Troublesome Trucks

"Trucks are no one's friends!"

- Gordon, The World's Strongest Engine, sixth season

   Troublesome Trucks Troublesome Trucks (Foolish Freight Cars, or simply Freight Cars, in the US) are so nicknamed because they can be quite troublesome and love to play tricks on the engines. No one - but Edward, Stepney and Salty - likes them, as they have been the cause of many accidents.

There have, however, been some cases where the trucks and engines are on the same side.

Persona
Trucks could be considered the rebels of the railway, as most of them love to cause mischief and trouble. 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 and so on.

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 causing Percy to crash.

Usage
Trucks are mostly utilized for the transportation of quarry rock and coal. Due to their ubiquitous nature on the railway, they have been employed for carrying a variety of other materials, such as wood, sand, bricks, and even debris after large storms. In more recent seasons, they have been used to transport specific goods which would be better suited for closed wagons; some of these goods include books, cocoa powder, presents, and raw fish.

Livery
Trucks are traditionally painted either dark grey or brown with black frames, although in recent years, they have also appeared in red, green, blue, pink, and many other colours. Privately-owned trucks typically have their own specific livery.

Trivia

 * Trucks are never named; however, those that are privately owned tend to take on the name of their owner, such as S. C. Ruffey and Fred Pelhay.
 * In recent seasons in the US, the term "truck" is used more often.
 * In the first season of the television series, the trucks had their faces embedded into their bodies, much like Annie and Clarabel. From the second season onward, they were given face masks to allow a greater variety of facial expressions.
 * The trucks were to have a larger role in Thomas and the Magic Railroad, but they were cut from the final film.
 * During the fourteenth and fifteenth seasons, the trucks did not have faces. They regained them in the sixteenth season.

Voice Actors

 * Neil Crone and Kevin Frank (Thomas and the Magic Railroad; cut from final film)

Merchandise

 * ERTL (normal, miniature, and Gold Rail; all discontinued)
 * Wooden Railway (normal and talking)
 * Lionel Trains
 * Bachmann
 * Take-Along (discontinued)
 * Take-n-Play (normal and talking)
 * TOMY/TrackMaster (various colors)
 * Hornby
 * Bandai Tecs (standard and narrow gauge)
 * My Thomas Story Library (discontinued)
 * Tomix Trains
 * De Agostini
 * Brio (discontinued)
 * Wind-up (normal and metallic)
 * Mega Bloks