James

* IV
* III
* II
* I

England (*formerly*)

*“You've made the most troublesome trucks on the line behave. After that, you deserve to keep your red coat.”*
―The Fat Controller praising James[src]
**James** is a red mixed-traffic tender engine who works on the North Western Railway and is the railway's number 5 engine.

He primarily works on the Main Line, pulling both passenger and goods trains.

## Contents

* 1Biography
	+ 1.1The Adventure Begins
* 2Personality
* 3Technical Details
	+ 3.1Basis
	+ 3.2Livery
* 4Appearances
* 5Songs
* 6Audio Files
	+ 6.1Themes
	+ 6.2Whistles
* 7Trivia
* 8Quotes
* 9Video
* 10See also
* 11References

## Biography

James' ego sometimes gets him in trouble. When he tried to switch his job of pulling trucks with Gordon's express train, he tricked Thomas to give him the express coaches by telling him that the Fat Controller ordered him to take the coaches. However, the Fat Controller heard about James' tricks from Gordon and his driver, and punished him by leaving him in the shed until he learned his lesson. The following day, he was allowed out to shunt trucks, but also got the chance to redeem himself when an inspector requested to ride with James to the Fat Controller. They arrived on time and the Fat Controller considered James a really useful engine.

James' ego has sometimes stopped him from following advice from others. When Percy and Terence tried to warn him about the dangers of trees getting too close to the line, he did not take any notice until a tree literally too close to the line slid on James' tracks. Luckily, Thomas came to his rescue and pulled James away just before the tree fell on him.

James' teasing has also backfired; after he saw Percy being a "middle engine" and made fun of him because of it, James later ended up being made a middle engine himself for which he was teased by Percy. ​​He's also shown to care a lot about his paintwork, having refused to help Percy at the coaling plant because of his admiration of it, wanting to stay nice and clean to be the star of the show and refused to travel across muddy tracks to not get it dirty.

After Thomas told Percy about footprints he had seen at the quarry, James started teasing Percy about a monster being on Sodor. After James himself ended up in mishaps of his own, he decided to make fun of Percy by making him think there was a monster. James was later forced by Thomas to apologise, but Percy refused to listen to what he thought was more of James' teasing which led to James venturing into the quarry to look for the footprints. This ended up causing a rockslide that Percy had to rescue him from, after which James apologised for everything.

### *The Adventure Begins*

James arrived on the North Western Railway sometime before Thomas' arrival and he was originally painted black with wooden brake blocks, which were prone to burning up and emitting smoke when stopping. He originally owned Annie and Clarabel and believed that he would be given his own branch line, although the other engines doubted this.

When Thomas came to Sodor, James teased him on several occasions for making mistakes, often joining in with Gordon to make fun of him. However, one day, James ran out of control with a goods train and was unable to stop due to his brake blocks being on fire. Thomas chased after the train and tried to slow it down, but James flew off a bend and crashed in a field, the crash badly damaging him. Thomas rushed back to Knapford and retrieved Judy and Jerome, who helped to clear away the wreckage and placed James back on the rails. James was sent to the Steamworks to be mended, where he received his new red livery. Upon returning from the Steamworks, James found out that Annie and Clarabel now belonged to Thomas, who had been given the responsibility of running the Ffarquhar Branch Line.

## Personality

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 shallow, boastful, overconfident, arrogant, cocky, prideful, naughty 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. His vanity reached the point that he tried to block Edward from a photographer's view when Edward was having his picture taken and when he tried to get his work done quick so he can take the present train. In most cases, it takes scolding from others to make his penny drop, and even then it is too late to prevent trouble. He has acted like this even before he was repainted red. 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 was the last of the steam engines to retain a prejudice against diesels, insulting them the same way other visiting diesels would insult the steam engines on Sodor, with BoCo and Bear barely being spared from his opinionated view. However, after stalling on a cold day, he was rescued by the Works Diesel and had to admit that nothing was wrong with diesels. This appears to be one of the few lessons that have stuck. Despite this, James can remain highly opinionated on someone's character, refusing to believe Sonny had given up life as a criminal, only to find out the hard way that when Sonny bumped him at the docks to save him from being splattered and dented by watermelons. In similar situations, James often feels remorse and guilt for his actions, often leading to his apologies coming out meekly.

