Thomas

**Thomas** is a blue tank engine who works on the North Western Railway. He originally worked as the station pilot at the Big Station but longed to leave his yard to go out and see the world. After helping to rescue James from a nasty accident, Thomas was rewarded with two new coaches, Annie and Clarabel and was given the responsibility of running the Ffarquhar Branch Line, where he works to this day.

## Bio

### *Thomas & Friends*

Before coming to Sodor, Thomas lived at Brighton, where he worked alongside several other engines. He was brought to the North Western Railway when Sir Topham Hatt was in need of a new tank engine to shunt trains at Knapford and was originally painted teal-green before receiving his blue livery.

Thomas was cheeky at first and enjoyed teasing Gordon by waking him up while he was resting at Knapford. Gordon managed to get back at Thomas by leaving the station too quickly before he could be uncoupled and though Thomas learned his lesson about teasing Gordon, he wanted to see more of the world and go beyond the yard at Knapford station. He was given the chance to pull his first passenger train when Henry became ill but left the station too early when he mistook the guard's whistle for Edward's train for his own, leaving behind his coaches and passengers. Thomas was stopped by a signalman and he went back to the station to fetch his train.

Thomas was teased relentlessly about this mistake by Gordon and James, though Edward felt sorry for him and offered to let Thomas take his goods train while he took care of his shunting duties in the yard. Thomas could hardly contain his excitement and was too excited to listen to Edward's warning about the trucks, believing that he could handle them easily. However, as he reached the top of Gordon's Hill, the trucks began pushing Thomas down the line, causing him to run out of control and nearly crashed until he stopped in a siding.

Upon noticing that Henry had not come out of the sheds to pull his train during a rainy day, Thomas raced back to Tidmouth Sheds and managed to convince a paranoid Henry that the rain would not hurt him, finally helping him get over his fear of the rain. Thomas continued to work in the yard and over time, he became more skilled at shunting. While taking a break in the yard one day, Thomas saw James being pushed by his trucks unable to stop due to his burning brake blocks. Thomas bravely chased after James abandoning his Punishment and tried to stop him, but unfortunately, James derailed and landed in a field. Thomas rushed back to Knapford and retrieved Judy and Jerome, who helped him, re-rail James. As a reward for his heroic actions, Thomas was rewarded with his own branch line and two coaches of his own, Annie and Clarabel. From that point on, Thomas began proudly working on his branch line.

#### *Thomas and the Magic Railroad*

Thomas was bringing the express coaches to Knapford, but he was late due to repairs on the Main Line. When he arrived to connect his passengers with Gordon's train, the latter scolded him for being late and tells him that engines are really reliable, and right on time. Thomas then reminds Gordon that the repairs on the railway are resulting in delays. After talking about Mr. Conductor coming to be in charge of Sodor while Sir Topham Hatt is on a holiday, Diesel 10 rushed by, spreading dust all over the two engines. Thomas tells Gordon about Diesel 10, who just arrived on Sodor that day to help with the work, and how mean he is.

Later at Tidmouth Sheds, Thomas accidentally bumps into some buffers, James warns him about it, and Thomas reminds him that buffers are for stopping engines from crashing and into accidents. After Diesel 10 arrives and announces his plan to destroy a lost engine and replace Sodor's steam engines with new diesels taking over, Thomas is confident that diesel engines won't take over as long as Mr. Conductor is around and heads off to find him, leaving James confused.

On his branch line, Thomas met Mr. Conductor, who is concerned about his journey from Shining Time getting bumpy. Thomas comforts him and tells him all about Diesel 10's arrival. After arriving at Knapford, Thomas shunted some Troublesome Trucks at Tidmouth Sheds, talking to James and Gordon, who boast that Thomas is too small to collect Mr. Conductor. After hearing the other engines conversation about Lady, Thomas is confident that little engines like him, can find her. Harold accidentally spreads Sneezing Powder all over Thomas, Splatter, and Dodge, dumped by Diesel 10. Thomas is sure that Diesel 10 is still causing trouble.

At the sheds, Thomas and the other engines are soon asleep with Mr. Conductor, until Diesel 10 attacks the sheds, and demands the lost engine's whereabouts. Mr. Conductor threatens Diesel 10 with a bag of sugar, seizing him up if pouring it in his fuel tanks. Diesel 10 returns not long afterward and pours sneezing powder out of a barrel and down Thomas's funnel.

