Rebecca

"Yay me!"

- Rebecca's catchphrase

Rebecca is a big yellow tender engine who works on the North Western Railway and is the railway's number 22 engine.

Rebecca is a member of the Steam Team and helps Gordon pull the Express during busy periods, but otherwise performs mixed traffic duties on the Main Line.

Biography
Rebecca first arrived on the Island of Sodor after Henry moved out of Tidmouth Sheds and Sir Topham Hatt wanted another engine to help with Gordon and the Express, though she arrived a day earlier than what Sir Topham Hatt expected and nearly bumped him and Winston off the rails when she tried to stop at Knapford. Her first job was to pull the express, though she caused a small mishap when she accidentally collected Flying Scotsman's passengers at Vicarstown early. After hearing how the other engines of the Steam Team mention how fast and strong they are, Rebecca decided that she would leave the stations early to prove how she can get things done fast. Unfortunately, this caused a lot of confusion and the passengers got angry. Sir Topham Hatt scolded her at the end of her first day about what was happening and Rebecca apologised for what she did, making up for it and even surprising the Flying Scotsman.

Rebecca met Belle, Marion and Harvey and complimented them on their respective special features (Belle's water cannons, Marion's digger and Harvey's crane), only to feel as if she was not special due to not having one. After hearing Duck mention that the crew at the Sodor Steamworks "can do anything", Rebecca went there to get the features fitted on her, but to no avail. Thomas and Marion helped Rebecca realise that complimenting others and making them feel good about themselves is her special quality.

When Sir Topham Hatt arrived asking for an engine to take the Troublesome Trucks, Thomas, James and Percy placed the special's responsibilities on Rebecca, leaving the entire Steam Team concerned about their tricks. Contrary to expectations, she pulled them just fine, leaving the trucks confused and Thomas, James and Percy in their own predicaments. She arrived back at Tidmouth Sheds almost bumping Sir Topham off the rails.

In an attempt to get the other diesels into trouble for a change, Diesel had Rebecca do their jobs improperly. Unfortunately, he did not count on her honesty and he was punished by Sir Topham Hatt.

During a practice emergency drill, Rebecca went to get Rocky. However, she ended up in an accident with James and Percy - who were also going to get Rocky - on the way.

Personality
Despite her large size, Rebecca is shy and sometimes clumsy, but not afraid to stand up for herself and is not intimidated by the older engines. At times, she feels the need to be on the same level as the other engines, which can make her anxious or overhasty. But despite her insecurities, Rebecca loves to see the best in everyone and all her friends appreciate her kindness and enthusiasm. She also has the uncanny ability to work with Troublesome Trucks without trouble on the first try, something that confuses even the trucks themselves. Because Rebecca is so willing to see the good in others, she can occasionally be gullible (as shown when she fell for one of Diesel's tricks) but she is also very honest, willing to tell the truth if needed. Rebecca has a big heart and is usually happy-go-lucky and cheerful. Unlike Gordon at times, Rebecca acts very humbly whenever she causes a mishap.

Basis
Rebecca is based on a Southern Railway (SR) "West Country" and "Battle of Britain" class (also known as "Light Pacifics"), a class of 4-6-2 tender locomotives designed by Oliver Bulleid and built between 1945 and 1951. These engines were classified as mixed-traffic locomotives when introduced and used for a wide variety of passenger and goods trains, including famous expresses such as the 'Golden Arrow' and the 'Atlantic Coast Express'. The "West Country" and "Battle of Britain" class engines were smaller and lighter versions of Bulleid's earlier "Merchant Navy" class, originally built with 'air-smoothed' casing, chain-driven valve gear and tenders with tall streamlined sides. Ten un-rebuilt members of the class have been preserved, one of them, Blackmoor Vale on the Bluebell Railway and another, Winston Churchill at the National Railway Museum. Another preserved member of the class, Swanage, appeared in Thomas and the U.K. Trip when the Ponkickies characters, Gachapin and Mukku were visiting several heritage railways.

