Thomas the Tank Engine

**Thomas the Tank Engine** is an anthropomorphised fictional steam locomotive in *The Railway Series* books by the Reverend Wilbert Awdry and his son, Christopher, published from 1945. He became the most popular and famous character in the series, and is the titular protagonist in the accompanying television spin-off series *Thomas & Friends*.

Thomas is a blue steam engine and has a number 1 painted on his side. All of the locomotives in *The Railway Series* were based on prototypical engines; Thomas has origins in a cast metal 0-6-0 tank locomotive made by Stewart Reidpath (Essar, or S-R) in 1946. This locomotive was not based on the LB&SCR E2 class as once believed and portrayed by Hornby, but appears to be based on an LMS Fowler 0-6-0T (Jinty).[*citation needed*] Thomas first appeared in 1946 in the second book in the series, *Thomas the Tank Engine*, and was the focus of the four short stories contained within. Thomas's best friends are Percy and Toby.

In 1979, British writer/producer Britt Allcroft came across the books, and arranged a deal to bring the stories to life as the TV series *Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends* (later simplified to *Thomas & Friends*). The programme became an award-winning hit around the world, with a vast range of spinoff commercial products.

## Prototype and background

When Awdry created Thomas, the engine existed only as a wooden toy made for his son Christopher. This engine looked rather different from the character in the books and television series, and carried the letters NW on its side tanks, which stood for "No Where" according to Awdry.

Thomas wasn't originally based on a prototype; rather, the initial stories were an accompaniment to the toy made for Christopher. After Awdry's wife encouraged him to publish the stories, the publisher of the second book in *The Railway Series*, *Thomas the Tank Engine*, hired an illustrator named Reginald Payne. Awdry selected a real locomotive for Payne to work from to create authenticity: a Billinton designed 0-6-0 E2 Class of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway. This may have been chosen simply because Awdry had a photograph to hand.

Thomas as portrayed by Hornby and the TV series is based on one of six E2 class locomotives fitted with an extension to the front of the water tanks. Awdry was unsatisfied with one detail of the illustration — the fact that the front end of his footplate featured a downward slope, which meant that his front and back buffers were at different levels. This was an illustrator's mistake that was perpetuated in subsequent books. The accident, in *Thomas Comes to Breakfast* was partly devised as a means of correcting this. Thomas has always been shown with a curved front buffer beam in the television series.

Payne was not credited for his illustrations at the time, and it is only since the publication of Brian Sibley's *The Thomas the Tank Engine Man* that he has started to receive major recognition. It had often been erroneously assumed that C. Reginald Dalby created the character, as he was responsible for illustrating books 3–11 and repainting the illustrations of books 1 and 2.

Although Thomas locomotives are seen today on various heritage railways, the locomotives are either unpowered decoys or converted from other locomotives, as all of the prototype LB&SCR E2 class locomotives were scrapped between 1961 and 1963. A project has been proposed to build a new one.

## Thomas in *The Railway Series*

See also: Thomas & Friends (franchise)

Despite becoming the most popular character in *The Railway Series*, Thomas did not feature in the first book, *The Three Railway Engines*.

Thomas was described in the opening to "Thomas and Gordon", the first story in book number two, *Thomas the Tank Engine*, as:

Thomas arrived on Sodor shortly after he was built in 1915, when The Fat Controller bought the locomotive for a nominal sum to be a pilot engine at Vicarstown. Thomas was used initially as a station pilot engine in the first three stories in book 2, but longed for more important jobs such as pulling the express train like Gordon; his inexperience prevented this. In the fourth story, *Thomas and the Breakdown Train*, Thomas rescues James and is rewarded with his own branch line. He has remained in charge of the Ffarquhar branch ever since, with his two coaches Annie and Clarabel, and help from Percy and Toby. Thomas is generally depicted with a cheeky and even self-important personality. He believes that he should be more respected by the others, and he gets annoyed when he does not receive this respect. However, Percy and Toby are more than capable of standing up to him, and Annie and Clarabel often rebuke him.

## TV series

Main article: Thomas & Friends

Thomas's on-screen appearances in the TV series were developed by Britt Allcroft. The first series of 26 stories premiered in October 1984 on the ITV Network in the UK, with former Beatles drummer/vocalist Ringo Starr as storyteller. The stories were featured as segments as part of *Shining Time Station* in the US beginning in 1989 with Starr as the show's Mr. Conductor character. From 1991 to 1993, George Carlin replaced Starr as both the storyteller and as Mr. Conductor for *Shining Time Station*. Carlin also told the Thomas stories for *Shining Time Station* in 1995.

