Percy (The Railway Series)

Percy is a cheeky saddletank who was brought to Sodor to help run the railway during the big engines' strike. He works on Thomas' Branch Line as a goods engine.

Bio
Percy was probably built by Avonside and had gone through a subsequent rebuild in the years preceding his second-hand sale to the North Western Railway. He is said to have been found wearing Hunslet parts, according to workers at Crovan's Gate.

When Gordon, James, and Henry went on strike in protest of the extra work they had to do since Thomas left to run his branch line, the Fat Controller decided that the railway needed another tank engine. Going to the engine workshop, the Fat Controller saw a green saddletank and when the engine confirmed he was willing to work hard, the Fat Controller bought him and named him Percy. Bringing him back to Sodor, Percy was charged with running the branch line while Thomas ran the Main Line with Edward and was allowed to stay after the big engines surrendered. At first, Percy liked to annoy the big engines. Percy was later waiting at Tidmouth, but forgot to whistle to the signalman, and thus was startled when Gordon came running towards him with the express. Gordon managed to stop in time, but Percy was so frightened, he ran away, and ended up in a sandbank. He was rescued by Gordon and took up the duty of station pilot at Tidmouth.

Percy was still a cheeky engine and often liked to play jokes on Gordon and James, but one day the other engines got their revenge when Percy failed to recognise a "backing signal". After this, Percy was subject to bullying from the big engines until Duck arrived and helped Percy to put the big engines in their place.

With Duck's arrival, Percy was sent to Thomas' Branch Line to help build Knapford Harbour and has stayed there ever since as a goods engine.

In the seventeenth season, he let Caitlin pull the mail train for him when she was spending the night on Sodor. He had been scared by James twice (when James described the phantom express and teased him for being scared of the dark), and helped Bill and Ben when Ben had derailed. He later attended the fireworks display at Ulfstead Castle, slept at Whiff's waste dump while the turntable at Tidmouth Sheds froze, chased Diesel 10 when the diesel stole some garland from the sheds and gave Sidney new wheels as a Christmas present. He was also one of the engines who didn't believe Charlie, when he said he saw an elephant on the line.

In the eighteenth season, Percy was bumped by Diesel in the yard, and nearly had an accident involving Toad and Thomas.

Persona
Writing in The Thomas the Tank Engine Man, Brian Sibley described Percy as "one of the most engaging engines in the shed, with his slightly roly-poly appearance and a look of wide-eyed innocence". As the television series has progressed, Percy has been dumbed-down in order to teach viewers difficult words: he would say "dingy-fried" where anyone else would say "dignified". He is also shown to make silly mistakes, but then fix them upon realizing what he has done before further damage is caused.

Percy is incredibly accident-prone and holds the dubious record of the most accidents in one season - five, in the second season - crashing into some buffers, falling into the sea, being pushed onto a brakevan, colliding with a cart, and being hit by a falling crate of treacle. So far, his silliest accident yet was in the sixth season, when he slipped on oily rails, crashed through the chocolate factory, and emerged covered in chocolate. Despite this, he is always tries to do his best, learn from his mistakes, and get his jobs done--a loyalty which Sir Topham Hatt has praised him for on several occasions

Since the second season, Percy has had a small rivalry with Harold, stemming from their race. However, they are always willing to help each other when in trouble.

He also had held a grudge from the big engines about their tricking him into misinterpreting a signal, but silenced this with some help from Duck. This shows that, when nonsense goes too far, Percy will not stand for it and seek help to settle the matter for good.