The Train, or Chooch is a steam locomotive who works on the dockside railway at Bigg City Port. She is used for a variety of tasks within the port and at the docks and logging camp up river.
Bio[]
Chooch is most frequently shown as a firm friend to the Star Fleet. She once warned the Tugs about a jam of logs heading towards them. Alike many other characters throughout TUGS, he communicates with a megaphone, sticking out of his cab window.
Basis []
Chooch is seemingly based on a BR 80 heavy-duty tank engine of German design, but modified with many American features including an American-style whistle, oil-burning headlight, diamond smokestack and a cowcatcher. He doesn't have front buffers. However, he has rear buffers to match the British rolling stock.
His other features however suggest he was modified from a Märklin model locomotive, which seems likely as Märklin supplied components for many of the model engines on TUGS' sister show, Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends.
Appearances[]
- Eight Is Too Much (not named; do not speak)
- One Bad Day (Puffa Only; cameo)
- Hands Off! (Little Owl Only; cameo)
- It's Magic (Little Owl Only, not named; does not speak)
- Backwards Day (Mentioned)
- Who Took My Crayons? (Little Owl Only; cameo)
- High Spirits (Mentioned)
- Who Turned Off The Lights? (Puffa Only, not named; does not speak)
- If The Clue Fits Wear It (Puffa Only; does not speak)
- Colossal Crab (not named)
Behind The Scenes[]
In TUGS, the Train was originally called Puffa, except for the episode High Tide, where he was referred as the Mail Train. His model was built from a Märklin model locomotive which was modified with many American features. His model was Gauge One, which is the same gauge used for the models of the sister series; Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends.
Voice Actors[]
- Paul Dobson (Salty's Lighthouse)
- John Baddeley (Puffa, TUGS)
Trivia[]
- In "If The Clue Fits Wear It", The Train (Puffa) is called Chooch by Ten Cents.
- Chooch was named Puffa in TUGS, but in Salty's Lighthouse it was combined with another engine, Little Owl/the Goods Engine, into one character.
- In Salty's Lighthouse, The Train seems to be portrayed as female, while Puffa being male in TUGS.
- However, Chooch was played by Scott McNeil, the male voice actor.