Percy the Small Engine

"Percy is a little green tank engine who works in the Yard at the Big Station. He is a funny little engine, and loves playing jokes. These jokes sometimes get him into trouble."

- The introduction to Percy

Percy the Small Engine is the eleventh book of The Railway Series.

Foreword
Dear Christopher, and Giles, and Peter, and Clive,

Thank you for writing to ask for a book about Percy. He is still cheeky, and we were afraid (the Fat Controller and I) that if he had a book to himself, it might make him cheekier than ever, and that would never do!

But Percy has been such a Really Useful Engine that we both think he deserves a book. Here it is.

The Author

Percy and the Signal
After playing jokes on Gordon and James, Percy decides to stay out of their way for a while, but when he is asked to take a train to Knapford he gets careless and goes over to tell them. Seizing their chance, they tell him about "backing signals", and as he stops for the signal outside Knapford, he is convinced that he is waiting for a "backing signal". He ends up making a fool of himself, and Gordon sees the whole episode.

Duck Takes Charge
The Fat Controller is getting a new engine to help Percy, but Gordon and James tell Percy that if he worked harder they would not need one. Percy, cross, works all day and is exhausted, but is happy when the new engine, Montague, known as Duck for his "waddle", arrives. They have a happy day together, but then Henry, Gordon and James order them about. Percy and Duck, in retaliation, block the entrance to the sheds. The Fat Controller comes and tells all five engines off. Percy is sent to work at Knapford, and Duck manages the workload alone.

Percy and Harold
One day at the airfield, Percy meets a noisy helicopter, Harold, who says railways are slow and out-of-date. Percy, furious, is later taking some trucks to Knapford Harbour when he sees Harold in the air and decides to race him. At the harbour, Percy thinks he has lost, but his fireman sees Harold looking for a place to land. In congratulations, his crew and the workmen sing a song about the race.

Percy's Promise
Thomas is busy and asks Percy to take the Vicar and his Sunday School's children home from the Beach. Percy agrees, but it starts to rain heavily as it is time to leave. Percy stops in front of a flooded paddock, but cannot go back, as a bridge has collapsed. As he crosses the paddock, water sloshes into his fire and he stops. Percy struggles on, fuelled by floorboards from Clarabel. After Harold drops some supplies for them, unfortunately landing on Percy's boiler, they make it to safety, and the Fat Controller congratulates the two.

Characters
Full book=

Full Book

 * Thomas
 * Henry
 * Gordon
 * James
 * Percy
 * Troublesome Trucks
 * Sir Charles Topham Hatt II
 * Toby
 * Annie and Clarabel

Characters Introduced

 * Duck
 * Harold
 * Harold's Pilots
 * The Vicar of Knapford
 * -|Individual stories=

Percy and the Signal

 * Gordon
 * James
 * Percy
 * Henry
 * Thomas
 * Sir Charles Topham Hatt II

Duck Takes Charge

 * Henry
 * Gordon
 * James
 * Percy
 * Duck
 * Sir Charles Topham Hatt II
 * Thomas

Percy and Harold

 * Percy
 * Troublesome Trucks
 * Harold
 * Harold's Pilots
 * Toby

Percy's Promise

 * Thomas
 * Percy
 * Sir Charles Topham Hatt II
 * The Vicar of Knapford
 * Annie and Clarabel
 * Harold

Locations
Full book=

Full Book

 * Tidmouth
 * Tidmouth Yards
 * Tidmouth Sheds
 * Tidmouth Harbour
 * Knapford
 * Knapford Beach
 * Knapford Harbour
 * Knapford Harbour Bridges
 * Crosby Tunnel
 * Ffarquhar
 * Elsbridge
 * -|Individual stories=

Percy and the Signal

 * Tidmouth Yards
 * Tidmouth Sheds
 * Knapford

Duck Takes Charge

 * Tidmouth
 * Tidmouth Sheds
 * Tidmouth Harbour
 * Knapford Harbour

Percy and Harold

 * Knapford Harbour
 * Knapford Harbour Bridges
 * Knapford Beach
 * Crosby Tunnel
 * Ffarquhar

Percy's Promise

 * Knapford Harbour
 * Knapford Harbour Bridges
 * Elsbridge

Trivia

 * This book was originally going to be titled "Percy the Polite Engine," per advice from Clive Holland, one of Awdry's correspondents. The title was changed due to Percy being mischievous in the first two stories.
 * This was the final book of a few things:
 * The final book to be illustrated by C. Reginald Dalby, as the Rev. W. Awdry remarked that Percy looked like "a green caterpillar with red stripes" in the illustrations. Offended, Dalby refused to illustrate any further entries in the series. The comment on Percy's appearance would be later referenced in Tramway Engines.
 * The final book narrated by Johnny Morris.
 * Percy's Promise is based on a real event where a train was stranded in five feet of water near Hunstanton, Norfolk, England, and the crew got the train into Hunstanton by using the floorboards of the guard's van.
 * It is also the only story from this book not to be adapted into the second series, while the events of this story were mentioned in the episode, Percy Takes the Plunge, from the next book, which was adapted before Percy's Promise.
 * Illustrations from Percy and Harold and Percy's Promise were recreated for the 1986 single cover of Oh L'amour, a song by English synthpop duo Erasure.
 * Eric Marriott's (the editor of The Railway Series) name appears on a building at Tidmouth Harbour in the second illustration of Duck Takes Charge.
 * The events of Percy and the Signal took place in 1949, while the other stories took place in 1955.
 * This is the only appearance of Duck in the Dalby illustrations.
 * Recreated scenes from "Percy and Harold" in the book were used in the twentieth series episode, Letters to Santa rather than the original episode.

Goofs

 * The electric pole by the single track shed in Percy and the Signal disappears.
 * The workmen in the first illustration are dramatically out of perspective.
 * In Duck Takes Charge:
 * Percy has no Head lamps/codes.
 * In the respective fourth and fifth illustrations, Duck has the "Ordinary Passenger"/"Branch Line Passenger" and "Express Goods"/"Cattle" codes instead of the "Light Engine" one.
 * In the sixth illustration, Duck appears to be taller than Henry.
 * In the seventh illustration, Duck is a much lighter shade of green.
 * Duck is depicted as a GWR 64xx class rather than a GWR 57xx class as his basis.
 * In Percy and Harold:
 * Excluding the fourth and sixth illustrations, Percy's headlamp/code is "fast goods" instead of "Mineral".
 * In the third illustration, Toby is missing his front coupling and is painted in his old livery.
 * In the final illustration, Percy's fireman is dramatically out of perspective.
 * In Percy's Promise:
 * Thomas and Percy's headcodes are incorrect in all of the illustrations, except the second.
 * Annie or Clarabel is missing her face.

In Other Languages
Percy la Pequeña Locomotora פרסי הקטר הקטן ちびっこ機関車パーシー Piotruś, Mała Lokomotywa