This page is for the minor non-rail vehicle characters who have appeared in Thomas & Friends.
Bulgy's Friend
- "Bulgy's friend has come. He's rude, too. He's taking Bulgy's passengers home, leaving Bulgy free to steal ours!"
- ― Oliver
Bulgy's Friend is a red double-decker bus that is one of Bulgy's closest friends. Although he was never seen in the television series, he did appear in the My Thomas Story Library story, Bulgy.
Personality
Bulgy's Friend was mentioned by Oliver as being rude, just like Bulgy, as he was taking Bulgy's passengers home so that Bulgy could steal Duck and Oliver's passengers.
Technical Details
Basis
Bulgy's Friend is based on an AEC Regent V bus, like Bulgy. The Special Bus Service and the Australian Buses also share this design.
Livery
Bulgy's Friend is painted similar to Bulgy, red and cream, though he has a light grey middle section.
Appearances
The One-eyed Truck
- "Once upon a time, there was an old steam truck. He was very cross. Someone had taken one of his lamps."
- ― Kelly
The One-eyed Truck is a ghost Kelly told a scary story about.
Biography
According to the tale, it was an old steam lorry who had one of his headlamps stolen by a loader. The loader managed to get away, but, according to legend, the one-eyed truck still haunts Maithwaite Forest looking for a new headlamp.
After teasing Alfie and Percy about the story, Max and Monty were sent to dump some dirt at Maithwaite Forest. They heard a shrill whistle and saw a single headlamp, becoming convinced that it was the one-eyed truck. They ran away in fright, but soon felt silly when they realised it was Thomas.
Appearances
Trivia
- The one-eyed truck is based on the fable tale about "the One-eyed Jack".
The Loader
- "And finally, the one-eyed truck chased the loader into the deepest, darkest part of the forest."
- ― Kelly
The Loader is a construction vehicle Kelly mentioned in the story about the one-eyed truck he told Percy and the Pack.
Biography
According to the tale, the loader had stolen a headlamp from the one-eyed truck. The one-eyed truck chased the loader into the deepest and darkest part of Maithwaite Forest. The loader managed to get away, but, according to legend, the one-eyed truck still haunts the forest looking for a new headlamp.
Appearances
The Italian Construction Vehicles
The Italian Construction Vehicles are friends of Ester, who she mentioned whilst talking with Thomas.
Biography
The Italian Construction Vehicles were intended to work at the Italian Construction Site alongside Ester. However with their work delayed they later became busy with their own jobs, leaving Ester to prepare the site on her own. Eventually, Thomas' talk about the Sodor Construction Company led to Ester having the idea of having them arrive to help, though she pinned the credit on Thomas, who did not directly state or think of the idea.
Appearances
The Road Finisher
- "I am the Roadinator. Come with me if you want to pave."
- ― The Road Finisher
The Road Finisher, nicknamed "The Roadinator", is a crawler road paving machine who appears in a fantasy sequence.
Biography
When the Sodor Construction Company were busy working on a new road, Miss Jenny announced the arrival of a new machine. Jack, Alfie, Oliver and Brenda began speculating what type of machine it would be, and the four envisioned "the Road Finisher". He introduced himself as "the ultimate roadinator". The four were amazed by his capabilities and followed him as he began paving a road. However, the new machine was actually later revealed to be a tunnel boring machine named Darcy.
In the Japanese version, Roadinator is regarded as his real name.
Personality
The Road Finisher is a parody of the Terminator from the Terminator franchise, as portrayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger. All of his dialogue is lifted from the Terminator films as well; his line "Come with me if you want to pave" is a reference to the line "Come with me if you want to live", and he also quotes the famous line "I'll be back".
Technical Details
Basis
Being a parody of the Terminator, the Road Finisher is based on the HK-Tank from the Terminator franchise.
Livery
The Road Finisher is painted blue and grey with yellow arms and wheels. His lower half is painted green at the rear and his arms each have a green ring around them.
Appearances
Voice Actors
- Rob Rackstraw (UK/US)
- Hiroo Sasaki (Japan)
- Ismael Verástegui (Latin America)
- Ángel Amorós (Spain)
Trivia
- The Road Finisher's caterpillar treads are a modified version of Brenda's.
Quotes
- "I'll be back..."
- ― The Road Finisher
The Australian Buses
There are twenty-five double-decker buses from Australia which Ace planned to jump over.
Biography
Ace was going to jump over twenty-five double-decker buses in the Outback for a super show. Two of these buses saw Ace rehearsing and were worried after Ace had an accident. The buses did not arrive for the show, so Thomas, Shane, Tamika, Aubrey and Aiden took their places instead. Two of the buses arrived after Ace's jump and applauded him.
Technical Details
Basis
These buses are based on the AEC Regent V double-decker bus. Bulgy, Bulgy's Friend and the Special Bus Service are also members of this class. In real life the AEC Regents were used in Australia and their liveries are similar to the ones used in Australia.
Livery
These buses are painted dark green and yellow akin to Bulgy when he was a vegetable bus. Unlike Bulgy, their roofs are light grey.
