Terence the Tractor
Encyclopedia
Terence the Tractor is a fictional anthropomorphic crawler tractor
from The Railway Series
of children's books by the Rev. W. Awdry, and the spin-off TV series Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends.
Terence first appeared in the Railway Series story 'Thomas, Terence and the Snow' from the book Tank Engine Thomas Again (1949). In this story, he is portrayed with a widow's peak
– the guise that would be used as the basis for the TV series character.
Terence was teased about his caterpillar track
s by Thomas the Tank Engine
when they both met each other for the first time. He laughs the joke off and gets back to business. He is slow but good enough – he can go anywhere, because of his caterpillar tracks. He becomes good friends with Thomas after Terence helps Thomas out of a snow drift.
(view photo).
Terence's second appearance in The Railway Series comes in Christopher Awdry
's book Toby, Trucks and Trouble. In the story "Toby Takes the Road", Terence had been brought in to help shunt trucks in Ffarquhar
Yard while Percy
was away dealing with the incident at the harbour involving Bulstrode. In the illustration showing Terence, Clive Spong
depicted Terence with a rectangular face and no widow's peak. This detail was reproduced on all the illustrator's subsequent pictures of Terence in related publications.
Terence is the only named character in The Railway Series to have caterpillar tracks, although a nameless orange crane with caterpillar tracks is seen in C. Awdry's 'Washout'.
made by the Rev. W. Awdry: "Here Terry works."
However, at some point before Tank Engine Thomas Again was published, this was changed to the more formal name.
Although not specifically defined by any of the Awdrys, Martin Clutterbuck has identified Terence's most likely prototype as a Caterpillar
Model Seventy –the largest, and last, design of petrol (gasoline)-powered tractors in Caterpillar's range – of about 1934-vintage.
Tractor
A tractor is a vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery used in agriculture or construction...
from 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...
of children's books by the Rev. W. Awdry, and the spin-off TV series Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends.
Terence first appeared in the Railway Series story 'Thomas, Terence and the Snow' from the book Tank Engine Thomas Again (1949). In this story, he is portrayed with a widow's peak
Widow's peak
A widow's peak is a distinct point in the hairline in the center of the forehead. This hair anomaly is a result of a lower-than-usual position of the intersection of the bilateral periorbital fields of hair-growth suppression on the forehead.-Definition:...
– the guise that would be used as the basis for the TV series character.
Terence was teased about his caterpillar track
Caterpillar track
Continuous tracks or caterpillar tracks are a system of vehicle propulsion in which modular metal plates linked into a continuous band are driven by two or more wheels...
s by Thomas the Tank Engine
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...
when they both met each other for the first time. He laughs the joke off and gets back to business. He is slow but good enough – he can go anywhere, because of his caterpillar tracks. He becomes good friends with Thomas after Terence helps Thomas out of a snow drift.
(view photo).
Terence's second appearance in The Railway Series comes in Christopher Awdry
Christopher Awdry
Christopher Awdry is an English author best known for his contributions to The Railway Series of books featuring Thomas the Tank Engine, which was started by his father, the Rev. W. Awdry. He has also produced children's books based on a number of other railways, as well as non-fiction articles...
's book Toby, Trucks and Trouble. In the story "Toby Takes the Road", Terence had been brought in to help shunt trucks in Ffarquhar
Ffarquhar
Ffarquhar is a fictional town or village on the equally fictional Island of Sodor in the Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends children's TV series and in Reverend W. Awdry's The Railway Series books on which the TV series was based....
Yard while 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...
was away dealing with the incident at the harbour involving Bulstrode. In the illustration showing Terence, Clive Spong
Clive Spong
Clive Spong is an English illustrator of The Railway Series books by the Rev. W. Awdry. He illustrated the books written by Christopher Awdry published since 1983.Books:*Really Useful Engines*James and the Diesel Engines...
depicted Terence with a rectangular face and no widow's peak. This detail was reproduced on all the illustrator's subsequent pictures of Terence in related publications.
Terence is the only named character in The Railway Series to have caterpillar tracks, although a nameless orange crane with caterpillar tracks is seen in C. Awdry's 'Washout'.
Adventures
Throughout his life on Sodor, Terence has:- Rescued Thomas from a snowdrift (TV and Railway Series)
- Helped rescue Mrs. Kyndley from her snowed-in house (TV and a book by the Rev. W. Awdry that wasn't a Railway Series book)
- Helped haul trees in the forest (TV)
- Helped a snowed-in village with Thomas, Percy and Harold (TV)
- Helped Elizabeth out of a snowdrift (TV)
- Slipped down an embankment and into a pond (annuals)
- Dug up a pot in his field (annuals)
- Helped Thomas out of a rockslide (annuals)
Terence in the TV series
- Terence was the first character with caterpillar tracks in the TV Series (before Thumper, and several characters from The Pack: Oliver the big excavator and Byron the bulldozer).
- The song Don't Judge a Book By Its Cover was based on Terence's theme music.
- In the Japanese version Terence was played by Yasuhiko KawazuYasuhiko Kawazuis a Japanese voice actor.- Television :* Kinnikuman: Kinnikusei Oui Soudatsu-hen , Golemman, Iwao, Leopardon, Mixer Taitei, Motorman, Rikishiman* Sailor Moon , Worker * Yuusha Tokkyuu Might Gaine , Jarmanee...
. - Despite the size of Terence's face, his face did not have animated eyes, until The Great Discovery.
Behind the scenes
Terence was originally to be called 'Terry', according to a note on the first map of SodorSodor (fictional island)
Sodor is a fictional island in the Irish Sea used as the setting for The Railway Series books by the Rev. W. Awdry, and later used in the Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends television series.-Inspiration and creation:...
made by the Rev. W. Awdry: "Here Terry works."
However, at some point before Tank Engine Thomas Again was published, this was changed to the more formal name.
Although not specifically defined by any of the Awdrys, Martin Clutterbuck has identified Terence's most likely prototype as a Caterpillar
Caterpillar Inc.
Caterpillar Inc. , also known as "CAT", designs, manufactures, markets and sells machinery and engines and sells financial products and insurance to customers via a worldwide dealer network. Caterpillar is the world's largest manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas...
Model Seventy –the largest, and last, design of petrol (gasoline)-powered tractors in Caterpillar's range – of about 1934-vintage.
Sources
- Awdry, Rev. W., Tank Engine Thomas Again
- Awdry, Christopher, Toby, Trucks and Trouble
- Awdry, Rev. W. and G., The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways
- Awdry, Christopher, Sodor: Reading Between the Lines
- Clutterbuck, Martin, The Real Lives of Thomas the Tank Engine – Terence's page
- Sibley, Brian, The Thomas the Tank Engine Man