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 in the time he scared with a monster made of scrap, this gimmick seems to have died down. As of the meeting videos, he has been labelled as the "Joker" of the Steam Team by Thomas.

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 of his causing.

Of the three big engines, James is the most likely to criticize when he does not like something, though beyond this, his role in the trio between Gordon, Henry and himself is unknown.

## Technical Details

### Basis

James is based on a Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR) Class 28, a class of 0-6-0 mixed-traffic tender locomotive designed by George Hughes for the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway and built by Horwich Works between 1909 and 1912. Many were rebuilds of Aspinall's Class 27, with the addition of a Belpaire firebox, a Schmidt/ "Top & Bottom"/"twin-plug" superheater and the extension of the footplate and front sandboxes. One Class 27, 52322, survives and is operational at the Ribble Steam Railway.

James is an experimental member of the Class 28s; he is fitted with a front pony truck (thus making him a 2-6-0 instead of an 0-6-0) and has a Fowler tender. His front sandboxes also appear to be mounted underneath his footplate rather than joined to his leading splashers.

James' basis

LMS Fowler tender

### Livery

James is 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 painted on his tender in yellow with a black outline. He has a white running board with red bufferbeams and valences.

James has also been seen in several other liveries aside from his red one:

* In *The Adventure Begins*, James is shown to be painted black with red lining and boiler bands when he is new to Sodor. He also had red lining on the back of his tender, which was removed after his repaint. This livery also appears in *Meet James* - albeit with gold boiler bands instead of red - as part of a reference to the movie.
* In *The Green Controller*, James was mistakenly painted in yellow and black stripes on Percy's orders. He was quickly repainted back into his original livery when the problem was noticed.
* In *Tickled Pink*, James was painted in a pink undercoat before his standard red coat could be applied. Although he was said to be in an undercoat, James still retained his lining, number and black wheels and smokebox. This livery also appears in *Meet James* as part of a reference to the episode.
* In *The Great Race*, James was painted in golden floral patterns for the Great Railway Show. He was painted back into his original livery when he returned to Sodor.
* In *An Engine of Many Colours*, after hearing Kevin mention the Steamworks did not have any red paint, James dreamed he was painted in many different liveries including blue, green and silver and many more on a turntable near the last dream's final scenes. By the end of the episode, he was repainted in his standard red livery.

