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The Horrid Lorries, individually referred to as Lorry 1, Lorry 2 and Lorry 3, are three small lorries who were incredibly rude to the engines.
Biography
When Percy was late one day, Cranky suggested that a lorry should do his work. True to his word (and delight), three red and incredibly rude lorries arrived the next day. Lorry 2 called Percy a lump of steaming scrap iron, while Lorry 1 called him a "little green goblin on wheels", told him that he would be scrapped, and Lorry 1 also insulted Thomas and James.
At the quarry, Toby encountered Lorry 2; he told Toby that he belonged in a museum and to "toodle off", saying that Toby was not useful. Toby tried to find work at the mill, but Lorry 3 was there already. He said that the three lorries were doing the "slow" engines' work, while the foreman said that times were changing.
Of course, all three got in trouble. Lorry 2 fell off a mountainside (in front of Toby; Percy ironically echoed the "steaming scrap iron" line to him), Lorry 3 broke down after being overloaded with flour (which led to Toby bringing up the usefulness insult) and was brought to the docks by Butch, and Lorry 1 reversed into the sea. Later, Thomas saw the three lorries and due to the impact of their damage, he nicknamed them "Smashed" (Lorry 2), "Broken" (Lorry 3) and "Sunk" (Lorry 1). The lorries were then sent away, and despite Lorry 2 declaring that they would return, they never have.
Personality
The Lorries were arrogant, mean, rude, and disrespectful towards the engines. The Lorries believed that the railway was inferior to the roadways and also enjoyed teasing the engines for their appearances. However, the Lorries were also very careless, and this led to their downfall.
Technical Details
Basis
The lorries appear to be based on Foden OG range lorries, which were once a common sight around railway yards.
According to their Ertl character bios, the lorries "are based on the famous Foden design. Fodens of Sandbach in Cheshire began building diesel lorries in 1931, with a continuous development for over 30 years. Lorry 1, 2 and 3 dates from designs of the 1940's and 1950's".
Livery
The Horrid Lorries are painted brownish-red. Their registration plates are black with the letters "LOR" followed by their respective numbers painted in white. They sometimes have grey tarpaulins over their flatbeds.
The lorries have also been seen in several other liveries aside from the standard brownish-red one and have been accompanied by other lorries in other medias:
- In the Thomas Visits the Docks puzzle and an official 65th anniversary board game, Lorry 1 is painted green.
- In the Round the Rails board game, while Lorry 1 is painted red, Lorries 2 and 3 are painted yellow and dark green respectively. There is also a "Lorry 4" painted blue. Each lorry was painted different colours to make them distinguishable from one another.
- A fourth lorry, painted yellow, is seen at the crossing in the book, Thomas and Toby.
- One of the Horrid Lorries, or an entirely separate one altogether, appears alongside Thomas at Brendam in a Schmidt puzzle. The lorry's design bears a resemblance to that of soft-side lorries.
- In various magazines and books, the lorries are often seen without their registration plates.
- In the book, Tell the Time with Thomas and Wooden Railway Sodor Service Station set, a lorry can be seen carrying a fuel tanker.
- In the books, Day of the Diesels and Danger at the Dieselworks, two "Sodor Delivery" lorries can be seen.
Appearances
Official Description
From Official Website:[1]
| “ | Lorries 1, 2 and 3: As the Lorries were all built at the same time, they consider themselves to be 'brothers'. However, to the Engines, they are just 'Horrid Lorries'. Built specially for The Sodor Construction Company, the Lorries have a bad attitude towards the Engines and threaten to take their work away from them. Rude and aggressive, they soon meet their come-uppance much to the amusement of Sir Topham Hatt's Engines.
|
” |
From Official Website:[2][3][4]
| “ | Lorry 1: Lorry 1 and his two brothers, Lorry 2 and 3, are out to prove that rails are not really useful, and the most important work should be left to the roads. He was specially built to work at the Sodor Construction Company.
|
” |
| “ | Lorry 2: Lorry 2 and his two brothers, Lorry 1 and Lorry 3, are out to prove that rails are not really useful, and the most important work should be left to the roads. Lorry 2 is rude and aggressive, but he quickly learned that the Island is not really suited to his kind of work.
|
” |
| “ | Lorry 3: Lorry 3 and his two brothers, Lorry 1 and Lorry 2, are out to prove that rails are not really useful, and the most important work should be left to the roads. Lorry 3 has a really bad attitude and is always quick to tell Toby, Percy and the rest of the engines that the Lorries are there to take their work away.
|
” |
Audio Files
Horn
In Toby's Windmill, Lorry 2 (albeit faceless) shares the same horn as a lorry from Harvey to the Rescue.
| Only used | Sound Effect |
|---|---|
| Toby's Windmill |
Trivia
- The Official Website, as well as various magazine articles and file facts, state that the Lorries were "especially built to work at Sodor Construction Company". It is therefore possible that they may have been originally intended to be members of the Pack.
- A similar looking lorry appeared in the magazine story, The Carnival. This lorry was introduced four months before the episode Horrid Lorry, in which the Horrid Lorries made their debut appearances.
- Lorry 1 was the only one to be made in all merchandising ranges the Lorries were released in.
- Each lorry has individually shaped noses and eyebrows. However, there has been several instances in which the lorries share the same style faces.
- Of the trio, Lorry 3 makes the least amount of appearances in the magazines.
- According to fifth series concept art, the lorries were originally going to have their eyes where their headlights are, similar to Caroline. This was changed to them having removable face masks.
- The Take Along Lorry 1 comes with a small red 2-wheeled trailer, which does not appear in Thomas & Friends.
Merchandise
- Ertl (all three; discontinued)
- Wooden Railway (all three; discontinued)
- Take Along (Lorry 1; discontinued)
- Motor Road and Rail (Lorry 1; discontinued)
- My First Thomas (Lorry 1; discontinued)
- Nakayoshi (Lorry 1; discontinued)
- Trading Cards (all three; discontinued)
| Vehicles | Nelson | Jack | Alfie | Oliver | Max and Monty | Kelly | Byron | Ned | Isobella | Patrick | Brenda | Buster | Darcy | |
|---|---|
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| Locations | Sodor Construction Company Yard |
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