Billy

"Thomas! You're not a bossy boiler. You're a really useful engine, and I really enjoying working with you!"

- Billy, Don't be Silly, Billy, eleventh season

 Model Series=   Billy    Billy is an orange tank engine with large prominent buck teeth.
 * Class: Manning Wardle L
 * Designer: Manning, Wardle & Co.
 * Builder: Boyne Engine Works
 * Built: sometime between 1881 and 1926
 * Configuration: 0-6-0ST

Bio
When Billy first arrived on the railway, Thomas was asked by The Fat Controller to show Billy around. But Billy misconstrued Thomas' advice for bossiness and so refused to listen to him, causing Billy to fail to complete his deliveries. At last, Thomas lost patience and told Billy to do his own thing. Billy was delighted, but his happiness was short-lived as he swiftly ran out of coal and water. In future, Billy paid attention to advice, worked hard with every job he did and was happy that Thomas helped him as his new friend.

Persona
Billy is a bright orange tank engine who can be impetuous, impatient, and impulsive. Although he is bubbling with enthusiasm and keen to get stuck in, he tends to act before he thinks things through fully and can even end up keen to start one job before properly finishing another. He can be inattentive, does not always like being told what to do, and may try to work independently when, perhaps, he best not. He is often boisterous, has tendencies to be overconfident in his abilities, thinking he need not listen to advice from more experienced engines. Nevertheless, his enthusiasm is well-meaning and, when he keeps calm, thinks things through, pays attention, and follows instructions carefully, Billy can properly harness his energy and focus on what he is doing so that he can be a Really Useful Engine. If he ever gets snappy, his infectious get-up-and-go and burning desire to be useful will shine through and make it hard for any engine to really stay upset with him for very long.

Basis
Billy is based on a Manning Wardle L Class 0-6-0ST. Charlie is another member of this class.

Livery
Billy is painted orange with green and yellow lining. He has black nameplates with his name in gold on each side of his saddle tank.

Appearances
Television Series=

Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends
Other Media=
 * Season 11 - Don't be Silly, Billy
 * Season 13 - Splish Splash Splosh (original script)

Books

 * 2008 - Billy
 * 2009 - Find That Freight!, Trainloads of Fun and Watch Me Draw Thomas & Friends
 * 2011 - The Big Book of Engines
 * 2012 - Copy the Stickers Colouring Book and Full Steam Ahead!
 * 2013 - Thomas' Top Tunes

Magazine Stories

 * 2010 - Silly Billy

Video Games

 * 2010 - Hero of the Rails (prototype only)

Voice Actors

 * Yukito Soma (Japan)

Trivia

 * Billy's whistle is really a higher pitched version of James'.
 * Billy was supposed to appear in the thirteenth season, but he was replaced by Charlie, likely because of the change from models to CGI.
 * Billy was in the prototype for the [Hero of the Rails (video game)]

Merchandise

 * Wooden Railway (normal and talking railway versions)
 * Take Along (discontinued)
 * TrackMaster (discontinued)
 * My First Thomas (talking; discontinued)
 * My Thomas Story Library (discontinued)
 * Wind-up (Japan only)