Throughout the film, Thomas spends all his time, making sure he is really useful. Thomas works very hard, taking passengers on his branch line, and the Main Line, and trying to find and help Mr. Conductor find the source of his gold dust, in order to keep the two worlds together.

After a coal truck for Henry disappears through The Magic Buffers, Bertie calls out to Thomas about his missing coal truck, leading Thomas and Percy to realize that the buffers lead to the Magic Railroad and the lost engine. Thomas suggests they should protect the buffers from Diesel 10. Later, Thomas meets Lily and Junior and takes them to the windmill, where Mr. Conductor ended up at after escaping Diesel 10. After Junior is flung from the windmill and on top of Diesel 10. Mr. Conductor, Lily and Thomas discuss the Lady and Burnett Stone and wonder if he could help them, too. After Percy alerts Thomas about Splatter and Dodge finding the magic buffers, Mr. Conductor advises Thomas to take Lily to her grandpa, through the buffers, because he is really useful and will find a way.

Thomas was reluctant but bravely agrees. The two go through the magic buffers and explore the Magic Railroad. Thomas also finds the coal truck. He went back and coupled up to it after Lily fell out of Thomas's cab. When the two arrive at Muffle Mountain, Lily runs off to find her grandpa. However, P.T. Boomer sets off an explosive, causing Thomas to roll down the mountain, and into another portal of The Magic Railroad.

When Lady and the Magic Railroad were restored, Thomas met up with Lady and steamed through the Magic Buffers, meeting Mr. Conductor and Junior at the Sodor Wishing Well, until the two engines are found by Diesel 10, Splatter, Dodge, and P.T. Boomer. Thomas and Burnett bravely decide to help Lady. Thomas, Burnett and Lady are chased by Diesel 10 and Boomer, throughout the Kirk Ronan line. Thomas reminds Lady that little engines can do big things before they reach the viaduct. Lady and Thomas bravely make it across, whistling cheerfully as Diesel 10 and Boomer fall off the viaduct and land in a barge full of sludge. Thomas and Lady arrive back safely and help out with more of the clues. After the gold dust is restored, Thomas and Lady thank each other and learn the valuable lesson of magic. Thomas happily puffs back home to Tidmouth Sheds to tell Sir Topham Hatt and the other engines all about his magical adventure.

## Personality

Thomas is described as being a cheeky, fussy engine. He often gets into scrapes, usually by being over-eager to do things best left to bigger and more sensible engines. But clouds never last long in Thomas' life and he is soon bustling about again, playing his part in the yard and on his very own branch line, of which he is extremely proud. He loves teasing the others, especially the bigger engines, such as Gordon and on occasion brags about his superiority, but is always brought down to earth in due course by anyone willing to correct him, especially Sir Topham Hatt and his two coaches, Annie and Clarabel. If Thomas has one major character flaw, it is that he is forgetful and rather impatient. However, he is also optimistic, idealistic and altruistic with a heart of gold. A friend to all engines and a popular member of Sir Topham Hatt’s Railway, Thomas is No.1 and does his best every day to live up to that through helping his friends and those that he cares about. He lives to be a Really Useful Engine and encourages everyone else to do the same. He likes to be better than James and Bertie in races. He can, however, also get annoyed about being useful such as the time when Rosie followed him around because she idolized him so much. Despite all this, he does have his pride, and will sometimes take wrong advice at the wrong time, such as from Ace or Sailor John, as well as refusing help even when he needs it.

## 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. During their final working years, the E2 class worked as shunting engines at Southampton Docks alongside the USATC S100 Tank Engines (Rosie's basis), until they were replaced by the BR Class 07 diesel shunters (Salty's basis). All of the E2s were scrapped, with none surviving into preservation.

Thomas has several major differences from the original E2 class. He is much shorter in length than his original basis, he has two extra windows on the sides of his cab and he has wheel splashers, something the original E2 class lacked. In the early volumes of *The Railway Series* and the television series, Thomas' footplate is dipped at the front, but oddly enough is not dipped at the back. In *Branch Line Engines*, his footplate was leveled out from smokebox to bunker.

### Livery

Thomas is painted in NWR bright 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.

