James

**James** is a red tender engine who works on the North Western Railway and is the railway's number 5 engine.

## Biography

James is very proud of his splendid red paintwork. He dislikes pulling trucks (though not to the extent that Gordon does) and is so narcissistic that he thinks himself superior to the others and can be boastful, overconfident, cocky, prideful and vain, particularly to those who appear old-fashioned, weak, slow or dirty. This has caused him to have somewhat of a rivalry with Edward, Percy, Toby and Duck, as well as Thomas, Gordon, Henry and even Philip lately on occasion. Of the three big engines, James is the most likely to criticize when he does not like something. In most cases, it takes scolding from others to make his penny drop, and even then it is too late to prevent trouble. However, on a number of occasions, he has found himself in need of help from those whom he has insulted and is, in the end, apologetic.

James can also be somewhat and has been portrayed as a prankster at times, often tricking or scaring the other engines for fun or to get out of jobs he dislikes doing. However, following a particularly mean-spirited prank he played on Percy, where he scared him with a monster made of scrap, this gimmick seems to have died down. Despite all of that, James has shown a caring side to him. He has a heart of gold and wants to help anyone in a time of need. He is normally hard-working and, like everyone else, wants to be responsible, reliable and really useful on the Fat Controller's railway. Although his vanity usually hides it, James is capable of realizing when he crosses the line, and quietly mourns for himself and others once it occurs after an accident he had caused.

Shortly after arriving from the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, James was damaged in a crash when his trucks pushed him down the line and his wooden brake blocks caught on fire. After being recovered from the wreck, James was sent to the Steamworks, where he was repaired, repainted into a new red livery and gained functional brakes. He presumably gained his Fowler tender around this time.

When James returned from the Steamworks, he became vain and troublesome. While double-heading a passenger train with Edward, he accidentally showered water on the Sir Topham Hatt I's new top hat and he almost forgot to stop at the station. After being threatened by the Fat Director with a coat of blue paint, James became grumpy and started bumping the coaches around aggressively, though this backfired on him when one of the brake pipes began leaking and needed to be mended with a bootlace and some newspapers. Following this incident, James was shut up in the shed until he could learn his lesson. When he was finally let out by the Fat Director, James was assigned to pull a goods train. Although he had some trouble when some of the trucks broke away, James managed to keep the train under control and deliver it to the station and was allowed to keep his red paint after the Fat Director had seen everything.

Even though he had proven to be useful, James was still teased by Gordon and Henry for his past mistakes. However, after Gordon got lost and wound up at Knapford after traversing the Loop Line, James was allowed to take the express in his place. He did so successfully and he and Gordon became firm friends.

When Thomas left Knapford to run the Ffarquhar Branch Line, James, Gordon and Henry became irritated, as they now had to fetch their own trains. After an incident on the turntable that left him humiliated, James, along with Gordon and Henry, decided to go on strike, refusing to leave the shed and behaving badly when they had to work. Sir Topham Hatt I eventually shut them up in the shed and made Thomas and Edward pull their trains, though he allowed them to come out when they were sorry.

On more than one occasion, James has been forced to accept help from those he insulted. When Toby and Henrietta came to work on Thomas' branch line, James insulted them by calling them "dirty objects" and boasting about how his red paint is never dirty. But later, some trucks pushed him down Gordon's Hill and he crashed into two tar wagons, spoiling his paint. Toby and Percy pulled James away, but not before Toby teased James about never having dirty paint.

Later, James was impatient with Edward for his clanking and being slow and late, comparing him unfavourably to "a lot of old iron". But when two boys played with James' controls and caused him to run away without anyone in his cab, Edward and an engine inspector came to his rescue and caught him. A weary James gratefully apologised to Edward for his insults and Edward forgave him.

When Diesel arrived on trial, James gained the nickname "Rusty Red Scrap-Iron". Believing that Duck was behind the insults, James, along with Gordon and Henry, turned against him. However, when Diesel was exposed and Duck was proven innocent, James and the other engines were sorry and welcomed him back. James later recalled the events of Diesel's visit to Duncan, though he greatly exaggerated certain parts of the tale, making it seem as though *he* was the one who sent Diesel packing.

## Basis

James is based on a Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR) Class 28.

## Livery

On James’ first day on Sodor, he was painted black with red lining and boiler bands. He also had red lining on the back of his tender, alongwith his number (5) painted in yellow with a red outline. He has a white running board with red bufferbeams and valances.

After his accident, The Fat Director gave James a new coat of paint to cheer him up. He is now painted in scarlet red with black lining and yellow cab window frames. He has gold boiler bands and a brass dome. His number 5 is still painted in yellow but with a black outline now.

At one point in 1965, James was painted in a pink undercoat, but was ordered to do a job before his standard red coat could be applied. Although he was said to be in an undercoat, James still retained his black smokebox, white running board and red bufferbeams.

