Daisy

"Look at me, I'm the latest diesel. Highly sprung and right up to date! You won't want Thomas' bumpy old Annie and Clarabel now!"

- Daisy, Daisy, Branch Line Engines

Daisy is a diesel railcar who came to work on the Ffarquhar Branch Line after Thomas crashed into the Stationmaster's house. In the television series, she now works on the Harwick Branch Line carrying out passenger duties, while Ryan runs the goods duties.

The Railway Series
Daisy was built specially for service on the Ffarquhar Branch Line. After Thomas was sent to the Works to have his bufferbeam repaired in 1960, Daisy arrived to do his work. Daisy was nasty to Henrietta and Annie and Clarabel, refused to sleep in the Ffarquhar engine sheds on the grounds that it was "smelly" and blatantly refused to pull freight because it was "bad for her swerves". Daisy later called Toby cowardly for having side plates and cowcatchers and claimed that one only needed to "toot and look them in the eye" to shoo animals away. This, of course, was proven false when Daisy tried to shoo an inquisitive bull named Champion. The Fat Controller discovered that Daisy was lazing about, but gave her a second chance after Daisy helped clear up the mess made when Percy crashed into a train of stone. Daisy promised to change her ways.

In 1962, after Douglas claimed all diesels were "devils", Percy used Daisy as an example of a good diesel to try and change his opinions about them.

Once, Mavis sought Daisy's advice about how to show Toby that her method of doing things was correct. This was not exactly the best move, as Daisy knew next to nothing about trucks.

In the latter half of 1990 and the former half of 1991, Daisy was put in charge of Thomas' fast run to Knapford while Thomas was in York. Daisy later claimed that she was not afraid of snow, but changed her mind after getting stuck in a snowdrift for a week.

When Thomas finally returned from York, Daisy was given charge of a special train to bring guests to Knapford for the welcome-home party, but was delayed after running over some cones left inside the crossing gates at Dryaw crossing. She only just made it in time.

In 1993, Daisy, along with Thomas, Percy and Toby, saw Wilbert off when he returned to Gloucestershire.

While the Railway was preparing for the Golden Jubilee of the Railway Series in 1995, Daisy became stranded on the Main Line when the stretch before Dryaw was declared unsafe as rabbits had burrowed beneath it and so she was given the task of ferrying passengers from the airfield to Knapford. She later tried to cheer Henry up when he started to worry about the Golden Jubilee.

In 2007, Daisy teased Percy for being afraid of grass snakes, but was humiliated when she blew a fuse out of fright when a crate of eels dropped beneath her.

In 2011, Daisy attended the ceremony where the bust of the Thin Clergyman was unveiled at Tidmouth.

Thomas & Friends
Daisy was introduced in the second season in the same way as the Railway Series. After being confronted by the Fat Controller, Daisy had a change of heart. However, Daisy regained her original attitude later in the fourth season when she ignored Toby's advice about bulls. Daisy has also been seen on the other railway as a unfamiliar diesel. In Calling All Engines! she was one of the diesels who joined the meeting at the Coaling Plant and later helped Toby take workmen to repair the Sodor Airport.

Starting in Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure, she runs on the Harwick Branch Line with Ryan, managing the passenger trains while he handles the goods, although she can still help out on Thomas' branch line if passenger duties aren't too busy on her line.

During the twentieth season, Daisy encouraged Ryan to help her out with some of her passenger duties, but her laziness backfired when Ryan took on even more of her responsibilities and ended up causing confusion and delay. Daisy apologised and agreed to do Ryan's extra duties for a while: taking trucks to and from the Quarry.

The Fat Controller asked Daisy to take some special passengers to the holiday town of Harwick, but she decided that they were so special that she doesn't want to allow children eating ice lollies on board and refused to pull a dusty baggage truck. Without props or an audience, the puppeteers' Punch and Judy puppet show could not go ahead. With no time to go back to the station to get the props, the puppeteers put on their performance from one of Daisy's windows.

