Troublesome Trucks

"Percy's much too busy to be bothered with the likes of you!"

- Oliver, "Oliver's Find", fifth season

"Now trucks are silly and noisy. They talk alot and don't attend to what they are doing."

- Reverend W. Awdry, Thomas The Tank Engine, The Railway Series



Troublesome Trucks are so nicknamed because they can be quite troublesome and love to play tricks. No one - save for Edward, Stepney and Salty - likes them, as they have been the cause of many accidents. Their behaviour could perhaps be best described in the following statement:


 * "Every wise engine knows that you cannot trust trucks."

There have, however, been some cases where the trucks and engines are on the same side, like in "Special Attraction" and "The World's Strongest Engine".

Persona
Trucks could be considered the rebel teenagers on the railway, as most of them love to cause mischief, confusion, and delay. They will play tricks on an engine based on how they treat them. Most accidents caused by the trucks are a form of revenge due to mistreatment. If an engine is having a bad day, makes a mistake, or is easily played upon, then the Trucks begin their wild antics of singing, name calling, holding back, shoving, bumping, giggling, etc. Their catchphrases are "Trickety-trock", "Clickety-Clack", "On! On!", "Faster! Faster!" and "Hold Back!".

Basis
Trucks have all sorts of different basies. Some are 7 plank minral wagons, others are 12t shock vans or 8t Cattle vans and more.

Livery
Trucks have all sorts of different liveries. Some are greenish or olive, others are gray or brown and more.

How to tame a Truck
Working with trucks isn't always easy, as any engine could vouch, but some engines have devised ways of keeping them in line.


 * Kindness: Edward is always very kind and respectful to the Trucks, and over time they too have respected him, which is why he hasn't had an accident involving Trucks, not including "Cows" and "A Close Shave".
 * Learning: If an engine, such as Toby, works with the Trucks over a period of time, they will grow used to him, and he will gain a better knowledge on how to treat them. This can have a downside if the engine is sick or is needed elsewhere, as the replacement could usually make them stir up trouble.
 * First Impression: When a new engine tries the Trucks for the first time, it can get out of hand. So, first impressions are important, as Duck, Donald and Douglas showed on their first day when handling them.
 * Playing: Salty has this down pat. He doesn't discourage the Trucks singing now and again, and in fact sings sea shanties while working with them, which the trucks happily join in with, distracting them from causing trouble.
 * Intimidation: While this could go along with first impressions, intimidation does work on occasion. Usually this works when the Trucks see one of their fearless "leaders" being taken down. For example, Douglas crushing the Spiteful Breakvan, and Oliver pulling apart Scruffey. When this happens the trucks usually behave considerably better around the triumphant engine.
 * Thomas had a lot of trouble with trucks but they behaved better after he took down Hector the horrid.

