Lei

Lei is a Chinese van who helps transport goods and materials on the China Railway.

Thomas & Friends
Lei was first seen as a runaway, screaming in terror. Yong Bao chased him with a plan to stop him safely, but Thomas charged into Lei before he could, flipping him over and causing him to lose two of his wheels. Despite this, Lei thanked Thomas and called him a hero.

Lei was later used by Yong Bao to help teach Thomas tai chi - the plan involved Lei being sent towards Thomas so that he could stop the truck without derailing him. Lei was constantly knocked off the rails during the training, but Thomas improved over time and almost managed to successfully stop him. The engines were ready to continue, but a signalman set the points away from Yong Bao, causing Lei to become a runaway again when Thomas pushed him.

Thomas chased Lei down the same line his crash occurred the day before, leading to Thomas planning to use Yong Bao's tactic to save him. However, Lei hit a rock after switching tracks and was sent flying onto the track in front of Thomas again, where Thomas eventually managed to get in front of him and slow him down. Yong Bao congratulated Thomas for saving Lei and successfully mastering tai chi. Thomas said he could not wait to try it again, but Lei jokingly replied that he could.

Sometime later, when Thomas was shunting in the yard, Lei encouraged him to ask Yong Bao about the story behind the tiger emblem on his tender.

Personality
Unlike the Troublesome Trucks on Sodor, Lei is well-behaved and friendly, though he can be accident-prone at times. He also has a good sense of humour and is able to laugh at his own expense.

Basis
Although Lei is a Chinese van, he is actually based on a British London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) Diagram 102 12 ton van, designed and built by Doncaster and Darlington Works in the late 1930s.

Livery
Lei is painted magenta. His frames and rooftop are painted black and his buffer beams are painted red. His paint shows signs of weathering.

Appearances
Thomas & Friends=

Thomas & Friends

 * Series 22 - Runaway Truck
 * Series 24 - Yong Bao and the Tiger

Videos

 * 2018 - Meet Yong-Bao of China!

Voice Actors

 * Windson Liong
 * Daiki Kobayashi
 * Paweł Ciołkosz
 * Roberto Cuevas
 * César Beltrán
 * Jordi Estupiñá
 * Stefan Weißenburger
 * Elise Langenoja
 * Lia Mello
 * Anton Savenkov

Trivia

 * Lei is the first truck to be named in the television series since Hector in the eleventh series.
 * In the Finnish dub, Lei is female.
 * Lei's name means "tired" in Mandarin.