Toby

William Hope (2009-present) US

Colm Feore (Thomas and the Magic Railroad)

Eddie Glen (All Engines Go!)

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

In the Railway Series, Toby and Henrietta are accompanied by a coach called Victoria and a luggage van named Elsie.

## Appearance

Toby is a tram engine powered by steam, and he doesn't look anything like a steam engine at all. He has cowcatchers on the front and back. And he has sideplates that cover six driving wheels. Toby is square and made of wood, and he has a bell on his roof. He has buffers like most steam engines do, and he has a number seven painted on his side. And he has two headlamps on the top on the front and back.

## Personality

Toby is old-fashioned, but wise, kind, friendly, 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. 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. Unfortunately, Toby has suffered in 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. On some occasions, Toby is shown to have some bravery in him. This is shown in "You Can Do It, Toby!" when he pushes Gordon and the Express up Gordon's Hill, and when he saves King Godred's crown from being stolen by two thieves.

## Technical Details

Toby is based on the GER Class C53 0-6-0T Wisbech steam tram (reclassified as J70 by the LNER) built at Stratford Works. They were seen by the Reverend Wilbert and Christopher Awdry on a holiday at Yarmouth, hence Toby's origins. The J70 started their career on the Great Eastern Railway and were known as C53. They spent most of their career on the Wisbech and Upwell tramway pulling slow goods trains and, until 1927, passenger trains, though several were also assigned to the docks at Ipswich and Yarmouth. The first withdrawal came in 1942. Eventually, the sole survivor of this class was withdrawn from service and scrapped at Stratford Locomotive Works by 1955. They were replaced by BR Class 04s, Mavis' class.

According to The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways and Sodor: Reading Between the Lines, Toby is BR no. 68221. This tram was built as GER no. 127 on 30th June 1914 as part of a batch of three at Stratford. Shortly after grouping on 1st January 1923, it became LNER no. 7127, this changing to no. 8221 under Edward Thompson's 1944 re-numbering scheme. Upon nationalisation on 1st January 1948, it became no. 68221. It was withdrawn on 31st May 1951 from Ipswich Shed and scrapped at Stratford shortly after.

## Trivia

* Toby is the second character to retire from the Steam Team. The first being Edward, and the third being Henry.
* Toby's second-third series bell sound was heard after Ryan stops the pirate ship during the wide shot of Arlesburgh Harbour in Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure.
* From Season 19 to Season 24, Rob Rackstraw voiced Toby in the UK dub, and Toby's UK voice sounds very similar to Travis'.
* He 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.
* In Baa!, Toby revealed that his favourite station is Maithwaite, which later won the Best Dressed Station contest, despite being vandalised.
* 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.
* He has the same number as the Railway Series book he first appeared in. He is the only engine to have this trait.
* Toby's special friends are Wubbzy, Widget, Walden & Daizy ever since they worked on his old Branch Line, before Sir Topham Hatt brought them to Sodor.
* Toby's the second character to be voiced by a Magic Railroad actor in All Engines Go! The first being Gordon.