Sending away a character

[TrainFan97]

If you could send ONE character away from the show, never to return, who would it be?

Leave your answer in the comments.

[JLK2707]

Charlie is cool, but it would be great if could modify his character to make him a lot more serious about getting jobs done than he is with his jokes or make him more of a prankster like Bill and Ben. But I would not mind Bash and Dash being forever banished after deliberately causing sir topham hatt/the fat controller to get covered in tar and hence, spoiling his suit!

[Metal]

I think I'm personally fine with the characters in the show right now.

The Logging Locos won't seem to be appearing anymore, the Misty Island tunnel seems to be boarded up.
Charlie is in the Shunting Yard, along with Rosie, Stanley, Stafford. The Shunting Yard in the show is now like literally a dumping ground.  
Belle/Flynn, even though I'm not a fan of them. It's no doubt that they're very appealing to children. My nephew and niece find Belle to be their favorite toy, they often carry her around with them, and their friends enjoy her as well.  It's at least a good thing that they've been used more logically, compared to the previous era.

[Chaz]

If I really did have to pick a character who I think the show could do without completely then it would be Rosie.  I find her to be one of the most overrated characters in some parts of the Thomas Fandom.  It seemed clear that she was a marketing tool for the the show from the very beginning, and that the new team aren't interested in doing anything with her, understandably.  It's better for the current team to focus on characters who drive stories as well as keep the show entertaining.  Rosie always failed to do this to me, even in the bigger roles in episodes she had (especially her introductory episode).

Even if in the event they do something with her, besides idle in the background, it will feel incredibly forced like how some people complained about Duck and Oliver's recent appearances.  However, on Duck and Oliver's defense, they are not only original characters, but they have driven plots for countless stories as well as having more realistic purposes on Sodor.  This can also be said about Donald, Douglas, and Daisy too.  If Rosie were to come back, I would think the only reason they would want to do something with her, it would be that they want kids to start buying her toys again, but otherwise that's really it.

[TrainFan97]

I'd say Ferdinand. He hasn't really had any speaking roles since Season 16, but he did make a cameo in the abysmal Season 18 episode, Signals Crossed.



All he ever says is "That's right!" Pokémon have more vocal range than that. He's just as clumsy as Dash and Bash, who have disappeared, thank goodness. Charlie is stuck at the Shunting Yard. At least Charlie can actually speak real sentences, even though his jokes are bad.

[Chaz]

All he ever says is "That's right!" Pokémon have more vocal range than that.

Okay, that was funny. I'm gonna start using that quote.

I probably would have mentioned the Logging Locos too but apart from his one cameo in Signals Crossed I don't think we will hear too much from them anyway.

[Metal]

With Charlie and Rosie, it would be no doubt that they have nice basis and designs.

Charlie, for a small tank engine has so much beautiful detailing. Plus he has a unique livery


Rosie, however I will admit, her basis is a personal favorite of mine.

Even though they aren't my top characters, I would have them because I think they would go great in a Thomas themed Shunting Yard.

However with characters outside of the classic era there's more intriguing characters such as: Paxton, Timothy, or even Ryan.

[MeganekkoFury1126]

Pretty much the Logging Locos have been removed 99% at this point, so I'm happy.

As for Rosie, I never particularly liked her. Despite how cool her prototype is, it's clear that the writers at the time just made her to appeal to girls, which ended up much like the Girls Train by Lionel in 1957 - it didn't work. I personally don't find anything to like about her as a character, maybe because her first episode left a lot to be desired... So yeah, I'd pick Rosie.

I personally am okay with Charlie now, since he has a purpose, and I can tolerate him much more now because of that.

On the other end of the scale, and I know I'm going to get a lot of criticism for this, but going back to season 9, I find Molly a very underrated character, and could easily see her with a purpose if they brought her back.



Unlike Neville (who did absolutely nothing in his episode, and I could barely care less about) and even Dennis, Molly had rather distinctive character traits - being shy, insecure, and sensitive, but kind and well mannered. I guess it helped that her only episode was one of the few season 9 episodes that didn't stink. I could easily see her as an extra to help Edward on his branch line and help with some of the heavier freight trains. Plus, that her basis is one of my favorite designs in the Thomas world. It looks beautiful. Plus, aside from Bill and Ben, there aren't many engines painted yellow.

[Kemptown Branch]

If I could choose a character to leave the show, it would have to be Thomas. No, I am just kidding. It would have to be Charlie. In his first episode, he did not even want to work, he just wanted to play. He also tells jokes, but at least one of them was aimed at another engine. Now he reason why I did not say the logging locos is because they still seemed to do work, even if their island is completely devoid of people.

[Metal]

As for Rosie, I never particularly liked her. Despite how cool her prototype is, it's clear that the writers at the time just made her to appeal to girls, which ended up much like the Girls Train by Lionel in 1957 - it didn't work. I personally don't find anything to like about her as a character, maybe because her first episode left a lot to be desired... So yeah, I'd pick Rosie.

Funny thing is that Rosie's toys seem to be decent sellers going from what I've read on Amazon reviews. But that seems to be her purpose. I don't find her annoying, but I could see why others would. It's probably because of shipping fanfics, I assume. Must I go even further.  

I personally am okay with Charlie now, since he has a purpose, and I can tolerate him much more now because of that.

Same here, and after thinking about it, I actually wouldn't mind having a Bachmann Charlie, tbh.

