Wilbert

Wilbert is a austerity tank engine

Bio
In 1993, Donald and Douglas were both becoming overworked, so in order to ease their workload, the Fat Controller arranged for Wilbert to come to his railway to help them on the Little Western until he could afford another engine like him. However, after Percy had an accident with some porridge, Wilbert was relocated to the Ffarquhar Branch Line to do his work.

Wilbert's first job was to work at the lead mines. While he was in the sheds, he told Thomas and Toby about Sixteen, a troublesome engine who wanted to pass a danger sign. Thomas also told Wilbert about many of the jobs that he had to carry out on the branch line.

One day, after spending too much time chatting to James at Knapford, Wilbert had neglected to take on more water. He stopped at the dairy to refill on water, but accidentally stopped at the wrong hosepipe; instead of taking on water, his tanks were filled with milk. Thomas joked about this when he brought Wilbert back to Ffarquhar.

After Percy returned from Crovan's Gate Works, the Fat Controller sent Wilbert to the Little Western to help the engines there. When he was about to take a ballast train, the coupling plate on the front ballast truck fell off. After spotting a coil of wire, Wilbert decided to use it to couple up to the damaged truck and managed to get his train to Tidmouth safely. Afterwards, Wilbert left Sodor and returned to the Dean Forest Railway.

Personality
Wilbert is sensible and polite and does his best to work well. He is also clever and inventive, as seen when he suggested that signal-wire might be used to act as a coupling for a truck.

In the magazines, Wilbert is depicted as a very hard worker and a nature lover. When he wants a rest, he goes deep into the forest.

Trivia

 * He is the same class as Sonny.
 * Wilbert, along Hannah, Roderick and Albert are the odd characters introduced in the Awdry era to not have a Elderly.