Complex sentence: "Thomas the Tank Engine" is a character created by the Rev. W. Awdry in "The Railway Series" of children's books, first published in the U.K. in 1945.
Split into simpler sentences: Thomas the Tank Engine is a character created by the Rev. W. Awdry in "The Railway Series" of children's books. The books were first published in the U.K. in 1945.