Minor Human Characters in the Annual Stories

This page is for minor human characters that feature in the annual stories.

The Important Visitor
The Important Visitor once had a very important meeting with Mr. and Mrs. Kyndley. Unfortunately, both the road and railway were blocked with deep snowdrifts. At Thomas' suggestion, Terence came to the rescue to clear the line for them. The important visitor manage to get to the meeting and the Fat Controller was very pleased with them.

Appearances

 * 1984 - Thomas and the Important Visitor
 * 1992 - Thomas and the Snow Block

The Naturalists
The Naturalists were a group of people that studied birds and plants. They were booked on an excursion with Bertie to take them into the hills. But the next day Bertie felt ill, so Algy takes them instead. When Algy stalled at some traffic lights, the naturalists had to push Algy to the hills. Algy's driver tried to mend him, while the naturalists went off looking for birds and plants. But when the naturalists came back an hour later, Algy was still not fixed. The naturalists decided to have their picnic to pass the time. Thankfully, Bertie swerved around the corner, ready to continue the naturalists' trip.

Appearances

 * 1984 - Bertie Saves the Day

The Vicar of Ffarquhar
The Vicar of Ffarquhar once forgot his Father Christmas costume at Ffarquhar station. Thomas then had the idea to have Percy bring it to him.

Appearances

 * 1984 - Percy to the Rescue

The Bus Driver
The Bus Driver was a new bus driver who was known for being very rude towards Toby. Thomas and Toby were cross, but when the bus driver's bus lost a wheel, Toby came to the rescue, to the chagrin of the bus driver.

Appearances

 * 1985 - You Never Know
 * 1998 - Toby Saves the Day

The Elderly Lady
The Elderly Lady was a passenger travelling on Thomas' train with her cat. The lady gave her cat to her daughter, who wanted to look after him while she went away for Christmas. But when Thomas stopped at Dryaw, the cat jumped out of the basket and ran away. Luckily for her, the passengers searched for the cat while the crew filled Thomas' water tanks with snow instead of water, due to frozen water columns. But as Thomas' crew finished filling his water tanks, they found the cat hidden in a heap of snow. Soon after, the cat was dry and warm and his owner placed him safely back in the basket and the train left on its way.

Appearances

 * 1986 - Lost in the Snow

The Foreign Passengers
The Foreign Passengers were an elderly couple that travelled in Toby and Henrietta. Unfortunately, the two passengers missed their stop and end up at Dryaw. They could not understand English also. Later, Percy chuffed in with some trucks and the guard gave them a comfortable ride in his brake van. In return, the two gave Percy's crew gloves and scarves and a thank you letter addressed to the Fat Controller.

Appearances

 * 1986 - Percy's Passengers

The Archaeologists
The Archaeologists were a group of people looking for some old pottery near Thomas' branch line. Opposite to the field, Terence was ploughing through a small field near Hackenbeck Halt. As they worked, Terence's plough unearthed some dirty old pottery. When the Tidmouth museum curator came to investigate, it turned out that the archaeologists had taken an out-of-date map and were digging on the wrong side of the railway.

Appearances

 * 1987 - Terence Turns Pot Hunter

The Thieves
The Thieves were once witnessed by Bill and Ben stealing things. Prior to this, Bill and Ben were warned to be on their guard, but the two did not understand what it meant. One night, Ben heard some noises overnight and saw a dark shadow. It turned out to be some thieves. They were shocked when they went between a door in the shed and saw what they thought was the same engine. After going back and forth between the twins for a while, the thieves made a run for it. The next day, Bill and Ben told their drivers about it and think that the thieves were trying to play hide and seek with them. However, their crews were sceptical about the twins' claims.

Appearances

 * 1987 - On Your Guard!

The Climbers
The Climbers once booked Bertie on a climbing excursion. Bertie's engine would not start on the day of the excursion. So Bertie's friend Algy had to collect the climbers instead. When Algy stalled at some traffic lights, the climbers had to push Algy to avoid traffic. After they arrived at their destination and the climbers had their lunch, Algy's driver tried to start him again. But this time, all hope was lost and everyone was stranded. Luckily, Bertie was called and saved the day.

Appearances

 * 1991 - Bertie to the Rescue

The Foreign Visitors
The Foreign Visitors were passengers on one of James' trains. They could not speak much English and thought that the cord above the carriage's door was for calling the buffet car attendant. They did not realise that they had pulled the emergency break causing James' brakes to lock. When the guard came to see what the problem was, the foreign visitors attempted to order four cups of coffee.

Appearances

 * 1992 - James' Traffic Jam (do not speak)

Ted
Ted is the name of Henry's fireman. During Christmas, Ted constantly practised carols during the day for the carol service on Christmas Eve. On the night before the service, Ted let the engines use their tuned whistling to help him practice. But when the church organ broke, Ted had an idea and before long, the engine orchestra were whistling the tunes to the Christmas carols. The night proved to be a great success and the Fat Controller was pleased with all of his engines.

Appearances

 * 1996 - We Wish You a Merry Christmas!

Mr. Bjork
Mr. Bjork was a visiting engineer from Swedish Lapland. Thomas had to take him around the island to repair signal boxes. As a present, he made an ice sculpture of Thomas. Unfortunately, it melted in Thomas' warm cab, much to the other engines amusement. Thomas was sad, but also surprised at what he saw at the sheds the next morning; a huge ice sculpture of the Fat Controller and some of his engines.

Appearances

 * 1996 - Ice Magic

Bob Flowers
Bob Flowers is a nursery owner who lives next to the railway with his wife. Thomas once helped him carry boxes of flowers that he needed to use for his float in a carnival. Bob later helped Thomas' driver enter the Blooming Railways contest by helping to decorate a station with flower seeds and bulbs.

Appearances

 * 1998 - Blooming Railways

Farmer Mills
Farmer Mills is a bee keeper, a person who keeps honey bees. Once, Thomas and Henry had to help Farmer Mills calm down his bees.

Appearances

 * 1999 - Buzzing Bees!

David and Danny
David and Danny were two twins that Thomas could not tell apart. With help from Donald, Douglas, Bill and Ben, Thomas managed to tell them apart.

Appearances

 * 1999 - Double Trouble

Paul Carter
Paul Carter is a famous photographer who came to Sodor to take pictures to be used for Sodor's latest holiday poster. The Fat Controller and the Mayor had difficulty deciding which photograph to use. Paul pointed out that in each different photograph he took of the engines, an engine is doing something special. They realized that it was the Fat Controller's railway and engines that made the island a special place. Later, Paul gathered the engines for one last special photograph.

Appearances

 * 2000 - Very Special Engines

Bob the Punch and Judy man
Bob is a puppeteer who organises a show for the children. When a gust of wind blew his tent away into the trees, he did not know what to do and was about to pack his things when Thomas had an idea. To save the show Bob used Thomas' cab as his puppet theatre. The show was a success and everyone was happy.

Appearances

 * 2001 - "That's the Way to Do It!"