On the other end of the scale, and I know I'm going to get a lot of criticism for this, but going back to season 9, I find Molly a very underrated character, and could easily see her with a purpose if they brought her back.
Unlike Neville (who did absolutely nothing in his episode, and I could barely care less about) and even Dennis, Molly had rather distinctive character traits - being shy, insecure, and sensitive, but kind and well mannered. I guess it helped that her only episode was one of the few season 9 episodes that didn't stink. I could easily see her as an extra to help Edward on his branch line and help with some of the heavier freight trains. Plus, that her basis is one of my favorite designs in the Thomas world. It looks beautiful. Plus, aside from Bill and Ben, there aren't many engines painted yellow.

I actually agree about Molly after thinking about it. She has some contrast in her personality. With Neville, it's kinda a shame that his oppertunity was wasted, considering that his design is 100% pure realism, design and livery, and his basis in real life has a ton of character to it. Same with Dennis. However with Molly, I think she could of been used to her full potential. Her basis is elegant and not anything quirky or really gimmick driven, and her livery is really smart and is unique to the color spectrum, like Ryan being purple. I think Molly has potential for a CGI render. I've said that I wouldn't buy any of the S9-12 characters except for Rocky, Rosie, Stanley, and Whiff. However, a model of Molly would actually be a character I actually would be fond of buying.  

[Chaz]

I guess if we are also going to talk about characters coming back, then the one I could most likely see making a comeback in the future is Stepney since he's made a handful of appearances between his debut and when the show transitioned into CGI.  He was also one of the few characters to return in season 12, like Duck and Oliver.  I am sure that we will see him find his way into the show at some point soon.  Even if he is supposed to be working on his own line, I'm not going to act like engines visiting Sodor is anything new.  Especially when you consider characters who lack continuity in regards to wanting to stay back on their homeland, like Hiro. 

But if I had to pick a non-Awdry character to come back, then I would love to see Arthur return.  Compared to other characters who were introduced that season, such as Spencer and Murdoch, I find Arthur to be a much more developed character in that season.  Especially considering that he has his own branch line, it would be interesting to see what kind of stories they could create with him.  With this talk of characters basis' as well as livery, I think Arthur has one of the best designs in the show in regards to both of those qualities.  His maroon paintwork and the basis chosen for him look incredible and I think that he shines a lot more than most of the non-Awdry characters.  It's a shame that his treatment was kept to a minimum in seasons 8-12 and hasn't returned in CGI, but if the new team wanted to bring any other character back to the series, then I think he would be a perfect candidate.

[Metal]

Murdoch, Arthur, and I personally think Molly would do good for a CGI makeover.

These characters have proven to serve a purpose,

Murdoch could help Hiro with the Heavy Goods Traffic, they would make a great duo.
Arthur has his own branchline, and already rendered in CGI. Plus would make a decent play-off character.
Molly, I think would of been a better choice than Rosie for a transition into CGI. She does have a contrast personality, a beautiful design and livery.

These characters are normal designs, rather having a quirky appearance, "E.G; Stephen, Gator" or driven by gimmicks like "Marion or Skiff."
Not that these characters are bad, I will say that they have bags of character, even Marion being one of my favorite characters. But it would at least be nice to see "Normal" engines every now and then, and we have with Ryan.

Murdoch, Arthur, Molly, and Ryan are normal designs with unique liveries to help them contrast.

[TrainFan97]

Neville and Dennis were wasted potential. Dennis was lazy, but only had one speaking role. Neville hardly had any speaking roles at all. I don't think Neville even has a personality. He just had a SILLY rumor about him being friendly with diesels, and that's about it.

[Chaz]

I figured I would share my thoughts on Murdoch and I'll share my thoughts on Molly later as well as other characters from seasons 9-12, while we're having a discussion about them.  But first, Murdoch. 

For Murdoch, the intention was clearly aimed for him to be a new "Gentle Giant", which they had done before to some extent with Henry.  But I feel Murdoch's character didn't seem quite as explored after his debut, unlike the other four characters that season.  Even Fergus felt more fleshed out after his debut episode, starting from the quarry and then finding his place at the cement works.  Even though Fergus wasn't used after season 7, I feel that he was a more well-developed character than Murdoch.  Murdoch's usage in season 7 was kept to somewhat of a minimum and didn't quite stand out as much to me compared to Emily, Fergus, or Arthur.  Even in seasons 8-12 he only spoke once and had very minor roles throughout that era.  Spencer also didn't really stand out during his debut season and from season 8-11 and I felt his personality didn't make him all that interesting.  However, I felt he really was at his best in Hero of the Rails and he became a much more fleshed out character since then. 

Speaking of Hero of the Rails, I feel that the "Gentle Giant" persona seemed to be tackled much better with Hiro than Murdoch.  Hiro had more of a backstory, his design looks a lot nicer, his development and personality feels a lot more fleshed out, and he's proven to be an extremely popular character with fans old and young alike.  He has also been given plenty of large goods trains throughout the show as well, and this is especially evident in both of his season 17 episodes.  If they brought back Murdoch, I feel that he wouldn't bring anything new to the show that Hiro hasn't brought already, nor carrying it to the same extent as Hiro.  While I wouldn't mind seeing what the new team could do with Murdoch, I personally think that Hiro alone has proven to be a great "gentle giant" character on the show already and I feel the character's popularity will only continue to grow from there.

[Jacob Wilson]

I definitely agree that Dennis was pointless really. One Episode was not enough to get used to the character. I don't like the way some characters only appear for Episode and you don't see them again, not even the background.

Billy should have stayed. I think he would have been popular.

Murdoch, Arthur and Rosie (Has Stayed and it would be nice to see Murdoch and Arthur in the CGI TV Series.

Other Loco's like Hank are too American for me and Hank never sparked a spark for me. He was an odd character joing The Island of Sodor with the other Loco's being British Railways based. Hank never fitted in anywhere on the Island, or with any other Loco.