Appearances
Voice Actors
- Tim Bain (UK/US)
- Tōru Akiyoshi (Japan)
- Eduardo Martínez (Latin America)
- Paulo Porto (Brazil)
Trivia
- Twenty-five double-decker buses appear in Thomas' fantasy sequence, though only two appear in the Outback.
- The bus which speaks is credited as simply "Bus" in the end credits.
The Special Bus Service
- "Turn left here, wait there. Give me those extra passengers!"
- ― The bus ordering Bertie
While the majority of the railway was closed down for repairs, buses were called upon to look after the passengers. One was a red double-decker bus called the "Special Bus Service". He teased Bertie for being small until they had a race, which Bertie won because he was able to go under a low railway bridge. By the end of his visit, the Special Bus Service had learned that Bertie was useful despite his size.
Personality
The bus seemed to be boastful and arrogant as he teased Bertie for his small size until he was taught that Bertie's size does not define how useful he is.
Technical Details
Basis
The Special Bus Service is an AEC Regent V double-decker bus. Bulgy is another member of this class.
Livery
The Special Bus Service is painted red, and has a sign on his side reading "Special Service". He also has a sign on his front reading "VIP".
Appearance
The Open Top Double-Decker Bus
This article is about 'the character'. You may be looking for 'the magazine story'. |
The Open Top Double-Decker Bus was a bus that was once taking most of Bertie's passengers, much to the concern of Thomas. However, when the heavy rain came, the passengers decided to have a nice dry ride aboard Bertie.
Technical Details
Basis
The bus is based on an AEC Regent V with an open top. Bulgy is another member of this class.
Livery
The Open Top Double-Decker Bus is painted yellow with maroon destination boards.
Appearances
Magazine Stories
- 1998 - The Best Bus (does not speak)
The White Van
The White Van came to Sodor to deliver items that the engines could not, but only caused trouble when he and his driver made fun of the engines. The White Van ended up being clamped and taken off the road after parking in the Fat Controller's parking space. It is driven by the White Van Man.
Technical Details
Basis
The white van is loosely based on a Ford Transit, the type of van most commonly associated with the term "white van man".
Livery
The white van is painted white.
Appearances
Trivia
- An orange van of the same design appeared in the magazine story, Double Attraction.
The Float Lorry
The float lorry is a long lorry who only appeared in the magazines.
Biography
Stephen and Bridget Hatt made a float for a carnival on Thomas' Branch Line. The Float Lorry was then chosen to carry the float with a replica of Thomas, which Stephen and Bridget built themselves. On the day of the carnival, as Thomas passed the procession, he spied the float that looked just like him.
Technical Details
Basis
The float lorry appears to be based on the Foden OG range lorries, modified with a longer wheelbase and flatbed.
Livery
The float lorry is painted brownish-red.
Appearances
Trivia
- The float lorry looks similar to the Horrid Lorries. However, the float Lorry was introduced four months before the fifth series episode, Horrid Lorry, in which the Horrid Lorries made their debut appearances. However the episode would have been filmed long before it aired, allowing for the magazine artist to use the Horrid Lorry design as a basis.
- The float lorry is drawn with Bertie's face.
Dan
Dan the Front Loader is a blue farm tractor who appeared in the Egmont board books.
Technical Details
Basis
Dan is based on the Ford 5000 model with an added front arm with hay spears.
Livery
Dan is painted dark blue. He has a black face and headlamp eyes, reminiscent to the sentient tractors seen in The Railway Series.
Appearances
Books
- 2014 - The Busy Engines (not named)
- 2017 - My First Thomas Colours (cameo)
- 2019 - Ten Little Engines (cameo)
- 2021 - Giant Play Book (not named)
Trivia
- Dan is named after illustrator Dan Crisp.
- The tractor did not originally have a name, but was later christened 'Dan' by the illustrator in an email correspondence with 01Salty in 2017.[1]
The Chinese Cargo Ship
The Chinese Cargo Ship is a cargo ship that Thomas once met on his visit to China. He and Yong Bao raced the ship down the Chang Jiang River.
Technical Details
Livery
The cargo ship has a red hull with a black stripe at the top, a white cabin area and a red funnel with a black stripe around the top similar to the hull.
Appearances
The Chinese Caterpillar Crane
The Chinese Caterpillar Crane works alongside a railway in China. He was once taken by Yong Bao to lift Da Li back onto the rails.
Technical Details
Basis
The crane loosely resembles a Ruston-Bucyrus RB 17/19 Crawler Crane.
Livery
The crane is painted yellow with a black roof.
Appearances
The Chinese Helicopter
The Chinese Helicopter is a rescue helicopter that works in China.
Technical Details
Basis
The helicopter is loosely based on a Westland Whirlwind helicopter.
Livery
The helicopter is painted red and white.
Appearances
Trivia
- The helicopter has a near-identical face to Yong Bao.
Gary's Friends
Gary's Friends are two utes that appeared in Thomas' Aussie Football Adventure, during Thomas' visit during his visit to Australia. They accompanied Gary during the AFL Premiership Cup.
