Percy

"Look what's over there Thomas!."

- Percy, "Thomas' Frosty Friend"

    Percy the Small Engine  Percy is a cheeky saddletank, built by the Avonside Engine Company in 1897. He was brought to Sodor in June 1949 to run Thomas' branch line during the big engines' strike.
 * Number: 6

Bio
Percy ran Thomas' branch line while Thomas ran the main line with Edward, and was allowed to stay on for a while after the big engines surrendered. At first, Percy liked to annoy the big engines. Percy was later waiting at Tidmouth but forgot to whistle to the signalman, and thus was startled when Gordon came running towards him with the Express. Gordon managed to stop in time, but Percy was frightened, ran away, and ended up in a sandbank. He was rescued by Gordon, and took up the duty of station pilot at Tidmouth. He was still a cheeky engine and often liked to play jokes on Gordon and James but one day in 1955 the other engines got their revenge when Percy failed to recognize a "backing signal". After this, Percy was subject to bullying from the big engines until Duck arrived and helped Percy to put the big engines in their place.

In December 1952, Percy had run round at Tidmouth, pulling propels wagons to Anopha Quarry for loading.

With Duck's arrival in 1955, Percy was sent to Knapford to help build the harbour, and has stayed there ever since as a goods engine.

Persona
As the television series has progressed, Percy has been dumbed down in order to teach viewers difficult words: he would say "dingy-fried" where anyone else would say "dignified". He also is shown to make obvious mistakes.

Percy is incredibly accident-prone, and holds the dubious record of the most accidents in one season - five, in the second season - crashing into some buffers, falling into the sea, being pushed onto a brakevan, colliding with a cart, and being hit by a falling crate of treacle.

Basis
Percy is primarily based on an Avonside 0-4-0ST with a body of a GWR 1340 Trojan, a bunker of a GWR 1361, Hunslet underframes and valve gear, a smokebox protruding from saddle tank, external cylinders and motion and sandboxes underneath the tanks on the footplate.

Modifications made to Percy's shape are needed the angled smokebox supports and the cab being cut down slightly from the back for the bunker.

Livery
Percy is painted NWR green with red lining and the number 6 painted on his bunker sides in bright yellow with a red border. In Railway Series, he also has "North Western Railway" and his name painted in bright yellow on his saddletank. It is stated in both versions of 'Thomas, Percy & the Coal' that Percy has always been painted green.

Appearances
Percy's Railway Series appearances are listed below, in chronological order:


 * "Troublesome Engines"
 * "Henry the Green Engine"
 * "Toby the Tram Engine"
 * "Gordon the Big Engine"
 * "Edward the Blue Engine" (not seen)
 * "Percy the Small Engine"
 * "The Eight Famous Engines"
 * "The Twin Engines"
 * "Branch Line Engines"
 * "Stepney the "Bluebell" Engine"
 * "Tramway Engines"
 * "Really Useful Engines"
 * "More About Thomas the Tank Engine"
 * "Toby, Trucks and Trouble"
 * "Thomas and the Twins" (does not speak)
 * "Thomas and the Great Railway Show"
 * "Thomas Comes Home"
 * "Wilbert the Forest Engine"
 * "Thomas and the Fat Controller's Engines"
 * "Thomas and Victoria"

Percy has also appeared in every season of the television series.

Railway Series

 * ''"Do you know what?" asked Yandell.
 * ''"No?" grunted Gareth.
 * ''"Do you know what?"
 * ''"Silly," said Gareth crossly, "of course I don't know what, if you don't tell me what what is."

- A conversation between Yandell and Gareth, "Yandell the Small Engine"


 * ''"Wheeeeeeeeeeesh!" Yandell gave his ghostly whistle. "Don't be frightened, Tom," he laughed, "it's only me!"
 * ''"Your ugly fizz is enough to frighten anyone," said Tom crossly. "You're like - "
 * ''"Ugly indeed! I'm - "
 * ''"A green caterpillar with red stripes," continued Tom firmly. "You crawl like one too."
 * ''"I don't."
 * ''"Who's been late every afternoon this week?"
 * ''"It's the hay."
 * ''"I can't help that," said Tom. "Time's time, and the Toned Controller relies on me to keep it. I can't if you crawl in the hay till all hours."

- An argument between Yandell and Tom, "Tramway Engines"

Television series

 * ''"I can't see any," said Percy. "Where are they?"
 * ''"Any what?" said Gordon
 * ''"Ideas above the station - the sky's empty."
 * ''"Like your smokebox, Percy!" laughed James.

- A brief example of Percy's growing stupidity, "A Better View for Gordon", fifth season

The Green Caterpillar
The Reverend W. Awdry and C. Reginald Dalby did not get along very well. Awdry considered Dalby's drawings "toylike"; this relationship was worsened by the creation of Percy, who was depicted as an Avonside 0-4-0ST/GWR 1340 Trojan with a bunker! When "Percy the Small Engine" was published, Awdry wrote to Dalby critisicing his illustrations and claiming Percy resembled "A green caterpillar with red stripes". This was too much for Dalby, and he promptly resigned. However, the insult was not forgotten: Thomas called Percy "A green caterpillar with red stripes" in "Tramway Engines" for dawdling with his hay duties.