James in his busy bee livery in The Green Controller

James in his original black livery in The Adventure Begins

James in his pink undercoat in Tickled Pink

James in his Best Decorated Engine livery in The Great Race

James dreams he is painted blue in An Engine of Many Colours

James dreams he is painted green in An Engine of Many Colours

James dreams he is painted silver in An Engine of Many Colours

James in his green undercoat in a learning segment

James in his cream undercoat in a learning segment

## Appearances

* Television Series
* Magazines
* Annuals
* Other Media

### *Thomas & Friends*

* **Series 1** - Thomas and Gordon (*cameo*), Edward and Gordon (*not named; does not speak*), The Sad Story of Henry (*cameo*), Edward, Gordon and Henry (*cameo*), Thomas' Train (*not named*), Thomas and the Trucks (*cameo*), Thomas and the Breakdown Train, James and the Coaches, Troublesome Trucks, James and the Express, Thomas Goes Fishing, Tenders and Turntables, Trouble in the Shed (*does not speak*), Percy Runs Away, Coal, The Flying Kipper (*cameo*), Whistles and Sneezes (*cameo*), Thomas in Trouble (*cameo*), Dirty Objects, Off the Rails (*does not speak*) and Thomas' Christmas Party
* **Series 2** - Cows (*cameo*), Saved from Scrap (*cameo*), Old Iron, Percy and the Signal, Duck Takes Charge, The Runaway (*stock footage cameo, cab only*), Gordon Goes Foreign (*episode cancelled*), Pop Goes the Diesel, Dirty Work, A Close Shave (*does not speak*), Better Late Than Never, The Missing Coach (*episode cancelled*), Break Van, The Deputation, Edward's Exploit and Thomas and the Missing Christmas Tree (*cameo*)
* **Series 3** - A Scarf for Percy, Percy's Promise (*cameo*), Time for Trouble, Gordon and the Famous Visitor (*cameo*), Donald's Duck (*cameo*), Thomas Gets Bumped (*does not speak*), Thomas, Percy and the Dragon, Diesel Does it Again (*cameo*), Henry's Forest, The Trouble with Mud, No Joke for James, Trust Thomas, Buzz, Buzz, Tender Engines, Escape, Oliver Owns Up, Bulgy (*cameo*), Percy, James and the Fruitful Day and Thomas and Percy's Christmas Adventure (*cameo*)
* **Series 4** - Sleeping Beauty, Bulldog, Four Little Engines (*does not speak*), Rock 'n' Roll, Steam Roller (*cameo*), Gallant Old Engine (*cameo*), Thomas and Stepney (*cameo*), Train Stops Play (*cameo*), Bowled Out, Henry and the Elephant, Toad Stands By (*cameo*), Bulls Eyes (*cameo*), Thomas and the Special Letter, Paint Pots and Queens, Fish (*cameo*) and Mind that Bike (*cameo*)
* **Series 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, Baa! (*cameo*), Put Upon Percy (*cameo*), Haunted Henry (*cameo*), Something in the Air (*cameo*), Thomas, Percy and Old Slow Coach, Thomas and the Rumours, Oliver's Find (*cameo; full role cut*), Happy Ever After (*cameo*), Make Someone Happy and Busy Going Backwards
* **Series 6** - Salty's Secret (*cameo*), Harvey to the Rescue, No Sleep for Cranky (*cameo*), A Bad Day for Harold the Helicopter (*cameo*), Elizabeth the Vintage Lorry (*cameo*), The Fogman, It's Only Snow, Twin Trouble (*cameo*), The World's Strongest Engine, Scaredy Engines, Percy and the Haunted Mine (*cameo*), Middle Engine, James and the Red Balloon, Jack Frost, Gordon Takes a Tumble, Percy's Chocolate Crunch, Thomas, Percy and the Squeak, Thomas the Jet Engine and Edward the Very Useful Engine (*cameo*)
* **Series 7** - Emily's New Coaches (*cameo*), Percy Gets it Right, Edward's Brass Band (*stock footage cameo*), What's the Matter with Henry? (*cameo*), James and the Queen of Sodor, The Spotless Record (*cameo*), Bulgy Rides Again, Harold and the Flying Horse (*cameo*), Best Dressed Engine, Gordon and Spencer, Not So Hasty Puddings (*cameo*) and Three Cheers for Thomas (*stock footage cameo*)