While Rebecca is modelled on the un-rebuilt version of the locomotive, her tender design resembles the cut-down version used by rebuilt and un-rebuilt members of the class in British Railways service. Additionally, she features several differences over her real-life basis, including an altered front end with a larger and lower buffer beam, driving wheels which share the same design as Hiro and plain disc wheels for her front bogie, trailing truck and tender, as opposed to the Bulleid Firth Brown disc wheels found on her prototype. Rebecca's cylinders and cab roof also have a significantly different shape compared to those on the real "Light Pacifics".

Livery
Rebecca is painted sunshine yellow and navy with white lining. Her wheel rims are painted white, her front end is painted red and she has red and orange stripes painted along her sides. Rebecca also has two blue nameplates on her smoke deflectors with her name painted on them in white. Her number (22) is painted on the sides of her cab in white and the initials "N.W.R." are painted on the sides of her tender, also in white.

Appearances
Television Series= {{Scroll box|

Thomas & Friends

 * Series 21 - A Shed for Edward
 * Series 22 - Forever and Ever, Confusion Without Delay, What Rebecca Does, Seeing is Believing, Apology Impossible, Samson and the Fireworks, Thomas' Animal Ark, Counting on Nia and Hunt the Truck
 * Series 23 - Free the Roads, Chucklesome Trucks, Gordon Gets the Giggles, Diesel Do Right, Steam Team to the Rescue, Panicky Percy, Rangers of the Rails, Out of Site and Diesel Glows Away
 * Series 24 - Thomas and the Royal Engine, Emily's Best Friend, Emily to the Rescue, Nia and the Unfriendly Elephant, James the Super Engine, A New Arrival, World of Tomorrow, Nia's Bright Idea, Sonny's Second Chance, Gordon and Rebecca, Coming Through! and Thomas' Animal Friends

According to Ian McCue, she was intended to be introduced in the twenty-first series, but the idea was later dropped when and her introduction was pushed back to the twenty-second series.

Music Videos

 * Series 22 - Big World! Big Adventures!, Engine Roll Call, All the Girls Around the World, The Steam Team and Let's Dream
 * Series 23 - Don't Stop
 * Series 24 - Party Train, The Little Engine Who Believed and New Year's Day with Thomas
 * Nursery Rhymes - Six Little Trains, Chuff, Chuff, Chuff Along, Another Day on Sodor , Twinkle, Twinkle Sodor Sky and Happy Birthday to You

Videos
}} Other Media= {{Scroll box|
 * 2018 - Meet Nia of Kenya! and Meet Rebecca of England!, Meet the New Steam Team, Still the Best of Friends, Animals Around the World  and Share a Selfie For Children In Need!
 * 2019 - Meet Percy, Meet Rebecca, Meet James, Meet Emily, Meet Gordon and Meet Nia
 * 2020 - Top 5 Cranes, Top 5 Songs , Top 5 Coolest Engines , Thomas and the Balloons!, Thomas and the Birthday Surprise and Thomas & Percy Teach Diesel to Share
 * 2021 - The Hunt for Springtime Clues, Nia and the Spring Bunnies and Thomas and the Chocolate Eggs

Books

 * 2018 - The 12 Engines of Christmas
 * 2019 - The Steam Team, No.1 Sticker Scenes, Big Sticker Adventures, Engines Around the World, Ten Little Engines and Five Useful Engines
 * 2020 - Best Birthday Ever!, Teamwork Makes the Steam Work, The Big Book of Engines, 1001 Stickers and All Aboard! (First Look and Find book)
 * 2021 - Thomas and the Leprechaun and Thomas and the Robot

Audio Stories

 * 2020 - Return to Sodor, Percy and the Lioness, The Story of Rebecca the Happy Engine, The Story of Gordon the Big Engine, Christmas in the Air and Thomas and the Fairy God Engine
 * 2021 - Railway Celebrations, Thomas' Animal Friends, James the Super Engine, Nia and the Unfriendly Elephant, Thomas and the Royal Engine, Chucklesome Trucks and Thomas and the Baby Tiger Rescue and Emily's Best Friend

Video Games
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 * 2018 - Go Go Thomas and Thomas & Friends: Adventures!

