Toad

## Toad the Brake Van

**Toad** is a Great Western brake van who escaped from scrap with Oliver and Isabel.

## Biography

### *The Railway Series*

Toad worked with Oliver on the Great Western Railways before being threatened with the prospect of scrapping. Oliver, Toad and an autocoach named Isabel ran away for the greener pastures of the North Western Railway, but Oliver ran out of coal en route. Luckily, they were rescued by Douglas and brought back to Sodor. Afterwards, Toad asked to be Douglas' brake van as a show of thanks.

When S.C. Ruffey began to start a trend of disrespecting the engines, Toad had the idea for Oliver to show him and his lieutenants the error of their ways. This turned out better than expected, for Oliver pulled S.C. Ruffey apart and won back the respect of the trucks.

### *Thomas & Friends*

Toad was tired of always going backwards and wanted to be a leader for a charge. The trucks decided to teach Toad to be careful what he wishes for by breaking away from Oliver on Gordon's Hill and as a result, he crashed into some level crossings gates, narrowly avoided Gordon and James and stopped by taking a plunge into a muddy pond. Afterwards, Toad decided that always going backwards was not so bad after all.

While Gator was on Sodor, he once took some of Oliver's trucks with Toad, who kept insisting that Gator should stop and relight his lamp. After being briefly taken off the train after forcing them to stop with his brakes, Toad had the "bright" idea of giving Gator one of his lamps to replace his broken one. This idea worked, and Gator thanked Toad once they had finished their journey.

By Toad's Adventure, Toad had become bored of repeatedly hearing the story of Oliver's escape, and longed for an adventure story of his own to tell. His wish was granted when he went to work with James, who ran much too fast and hit a fallen branch on Gordon's Hill, uncoupling his trucks. Toad managed to stop the trucks, and prevented a crash with Thomas and Percy. When he returned to the Yard, he told a disbelieving Oliver all about it.

Toad eventually began to sing during his journeys with Oliver, which the Western engine liked at first, but quickly got fed up of listening. Later, as they were passing Bluff's Cove, Toad spotted a whale stranded on the beach and tried to tell Oliver, but Oliver thought Toad was joking. But later that day when the two passed the same area again, Oliver saw the whale and apologised to Toad. They informed the Sodor Search and Rescue Centre, but after a few attempts at moving the whale proved unsuccessful, Toad had the idea of using a flatbed to transport the whale to Brendam, where Cranky gently placed the whale back into the water. Now whenever Toad passes through Bluffs Cove, he remembers his friend, and sings about him.

In Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure he, along with Oliver, helped to build the new Harwick Branch Line and attended the line's opening.

## Personality

Toad is a polite, gentlemanly, and optimistic brake van. He is also somewhat imaginative and a bit of an optimist. Toad minds his manners well and always quick to refer to the engines as "Mr.", "Miss", or "Sir". He escaped from scrap with Oliver, with some help from Douglas. Toad is very loyal, keeps Oliver's trucks in order, and has his best interests at heart. He has a cunning streak within him should the trucks cause any particular bother and does like fun when it comes his way, but he is typically calm, obedient, and content in his work.

## Technical Details

### Basis

Toad is based on a Great Western Railway 16-ton brake van. Early vans were just 10 or 16 tons weight, but this gradually increased to 20 and 25 tons. A brake van on the Mid Hants Railway (No. 35907) is permanently dressed up as Toad. A number of these brake vans survive in preservation.

Toad’s basis
### Livery

Toad is painted grey with "GW 56831" written on his side in white. Before being repaired in Enterprising Engines, and in an illustration portraying him before Escape from the subsequent book, Toad was painted brown. In the Railway Series, his face is the same colour as his bodywork, but in the television series he has a light grey face.

## Appearances

### Thomas & Friends

* **Season 22** - Trusty Trunky (stock footage)

## Trivia

* One of Toad's models is on display at Drayton Manor.
* Toad's ERTL toy incorrectly states that his number is "5683".
* Toad's name originates from a nickname ("toad") given to brake vans on the Great Western Railway. It can also be considered a subtle pun: a brake van is 'towed' everywhere it goes.
* When Toad returned in the eighteenth season, he had some modifications. These include:
	+ Grey buffers.
	+ Grey handrails as opposed to his original white handrails.
	+ His glass windows were removed, replaced with open windows.
	+ Only one side has the Great Western insignia, number, and tonnage.
	+ He is slightly longer than his model form.
	+ He is a lighter shade of grey.
	+ He is slightly taller than his model counterpart.
* Both Toad's physical and CGI models deviate a bit from their real-life counterpart: in real-life, Toad's basis has sandboxes near the handbrake, and also has a white interior with a desk, seat, etc. Toad lacks these features, both in model and in CGI forms.
* Toad was called Crapaud in the French dub from Seasons 3 to 7.
* In Latin America, Toad gains an Argentine accent in Toad's Bright Idea.
* In the Days Out with Thomas events, his face was worn by Class 40.