* **Jack and the Sodor Construction Company** - Mud Glorious Mud (*cameo*) and A Tale for Thomas (*cameo*)
* **Series 8** - Thomas and the Tuba (*does not speak*), Percy's New Whistle (*cameo*), Thomas to the Rescue (*cameo*), James Gets a New Coat, Thomas Saves the Day, Percy's Big Mistake (*cameo*), Thomas, Emily and the Snowplough (*cameo*), Don't Tell Thomas, Emily's New Route, Thomas and the Firework Display, Gordon Takes Charge (*does not speak*), Spic and Span, Edward the Great, Thomas and the Circus, Thomas Gets it Right, As Good as Gordon, Halloween (*cameo*), James Goes Too Far, Chickens to School (*cameo*), Too Hot for Thomas and Percy and the Magic Carpet
* **Series 9** - Percy and the Oil Painting (*cameo*), Thomas and the Rainbow (*does not speak*), Thomas' Milkshake Muddle (*cameo*), Molly's Special Special (*not named; does not speak*), Respect for Gordon, Thomas and the Birthday Picnic (*cameo*), Thomas and the Toy Shop (*cameo*), Thomas and the New Engine, Toby Feels Left Out, Thomas Tries His Best, Thomas and the Statue (*cameo*), Thomas' Day Off (*cameo*), Thomas' New Trucks, Saving Edward (*cameo*), Thomas and the Golden Eagle (*cameo*), Keeping Up with James and Flour Power (*cameo*)
* **Series 10** - Follow that Flour, Thomas and the Jet Plane (*cameo*), Percy and the Funfair, The Green Controller, Thomas' Tricky Tree (*cameo*), It's Good to be Gordon (*cameo*), Seeing the Sights (*cameo*), Toby's New Shed (*cameo*), Big Strong Henry (*cameo*), Thomas and the Shooting Star, Topped Off Thomas (*cameo*), Wharf and Peace, Thomas' Frosty Friend, Thomas and the Colours, Duncan's Bluff, Thomas and the Treasure and James the Second Best
* **Series 11** - Thomas and the Storyteller, Emily's Rubbish, Dream On (*not named; does not speak*), Dirty Work, Hector the Horrid!, Gordon and the Engineer (*only speaks in the Sprout Airings and Japanese version*), Thomas and the Spaceship (*cameo*), Henry's Lucky Day, Thomas and the Lighthouse, Thomas and the Big Bang (*does not speak*), Thomas Sets Sail, Don't be Silly, Billy (*cameo*), Edward and the Mail (*cameo*), Hide and Peep (*cameo*), Toby's Triumph (*cameo*), Thomas and the Runaway Car (*cameo*), Thomas in Trouble, Thomas and the Stinky Cheese, Sir Handel in Charge and Ding-a-Ling
* **Series 12** - Thomas and the Billboard, Heave Ho Thomas! (*cameo*), James Works it Out, Tram Trouble (*cameo*) and Percy and the Bandstand (*stock footage cameo*)
* **Series 13** - Creaky Cranky, The Lion of Sodor, Tickled Pink, Double Trouble (*cameo*), Slippy Sodor, The Early Bird, Play Time (*does not speak*), Thomas and the Pigs, Percy's Parcel, Toby's New Whistle, A Blooming Mess, Thomas and the Runaway Kite (*does not speak*), Steamy Sodor, Splish Splash Splosh, The Biggest Present of All (*does not speak*), Snow Tracks (*cameo*), Henry's Good Deeds (*cameo*), Buzzy Bees (*cameo*) and Hiro Helps Out (*cameo*)
* **Series 14** - Thomas' Tall Friend (*cameo*), James in the Dark, Pingy Pongy Pick Up, Charlie and Eddie (*cameo*), Toby and the Whistling Woods, Henry's Health and Safety (*cameo*), Diesel's Special Delivery, Pop Goes Thomas, Being Percy, Merry Winter Wish, Thomas and the Snowman Party, Thomas' Crazy Day (*cameo*), Jumping Jobi Wood!, Thomas and Scruff (*cameo*), O the Indignity, Jitters and Japes (*cameo*) and Henry's Magic Box
