Troublesome Trucks

The Troublesome Trucks (called Cars, originally Foolish Freight Cars, in the US narration) are nicknamed so because they can be very troublesome, and love to play tricks on the engines. This article is about standard gauge troublesome trucks.

Open wagons
Open wagons are the most common Troublesome Trucks. They can be seen working in most places on the North Western Railway. They carry a variety of loads, including crates, stone, slate and coal.

Basis
Plank trucks are based on 5 and 7-plank open wagons. The smaller trucks are based on the Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway open wagon, scaled up accordingly. The slate trucks are based on the 2-bar wooden slate wagons of the Talyllyn Railway, scaled up accordingly.

Livery
In The Railway Series and the early Television Series, the plank trucks were painted in a number of different liveries. Currently in the Television Series, they're predominantly painted grey. More recently, in Big World! Big Adventures!, some of the plank trucks in foreign countries are painted red.

Vans
The Vans carry goods and freight on the North Western Railway. There are several types of anthropomorphic vans featured throughout the Railway Series and television series.

Livery
In the early Television Series, the vans were painted primarily in grey or brown. Currently, they are predominantly painted grey. More recently, in Big World! Big Adventures!, some of the vans in foreign countries are painted green.

Tankers
The Tankers are used to carry a variety of liquids. Most of the tankers in The Railway Series and Television Series do not have faces. The only types to be seen with faces are the standard tankers, tar tankers, milk tankers, a fuel tanker and oil tankers.

Livery
The Oil Tankers and Tar Tankers are painted black, with their respective symbols on their sides. The Standard Tankers are painted black with blank sides, and the Fuel Tanker from The Railway Series is painted yellow.

Brake Vans
Brake Vans are railway carriages from which the train's brakes can be controlled by the guard.

To date, only one troublesome brake van was briefly appeared with a face in the second season episode, A Close Shave.

Basis
The brake van that appeared in A Close Shave is based on a BR Standard 20 Ton van.

Livery
Brake vans are commonly painted grey.

Personalities
Every wise engine knows trucks cannot be trusted. Trucks could be considered the rebels and the troublemakers of all rolling stock on the railway, as most of them love to cause mischief and trouble and show no remorse for whatever they do unless told off by their engine. If an engine is having a bad day, makes a mistake, or is easily played upon, the trucks begin their wild antics of singing, name calling, holding back, shoving, bumping, giggling and so on. They will play tricks on an engine based on how they treat them. They are known to be the cause of many accidents, and some of them are a form of revenge due to mistreatment and they are not known for their common sense; they will carry out their plans to pay back an engine even if they result in derailing, damaging or destroying themselves.

Trucks can also be described as territorial; when they get used to certain engines pulling them, another engine in the yard to take them may cause confusion or anger for the trucks. In Percy's Predicament for example, Toby and Percy switched jobs, making Toby's trucks furious and causing Percy to crash. In Oliver Owns Up, the trucks refused for Oliver to take them and demanded Duck, Donald or Douglas instead.

To the trucks, one engine is as good as another, as on one occasion they took their anger out on Thomas when they could not get back at James for bumping them.

Trucks are also shown to be somewhat manipulative and can take advantage of other engines that does not know much about them. This was shown when they tricked Bill and Ben by telling them where to put them when they said they wanted to help, only to end up causing delays when the trucks ended up all over the sidings in messy situations, making the twins late to fetch Gordon's coaches.

The only engines the trucks are known not to play tricks on are Edward, Stepney, Salty and Hiro. These engines have their ways of nessesary sterness and knowledge of how to properly discipline them when they misbehave, and only bump them when they deserve it. Salty's way of handling trucks is singing musical tunes for them to sing along, so as to keep their minds off of misbehaving. They are also afraid of Donald and Douglas after Douglas crushed the Spiteful Brake Van to pieces and Oliver since he pulled a private owner truck called S.C. Ruffey apart. Although they were all accidents, the trucks were never told that, and since these incidents, they always keep in mind never to play tricks on those engines.

There have, however, been some cases where the trucks and engines are on the same side, such as when Diesel was given a third chance on Sodor, but the trucks tricked him into misbehaving and getting sent away again. They also asked Percy to help move them from an ill-mannered and obnoxious barge named Bulstrode, only to end up in his hull and damage him, resulting in him being sent to a beach.

During the thirteenth and sixteenth seasons, they behaved unusually well but were easily annoyed. From King of the Railway onwards, they have regained their old personalities, misbehaving and causing accidents.

Trivia

 * Trucks are never named; however, those that are privately owned tend to take on the name of their owner, like S.C. Ruffey, Fred Pelhay and Old Bennett.
 * From the sixth season onwards in the US, the term "truck" is used more often. In more recent seasons, however, the US has been more consistent in using the term "car", unless referring to the Troublesome Trucks
 * The audio clip of the trucks laughing heard from the second through seventh seasons is actually Junior Campbell's laughing sound in a higher-pitch, as is the clip of the trucks singing their song, "Pop Goes the Diesel".
 * In the first season, the Troublesome Trucks had paper eyes and a paper mouth similar to how Annie and Clarabel's were made. This however, disabled the trucks from having multiple emotions until the second season.
 * The Troublesome Trucks went through several aesthetic changes in the television series:
 * Season 2:
 * The Trucks gained face masks to allow a greater variety of facial expressions, some Season 1 trucks do still appear in the second season however.
 * Season 12:
 * The Trucks have the same face design.
 * Season 13:
 * The open topped wagons became taller.
 * Season 17:
 * All trucks are now grey.
 * The trucks now have identical faces with no distinguishing features, just as they did in the twelfth season.
 * Season 20:
 * The Goods Vans regain their faces.
 * Journey Beyond Sodor:
 * The tankers and salt vans regain their faces
 * Some face masks of S.C. Ruffey, Toad, Bulstrode and The Spiteful Brake Van have been seen on the trucks.
 * In one episode, a brake van is seen with a troublesome trucks face.
 * From the first season to the fifth season, the wagons and Troublesome Trucks used in the television series were made out of vaccuformed plastic Tenmille gauge 1 kits.
 * The Capsule Plarail toys are repainted from JNR Tora55000-type's toys.

