Thumper

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“	His name is Thumper. Apparently, he helps collect the rock faster.	”
—Edward, "Rusty and the Boulder", Skarloey Railway Stories

Thumper
Background Information
First appearance	Rusty and the Boulder (T&F) Rusty and the Boulder (SFS) (does not speak) Another Day Gone (SFS) (first speaking role)
Last appearance	Rusty and the Boulder (T&F) Another Day Gone (SFS)
Creator(s)	Britt Allcroft David Mitton
Overview
Name	Thumper
Gender	Male
Country	Island of Sodor
Affiliation	North Western Railway
Technical Details
Vehicle	Heavy-duty vehicle
Type	Crawler quarry machine
Fuel type	Diesel
Company	Sodor Mining Company

Thumper is a quarry machine with two arms and caterpillar treads. He is used for loosening rocks.

Biography

Thomas & Friends

Thumper was built by the Sodor Mining Company to speed up mining operations. He was brought to Boulder Quarry by Edward to help clear rock from the cliffside faster.

The workmen were initially impressed with his hard work, however he proved much too powerful. Thumper's arms accidentally dislodged an enormous boulder from the mountain which chased Rusty, Skarloey, and Rheneas down the line before nearly crushing Percy and running into the sheds at the mine.

Because of his large size, he often gets out of control on mining sites and causes minor disruptions. After his initial problems at Boulder Quarry, Thumper is now used strictly for slate mining.

Stories From Sodor

Skarloey Railway Stories

Like in the television series,Thumper was built by the Sodor Mining Company to speed up mining operations. He was brought to Boulder Quarry by Edward to help clear rock from the cliffside faster.

The workmen were initially impressed with his hard work, however he proved much too powerful. Thumper's arms accidentally dislodged an enormous boulder from the mountain which chased Rusty, Skarloey, and Rheneas down the line before nearly crushing Percy and running into the sheds at the mine.

Because of his large size, he often gets out of control on mining sites and causes minor disruptions. After his initial problems at Boulder Quarry, Thumper is now used strictly for slate mining.

Personality

Although Thumper never spoke, it has been said he is laid back in approach with a "cool dude" attitude, though he can come across as accident-prone. His manner is cool, and no job is too big for him.

Basis

Thumper is not based upon any known quarry machine - at any rate, a machine of his type would be extremely hazardous to those around due to the lack of a window at the front of the cab, making the operator unable to see. However, Thumper does appears to be a Hodge-podge of various different machinery. His front-end is from a GWR 0-4-0 Diesel shunter built by Fowler. His treads appear to be based off the treads of a Kliment Voroshilov tank, albeit with the treads mounted backwards with the drive sprocket in the rear.

In addition, assuming that a window would be technically where the face would be, such a machine would be impractical in real life as well due to the end of its arms not providing a sufficient amount of area to loosen the rock on the sides and below and above the machine, let alone be capable of making a proper hole through the cliff face and properly loosening or clearing rocks. The arms appear to be on a non-flexible joint with the siderods attached to the inner arms appearing to be quite thin, thus potentially leading to the machine being more capable of damaging itself than loosening or clearing rocks, unless being lightly placed in front of the rock / cliff face to properly function, which thus means that the rock may only be lightly loosened or cracked.

Kliment Voroshilov tank

Fowler GWR 0-4-0 Diesel shunter

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Livery

Thumper is painted orange-red with his name painted on the sides of his bonnet in white. His roof is painted black.

References

Non-rail vehicles

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Orange Characters

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North Western Railway	Locomotives	Billy | Damian | Den | Marion | Murdoch | Nia
	Rolling Stock	Fred Pelhay | Hannah | S.C. Ruffey
	Non-Rail Characters	Elizabeth | Ned | Terence
Skarloey Railway	Locomotives	Rusty
	Non-Rail Characters	Owen | Thumper
Culdee Fell Railway	Rolling Stock	Catherine
Crystal Island	Rolling Stock	Jasper | Sardonyx
Keystone Railway	Locomotives	Imperial Topaz | Poppy | Sardonyx | Spessartine
The Mainland	Locomotives	Novelty
Other Railways	Locomotives	The Chinese Engine
	Rolling Stock	Beppe
	Non-Rail Characters	Cassia | Stefano