Technical Details
Just like Gary, the utes are based on the Ford Ranger (T6).
Livery
The utes are painted blue and red with white lining and silver fittings.
Appearances
The Japanese Cranes
The Japanese Cranes are a group of construction cranes from Japan.
Technical Details
Basis
Livery
Appearances
References
- ↑ T&F S24 #10 "Ace's Brave Jump"
Locomotives | Victor | Sidney | Thirteen | Little Barford | Silver | The Blue Engines | The Flying Thistle | The Pier Train | The Cable Car | The High-Speed Post Train | River Mite | Prince | Livingston Thompson | The Coalbrookdale Locomotive |
---|---|
Rolling Stock | Annie and Clarabel's Old Friend | The Animal Sanctuary Coach | The Station Coach | The Play Coach | The New Coach | The Posh Coaches | Old Bennett | The Naughty Pink Truck | Carols on Wheels | The Old Guard's Van | The Elderly Brake Van |
Vehicles | Angus | The Special Bus Service | The Open-Topped Double-Decker Bus | The Ice-Cream Van | The Float Lorry | The White Van | Bluebird | The Dodgems | Algy | The Tandem Rotor Helicopter |
People | Farmer Collett | Dave | Minor Human Characters (magazines) | Minor Human Characters (annuals) |
Locomotives | Shane | Tamika | Edith | Tracy | City Circle Tram | |
---|---|---|
Rolling Stock | Aubrey and Aiden | |
Non-Rail Vehicles | Ace | The Australian Buses | Isla | Gary | Gary's Friends | |
People | Doctor Claire | Madeline | Madeline's Parents | Ranger Jill | |
Locations | Real Landmarks | The Outback (The Outback Mine) | Kakadu National Park | Uluru | Adelaide River Station | Katherine | The Kuranda Rainforest | Cairns | Flinders Ranges | Alice Springs | Darwin |
Fictional Landmarks | Pine Tree Station | The Old Rickety Bridge | Shane's Station (Shed) |
Locomotives | Yong Bao | Hong-Mei | The Big Mean Engine | The Small Mean Engine | Da Li | Xiao Hu | Yen | The Chinese Diesel | |
---|---|---|
Rolling Stock | An An and Yin-Long | Lei | |
Locations | Real Landmarks | Great Wall of China | Zhangye Danxia | Himalayas (Shunting Yard) | Chang Jiang River |
Fictional Landmarks | Cherry Blossom Runby | The First Chinese Station | The Chinese Railway Bridge | Chinese Railway Sheds | The Second Chinese Station | The Chinese Town Halt (Tunnel) | The Bamboo Forest (Nature Reserve) | Tu Zi Quan | Town Square | The River Station |
Locomotives | Gina | Lorenzo | Settebello | |
---|---|---|
Rolling Stock | Beppe | |
Non-Rail Vehicles | Ester | Stefano | The Italian Construction Vehicles | |
People | Allicia Botti | Mia | Dame Bella Canto | Dame Bella's Orchestra | |
Locations | Real Landmarks | Pisa (Leaning Tower) | Rome (Colosseum) | Pompeii (Ancient Ruins) |
Fictional Landmarks | Museum of Archeology (The Museum Station) | The First Italian Station | The Italian Construction Site | The Italian Seaside Station | The Old Italian Mines | The Italian Shunting Yard | The Second Italian Station | The Italian Scrapyard |
Locomotives | Steam | Thomas | Percy | Toby |
---|---|---|
Diesel | Mavis | |
Former | Glynn | Coffee Pots | Daisy | |
Rolling Stock | Passenger | Annie and Clarabel | Henrietta | Hannah |
Non-Rail Vehicles | Terence | Bertie | Harold | Bulgy | Caroline | Bulstrode | Tiger Moth | Elizabeth | The Hot Air Balloon | Cleo | |
People | Mrs. Kyndley | Farmer Finney | Farmer McColl | Farmer Trotter | Ruth | |
Affiliates | Toby's Branch Line | Ffarquhar Quarry Company | |
Infrastructure | Stations | Knapford | Dryaw | Toryreck** | Sports Field Halt** | Elsbridge | Maithwaite** | Hackenbeck | Ffarquhar | New Harbour* |
Sheds | Elsbridge Engine Sheds (Carriage Shed) | Hackenbeck Shed | |
Tunnels and Bridges | The Valley Bridge* | Elsbridge Viaduct | Bulgy's Bridge* | The Watermill | Hackenbeck Tunnel |
Locomotives | Duck | Donald and Douglas | Oliver | |
---|---|---|
Rolling Stock | Passenger | Old Slow Coach | Slip Coaches |
Goods | Toad | S.C. Ruffey | |
Non-Rail Vehicles | Bulgy | Bulgy's Friend | Skiff | |
People | Captain Joe | The Museum Manager | |
Stations | Tidmouth | Tidmouth Hault | Tidmouth Town Hall** | Haultraugh** | Bluff's Cove** | Arlesburgh West** |