Incidents involving the Troublesome Trucks

 * Refusing to be pulled, and stopping Gordon on a hill (Edward & Gordon)
 * Making Thomas go too fast and almost made him crash (Thomas and the Trucks)
 * Making James crash into a field (Thomas and the Breakdown Train)
 * Breaking away from James's train and rolling down Gordon's Hill (Troublesome Trucks)
 * Teasing Thomas about fish (Thomas goes Fishing)
 * Moaning at Percy and making him forget Edward's warning (Percy Runs Away)
 * Pushing James into two Tar Tankers (Dirty Objects)
 * Pushing Percy into a sideing, opening one of their doors and causing Thomas to get covered in coal. And pushing Percy into some unsafe buffers and causing him to get covered in coal. (Thomas, Percy And The Coal)
 * Making cows frightened causing them to break Edward's train. (Cows!)
 * Trying to ruin Percy and Harold's race (Percy and Harold)
 * Pushing Percy onto an unsafe Quay, causing him to slide into the sea. (Percy Takes the Plunge)
 * Teasing Diesel by singing a song and teasing him, after refusing to move (Pop Goes the Diesel and Dirty Work (Season 2))
 * Breaking away from Edward and making Duck run into a Barber Shop (A Close Shave)
 * Holding back on Gordons hill causing James to run out of steam causing Douglas to crush the spiteful breakvan (Breakvan)
 * Laughing at Thomas after his accident (Thomas Comes to Breakfast)
 * Pushing Percy through a Brake Van and on to another truck (Percy's Predicament)
 * Pushing Percy into a cart of lime getting him covered in lime and teasing Thomas about his big scare (Ghost Train)
 * Getting covered in hay and laughing and teasing Percy about woolly bears (Woolly Bear)
 * Getting covered in jam (A Scarf for Percy)
 * Laughing at Gordon when he lost his dome (Gordon and the Famous Visitor)
 * Pushed off a quay by Diesel (Diesel Does It Again)
 * Teasing Thomas about his scare and Percy about his dragon (Thomas, Percy, and the Dragon)
 * Holding back on the level crossing and getting Mavis stuck on frozen mud (Mavis)
 * Pushing Toby onto a collapsed bridge (Toby's Tightrope)
 * Pushing Oliver into a turntable well (Oliver Owns Up)
 * Pushing Thomas into a pond after being unable to get their own back on James (Trust Thomas)
 * Giving Bill and Ben wrong advice and making them wreck Brendam yard and making Gordon late with the express (Heroes)
 * Making Percy crash into a siding, causing him to get covered in fruit (Percy, James and the Fruitful Day)
 * Teasing Oliver by singing a song at him after he was pushed down the turntable well, and holding him back, causing Scruffey to be stretched between them and to break apart. (Toad Stands By)
 * Pushing Mavis into a lorry and bending her cow catcher (Mavis and the Lorry )
 * Burst through some buffers which made Percy push them past over the quay and tumble into Bulstrode (Bulstrode/Special Attraction'')
 * Broke away from the winch, rolled down the hill, and crashed into Peter Sam (Trucks/Rusty Helps Peter Sam)
 * Breaking away from the winch again and made an avalanche tumble onto Skarloey (Snow)
 * Pushing Henry into the sea (Something in the Air)
 * Being pushed by Percy into a Mine, causing an avalanche (Put Upon Percy)
 * Pushing Toad out of control and into a pond (Busy Going Backwards)
 * Pushing James down a hill and making the workmen's hut burn down (Thomas, Percy and Old Slowcoach)
 * Pulling Henry too fast and falling into a ravine (Haunted Henry)
 * Broke away from Peter Sam, and fell off the old iron bridge and into the swampy ravine (Duncan Gets Spooked)
 * Broke away from Percy and started a chase around the island (A Surprise for Percy)
 * Caused Henry to become derailed and held Diesel back while their brakes were turned on, which caused the coupling to snap and make Diesel fall onto a barge (The World's Strongest Engine)
 * Caused Percy and themselves to become derailed and block the road at Bulgy's Bridge (Harvey to the Rescue)
 * Caused Arthur to crash into Duck's goods train, causing both engines to get covered in fruit (The Spotless Record)
 * Pushed into a duck pond by Emily (Emily's New Route)
 * Pulled Thomas too fast down Gordon's Hill and crashed into Salty (Fish (Season 8))
 * Broke away from an engine and rolled down a steep hill (Thomas Saves The Day)
 * Made Percy crash into Mavis (Emily Knows Best)
 * Pulled Thomas under a coal hopper and caused him to get covered in coal, and stopped James from going anywhere after teasing about Thomas's dirty trucks, and Cranky drops a melon crate on James (Thomas's New Trucks)
 * Percy and the Bandstand
 * Holding back on Gordon's Hill causing Duck to stop causing Gordon to stop causing Edward to push Gordon and Duck up Gordon's Hill (Edward the Really Useful Engine)
 * Laughing at Thomas when he fell off the old rail pier and into the sea (Something fishy)
 * Teasing Oliver causing him to push them into a turntable well (Oliver`s Find)
 * Listening to Arry and Bert's advice and pushing Percy onto a coal truck hopper and trying to do the same to James but making him break down causing Percy to push him to the harbor (Middle Engine)
 * Holding back causing Derek to break down (Double Teething Troubles)
 * Scaring Rosie, Thomas, Bill and Ben (Hector the Horrid)
 * Pushing James into the snow (James Works it Out)
 * Teasing James about his accident (James and the Trouble with Trees)

Songs sung by the Troublesome Trucks
"Trucks are waiting in the yard, tackling them with easel Show the world I can do, gaily boasts the diesel In and out he creeps about, like a big black weasel When he pulls the wrong trucks out, Pop Goes the Diesel!"
 * Pop Goes the Diesel

1."Oliver's no use at all, thinks he's very clever Says that he can manage us, that's the best joke ever When he order's us about, with the greatest folly We just push him down the well, Pop Goes old Ollie!"
 * Toad Stands By

2.''"Oliver's no use at all, thinks he's very clever Says that he can manage us, that's the best joke ever

1."Percy, Percy, Green and small He's no use to us at all Around the yards, he'll puff'n'blow But on the hills, he's oh-so-slow!" 2."All night, all rightYou can puff and blow But on that hill You're still too slow!"
 * A Surprise for Percy

"Faster we go, faster we go Pull him along, don't let him slow!"
 * Harvey to the Rescue

1."Is that all you can haul? Henry's load are longer Is that all you can haul? Henry must be stronger" 2."Push us all, that's the longest Push us all, you'll be the strongest"  3."Heave ho! Heave ho! You can pull, but we won't go!"
 * The World's Strongest Engine

"Clickety-clack Don't look back Dirty Percy's on our track!"
 * Percy's Chocolate Crunch

"Poor, poor Bill He works, he suffers While Ben, his twin Gets brand new buffers!"
 * Buffer Bother

"Duck should play with other ducks 'Cause he's no good at pulling trucks! Quack, quack, quack! Hold back, hold back!"
 * Edward the Really Useful Engine

1."A root-toot-tow, we want to go The fruit's goin' off, 'cause you're too slow!" 2."Chug, chug, chuff Ya tug and huff But you're so rusty Ya can't even puff!"
 * The Spotless Record

"Scaredy engine! Scaredy engine! Clickety-clack Don't come back!"
 * Wharf and Peace

"Big, bad, strong and solid. That truck name is Hector the Horrid!"
 * '''Hector the Horrid

"James is silly James is slow James has got us stuck in snow"
 * '''James Works It Out

Merchandising

 * ERTL model (discontinued)
 * LC Wooden (four versions tall gray car,laughing car, rickety, & sugar car/brakevan)
 * Lionel model
 * Bachmann model
 * Take Along
 * TOMY/Trackmaster
 * Tomix model
 * ERTL Miniature (discontinued)
 * Hornby model
 * Bandie Tecs model
 * ERTL Gold Rail (discontinued)