Oliver Gets the Bird (1985)

"Fancy being fooled by a bird, eh, Oliver? I reckon that makes us quits, don't you?"

- Duck after Oliver's run in with Cocky

Oliver Gets the Bird is the fourth story in the 1985 Annual.

Plot
Oliver is excited about the stationmaster's father's parrot, Cocky. Duck, however, is not impressed and does not believe that Cocky can talk. One day, Oliver waits for Rex's train and Oliver's driver hears a guard's whistle and leaves the station. When they reach the big station, however, the guard is cross with Oliver, telling him to wait for the guard's whistle. Oliver and his crew are puzzled, adamant that they did hear a guard's whistle, despite the guard's claims that he was in his van, stacking boxes. Then the fireman figures it out. It was Cocky who made the guard's whistle. When Duck hears about it, he is quick to tease Oliver.

Characters

 * Duck
 * Oliver
 * Isabel and Dulcie
 * Donald
 * Rex

Trivia

 * This story was rewritten for the 1993 Annual with the same name.
 * The third illustration is similar to the fourth illustration of Gordon's Whistle.

Goofs

 * In the first illustration, Oliver is an 0-6-2.
 * In the second illustration, both Oliver and Duck are devoid of side-rods.
 * The text says that Oliver was waiting for the last Small Railway train, but the station is not Arlesburgh and the Small Railway line is not depicted.
 * The fourth illustration portrays Oliver as an 0-4-4 and the space between the driving wheels is too long. Additionally, his whole body is out of proportion in the same illustration.
 * Throughout the story, Oliver's wheel splashers are blocks and not curved.
 * Oliver has a BR logo along with yellow lining rather than having no lining and a Great Western logo.