In 1996 the Thomas stories were segments for *Mr. Conductor's Thomas Tales*, again featuring George Carlin. Alec Baldwin portrayed Mr. Conductor in *Thomas and the Magic Railroad*, and narrated the series for the US from 1998 to 2003. Michael Angelis narrated the series from 1991 to 2012 in the UK, while Michael Brandon narrated the series from 2004 to 2012 in the US. From 2013 to 2017, the series was narrated by Mark Moraghan until the franchise's reboot in 2018, when the episodes were told from Thomas's point of view.

Thomas's personality was originally faithful to the character of the books. As the show branched away from the novels however, modifications were made. Thomas became noticeably less arrogant and self-absorbed, developing a more friendly, altruistic and happy go lucky (if still rather over-excitable) side. He also no longer appears to be limited to his branch line and seems to work all over Sodor. These changes in his personality and duties are a result of his "star" status. He is the most popular character in the series, and therefore he has the largest number of appearances, appearing in all of the DVD specials and the movie *Thomas and the Magic Railroad*.

From *Hero of the Rails* until Series 18, Thomas was voiced by Martin Sherman (US) and Ben Small (UK). From 2015 onwards, Thomas is voiced by John Hasler in the UK, and by Joseph May in the US.

In *The Adventure Begins* which is a retelling of Thomas's early days on Sodor, he is a bluish-green colour when he first arrives on Sodor, his tanks are lettered "LBSC" (for the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway) with the number 70 on his bunker. The 70 is a reference to 2015 being the 70th anniversary for *The Railway Series*, while the LB&SCR E2 class were actually numbered from 100–109. The real life LBSC no. 70 is an A1 class.

### Voice actors

* Edward Glen (*Thomas and the Magic Railroad*)
* John Bellis (*Thomas and the Magic Railroad (original work-prints only)*)
* Ringo Starr (*The Official BBC Children in Need Medley*)
* Ben Small (*UK (Hero of the Rails – Season 18)*)
* John Hasler (*UK (Thomas & Friends: The Adventure Begins onwards)*)
* Martin Sherman (*US (Hero of the Rails – Season 18)*)
* Joseph May (*US (Thomas & Friends: The Adventure Begins onwards)*)
* Keiko Toda (*Japan (Season 1 – 8)*)
* Kumiko Higa (*Japan (Calling All Engines! onwards)*)
* Joel Beckford (*UK (scripts only)*)
* Keira Jones (*US (scripts only)*)
* Shin Yong-Woo (Korea (Season 18 and 19))

## Models

Thomas had his genesis, like Winnie-the-Pooh, in a toy for a small child, both coincidentally named Christopher. A wooden push-along toy from the early 1940s is the original Thomas made by the Reverend Awdry out of a piece of broomstick for his son Christopher. This engine looked rather different from the character in the books and television series and was based on an LNER Class J50 with smaller side tanks and splashers.[*citation needed*] He was painted blue with yellow lining and carried the letters NW on his side tanks.

Christopher Awdry lost this model when he was in the US, although it was recreated for the 70th Anniversary. However, the Reverend was happy to endorse Payne's account that the locomotive was an LBSC E2, although the first Thomas on the Awdry's model railway, from Stuart Reidpath, lacked extended tanks. In the 1979 Thomas Annual, Awdry wrote:

"I bought Thomas in 1948 when I was writing "Tank Engine Thomas Again", and wanted to start modelling once more after a lapse of some twenty years. Thomas was one of Stewart Reidpath's standard models with a heavy, cast white metal body, and was fitted with his "Essar" chassis and motor. Stewart Reidpath is now dead, and his motors, let alone spare parts for them, have been unobtainable for years; but Thomas still keeps going! He is, as you might expect from his age, a temperamental old gentleman, and has to be driven very carefully indeed."

Thomas Mk1 was retired with its coaches in 1979, Thomas Mk2 having been produced the year before using a Tri-ang 'Jinty' 3F 0-6-0T. After Hornby produced the LBSC E2 tank, Awdry gladly adapted one in 1980 to take the role of Thomas Mk3 on his layout, the Ffarquhar branch.

Awdry's requested models, to which Lines Bros. subsidiary, Meccano Ltd, responded with Percy and wagons in 1967. Hornby Hobbies launched their 'The World of Thomas the Tank Engine' in the 1985. This was a 00 gauge range of model railway train sets and models which they made for the next 30 years. For Thomas they used their 1979 model of a LB&SCR model of a Class E2 tank engine which they suitably altered with a face and extended tanks to look like Thomas. Many of the characters in the 'Railway Series' books were thus modelled (with faces) by Hornby, including characters added for the television series. They also supplied suitable coaches, wagons and lineside buildings within the series.