* **Series 15** - Gordon and Ferdinand (*cameo*), Percy's New Friends (*cameo*), Edward the Hero (*cameo*), James to the Rescue, Happy Hiro (*cameo*), Up, Up and Away! (*cameo*), Henry's Happy Coal (*cameo*), Let it Snow (*cameo*), Surprise, Surprise (*cameo*), Spencer the Grand (*cameo*), Stuck on You, Kevin the Steamie (*cameo*), Wonky Whistle (*cameo*), Percy the Snowman (*cameo*), Tree Trouble (*cameo*) and Fiery Flynn (*cameo*)
* **Series 16** - Race to the Rescue (*cameo*), Express Coming Through (*cameo*), Percy and the Monster of Brendam (*cameo*), Flash Bang Wallop!, Thomas and the Rubbish Train (*cameo*), Thomas Toots the Crows (*cameo*), Bust My Buffers! (*cameo*), Percy and the Calliope (*cameo*), Thomas and the Sounds of Sodor, Salty's Surprise (*cameo*), Sodor Surprise Day (*cameo*), Muddy Matters, Whiff's Wish (*does not speak*) and Happy Birthday Sir! (*cameo*)
* **Series 17** - Kevin's Cranky Friend (*cameo*), Scruff's Makeover, Wayward Winston (*cameo*), Gordon Runs Dry, Calm Down Caitlin (*cameo*), Steamie Stafford (*cameo*), Henry's Hero (*cameo*), The Lost Puff (*cameo*), The Thomas Way (*cameo*), The Phantom Express, Too Many Fire Engines (*cameo*), No Snow for Thomas (*cameo*), Santa's Little Engine (*cameo*), The Missing Christmas Decorations, The Frozen Turntable, The Afternoon Tea Express (*does not speak*), The Smelly Kipper and Thomas' Shortcut (*cameo*)
* **Series 18** - Old Reliable Edward, Flatbeds of Fear (*cameo*), Disappearing Diesels (*cameo*), Signals Crossed, Toad's Adventure, Duck in the Water, Duck and the Slip Coaches, Thomas and the Emergency Cable (*cameo*), Duncan and the Grumpy Passenger (*cameo*), Spencer's VIP, Toad's Bright Idea, Last Train for Christmas, Duncan the Humbug (*cameo*), The Perfect Gift (*cameo*), Emily Saves the World, Timothy and the Rainbow Truck (*cameo*) and Samson at Your Service
* **Series 19** - Who's Geoffrey?, The Truth About Toby, Lost Property (*cameo*), Henry Spots Trouble, The Beast of Sodor, Toad and the Whale (*not named; does not speak*), Very Important Sheep (*cameo*), Salty All at Sea, Helping Hiro (*cameo*), Slow Stephen, Reds vs. Blues, Best Engine Ever, The Little Engine Who Raced Ahead, Philip to the Rescue, Diesel's Ghostly Christmas (*cameo*), Rocky Rescue (*cameo*), The Other Side of the Mountain (*cameo*) and Goodbye Fat Controller
* **Series 20** - Toby's New Friend (*cameo*), Henry Gets the Express, Diesel and the Ducklings, Bradford the Brake Van, Pouty James, Letters to Santa (*cameo*), All in Vain, Tit for Tat, Henry in the Dark, Three Steam Engines Gruff, Engine of the Future, Hugo and the Airship, The Christmas Coffeepot (*cameo*) and Over the Hill
* **Series 21** - Dowager Hatt's Busy Day, Stuck in Gear (*cameo*), P.A. Problems (*cameo*), Hasty Hannah, Cranky at the End of the Line (*cameo*), Philip's Number (*does not speak*), The Fastest Red Engine on Sodor, A Shed for Edward, The Big Freeze and Emily in the Middle
* **Series 22** - Forever and Ever, Confusion Without Delay, Trusty Trunky, (*portrait cameo; fantasy sequence*), What Rebecca Does, An Engine of Many Colours, School of Duck (*cameo*), Seeing is Believing, Apology Impossible, Samson and the Fireworks (*cameo*) and Thomas' Animal Ark
* **Series 23** - Chucklesome Trucks, Gordon Gets the Giggles (*cameo*), Steam Team to the Rescue, Panicky Percy, Rangers of the Rails and First Day on Sodor!
* **Series 24** - Thomas and the Royal Engine, Emily's Best Friend, Thomas' Fuzzy Friend, The Great Little Railway Show, Emily to the Rescue, James the Super Engine, A New Arrival, World of Tomorrow, Nia's Bright Idea, Sonny's Second Chance, Gordon and Rebecca, Coming Through! and Thomas' Animal Friends