Official Description
2020-2021= From Official Website

Rebecca: Rebecca is a very cheerful and happy engine. She is painted a sunshine yellow which reflects her positive outlook on life. Rebecca always sees the best in others and enjoys helping everyone around her feel good about themselves. Despite her warm nature, Rebecca is not afraid to stand up for herself or her friends. She is a big, strong tender engine who is not intimidated by the more experienced engines on the railway. Rebecca is the number 22 engine.

Whistle
Rebecca reuses Bert's whistle, but mostly in a slightly lower pitch.

Trivia

 * Before landing on Rebecca as a name, the production team had also considered the names Miranda and Charlotte.
 * The name Charlotte may have been inspired by Sam Wilkinson's former partner.
 * An official Thomas & Friends magazine incorrectly states that Thomas meets Rebecca on the Mainland in Big World! Big Adventures! This idea was most likely dropped during production.
 * She is the third character numbered 22, the first two being Isobella and Luke. Her number is a reference to the series she was introduced in.
 * Rebecca is the third engine to have NWR lettering painted on her, with Emma being the first and Rosie second.
 * Rebecca is the only member of the Steam Team of a few things:
 * The only member of the Steam Team to not appear in any of the feature-length specials of the series since they all take place before she arrived on Sodor.
 * The only member of the Steam Team to have NWR lettering.
 * The only member of both the original and reformed Steam Team not to have appeared in the 2021 reboot, Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go.
 * The only member to not have their own song dedicated to them.
 * Rebecca, along with Henry, are also the only members of the original and reformed Steam Team to never be seen pulling Annie and Clarabel.
 * Rebecca is the newest, second youngest (by built date of her basis) and second-fastest member of the Steam Team, with Gordon being the fastest and strongest. Despite this, Rebecca is visually taller, wider and longer than Gordon.
 * Her basis appears in some episodes before she was introduced, such as in the ninth series episodes, "Mighty Mac" and "Thomas and the Birthday Picnic".
 * Rebecca shares her name with Hilary Fortnam's granddaughter. Fortnam was the youngest daughter of The Railway Series creator Wilbert Awdry.
 * Rebecca was the third female steam engine to be painted yellow, the other two being Molly and Flora.
 * She is the only Steam Team tender engine to have glass on her cab's side windows (Edward, Henry, and Gordon had window frames without glass, while James and Emily had cutouts on the side of their cabs).
 * Several of Merchindise lines including Minis, Micro Rubber Engines, Magazine Engines made Rebecca without her tender.

Quotes
"My name's Rebecca. And, I don't know why you keep on calling Gordon 'little brother.' You look the same size to me. If anything, I think Gordon looks bigger!"

- Rebecca introduces herself to Flying Scotsman as well as chastising his teasing to his brother, Confusion Without Delay

"Hello, sir. And, uh, sorry, sir. I miscalculated how long it would take me to stop...by, uh, quite a lot!"

- Rebecca unexpectedly arrived, Confusion Without Delay

"Yay me!"

- Rebecca, What Rebecca Does

"I love pulling trucks along, I love pulling trucks along, I love pulling trucks along, they're lots of fun!"

- Rebecca singing, Chucklesome Trucks

"Whoopsie! Oooh, what am I like? (giggles)"

- Rebecca, Gordon Gets the Giggles

"(giggles) People do say vegetables are you go for you. (giggles) Salad anyone? (she and Thomas laugh)"

- Rebecca, Gordon Gets the Giggles

"(giggles) Hi again! (giggles) Sorry about earlier. (giggles) Honestly (giggles), somethimes I don't know whenever I'm coming or going! (giggles)"

- Rebecca, Gordon Gets the Giggles