Appearances
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The Railway Series
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 * The Three Railway Engines - Edward and Gordon
 * Thomas the Tank Engine - Thomas and the Trucks and Thomas and the Breakdown Train
 * James the Red Engine - Troublesome Trucks
 * Troublesome Engines - Percy Runs Away
 * Toby the Tram Engine - Dirty Objects
 * Gordon the Big Engine - Off the Rails (do not speak), Leaves and Down the Mine (do not speak)
 * Percy the Small Engine - Percy and the Signal and Percy and Harold
 * The Eight Famous Engines - Percy Takes the Plunge
 * Duck and the Diesel Engine - Pop Goes the Diesel, Dirty Work and A Close Shave
 * The Twin Engines - Break Van
 * Branch Line Engines - Percy's Predicament
 * Oliver the Western Engine - Donald's Duck (cameo), Resource and Sagacity and Toad Stands By
 * Tramway Engines - Mavis and Toby's Tightrope
 * Toby, Trucks and Trouble - Bulstrode
 * Wilbert the Forest Engine - Cab Over Wheels

Thomas & Friends

 * Season 1 - Thomas and Gordon (cameo), Edward and Gordon, The Sad Story of Henry (cameo), Thomas and the Trucks, Thomas and the Breakdown Train, James and the Coaches (do not speak), Troublesome Trucks, James and the Express (do not speak), Thomas, Terence and the Snow (cameo), Percy Runs Away, The Flying Kipper (cameo), Thomas in Trouble (do not speak), Dirty Objects, Off the Rails (do not speak) and Down the Mine (do not speak)
 * Season 2 - Thomas, Percy and the Coal, Old Iron (cameo), Saved from Scrap (cameo), Percy and Harold, Percy Takes the Plunge, Pop Goes the Diesel, Dirty Work, A Close Shave, Break Van, Percy's Predicament, Woolly Bear (cameo) and Thomas and the Missing Christmas Tree (cameo)
 * Season 3 - A Scarf for Percy (deleted scene), Gordon and the Famous Visitor, Thomas Gets Bumped (deleted scene), Diesel Does it Again, The Trouble with Mud (do not speak), No Joke for James (do not speak), Trust Thomas, Mavis, Toby's Tightrope, One Good Turn (cameo), Oliver Owns Up, Heroes and Percy, James and the Fruitful Day
 * Season 4 - Train Stops Play (do not speak), Toad Stands By and Special Attraction
 * Season 5 - James and the Trouble with Trees, Bye George! (cameo) Put Upon Percy, Haunted Henry, Double Teething Troubles (cameo), Oliver's Find, A Surprise for Percy and Busy Going Backwards
 * Season 6 - Salty's Secret, Harvey to the Rescue, The World's Strongest Engine, Percy's Chocolate Crunch, Buffer Bother and Edward the Very Useful Engine
 * Season 7 - What's the Matter with Henry? (deleted scene), The Spotless Record and Something Fishy
 * Season 8 - James Gets a New Coat, Thomas Saves the Day (mentioned), Thomas, Emily and the Snowplough (cameo), Emily's New Route, Thomas and the Firework Display (cameo) and Fish
 * Season 9 - Emily Knows Best, Thomas' Day Off (do not speak), Thomas' New Trucks and Saving Edward
 * Season 10 - Follow that Flour and The Green Controller
 * Season 11 - Dirty Work and Hector the Horrid!
 * Season 12 - James Works it Out and Percy and the Bandstand
 * Season 13 - Splish Splash Splosh (cameo)
 * Season 16 - Ho Ho Snowman, Thomas Toots the Crows, Percy and the Calliope (cameo), Thomas and the Sounds of Sodor (do not speak) and Sodor Surprise Day (do not speak)
 * Season 17 - Not Now, Charlie! (cameo), Bill or Ben? (cameo), The Smelly Kipper and No More Mr. Nice Engine
 * Season 18 - Thomas the Quarry Engine and Missing Gator
 * Season 19 - Who's Geoffrey?, The Truth About Toby (cameo), Salty All At Sea, Den and Dart, The Other Side of the Mountain and Diesel's Ghostly Christmas (cameo)
 * Season 20 - Henry Gets the Express, Diesel and the Ducklings, Bradford the Brake Van and Henry in the Dark (cameo)
 * Season 21 - Philip's Number, The Fastest Red Engine on Sodor and Daisy's Perfect Christmas

Specials:
 * 2000 - Thomas and the Magic Railroad (cameo)
 * 2008 - The Great Discovery (music video cameo)
 * 2013 - King of the Railway
 * 2014 - Tale of the Brave
 * 2015 - The Adventure Begins
 * 2017 - Journey Beyond Sodor
 * 2018 - Big World! Big Adventures!! The Movie

Learning Segments: }}
 * Season 8 - Truck Trouble
 * Season 9 - Sir Topham Hatt's Helping Hand and Percy's Favorite Things
 * Season 10 - Help From Your Friends