Sidney

"It's a shame you're not an elephant, Sidney." "An elephant? Huh? Why's that, Whiff?" "They say that elephants never forget!"

- Whiff and Sidney, Sidney Sings, twentieth season

 CGI Series=   Sidney    Sidney is a forgetful blue diesel shunter.
 * Class: BR Class 08
 * Designer: British Railways
 * Builder: BR Crewe, Darlington, Derby, Doncaster or Horwich Works
 * Built: sometime between 1952 and 1962
 * Configuration: 0-6-0
 * Top Speed: 20 mph

Bio
Sidney was one of the diesels who laughed at Percy's joke when the tank engine first arrived at the Vicarstown Dieselworks. He only appeared very briefly on a hoist with no wheels.

In the seventeenth season, he was still on the hoist and was often referred to as a Christmas decoration by the other diesels, literally being used as one by Diesel 10 as well. Percy asked how long Sidney had been left up on the hoist and found out from Norman that it had been two years. Percy gave Sidney a new set of wheels as a Christmas present, and Sidney is now a really useful engine again.

In the eighteenth season, he, along with Diesel, Den, and Dart hid from Paxton, but after Paxton was unable to find them, Sidney, along with Den and Dart started to think that Diesel's joke went a little too far, but Paxton managed to find them again at the end of the day.

In the twentieth season, he was sent by the Fat Controller to collect new wheels for Percy. Sidney was worried he would forget his job and let Percy down, but Thomas, Annie and Clarabel suggested that he sing a song to remind himself what to do. Sidney thought this was a great idea, and started to sing his song, until he stopped at Wellsworth to talk with Gordon. After talking with him, Sidney completely forgot the words to his song, and, while trying to remember what he was supposed to do, ended up running all around Sodor, first to Whiff's Waste Dump, then to the Sodor Animal Park. Eventually, he decided that it would be best to go back to Knapford to confess to Sir Topham Hatt that he had failed to complete his special job, but upon arriving, he found a crowd of passengers waiting impatiently for their train to Brendam Docks. Thinking that taking the passengers was his special, Sidney found some coaches and took them to the Docks, where Sir Topham Hatt was waiting by Percy's new wheels, grumbling about the forgetful diesel's lateness. When Sidney arrived, the passengers praised him, and Sir Topham Hatt reminded him that he still had to take Percy's wheels to the Steamworks. Sidney, who thought he had already completed his special, gladly accepted the supposed second special, and took the wheels to the Steamworks, where Percy was waiting.

Persona
Sidney is a very helpful diesel engine, but he's also very forgetful. He starts his day at one location and ends up at another, not remembering how he got there. When it was his turn for repairs at the Dieselworks, he was hoisted up and had his undercarriage removed. Being patient, Sidney was happy to wait, and wait, and wait. He sat there happy to pass the time with any engine that happened to be visiting. Two years later, he still had no wheels, so Percy helped him at Christmas to get a new set of wheels and now he is back on track.

Basis
Sidney is based on the BR Class 08 diesel shunter. Diesel, the Diesel Shunter, Paxton, Splatter, Dodge, 'Arry, Bert and The Great Railway Show Diesels are also members of this class.

Livery
Sidney is painted navy blue with yellow lining and hazard stripes under his face. His traction rods and bufferbeams are painted rusty-orange.

Appearances
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Television Series

 * Season 17 - The Missing Christmas Decorations
 * Season 18 - Disappearing Diesels
 * Season 20 - Sidney Sings, Diesel and the Ducklings (cameo) and Pouty James (cameo)

Specials:
 * Day of the Diesels (not named)
 * The Great Race

Music Videos

 * Day of the Diesels, It's Christmas Time, A World Around You, Will You Won't You and I'm Full of Surprises (cameo)

Books

 * 2011 - Day of the Diesels: The Movie Storybook (mentioned) and The Ultimate Diesel Guide
 * 2015 - Thomas Takes a Vacation (sticker only)

Magazine Stories
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 * 2017 - The Kind Diesel

Voice Actors

 * Kerry Shale (UK/US; Day of the Diesels only)
 * Bob Golding (UK/US; seventeenth season onwards)
 * Nicolás Frías (Latin America)
 * Shōto Kashii (Japan; seventeenth season only)
 * Ken Sanders (Japan; eighteenth season only)
 * Tomohiro Tsuboi (Japan; twentieth season onwards)
 * Grzegorz Kwiecień (Poland)
 * Helge Winther Larsen (Norway; seventeenth season only)
 * Bruno Marçal (Brazil)
 * Mariano García (Spain)
 * Denis Bespalyy (Russia)
 * Jukka Voutilaninen (Finland; Day of the Diesels only)

Trivia

 * In some merchandising and books, Sidney's name is misspelled as "Sydney."
 * Sidney's horn is actually Paxton's at two whole steps higher in pitch.
 * Despite Sidney's nickname being "Sid," he has been consistently referred to by his full name rather than his nickname. He shares this dilemma with Norman and Paxton.

Quotes

 * "Sidney, how long have you been up there?"
 * "Erm, not very long Percy. I mean.. er.. I forget."
 * "It's been about two years!"
 * "Two years?! That's a very long time."
 * "Yeah, I'm waiting for my wheels. I think the order's been misplaced."

- Percy, Sidney, and Norman discussing how long Sidney has been on the hoist for waiting for his new wheels, The Missing Christmas Decorations, seventeenth season.

Merchandise

 * Take-n-Play
 * Wooden Railway (normal version discontinued; Holiday and Seaside versions still available)
 * Minis
 * Classic Minis
 * Chillin' Minis
 * DC Super Friends Minis (as Mister Miracle and The Penguin)
 * Sweets Minis