| For other uses, see Guards. |
Guards, also known as Conductors or Brakemen in the US, are in charge of passenger and goods trains and ensure that they run on time. When trains are ready to depart, the guards blow their whistles and ride in the brake vans or brake coaches, where they can operate the controls and apply the brakes if required. When a problem occurs, the guards inform the engines and their crews about it. The guards handle tickets and also carry both a green flag, which means "all set" and a red flag, which means "danger" or "stop".
Uniform
A guard's uniform consists of blue trousers, a black tie and a white shirt with a blue jacket with light blue accents over it. They also wear blue peaked caps. In the model series, excluding the fifth series, the uniform of the guards on the narrow gauge railways was in a blue-grey colour scheme instead. The uniform colours and outfits vary for international guards.
Notable Guards
The following guards have their own separate pages:
Individuals
Nancy's Father
Nancy's Father is a guard who works for the North Western Railway. His daughter, Nancy, sometimes volunteers on the Skarloey Railway. He was also one of Sir Topham Hatt's assistants.
Appearances
Thomas & Friends
- Series 3 - Heroes (cameo)
- Series 4 - Sleeping Beauty (cameo), Home at Last (cameo) Passengers and Polish (does not speak), Bowled Out (cameo), Henry and the Elephant (cameo), Paint Pots and Queens (cameo), Thomas and the Special Letter (cameo) and Mind that Bike (cameo)
Trivia
- In The Railway Series book, Sodor: Reading Between the Lines, Nancy's father is named Mr. Rushen.
Dave
| This article is about 'the guard'. You may be looking for 'the busker or the miller'. |
Dave is a guard who works for the North Western Railway.
Biography
Dave usually works with Thomas on his branch line trains but has also been known to work with Gordon on night trains. Between trains, Dave assists at the stations by sweeping up, checking tickets and giving out information.[1]
Dave once lost his whistle and found it again in a magpie's nest on the station roof. After finding the whistle, he worried about how he would explain the situation to Sir Topham Hatt.[2]
Appearances
Dave also appears in several activities in the magazines.
Rick's Owner
Rick's Owner is one of Thomas' guards and is the owner of Rick the dog.
Biography
Every morning, before he leaves for work, the guard likes to read the newspaper and Rick collects it from the paperboy and gives it to him. When the guard and Rick were on their way to the common to play, they noticed a flying timetable and the guard told Rick to retrieve it, to which the dog did after the timetable landed on Thomas' bufferbeam.
Appearances
Groups
Clarabel's Guard(s)
Clarabel's Guard(s) ride inside Clarabel, performing various jobs, such as applying the brakes if required.
Biography
Thomas once started so quickly that he left one of Clarabel's guards behind, who tried waving his red flag to stop Thomas but to no avail, as he was already out of sight. Clarabel was upset that the guard was left behind and Annie tried to tell Thomas, however, he was hurrying and would not listen. The two coaches tried to apply their brakes but they could not without the guard. Eventually, Thomas stopped at a signal and they all waited for the guard to tell them what the problem was. When the guard did not arrive, Annie and Clarabel finally told Thomas that they had left him behind. Everyone then saw the guard running to them and when he arrived, he had a drink and told everyone what had happened. Thomas apologised to the guard, who accepted the apology knowing it was not Thomas' fault. When they started again, Annie and Clarabel were happy to have the guard back and Thomas quickly arrived at Ffarquhar.
When the Welsh birdwatcher pulled Annie's emergency cable, causing the train to stop, one of Clarabel's guards went to find out what the problem was. After the Welsh birdwatcher explained about the rare bird, the guard sternly told him that seeing a rare bird was not an emergency.
Appearances
Thomas & Friends
Specials
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Annual Stories
Books
Magazine Stories
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Voice Actors
- Keith Wickham (UK/US; Thomas and the Emergency Cable)
- Kōzō Shioya (Japan; Thomas and the Guard)
- Hiroo Sasaki (Japan; Thomas and the Emergency Cable)
- Andre Rinaldi (Brazil; Thomas and the Emergency Cable)
Trivia
- In the first series episode, Thomas and the Guard, Thomas refers to one of Clarabel's guards as "Mr. Guard".
- In the magazine stories, Dave is one of Clarabel's guards.
- In the magazine story, Guard Duty!, Sir Topham Hatt served as Clarabel's guard while her regular guard had fallen ill.
Toad's Guard(s)
Toad's Guard(s) ride inside Toad, performing various jobs, such as applying the brakes if required.
Biography
When a coupling broke on Gordon's Hill, causing Toad and some trucks to become a runaway, the guard that was in Toad had jumped out and landed in the bushes, leaving Toad in state of shock.
When James hit a tree branch on Gordon's Hill, Toad and some trucks almost became a runaway again, however, this time the guard that was in Toad ran to the controls and applied the brakes, preventing a crash from happening.
Appearances
Thomas & Friends
- Series 3 - Escape (cameo)
- Series 5 - Busy Going Backwards (does not speak)
- Series 18 - Toad's Adventure (cameo) and Toad's Bright Idea (cameo)
- Series 20 - Blown Away (cameo)
Voice Actors
- Nobuaki Kanemitsu (Japan; Toad's Adventure)
The Slip Coaches' Guards
The Slip Coaches' Guards ride inside the Slip Coaches, performing various jobs, such as operating their controls to uncouple and apply the brakes if required.
Biography
When James first pulled the Slip Coaches and had arrived at Bluffs Cove, he told the third coach's guard to release the coach, to which the guard did. However, James had slowed down so the passengers could see him, which caused the third coach to bump into the train.
Appearances
Thomas & Friends
- Series 18 - Duck and the Slip Coaches (cameos) and Last Train for Christmas (cameos)
Other Guards
Many Other Guards have been seen around the Island of Sodor and abroad.
Biography
When Percy went down a flooded line and water entered his firebox, his fireman went to the brake van and asked the guard if he could use the floorboards inside the brake van. The guard grumbled as he had only swept the floor earlier that morning but still agreed to help with removing the floorboards so they could be used as firewood to relight Percy's firebox.
Voice Actors
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Trivia
- A guard's small scale figure is now on display at the Hara Model Railway Museum.
- In Shining Time Station and Thomas and the Magic Railroad, the guards are named Mr. Conductor and C. Junior respectively.
- The story of the fourth series episode, Peter Sam and the Refreshment Lady, was inspired by the Rev. W. Awdry's time as a guard on the Talyllyn Railway.
Merchandise
- Ertl Company (discontinued)
- Wooden Railway (discontinued)
- Wood (discontinued)
- Tomy Trains (discontinued)
- Motor Road and Rail
- Bachmann
- My First Thomas (discontinued)
- Trading Cards (discontinued)
- Departing Now (discontinued)
- Thomas Engine Collection Series (discontinued)