Oliver

"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 orders us about, with the greatest folly, We just push him down the well. Pop - goes old Ollie!"

- The Troublesome Trucks, "Oliver the Western Engine"

    Oliver the Western Engine 
 * Class: GWR 14xx 0-4-2T
 * Primary Function: Light branchline work
 * Designer: Charles B. Collet
 * Builder: Wolverhampton Works
 * Build date: August 31st, 1932
 * Configuration: 0-4-2T
 * Gauge: 4' 8.5"
 * Weight: 41 tons 6 cwt
 * Driving wheel: 5' 2"
 * Trailing wheel: 3' 8"
 * Boiler type: Group 7
 * Boiler maximum dia.: 193 x 1 5/8"
 * Boiler minimum dia.: 3' 9 1/8"
 * Flue tubes, no. and dia.: 2 x 5 1/8"
 * Fire tubes, no. and dia.: 193 x 1 5/8"
 * Fuel capacity: 2 cwt, 2 tons 12 cwt
 * Water capacity: 800 imp gal.
 * Boiler pressure: 165 lbs/sq. in.
 * Boiler length: 10' 0"
 * Area of firegrate: 12.8 sq. ft.
 * Heating surface, firebox: 83.2 sq. ft.
 * Heating surface, tubes: 869.8 sq. ft.
 * Length: 29' 11"
 * Cylinders: Two 16" x 24"
 * Valve gear: Stephenson (slide valve)
 * TE: 13 900 lb
 * Power Classification: 1-P

Oliver is a Great Western tank engine who works on Duck's branch line. He has two coaches named Isabel and Dulcie and a brakevan named Toad.

Bio in the Railway Series
Oliver worked on the Great Western Railway. Sometime during the 1960s, he ran away for fears of being scrapped with Isabel and a brakevan named Toad, and were forced to hide between signalboxes and rely on the goodwill of signalmen to pass at safe times. When control got wind of the runaways, they hid in an old quarry branch and had the cutting blocked by rubbish to avoid being spotted of the diesels outside. The runaways decided it was safe to leave at some point, but before they could reach the greener pastures of Sodor, Oliver ran out of coal. Luckily, Douglas was able to rescue Oliver and hid him on a siding at Crovan's Gate. The Fat Controller soon found out and arranged for the three to be repaired and painted in Great Western colours. Toad decided to be Douglas' brakevan to thank him, and the Fat Controller rescued an autocoach named Dulcie and gave her to Oliver.



Oliver was then sent to work on the Tidmouth-Arlesburgh branch line, but became conceited after the big engines gave him their respect in recognition of his adventures and pushed his weight around, prompting several ballast trucks to push him into a turntable well. Oliver received little respect from the trucks after the incident, but got his own back by pulling the ringleader, Scruffey, apart. Oliver is now well-respected by the trucks, for fear they will be pulled apart too.

Bio in the television series
Oliver and Toad were saved from scrap by Douglas and brought to the North Western Railway. Oliver later ignored Duck and Donald's advice about trucks and several pushed him into the turntable well. Upon his return from the Works, Oliver regained his respect after pulling the ringleader of the trucks, Scruffey, apart. Oliver has since had many adventures, such as running Thomas' branch line during the engines' trip to England, discovering an abandoned house which was later turned into a tea-house and spending a night as a snowman after crashing into one in the village.



Persona
Oliver is considered brave and a good role model by the engines. This went to his smokebox and led to his incident with the ballast trucks, but Oliver has since then learned his lesson and started to behave like a real role model.

Basis
Oliver is based on a GWR 14xx 0-4-2T.

Appearances
Oliver's Railway Series appearances are listed below, in chronological order:
 * "Enterprising Engines"
 * "Oliver the Western Engine"
 * "Duke the Lost Engine" (cameo)
 * "Jock the New Engine" (mentioned)
 * "Henry and the Express" (cameo)
 * "Wilbert the Forest Engine" (non-speaking role)

Oliver appeared in the third, fourth, fifth, seventh and twelfth seasons. He also made several cameos in the sixth season.

Oliver's Absence
Between 2003 (Season 7) and 2008 (Season 12), Oliver didn't appear in the television series. However, like Duck, when he came back to Sodor, Oliver had a different accent. Probably in 2004, the Fat Controller sent Oliver on loan to the Didcot Railway Centre, Oxfordshire as one of his preserved brother engines Great Western 14XX No. 1466 (GWR No. 4866) had being withdrawn from service because his boiler certificate expired and the Great Western Society wanted a 14XX tank engine to run the demonstration branch line. Oliver was sent to help the volunteers run the branch line and took part in the Brunel 200 celebrations in 2006. After the Didcot Railway Centre, Oliver went to the Dean Forest Railway (where Wilbert lives) and then, in 2008, he came back to the Island of Sodor.

Livery
In the Railway Series and before 1968, Oliver is painted in the GWR's green livery with yellow lining, black wheels and a brass GWR numberplate on his cab side (1436). In the television series, his paint had faded by the time he was rescued, leaving him a rusty-red colour. After his rescue, he was repainted green and has remained so since, with the number 11 painted on his sides; he is the only Great Western engine to have green wheels. In real time, Oliver has been painted his RWS livery with the number "11" painted on his sides in bright yellow with a red border and green wheels since 1968.

Quotes

 * ''"Yon's an enterprising engine," Douglas thought. "I won away here with Donald; but I'd've been feared to do it on my own."

- Douglas praising Oliver's courage, "Enterprising Engines"

Merchandising

 * ERTL (discontinued)
 * LC Wooden (available in two versions)
 * Take-Along (available as normal, and in metallic in 2009)
 * TOMY/Trackmaster
 * My First (available as normal and talking)
 * Hornby
 * My Thomas Story Library
 * Bandai Tecs model

Trivia

 * Recent information has revealed that there really was a 1436 on the Great Western Railway.