#### Specials

* **1992** - Thomas and the U.K. Trip (*does not speak*)
* **2000** - Thomas and the Magic Railroad
* **2005** - Calling All Engines!
* **2008** - The Great Discovery
* **2009** - Hero of the Rails
* **2010** - Misty Island Rescue
* **2011** - Day of the Diesels
* **2012** - Blue Mountain Mystery
* **2013** - King of the Railway
* **2014** - Tale of the Brave
* **2015** - The Adventure Begins and Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure
* **2016** - The Great Race
* **2017** - Journey Beyond Sodor
* **2018** - Big World! Big Adventures!

#### Music Videos

* **Series 3** - Thomas' Anthem and I'm Thomas the Tank Engine
* **Series 4** - Thomas' Anthem Grand Finale, Let's Have a Race, Toby, Don't Judge a Book By its Cover, The Island Song, Really Useful Engine and Thomas' Christmas Song
* **Series 5** - Night Train, Accidents Will Happen, Every Cloud has a Silver Lining, It's Great to be an Engine, The Snow Song, Sir Topham Hatt, Come for the Ride, Harold the Helicopter and Percy's Seaside Trip
* **Thomas and the Magic Railroad** - Really Useful Engine
* **Series 6** - James the Really Splendid Engine, Little Engines, Down by the Docks, Winter Wonderland, Boo! Boo! Choo-Choo and Never, Never, Never Give Up
* **Series 7** - Five New Engines in the Shed, The Red Balloon, There Once Was an Engine Who Ran Away, Troublesome Trucks and The Whistle Song
* **Series 8** - Sounds, Emily, Surprises, A World Around You, Determination, Patience and Engine Roll Call
* **Calling all Engines!** - Busy, Trying, Together, New Engine Roll Call and The Dream Song
* **Series 9** - Buffer Up and Share, Brave, Day and Night, Party Time, Pride, Every Day's a Special Day on Sodor and Togetherness
* **Jack and the Sodor Construction Company** - The Work Song and One Friendly Family
* **Series 10** - Doing it Right, Favourite Place, H is for Harold, Navigation, There's Always Something New, Responsibility, Strength, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Jingle Bells and Engine Roll Call (*Rock 'n' Roll Version*)
* **Series 11** - The Narrow Gauge Engines and Engine Roll Call
* **The Great Discovery** - Thomas and James are Racing, There's a Job for Everyone, Where, oh Where is Thomas?, Engine Roll Call and Thomas, You're the Leader
* **Series 12** - Engine Roll Call (*CGI Face Version*)
* **Hero of the Rails** - Go, Go Thomas
* **Series 13** - Roll Along, Thomas, You're the Leader, Sounds (*CGI Version*), Determination (*CGI Version*) and Engine Roll Call (*CGI Version*)
* **Misty Island Rescue** - Misty Island Rescue
* **Series 14** - All You Need and Sir Topham Hatt
* **Day of the Diesels** - Day of the Diesels
* **Series 15** - Hear the Engines Coming
* **Series 16** - Thomas and Percy and Go, Go Thomas
* **King of the Railway** - Working Together Again, Searching Everywhere and It's Gonna be a Great Day
* **Series 17** - Hey, Hey Thomas! and On a Journey Today
* **Tale of the Brave** - Monsters Everywhere and Let's Be Brave
* **Series 18** - It's Christmas Time and The Best Friends Express
* **Thomas' YouTube World Tour** - A World Around You, Down by the Docks, Navigation, Never, Never, Never Give Up, It's Great to be an Engine, Thomas' Anthem, The Island Song, The Whistle Song, Night Train, Ode to Gordon, Rules and Regulations and That's What Friends are For
* **Series 19** - There's Snow Place Like Home, Race with You, Spring is Here! and Engine Roll Call
* **Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure** - We Make a Team Together
* **Series 20** - It's Halloween, James the Really Splendid Engine (*CGI Version*) and Accidents Will Happen (*CGI Version*)
* **The Great Race** - Will You Won't You, Streamlining (*cameo*) and Be Who You Are, and Go Far
* **Journey Beyond Sodor** - Somebody Has to be the Favourite, Who's Thomas? (*mentioned*), I Want to Go Home (*does not speak*), The Hottest Place in Town (*does not speak*) and The Most Important Thing is Being Friends
* **Series 21** - Set Friendship in Motion, Doing it Right (*CGI Version*), Trying (*CGI Version*) and Little Engines (*CGI Version*)
* **Big World! Big Adventures!** - Where in the World is Thomas? and We're Friends
* **Series 22** - Engine Roll Call, The Journey Never Ends, Big World! Big Adventures!, All the Girls Around the World, The Steam Team and Let's Dream
* **Series 23** - Don't Stop
* **Series 24** - Party Train, How Does it Work?, The Little Engine Who Believed and New Year's Day with Thomas
* **Nursery Rhymes** - Six Little Trains, Chuff, Chuff, Chuff Along, Another Day on Sodor (*does not speak*), Hickory Tickory Tock (*cameo*), Twinkle, Twinkle Sodor Sky, Five Little Railway Friends, Happy Birthday to You (*cameo*) and Thomas Found a Little Lamb (*does not speak*)

#### Learning Segments

* **Series 8** - Being Blue (*does not speak*), Being on Time (*pre-filmed footage cameo*), Helping One Another (*does not speak*), What Makes Percy Feel Better? (*cameo*), Guess the Engine - James (*does not speak*), Job Destinations - Thomas, Toby and James (*does not speak*) and Painting James (*does not speak*)
* **Series 9** - Same Colour (*does not speak*), Which Load for Which Route? (*does not speak*), What Goes Where? (*cameo*), Who's Under The Coal Dust? - James (*does not speak*), Getting to the Washdown (*does not speak*), Dot to Dot - James (*does not speak*), Fixing the Engines (*does not speak*) and Being Repainted (*does not speak*)
* **Series 10** - Who Will Percy See? (*does not speak*), Toby's Favourite Place (*cameo*) and Diesels and Steamers (*cameo*), New Parts for James (*does not speak*), Who's Under the Coal Dust? - Emily (*does not speak*), Which Friends is in Which Shed? (*does not speak*), What Does Harold See? (*does not speak*), Happy or Sad? (*does not speak*) and Pulling Coaches (*does not speak*)