Later, Daisy was rude to Annie and Clarabel when she temporarily returned to Thomas' Branch Line. The coaches paid her back by convincing her she was falling apart, when there was actually nothing wrong with her. However, their plan backfired as Daisy panicked and abandoned them with their passengers at Maithwaite so she could speak to a professional. She returned to Harwick soon after, and since Thomas was still in quarry duty at the time, Annie and Clarabel were left with an even worse substitute: Diesel.

In the twenty-first season, Daisy gets upset when Christmas doesn't go as planned. Diesel damages Daisy's springs when he bumps into her and later, thinking that she's asleep, explains that it's his way to make friends, and tells her that Harvey is boasting about being unique, which causes trouble between the two engines.

Personality
Daisy is a diesel rail-car, who has been known to consider herself "highly sprung and right up to date". She was brought to help run passenger services on Thomas' Branch Line, while Thomas was "indisposed" after running into the stationmaster's house. She can be hard to please, mostly indignant, and highly opinionated. She is extremely authoritative, trustworthy, and confident in herself and can sometimes boast of her abilities in particular situations, unconcerned, despite having never actually been in such a position before. She will sometimes presume she can show other engines a thing or two, despite knowing little on the matter, until she actually learns for herself.

After arriving on Sodor, Daisy insisted that she required delicate handling and considered pulling trucks and vans to be below her. She was very lazy and stubborn, but the Fat Controller spoke severely to her, telling her that his engines must work hard and that he sends lazy engines away. However, working hard after Percy got himself into a predicament, the Fat Controller felt she deserved another chance. Daisy is now good friends with the other engines on Thomas' Branch Line, tries to work much harder to be a useful engine and is better capable of handling things alone. Daisy can be described as a self-obsessed diva.

Basis
Daisy is based on the BR/Metro-Cammell Class 101/102 DMU. She is, however, a single railcar instead of the traditional two to four-piece units. These were one of the longest serving class of "First Generation" DMUs, with its service life of 47 years only being replaced by the Class 121. A total of 41 cars are preserved.

Livery
In the Railway Series, Daisy is painted BR Brunswick green with yellow lining with the 'Cycling Lion' British Railways crest, similar to the livery of British Railways DMUs in the 1960s. In the television series she is painted a much lighter green. She wears makeup, including eyelashes, red lipstick, blush and blue eyeshadow.

In the Railway Series, Daisy's face is the same colour as her livery; in the television series, it is light grey like all other engines.

Appearances
Railway Series= {{Scroll box|

The Railway Series

 * Branch Line Engines - Thomas Comes to Breakfast (not named; mentioned), Daisy, Bulls Eyes and Percy's Predicament
 * Stepney the "Bluebell" Engine - Bluebells of England (mentioned)
 * Tramway Engines - Ghost Train (cameo) and Mavis
 * Thomas and the Twins - Scrambled Eggs (does not speak)
 * Thomas Comes Home - Snow Problem, Washout! (not seen; does not speak) and Thomas Comes Home
 * Wilbert the Forest Engine - Percy's Porridge (cameo) and Wired-Up (does not speak)
 * Thomas and the Fat Controller's Engines - Rabbits and Golden Jubilee
 * Thomas and Victoria - Eels on Wheels
 * Thomas and his Friends - Centenary (cameo)

Companion Volumes

 * 1970 - Twelve Happy Engines (does not speak)
 * 1972 - The Railway Series: Surprise Packet
 * 1976 - Famous Engines and Railway Map of the Island of Sodor
 * 1979 - Annual
 * 1980 - Annual
 * 1985 - Annual
 * 1987 - The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways (mentioned)
 * 2005 - Sodor: Reading Between the Lines (mentioned)

Other Books
}} {{Scroll box|
 * 1985 - Thomas Comes to Breakfast
 * 1985 - Thomas and the Evil Diesel (does not speak)
 * 1992 - Thomas and the Hurricane (does not speak)
 * 1995 - Thomas the Tank Engine and the Scrambled Eggs (mentioned)
 * -|Television Series=

