Ltd.**" written in white on her cab and side-plates respectively.

## Appearances

### Season 3

* Runaway Mavis
* The Past Is In The Past (cameo)
* Dirty or Clean? (mentioned)
* Farewell Mrs. Kyndley (cameo)
* Heavy Goods (cameo)
* A Kyndley Christmas

### Season 4

* Thomas the Cheeky Tank Engine (cameo)
* Tender Engines Don't Shunt
* Stanley In Space (cameo)
* The First Visit (cameo)
* The Ffarquhar Constable (does not speak)
* Hard Work Brings Success (does not speak)
* Rumours and Reveals (cameo)
* A Christmas Wish

### Season 5

* Dennis and the Passengers (cameo)
* Ryan (episode) (cameo)
* The Fat Controller's Bad Day (does not speak)

### Season 6

* Respect For Toby (does not speak)
* Pip and the Trucks

### Season 7

* No Laughing Matter (does not speak)
* Mavis' Impatient Driver
* Glynn and the Hill (does not speak)
* Bill and Ben's Christmas Rescue (cameo)

### Season 8

* Paxton (episode) (mentioned)
* Cottage for Sale
* The Law is the Law! (does not speak)

### Season 9

* Toby and the Cheeky Twins (mentioned)
* The Missing Kippers (cameo)
* Christmas Day Emergency!

### Season 10

* No Rails for Winston (cameo)
* Unusual Engine (cameo)