Emily the Stirling Engine is a fictional anthropomorphic steam locomotive from the television series Thomas and Friends

Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends

Thomas and Friends is a British children's television series, first broadcast on the ITV network in September 1984. Until 2003, it was named Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends. This series was shot on 35mm film...

. She was the first female steam engine to be featured in the television series, and is the only female member of the "Steam Team", the eight core characters of the series. She is painted dark green, and has large driving wheels and a shiny brass safety valve cover.

When she first arrived on the Island of Sodor, she took Thomas

Thomas the Tank Engine

Thomas the Tank Engine is a fictional steam locomotive in The Railway Series books by the Reverend Wilbert Awdry and his son, Christopher. He became the most popular character in the series, and the accompanying television spin-off series, Thomas and Friends.Thomas is a tank engine, painted blue...

's coaches Annie and Clarabel

Annie and Clarabel

Annie and Clarabel are fictional characters from The Railway Series of children's books by the Rev. W. Awdry and the related Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends television series...

 by mistake, much to Thomas' dismay. However after she rescued Thomas and Oliver from an accident, Thomas forgave her. Sir Topham Hatt (the "Fat Controller")

The Fat Controller

The Fat Controller is the head of the railway in The Railway Series of books written by the Rev. W. V. Awdry. In the first two books in the series he is known as The Fat Director...

 rewarded her with two coaches of her own. From Season 8 onwards she has been depicted as a rather bossy character, which can make her difficult to work with at times. She is sometimes a "big sister" figure to the smaller engines like Thomas and Percy

Percy the Small Engine

Percy the Small Engine is a fictional anthropomorphic steam engine from The Railway Series of children's books written by the Reverend Wilbert Vere Awdry and his son, Christopher Awdry...

. She speaks with a Scottish

Scottish people

The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...

 accent.

Emily is the only member of the Steam Team who does not appear in the Railway Series

The Railway Series

The Railway Series is a set of story books about a railway system located on the fictional Island of Sodor. There are 42 books in the series, the first being published in 1945. Twenty-six were written by the Rev. W. Awdry, up to 1972. A further 16 were written by his son, Christopher Awdry; 14...

, the books that form the basis of the television series. She was a relatively late addition to the TV series, arriving in Series 7.

In the more recent (CGI) stories, from Hero of the Rails

Hero of the Rails

Hero of the Rails is a 2009 animated film and feature spin-off of the TV series, Thomas and Friends. The film is a follow up, not a direct sequel to Thomas and the Magic Railroad and a sequel to Calling All Engines! and The Great Discovery...

onwards, Emily is voiced by Teresa Gallagher

Teresa Gallagher

-Career:Gallagher is known for her role as Ellen Smith in The Bill, for her appearances on radio in No Commitments, Salem's Lot and Memorials to the Missing, and the voices of Emily, Mavis, Rosie, Duchess of Boxford and other female characters from the first CGI Thomas and Friends Special Hero of...

 (UK) and Jules de Jongh

Jules de Jongh

Jules de Jongh , born in California, United States is an American voice actress, singer, television and radio presenter...

 (US).

Personality

Emily had been a kind-hearted engine when she first arrived. But soon she gained a more bossy attitude. She bossed Thomas

Thomas the Tank Engine

Thomas the Tank Engine is a fictional steam locomotive in The Railway Series books by the Reverend Wilbert Awdry and his son, Christopher. He became the most popular character in the series, and the accompanying television spin-off series, Thomas and Friends.Thomas is a tank engine, painted blue...

 once, which made him cross. She has been good friends with Thomas ever since her first arrival.

Prototype

Emily is based on a Stirling 4-2-2

GNR Stirling 4-2-2

The Great Northern Railway No. 1 class Stirling Single is a class of steam locomotive designed for express passenger work. Designed by Patrick Stirling, they are characterised by a single pair of large driving wheels which led to the nickname "eight-footer"...

 of the Great Northern Railway

Great Northern Railway (Great Britain)

The Great Northern Railway was a British railway company established by the Great Northern Railway Act of 1846. On 1 January 1923 the company lost its identity as a constituent of the newly formed London and North Eastern Railway....

. These locomotives were used on high-speed express services from York

York

York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...

 to London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Great Northern Railway used a dark emerald green livery on their locomotives similar to that carried by Emily.

Whilst the Stirling 4-2-2 is a tender engine

Tender locomotive

A tender or coal-car is a special rail vehicle hauled by a steam locomotive containing the locomotive's fuel and water. Steam locomotives consume large quantities of water compared to the quantity of fuel, so tenders are necessary to keep the locomotive running over long distances. A locomotive...

, Emily is incorrectly described as a tank engine in some of the Thomas and Friends books.

Spotlight episodes

Since arriving on Sodor, Emily has appeared in many stories. The following is a list of the episodes in which Emily is the main character:

• "Emily's New Coaches" (Series 7, episode 1) – Emily's arrival on the railway
• "Thomas, Emily and the Snowplough" (Series 8, episode 8)
• "Emily's New Route" (Series 8, episode 10)
• "As Good As Gordon" (Series 8, episode 18)
• "Emily's Adventure" (Series 8, episode 19)
• "Emily Knows Best" (Series 9, episode 17)
• "Emily and the Special Coaches"/"Emily and the Special Cars" (Series 10, episode 21)
• "Emily's Rubbish"/"Emily And The Garbage" (Series 11, episode 2)
• "Excellent Emily" (Series 12, episode 8)
• "A Blooming Mess" (Series 13, episode 12)
• "Pingy Pongy Pick Up" (Series 14, episode 3)
• "Emily and Dash" (Season 15, episode 3)