Thomas & Friends

 * Season 2 - Thomas Comes to Breakfast (not named; mentioned), Daisy and Percy's Predicament
 * Season 4 - Rusty to the Rescue (cameo) and Bulls Eyes
 * Season 19 - Thomas the Babysitter (cameo)
 * Season 20 - Ryan and Daisy, The Way She Does It, The Railcar and the Coaches and The Missing Breakdown Train
 * Season 21 - Springtime for Diesel, A Most Singular Engine, Philip's Number (cameo), Daisy's Perfect Christmas and The Big Freeze (cameo)

Specials

 * 2005 - Calling All Engines!
 * 2015 - Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure
 * 2016 - The Great Race
 * 2017 - Journey Beyond Sodor (cameo)

Music Videos

 * Thomas' Anthem Grand Finale, Let's Have a Race, Toby, Night Train, Come for the Ride, There Once Was an Engine Who Ran Away, The Whistle Song, Together, We Make A Team Together, Will You Won't You, Set Friendship in Motion, and I Want To Go Home

Learning Segments
}} {{Scroll box|
 * Which Diesel Engine with Which Steam Engine? (does not speak) and Different Engines (mentioned)
 * -|Other Media=

Books

 * 1986 - Daisy, Percy's Predicament and Woolly Bear and Thomas Comes to Breakfast and BoCo the Diseasel
 * 1992 - Percy's Predicament, Thomas and the Dinosaur (mentioned) and Thomas Comes to Breakfast
 * 1993 - Henry and the Ghost Train
 * 1998 - Thomas Comes to Breakfast
 * 1999 - Thomas and the Naughty Diesel (does not speak)
 * 2001 - Bad Days for Thomas and his Friends
 * 2002 - Thomas and Diesel (does not speak)
 * 2005 - Daisy, Diesel and Magic Paints Book
 * 2006 - Thomas' Big Storybook (cameo)
 * 2008 - Thomas' Sticker Express
 * 2009 - Thomas and the Hurricane (does not speak)
 * 2010 - Funny Faces Sticker Book
 * 2011 - Daisy the Diesel Railcar, Diesel the Mean Engine, The Big Book of Engines and The Ultimate Diesel Guide (does not speak)
 * 2013 - Thomas and the Naughty Diesel (does not speak)
 * 2015 - Funny Faces Sticker Book and Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure: The Movie Storybook

Magazine Stories
Daisy also appeared in the magazine stories, A Different Ride, Daisy's Day, Daisy and the Fish, Funnels and Tunnels, I Spy with my Little Eye, Letting off Steam!, Lorry Loads, Percy's Stories, Proud Percy!, Special Places, Special Treats, Stick with Steam, Stormy Weather and Toby's Visitors.
 * 1988 - Percy's Predicament
 * 1989 - An Important Visitor and A Surprise for Thomas
 * 1990 - Wrong Order, Rumours and Speculation and Daisy and Diesel
 * 1991 - Daisy in Distress
 * 1993 - Percy and the Parrot! and Fetching Freight (mentioned)
 * 1994 - Thomas, Daisy and the Watermill, A Special Treat for Thomas (cameo) and Lucky Landing! (cameo)
 * 1995 - Keeping Clean!, The Engine Parade! and A Desk for Daisy!
 * 1996 - Proud Mavis!, Grumpy George, Night Lights, The Brown Bear and Sunday Schedule!
 * 1997 - Star Story! and The Ice Cream Van
 * 1998 - Missing!
 * 2000 - Painting the Shed and Oh-So-Slow! (does not speak)
 * 2001 - Showtime! (does not speak), Diesel Day! (does not speak) and A Special Story About Snow! (cameo)
 * 2002 - Daisy and the Troublesome Trucks, Time Trouble! (cameo), The Fat Controller's Diesels! (does not speak), The Blue Engine Club (cameo), Are Boots Best? (does not speak), Diesels and Steam Engines and Clean Up Chaos
 * 2003 - Books Aboard! and Where's Wag? (does not speak)
 * 2004 - Daisy's Delight, Good as New (cameo) and Glider Rider (does not speak)
 * 2005 - Sweet Scent, Snow Drop, Passenger Pick Up, The I-Spy Game,Daisy and the Bull and Happy Ending (cameo)
 * 2006 - Dizzy Dennis (cameo)
 * 2011 - Fuss and Fumes, The Treasure Hunt, Show Time, Speedy Spencer, Taking a Break and Perfect Panto (cameo)
 * 2012 - A Merry Market

