User:Toby7

"Good evening you three! Aren't we all a fine sight?"

- Donald, Thomas and the Special Letter, fourth season

About Me
Hey there, I'm Toby7! I'm a cheerful Celtic music-loving chap who has a deep love for all things railway, especially Thomas and Friends and the Railway Series. Some say I'm bit eccentric, or simply crazy, and I agree with them! While I think the TV series will never be at it's best without going back to it's roots, I do enjoy it a lot, and feel It's one of the greatest franchises on the planet. Not to mention I love the CGI work Greg Tiernan and his fellow animators have done at Nitrogen Studios. The animation feels like it was right out of an illustration from a RWS book. Please, don't get me wrong though. I love the model series just the same!

I'm a friendly guy too, so don't be afraid to ask me for help or try to start a conversation with me. Just treat everyone the way you would want to be treated, follow the rules, and you'll fit in just fine! I'm also a ChatBox Moderator here, so if you have a problem there, I'm here to help! Just give me a ring!

I'm currently in training on a real life railway in New England, USA. It is ran by a crew of hard working, dedicated volunteers.

Biography
In this section I'll talk about my life with Thomas The Tank Engine and Friends.

Well, it all started out in a little gift shop that I visited on a holiday when I was little. There were some Brio trains. I don't remember any Thomas stuff, just normal wooden trains. This sparked my love for trains. Somehow my parents found a Thomas VHS, and since I was becoming a train-nut, they figured I would like it, and boy they were right. They were more than right, I was HOOKED! My parents continued to buy me VHSs, and they soon discovered Thomas Wooden Railway. I had became a Thomas fan. So, I went through that phase until Season 8, when I began to have more interest in real trains, like the Amtrak Acela or The Flying Scotsman. My last Thomas DVD was Steamies vs. Diesel and Other Thomas Adventures. Luckily, I kept all the DVD's and merchandise I had, but it was left untouched for a long time....

In December of 2007, I visited a young cousin in Califonia who was going through his own Thomas obession. I spent my visit playing and watching Thomas with him. When we took him out sight-seeing, Whenever he saw a streetcar (or tram if you live in Europe), he would shout out "TOBY!!!!" "IT'S TOBY!!!". That is how my favorite character became Toby.

So that visit re-lit my Thomas interest. I pulled out my old Thomas the Tank Engine: The Complete Collection. I soon realized the amazing work of Wilbert Awdry, and I wanted to learn more about the series. I went on online, and found this wiki. Unfortunetly in was spam filled, but little did I know that some great users were working on making it better. I also found SiF, and YouTube actually had a lot of info too! I started to collect DVD's, and I wanted to watch every episode in the series that I hadn't seen before.

I began using the wiki more around 2010 to use it as a checklist for DVD's and other things. I never really thought about becoming a user, but I still loved this site. When Misty Island Rescue came out, I used the site everyday for research, and soon my head became filled with Thomas info! In November of 2010, I became very ill, and Thomas was one of those things that kept me entertained. After I was hospitalized during the holiday season, I decided to create an account on Wikia, as I began noticing faults here that I felt could be improved.

One of my first contributations I made on the wiki was creating the page "The Quarry Tramroad", although I orginally called it "The Ffarquhar Tramway". I also alerted Thomasfan that "Description" was misspelt on the then-locked "Pop Goes Thomas" page. Ever since then, I have been an extremely active member here, becoming friends with many users.

Around the begining of March 2011, I joined the Sodor Island Forums (SiF). I was one SiF for a few days, when my account was disabled. The problem was that I didn't want to reveal my age, so I put a fake one on when I registered. I was very put down, but I understand that SiF follows an age 13+ policy and I respect them to this day.

About a month later, I decided to join another forum that I am still apart of today. It The Official Forums of TTTE Wiki, and was started by ZEM, one of the admins here. I highly recommend joining, as it has a friendly atmosphere and you can talk to fellow wiki users!

In July of 2011, I was absent from the wiki for one week. When I returned, I found that we had a ChatBox! Thomasfan quikly offered my a position as a chat moderator, and I didn't have to think twice about it! It proved that hard work does pay off, and I love having the responsiblity of making sure the ChatBox is a safe, happy, and enjoyable place!

