Oliver (excavator)

"It seems we have a celebrity here!"

- The Fat Controller with a newspaper featuring a photograph of Oliver, A Visit from Thomas

   Oliver  
 * Number: 14
 * Built: Sometime between 1920 and 1929

Oliver (originally supposed to be called Buster) is a wise old excavator who carries out demolition and digging work. He is capable of switching between different tools, including his usual bucket, a chisel for digging, a scissor claw, and a wrecking ball for demolition.

Bio
In his first appearance, Oliver was helping to clear room for new railway lines at the quarry. Later, the foreman assigned Oliver to move some rocks, but Jack wanted to do it and instead toppled over a hill. Jack learned his lesson and after that he allowed Oliver to continue with his jobs. Once, Oliver uncovered a complete dinosaur skeleton while digging a swimming pool. The following day, Oliver was on the front page of the Sodor Times with the headline "Digger Digs Dino!"

When Max and Monty carelessly crashed into the lightning tree, Alfie, Kelly and Oliver used their arms to prevent the tree from falling over until it was propped and saved. However, he proved to be unsuccessful after trying to demolish a building with a wrecking ball. In The Great Discovery, Oliver, along with the rest of the Pack, helped with the restoration of Great Waterton.

In Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure, Oliver helped to construct the Harwick Branch Line. One day when he was heading to the site, he blocked Bertie who was very annoyed since he lost a race with Thomas. When Marion first met the excavator, she believed that Oliver the steam engine had made a wish to Rex, Bert and Mike, who Marion believed to be magical, to turn himself into an excavator. Oliver tried to explain, but Marion gave the excavator no chance to do so. It was not until the opening ceremony of the new branch line that Marion found out that there were two Olivers on Sodor.

Persona
Oliver is wise and kind and keeps an eye on the other members of the Pack. He is good-mannered and hard-working and never complains about his work or gets impatient. He has the power and precision capability of moving and digging tons of earth in a single day. He likes to be a leader and treats the younger members of the Pack with respect.

Livery
Oliver is painted brown with a pale green panel on his back and his number painted on him in red. Oliver has the cap rim of a builder's hat between his forehead and cab windows.

Appearances
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Television series

 * Season 6 - Jack Jumps In and A Friend in Need
 * Jack and the Sodor Construction Company - A Visit from Thomas, Jack Owns Up (cameo), On Site with Thomas, Percy's Scary Tale (cameo), A Happy Day for Percy, A Tale for Thomas, Thomas and the Moles (does not speak), Percy Helps Out (cameo), The Tortoise and the Hare, Thomas' Trusty Friends, Alfie Has Kittens, and Mud, Glorious Mud (cameo)

Specials:
 * The Great Discovery (does not speak)
 * Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure

He had a role in the cancelled episodes, The Importance of Being Patrick, and Jack and Alfie Swap.

Oliver also appeared in a ninth season music video. }}

Voice Actors

 * Tim Whitnall (UK/US; Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure onwards)
 * Ryō Horikawa (Japan; sixth season only)
 * Yuta Odagaki (Japan; Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure onwards)
 * Igor Cruz (Latin America; Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure onwards)
 * Matthias Klimsa (Germany; Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure onwards)

Trivia

 * An early concept design for Oliver reveals his name was originally meant to be Buster.
 * When Oliver returned in full CGI, his smaller wheels appear to have slightly increased in size.
 * Since Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure, Oliver speaks with a Dublin/Irish accent.

Merchandise

 * TrackMaster (discontinued)
 * Wind-up (Japan only)
 * Wooden Railway (paired with Oliver)