Annual Stories

 * 1985 - Percy to the Rescue
 * 1992 - Percy and the Vicar's Prizes (does not speak)

Video Games
}}
 * 1995 - Riding on the Thomas the Tank Engine
 * 1998 - Magical Adventure
 * 2001 - The Friends of Sodor
 * 2007 - DVD Bingo
 * 2008 - Begins Educational Learning

Trivia

 * Daisy was the first female engine introduced to the series.
 * Some of the stories involving Daisy reflect problems that were faced by railway staff when it came to dealing with "highly sprung" diesel engines in the earlier phases of dieselisation.
 * Daisy's second season horn sound is Diesel's in a whole step higher in pitch.
 * Daisy was the only character from the first to third seasons who was not featured on Shining Time Station, although she did appear in Mr. Conductor's Thomas Tales.
 * Daisy's theme is a musical variation of The Stripper by David Rose.
 * Daisy was known as Marguerite in the French version of the Classic Series.
 * Daisy appears to be somewhat knowledgeable in the French language, making her the sixth character to speak in a different language.
 * While Daisy has an embedded face in the Railway Series, she was given the traditional grey face masks in the television series. This was most likely to keep her similar to the rest of the engines. Also, it would have been a lot easier to create.

Quotes
"Daisy was hard to please. She shuddered at the engine shed. This is dreadfully smelly!" she announced. "I'm highly sprung and anything smelly is bad for my swerves!" Next, they tried the carriage shed. "This is better," said Daisy. "But whatever is that rubbish?!" The rubbish turned out to be Annie, Clarabel and Henrietta, who were most offended. "We won't stay here to be insulted!" they fumed."

- Daisy insults the coaches, "Daisy", "Branch Line Engines"

"The Fat Controller spoke severely to Daisy too. "My engines do not tell lies!" he said. "They work hard with no shirking. I send lazy engines away!" Daisy was ashamed. "However," he went on, "Toby says you worked hard yesterday, after Percy's accident. So you shall have another chance!" "Thank you, sir!" said Daisy. "I will work hard, sir. Toby says he'll help me." "Excellent! What Toby doesn't know about Branch Line problems," The Fat Controller chuckled. "Such as er..bulls, isn't worth knowing. Our Toby is an experienced engine!"

- Sir Topham Hatt and Daisy, "Percy's Predicament", "Branch Line Engines"

"At Ffarquhar Mavis met Daisy. "Toby's an old fusspot!" she complained. Daisy liked Toby, but was glad of a diesel to talk to. "Steam engines," she said. "Have their uses, but they don't understand." "Toby says that only steam engines can manage trucks properly!" "What rubbish!" put in Daisy, who knew nothing about trucks. "Depend upon it my dear, anything steam engines can do, we diesels can do better!""

- Daisy gives Mavis advice, "Mavis", "Tramway Engines"

Merchandise

 * ERTL (discontinued)
 * Wooden Railway (two versions; discontinued)
 * Adventures (coming soon)
 * Take Along (discontinued)
 * My First Thomas (discontinued)
 * My Thomas Story Library (discontinued)
 * Thomas Engine Collection Series (discontinued)
 * Mini Die Cast Collection (discontinued)
 * Brio (discontinued)
 * De Agostini (discontinued)
 * Trading Cards (discontinued)
 * Nakayoshi (discontinued)
 * Pocket Fantasy (discontinued)

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