In *The Adventure Begins*, Thomas 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.

In the first three series of the television series, Thomas had the red lining on the back of his coal bunker, but during the production of the third series episode, *All at Sea*, the lining was removed. The lining was reapplied in *The Adventure Begins*.

## RWS Appearances

Thomas first appeared in the second Railway Series book *Thomas the Tank Engine*.

## TV Appearances

Since Thomas is the main character of the show, he obviously appears in every season and special.

From *Hero of the Rails* up until Season 18, he was voiced by Ben Small and Martin Sherman in the UK and US dubs respectively. Starting in *The Adventure Begins*, he is currently voiced by John Hasler (UK) and Joseph May (US).

## Trivia

* Thomas was the first character in the *Railway Series* to have a number. According to Brian Sibley, Awdry used the number one because it was the easiest to draw.
* Thomas was the first character introduced in the television series.
* From the first to twelfth series during the model era, Thomas had three different facial expressions: furious, jovial and irritated; that was not used on-screen. His unused second series jovial face mask, however, was used in The Great Festival Adventure game, where Thomas was teasing Gordon about being on the turntable.
	+ Also in the tenth series episode, Topped Off Thomas, his unused third series outrageous face was used where Thomas was arguing with Spencer about going or not going faster than the wind and later challenging him to a race to Kellsthorpe Road.
	+ Thomas also had an elderly face mask, created by model maker Jeremy King, which was originally made as a joke to David Mitton during the filming of Thomas and the Magic Railroad.[9]
* Christopher Awdry lost the original Thomas toy when he was in the United States. However, a replica was made for a 70th-anniversary sizzle reel. The second version of the original toy was made as a "thank you" gift by Michael White.
* In the American and Finnish cast, Thomas is the only character voiced by Joseph May and Juha Varis in the series.
* Thomas' LBSC number, 70, was actually carried by a real LB&SCR locomotive, an A1 named "Poplar" currently preserved by the Kent & East Sussex Railway. The number also represents the 70th anniversary of the *Railway Series*. All the actual E2s, however, were only numbered from 100 to 109.
* According to Sir Topham Hatt on the 2001 version of the official website, Thomas was given his name by the engine workshop which built him.
* Thomas is one of the few characters to have a speaking role in every series and special.
* A Wooden Railway toy of Thomas, along with one of Stepney's, appeared in the second series of *The Big Bang Theory* in an episode called "The Friendship Algorithm".
* An ERTL toy of Thomas along with one of James' also appeared in the sixth series of Full House in an episode called "Be True to Your Preschool".
* Following Mr. Conductor in Thomas and the Magic Railroad and Lily in the Director's Cut, Thomas became the third character to narrate in first-person.
* In Calling All Engines!, Thomas sleep-whistles. This is apparently the steam engine version of snoring, though instead typical snoring sounds, Thomas makes warbling whistles after pausing before the next toot. This was only mentioned in Calling All Engines as it might be because his crew never shut off his steam properly.
* He has the most on-screen nicknames of any character, with seven in total. However, he has the third-highest amount overall behind Percy with eight and Gordon with ten.
* He is the first Sudrian engine with a separate driver in international locations.
* He is the only vehicle character with headwear (a nightcap in the series 9-12 closing segments, a party hat in the ninth series episode Thomas' Milkshake Muddle, an aviator pilot hat in the tenth series episode Sticky Toffee Thomas and a top hat in the same episode and the eleventh series episode Smoke and Mirrors, if you can also count Sir Topham Hatt's top hat in Topped Off Thomas), not counting the glasses of Whiff and The Ballast Spreader or Darcy's visor (or the Santa caps on all the vehicles in the early Christmas episodes).
* Thomas is the first character in the show to have lost his voice onscreen with the twenty-third series episode, Too Loud, Thomas!. With this, he is the third character on the show with a speech impediment (albeit temporarily) after Fergus and Theo.
* He has been seen going well over his top speed of 50 miles per hour.
* When Whizzo Lightred voices him, Thomas has an American-British accent due to where his basis worked. Whizzo Lightred describes his Thomas voice as the voices of John Bellis and Edward Glenn combined into one. It's not too low-pitched, like Bellis, or too high-pitched, like Glenn.
* Thomas is obviously almost everyone's favorite character from worldwide since he's the title.