So, That's my story. I plan to have many more adventures here, so this is only the begining... ;)

"Tales from Tidmouth"
"Tales from Tidmouth" is the working title of an upcoming YouTube Series produced by me. It is based on the Railway Series and it's illustrations. Filmed using HO models built by Hornby and Bachmann, "The Island of Sodor" should start production in January 2012, and pilot episode is expected to air in March 2012. The layout that the series will be filmed one has finished the design process, and the expected groundbreaking date is October 1st, 2012.

Friends

 * In chronological order, NOT by favorites.
 * Thomasfan
 * BashDashCrashSmash
 * Oliverandtoad13
 * SteamTeam
 * GreatWesternRailway
 * SirHandelFalcon
 * A Season 5 Fan
 * JRCS (previously JRCS+CAS)
 * ZEM
 * SkarloeyRailway
 * DancePowderer
 * Jamesis5
 * SodorProductions
 * Fanofthomas
 * TerenceTractor702
 * TheSodorSteamworks
 * LeakLess52
 * User:HenryDashPaxton3000

Wikis

 * Toby7 on Thomas Answers Wiki.


 * Toby7 on Lego Universe Wiki (I'm not that active there; only there for personal reasons)


 * Toby7 on Tardis Index Files
 * Toby7 on Community Wiki
 * Toby7 on Muppet Wiki
 * Toby7 on TUGS Wiki
 * Toby7 on Parenthood Wiki

Forums

 * Toby7 on ZEM's Forum
 * GE45tonner on Railroad.net

Other Sites

 * trainboy62 on YouTube
 * Toby7 on Xpert Eleven (Manager of the Wellsworth Warriors!)

Favorite Episodes

 * Season 1: Off the Rails
 * Season 2: Thomas Comes to Breakfast
 * Season 3: Escape
 * Season 4: Steamroller
 * Season 5: Haunted Henry
 * Season 6: Percy's Chocolate Crunch
 * Season 7: Gordon and Spencer
 * Season 8: Halloween
 * Season 9: Bold and Brave
 * Season 10: Toby's New Shed
 * Season 11: Gordon and The Mehcanic
 * Season 12: Gordon Takes a Shortcut
 * Season 13: Tickled Pink
 * Season 14: Victor Says Yes
 * Season 15: James to the Rescue

Favorite Characters

 * Tender Engine: Spencer
 * Tank Engine: Toby
 * Diesel Engine: Bear
 * Favorite Rolling Stock: Troublesome Trucks
 * Narrow Gauge Engine: Rusty
 * Road Vehicle: George
 * Air Vehicle: Harold
 * Sea Vessel: Captain
 * Inmobile Character: Cranky
 * Post-Season 12 Character: Victor
 * Antagonist: Diesel 10

Favorite Specials

 * 1) Day of the Diesels
 * 2) Hero of the Rails
 * 3) The Great Discovery
 * 4) Misty Island Rescue
 * 5) Thomas and the Magic Railroad
 * 6) Calling All Engines!

Other Interests
I guess here I'll tell you more about my non-Thomas life.

So, one thing that I love to do is run. I'm currently on a Cross Country running team, which I love. I also like playing baseball, basketball, soccer, lacrosse, etc in my free time, but I don't play in any competive leagues. I also like hiking and camping, and I'm also in Boy Scouts. I'm from, Irish, French-Canadian, and British decent, and I'm extremely proud of my Irish and British decent. I especially love the Irish culture. On of my favorites parts of Irish culture is the music. I have grown to love bands like the The Young Dubliners, Pogues, The Dropkick Murphys, Flogging Molly, and the Dubliners. One of my favorite shows besides Thomas is Doctor Who!

Ever since I wish little, I loved writing stories. I have a big fat imagination, and I love to let my head flow open. If anyone ever needs a good writer, ask me! I also enjoy learning about history, and I like to get my hands on any facts I can get! Visiting National Parks is also a thing I'll do alot.