Toby

Toby is a GER C53 steam tram who came to Sodor after his tramway in East Anglia closed down. He has two coaches named Henrietta and Victoria and a luggage van named Elsie, and works on Thomas' Branch Line.

Personality
Toby is old but wise, hardworking, and knows enough about running branch lines to justify running Thomas' line with Daisy after Percy's accident with the trucks until Thomas came back. He is also savvy enough to control the trucks. However, his advanced age and design means that he is weaker than the other engines. While Toby is always ready to work hard without any fuss, he can be a bit temperamental sometimes, especially when young and inexperienced engines who are full of themselves make things difficult for him. However, work at the quarry line often soothes off his moods without any cause of grief to anyone, except of course his old faithful coach, Henrietta.

From the eighth to sixteenth seasons, however, Toby had been portrayed as being nervous about the capabilities of his work and uncertain about being an old steam tram, believing that he is not a proper engine, only good enough as a museum piece and not really special at all. But Toby does enjoy listening to the birds in the birdhouse next to his shed. He also is friends with the pigs at Farmer Trotter's Pig Farm.

From King of the Railway, onwards, Toby has been portrayed with his original wiser, and more jovial personality, having more subtle shades of nervousness. He has also been shown to be placid and easy-going, enjoying the peace and quiet of the countryside along Thomas' branch line.

Basis
Toby is based on a GER Class C53 0-6-0T Wisbech steam tram (reclassified as J70 by the LNER) built at Stratford Works. They were seen by the Reverend Wilbert and Christopher Awdry on a holiday at Yarmouth, hence Toby's origins. The J70 started their career on the Great Eastern Railway and were known as C53. They spent most of their career on the Wisbech and Upwell tramway pulling slow goods trains and, until 1927, passenger trains, though several were also assigned to the docks at Ipswich and Yarmouth. The first withdrawal came in 1942. Eventually, the sole survivor of this class was withdrawn from service and scrapped at Stratford Locomotive Works by 1955. They were replaced by BR Class 04s, Mavis' class.

According to The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways and Sodor: Reading Between the Lines, Toby is probably BR no. 68221. This tram was built as GER no. 127 in June 1914 as part of a batch of three at Stratford. Shortly after grouping in 1923, it became LNER no. 7127, this changing to no. 8221 under Edward Thompson's 1944 re-numbering scheme. Upon nationalisation in 1948, it became no. 68221. It was withdrawn in May 1951 from Ipswich Shed and scrapped at Stratford shortly after.

Trivia

 * Toby is Christopher Awdry's favourite engine. This is because while on a trip in Yarmouth, he and his father got to ride in the cab of a J70 tram, thanks to Wilbert's good friend, the late Reverend Charlie Rand.
 * Due to an illustration error in Thomas Comes Home, the illustrations of "Toby's Megatrain" show Toby with a face at the rear cab as well as the front cab. This is the only time in the Railway Series that Toby has been illustrated with two faces.
 * One of Toby's models is currently on display in Japan at the Hara Model Railway Museum (previously on display at Nitrogen Studios) and is currently wearing his scared face mask. Another was previously on display at Drayton Manor but the model was stolen from the display in early 2011.
 * In the fifth season episode Baa!, Toby revealed that his favourite station is Maithwaite.
 * In an interview with SiF, Andrew Brenner stated that Toby was one of his favourite characters, along with James, Bill, and Ben.
 * His second-third season bell sound was heard after Ryan stops the pirate ship during the wide shot of Arlesburgh Harbour in Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure.
 * Toby went through several aesthetic changes in the television series:
 * Season 2:
 * His bell sound changed.
 * His front lamp was lowered down.
 * Season 4:
 * His bell sound returned back to it's original sound.
 * He had an unseen whistle (which is actually Percy's from the third season; which is actually in a whole step lower in pitch).
 * Thomas & the Magic Railroad:
 * His wheels become black.
 * Hero of the Rails:
 * His side-rods and pistons disappeared.
 * His bell sound changed to a similar one that Flora uses.
 * His cabs appear to be blackened out.
 * He has decreased in size and is the same height as Henrietta.
 * Season 14:
 * His driver was positioned at the back of Toby's cab, where the fireman shoveled coal into Toby's firebox.
 * Blue Mountain Mystery:
 * His driver had returned back to his rightful position at the front of Toby's cab.
 * He was confused for being electric by Bridget Hatt in the first season episode, Toby and the Stout Gentleman and for being a diesel boxcab by Philip in the twentieth season episode, Toby's New Friend.
 * Toby's screen used sleeping face mask is now owned by Twitter user ThomasTankMerch.
 * Even though he has six wheels, some merchandise of him has four.