Thomas

**Thomas**is a Tank Engine who works on the Ffarquhar Branch Line.

## Biography

Details of Thomas' arrival on the North Western Railway in 1915 show he arrived by mistake. How this happened is unknown, but it is believed he was sent to Sodor in a wartime mix-up. His driver and fireman got along well with the local people and married Sudrian women. By 1920, neither one wanted to leave the Island or their beloved engine.

Through an inquiry, Sir Topham Hatt I found out that the LB&SCR had written off Thomas as being "lost on war service". Rather than face complications resulting from a change in their books, the LB&SCR quietly sold Thomas to the North Western Railway for a "nominal sum".

Thomas was rebuilt at Crovan's Gate in 1920, presumably under the design on Sir Topham Hatt I. It is probable that this was the rebuild which gave Thomas his larger driving wheels and flattened rear end of the running board. It can be assumed that Thomas was found with the faults that the E2's had and thus was rebuilt into a more reliable engine.

Thomas formerly worked as the station pilot at Vicarstown, shunting trains for the bigger engines on the Main Line to take out. He enjoyed teasing the other engines, especially Gordon, who he would quietly sneak up on and whistle loudly while Gordon dozed in a siding. Eventually, Gordon managed to get back at Thomas by pulling out of the station before he could be uncoupled from his coaches, dragging him down the line at a tremendous speed. Thomas vowed to never tease Gordon again.

Perhaps as a result of his brief excursion beyond his boundaries, Thomas longed to see more of the world and become a part of it and became jealous of the bigger engines for having the chance to pull trains. On an occasion when Henry felt ill, Thomas took his morning passenger train since there were no other engines available, much to his delight. However, for unknown reasons, Thomas left the station before he could be coupled to his train, leaving behind the coaches, the passengers and their luggage. Thomas was not aware of his mistake until he was stopped by a signalman who asked where his train was. Ashamed and confused, Thomas returned to the station and collected his coaches. Subsequently, the incident made him a laughing stock among the other engines.

Thomas continued to grumble to the other engines, though they took no notice of him. However, Edward felt sorry for him and allowed him to take his goods train to Wellsworth while he handled his shunting duties in the yard. Although Edward had warned him to be careful around the trucks, Thomas took no notice and bumped the trucks as he started. When they reached Gordon's Hill, the trucks pushed him down the line, causing him to lose control. He only just managed to stop the train before hitting a set of buffers in Wellsworth Yard, where he was confronted by the Fat Controller. So that Thomas could learn about trucks almost as much as Edward, the Fat Controller kept Thomas there, continuing the swap with Edward, and could easily keep an eye on things, as he lives at Wellsworth.

While Thomas worked there, he saw the Breakdown Train. Shortly after he learned what its purpose was, James ran right past him, out of control thanks to his trucks, and when he tried to stop his brake blocks caught fire. Thomas chased after him and tried to couple to the back of the train to slow James down, but he failed to do so and James and his trucks derailed. After fetching Judy and Jerome, who lifted him back onto the tracks, he was given James' coaches, Annie and Clarabel, and his own branch line, which had previously been run by Glynn the "coffee pot" engine.

## Technical Details

### Basis

Thomas is based on the LB&SCR Class E2 0-6-0T, particularly the second batch of locomotives built with extended side-tanks. These engines were built by Brighton Works between 1913-1916 to replace the aging Stroudley E1 class and were primarily used for heavy shunting and short-distance goods trains in the London area and on the south coast. Luke is also another member of his class.

### Livery

Thomas is painted in NWR Dark Blue with red lining. His number is painted on the sides of his tanks in yellow with red lining and the lining around his cab windows is yellow.He was originally painted teal-green with white lining. He had the initials "LBSC" and the number 70 painted on the sides of his tanks and cab respectively in yellow with red lining and his wheel rims were painted white.

## Appearances

Series 1 - Prologue (*does not speak*) Buffer Bashing James And The Buckled Track Bear's Problems Toby Sleepchuffs Neville's Race Billy's Ghostly Prank Stephen's Tale Spencer Helps Out(Cameo) Percy's Close Call(Does not speak) Bill And Ben's Christmas Adventure

Series 2 - A Christmas Carol

## Songs

* The Island Song
* Accidents Will Happen
* Some Things Never Leave You
* Don't You Open That Trap Door!
* One More Sleep Til Christmas

## Voice Actors

* IslandOfSodorFilms(Series 1 - Scaredy Engines)
* TWROT(Series 2 onwards)

## Trivia

* In Buffer Bashing & Prologue Thomas was the same colour as he was in the TV Series but in later episodes he will be in his Dark Blue livery.
* Dispite being the main character he doesn't have an Series 1 episode were he is the main character.