Toby

Old teapot (by Diesel 10)

Slowcoach (by Hannah)

Silly Little/Old Tram (by Gordon)

Number 7 (by Nia)

Shed on Wheels (by Millie and a passenger)

Garden Shed on Wheels (by Himself and a passenger)

Rob Rackstraw (UK: 2015-present)

William Hope (US: 2009-present)

**Toby** is a steam tram who works on Thomas' Branch Line with his coach Henrietta. Toby is wise and always willing to share his experience and knowledge with the other engines. He is careful with every job he undertakes, causing him to rarely have any accidents.

## Appearance

Toby is a little brown steam tram with grey side plates and cowcatchers that cover six driving wheels. His number (7) is painted on his sides in yellow with red lining. Toby has buffers like most steam engines, and the only tram engine to have them.

He has two rectangular windows on his front, sides and back. And he has a bell on his roof. Toby also has two lamps. The front one is his headlamp, and the rear one is his tail-lamp.

Throughout the first to fifth series, Toby's wheels were painted red. Starting from the sixth series, they were painted black.

## Personality

Toby is old, but wise, hardworking and knowledgeable enough about running branch lines to justify running Thomas' line with Daisy after Percy's accident with the trucks until Thomas came back. He is also savvy enough to control the trucks. However, his advanced age and design means that he is weaker than the other engines. While Toby is always ready to work hard without any fuss, he can be a bit temperamental sometimes, especially when young and inexperienced engines who are full of themselves make things difficult for him, particularly Mavis and Daisy. However, work at the quarry line often soothes off his moods without any cause of grief to anyone, except of course his old faithful coach, Henrietta.

Toby occasionally suffered insecurity and questioning the capabilities of his own work and uncertain about being an old steam tram, believing that he is not a proper engine, only good enough as a museum piece and not really special at all. But Toby can usually be more jovial, as well as having subtle shades of nervousness on top of being placid and easy-going, enjoying the peace and quiet of the countryside along Thomas' branch line. He even enjoys listening to the birds in the birdhouse next to his shed and is friends with the pigs at Farmer Trotter's Pig Farm.

## Trivia

* Toby is Christopher Awdry's favourite engine. On a trip in Yarmouth, he and his father got to ride in the cab of a J70 tram, thanks to Wilbert's good friend, the late Reverend Charlie Rand.
* A behind the scenes photo of Toby from the first series reveals that he was originally going to have a spark-guard on top of his funnel like in the Railway Series.
* Due to an error in *Thomas Comes Home*, the illustrations of "Toby's Megatrain" show Toby with a face at the rear cab as well as the front cab. This is the only time in *The Railway Series* that Toby has been illustrated with two faces.
* One of Toby's television series models is currently on display in Japan at the Hara Model Railway Museum (previously on display at Nitrogen Studios) and is currently wearing his scared face mask. Another was previously on display at Drayton Manor but the model was stolen from the display in 2011.
* Toby's grinning face was on his television series model when he first arrived in 2009 and was put on display at Drayton Manor, only to be replaced with a replica face.
* In the fifth series episode, "Baa!", Toby revealed that his favourite station is Maithwaite.
* In an interview with SiF, Andrew Brenner stated that Toby was one of his favourite characters, along with James, Bill and Ben.
* Toby has used four different bell sounds throughout the entire series:
	+ In the first series, he had his original bell sound.
	+ In the second series, he had a different bell sound which is Bulgy's original bell sound from the third series, but some steps lower-pitched and it was heard after Ryan stops the pirate ship during the wide shot of Arlesburgh Harbour in Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure.
	+ In the fourth series, he regained his original bell sound.
	+ In *Thomas and the Magic Railroad*, he had a different bell sound.
	+ In the sixth series, his bell sound changed back to its original sound.
	+ In Hero of the Rails onward, his bell sound that he uses now is similar to Flora's and Lady's in some games and her ride at Drayton Manor Theme Park. It is also his Thomas and the Magic Railroad bell, but at four steps lower-pitched.
* In one game that is not mobile (maybe), the Official Website, the Nintendo 3DS game "Steaming Around Sodor," Thomas' Musical Day for Percy in the kids app "Speakaboos," the mobile games such as:
* Express Delivery, Magical Tracks, Thomas & Friends: MINIS, the 2018 update of Go Go Thomas!, Thomas & Friends: Adventures! and the mini series "Thomas' Magical Birthday Wishes", he had Flora's bell sound, despite not having it on-screen.
* Toby was confused for being electric by Bridget Hatt in the first series episode, "Toby and the Stout Gentleman" and for being a diesel boxcab by Philip in the twentieth series episode, "Toby's New Friend".
* Toby's screen used sleeping face mask is now owned by Twitter user ThomasTankMerch.
* According to an interview with Mike O'Donnell, Toby's theme was used as a demo for the television series' opening theme.
* Even though he has six wheels, some merchandise of him has four.
* Toby's Wooden Railway models don't have funnels, panels, bells and red buffer beams, but his final Wood model does (excluding his funnel on his prototype and his roof is facing the wrong way).
* Toby's Minis toys do not have side plates, cowcatchers and red buffer beams.
* In the arcade game "Magical Truck Adventure" by SEGA, two J70 tram engines were seen at the first level and another was seen in an ending cutscene, each with a number 7, bearing a strong resemblance to Toby.
* Toby is one of only eleven characters to appear in every series of the television series and one of only eight to speak in each one. However, he has not appeared in every special.
* Toby has the same number as *The Railway Series* book he first appeared in. He is the only engine to have this trait.
* As Toby is based on the real-life J70 No. 68221, he is technically the first real engine to appear in the series.
* Toby was the namesake of the Talyllyn Railway's inspection trolley, which later inspired Mark V.
* Toby's chassis was seen pushing Toad and his train of trucks past the buffers that were set away by the points in the fifth series episode, "Busy Going Backwards".
* Toby was supposed to appear in the seventh series episode, "Emily's New Coaches", but was dropped and replaced with Oliver.
* Toby had a total of fifteen faces during the model series era.

## Quotes

* **Bless my bell!**
* **Bust my cowcatchers!**
* **I might look old, but I'm very useful.**