## Appearances

### Season 1

* Thomas and the Breakdown Train
* James and the Coaches
* Troublesome Trucks
* James and the Express
* Thomas Goes Fishing *(not named)*
* Tenders and Turntables
* Trouble in the Shed
* Percy Runs Away
* Thomas Saves the Day
* Coal
* It’s Good To Be Gordon *(cameo)*
* The Flying Kipper *(cameo)*
* Whistles and Sneezes *(cameo)*
* Thomas in Trouble *(cameo)*
* Dirty Objects
* Thomas’ Christmas Party
* Off the Rails *(does not speak)*
* The Trouble with Mud
* Paint Pots and Queens

### Season 2

* Cows *(cameo)*
* Saved From Scrap *(cameo)*
* Old Iron
* Percy and the Signal
* Duck Takes Charge
* Percy’s Promise *(cameo)*
* Pop Goes the Diesel
* Dirty Work
* A Close Shave *(does not speak)*
* Better Late Than Never
* The Missing Coach
* Break Van
* The Deputation
* Edward’s Exploit
* Thomas and the Missing Christmas Tree *(cameo)*
* Thomas, Percy and the Dragon

### Season 3

* A Scarf For Percy
* Time For Trouble
* Gordon and the Famous Visitor *(cameo)*
* Thomas Gets Bumped *(does not speak)*
* Diesel Does It Again *(cameo)*
* Trust Thomas
* Donald’s Duck *(cameo)*
* Henry’s Forest
* No Joke For James
* Buzz, Buzz
* Tender Engines
* Escape
* Oliver Owns Up
* Bulgy *(cameo)*
* Percy, James and the Fruitful Day
* Thomas and Percy’s Christmas Adventure *(cameo)*

### Season 4

* Sleeping Beauty
* Bulldog
* A Bad Day for Sir Handel *(cameo)*
* Peter Sam and the Refreshment Lady *(cameo)*
* Four Little Engines *(does not speak)*
* Rock ‘n Roll
* Steam Roller *(cameo)*
* Gallant Old Engine *(cameo)*
* Thomas and Stepney *(cameo)*
* Bowled Out
* Henry and the Elephant
* Thomas and the Special Letter
* Fish *(cameo)*
* Mind That Bike! *(cameo)*

### Season 5

* Cranky Bugs
* Horrid Lorry
* A Better View For Gordon
* Lady Hatt’s Birthday Party *(cameo)*
* James and the Trouble With Trees
* Gordon and the Gremlin
* Thomas, Percy and Old Slow Coach
* Thomas and the Rumours
* Baa! *(cameo)*
* Put Upon Percy *(cameo)*
* Happy Ever After *(cameo)*
* Make Someone Happy
* Something in the Air
* Busy Going Backwards

### Season 6

* Salty’s Secret *(cameo)*
* Harvey to the Rescue
* A Bad Day for Harold the Helicopter *(does not speak)*
* Thomas the Jet Engine
* James and the Red Balloon
* Percy’s Chocolate Crunch
* Thomas, Percy and the Squeak
* Edward the Very Useful Engine *(cameo)*
* Gordon Takes a Tumble
* The Fogman
* Jack Frost

### Season 7

* Emily’s New Coaches *(does not speak)*
* Bill, Ben and Fergus *(cameo)*
* James and the Queen of Sodor
* The Spotless Record *(cameo)*
* Best Dressed Engine
* Bulgy Rides Again
* Something Fishy *(cameo)*
* Harold and the Flying Horse *(cameo)*
* Gordon and Spencer
* Edward’s Brass Band *(cameo)*
* Toby’s Windmill *(cameo)*
* Not So Hasty Puddings *(cameo)*
* Three Cheers For Thomas *(cameo)*

### Season 8

* Edward the Great
* Too Hot For James
* Spic and Span
* Thomas and the Fireworks Display
* As Good as Gordon
* James Goes Too Far

### Season 9

* Molly’s Special Special
* Respect For Gordon
* Edward Strikes Out
* Emily’s Rubbish
* Hector the Horrid
* The Great Discovery

### Season 10

* Hero of the Rails
* Tickled Pink
* Charlie in Deep Water
* James the Rubbish Engine
* Blue Mountain Mystery

### Season 11

* King of the Railway
* Gordon Runs Dry
* The Phantom Express
* The Missing Christmas Decorations
* The Frozen Turntable
* Scruff’s Makeover
* The Afternoon Tea Express *(does not speak)*
* The Smelly Kipper

### Season 12

* Tale of the Brave
* Toad’s Bright Idea
* Duck in the Water
* Toad’s Adventure
* Emily Saves the World
* Duck and the Slip Coaches
* Samson At Your Service
* Spencer’s VIP
* Last Train For Christmas

### Season 13

* Who’s Geoffrey?
* The Truth About Toby
* Salty All At Sea
* Best Engine Ever
* Reds Vs Blues
* Slow Stephen
* The Beast of Sodor
* Philip To the Rescue

### Season 14

* Sodor’s Legend of the Lost Treasure
* Goodbye Fat Controller
* Henry Gets the Express
* Pouty James
* Engine of the Future
* Hugo and the Airship
* Henry in the Dark
* All in Vain
* Over the Hill
* The Big Freeze

### Season 15

* The Great Race
* Dowager Hatt’s Busy Day
* Hasty Hannah

### Season 16

* Off to See the World
* James’ Starring Role

## Gallery

James’ current livery (1925-present)James current Number 5 (1925-present)James’ original black livery (1925)James’ original Number 5 (1925)James in his pink undercoat (1965)
## Trivia

* James is one of the two engines to be called a red nosed engine. The other being Thomas.
* Out of every character in the series, James currently has had the most different liveries.