#### Videos

* **2014** - Welcome to the Island of Sodor Logan! (*stock footage cameo*)
* **2015** - Welcome to the Island of Sodor Sam! (*stock footage cameo*) and A Friendly Farewell (*cameo*)
* **2016** - Thomas & Friends in 4-D: Bubbling Boilers, Meet the Contenders: Percy of Sodor (*not named*) and Meet the Contenders: Thomas of Sodor
* **2017** - Shark Escape (*cameo*)
* **2018** - Meet the Characters! (*cameo*), Meet the New Steam Team, Still the Best of Friends (*cameo*), Animals Around the World, (*cameo*) and Different Ways to See the World (*cameo*), Why is Africa Important to Nia? (*cameo*) and Share a Selfie For Children In Need!
* **2019** - Meet Percy, Meet Rebecca, Meet James, Meet Emily, Meet Gordon and Meet Nia
* **2020** - Top 5 Jumps (*cameo*), Top 5 Animals (*cameo*), Top 5 Cranes (*cameo*), Top 5 Non-Railway Vehicles (*cameo*), Top 5 Songs (*does not speak*), Top 5 Crashes, Top 5 Coolest Engines (*cameo*), Top 5 Cheeky Thomas Moments (*cameo*), Top 5 Silliest Characters (*cameo*), Top 5 Scariest Moments, Super Bubble Thomas!, Thomas the Rubber Band, Thomas the Elephant (*mentioned*), Thomas and the Birthday Surprise and Thomas & Percy Teach Diesel to Share
* **2021** - The Hunt for Springtime Clues, Percy's Rainbow Surprise! (*mentioned*) and Thomas and the Chocolate Eggs

### Magazine Stories

* **1987** - Edward and Gordon (*cameo*), Thomas and the Trucks (*cameo*), Thomas and the Breakdown Train and James and the Coaches
* **1988** - James and the Troublesome Trucks, James and the Express, Thomas Goes Fishing, The Train Spotters (*mentioned*), Tenders and Turntables, Trouble in the Shed (*does not speak*), Percy Runs Away, Coal (*does not speak*), James and the Tar Wagons, Gordon Off the Rails (*does not speak*), Old Iron, Percy and the Signal, Duck Takes Charge, Pop Goes the Diesel (*not seen*), Dirty Work, A Close Shave (*mentioned*), Better Late Than Never, Break Van, Edward's Exploits, Thomas and the Blue Wheel, Percy Gets Jammed, The Deputation, Thomas's Present and Thomas's Christmas (*does not speak*)
* **1989** - An Important Visitor, Rumours and Speculation, A Surprise for Thomas, A Second Chance, Gordon's Express, In a Sulk, Pulling Together (*does not speak*), Diesel's Christmas, The Missing Holly! and The Party (*does not speak*)
* **1990** - Percy and the Dragon, Edward and the Express (*does not speak*), Timetable Trouble, The Express, A Passenger for James, Trouble on the Track and The Backlog
* **1991** - Daisy in Distress, Stick with Steam, Gordon Forgets, Duck's Service, Percy's Plight and Lost and Found
* **1992** - A Job for James, Looking Splendid!, Percy's Spooky Tooth, James's Task, Gordon's Spots!, Going Slowly! and Henry and the Holidaymakers!
* **1993** - Trevor to the Rescue!, Percy and the Parrot!, Roof Repairs!, The Wedding Engine! (*cameo*), The Viaduct! and First with the Food! (*mentioned*)
* **1994** - The New Station and Thomas Keeps a Secret!
* **1995** - Keeping Clean!, The Engine Parade!, Thomas's Bell! and A Desk for Daisy!
* **1996** - Proud Mavis!, Too Tired!, The Little Line, The Trouble With Mud!, Lost Property! (*does not speak*), Oliver's Mistake (*cameo*), Oliver's Mistake (*cameo*), The Brown Bear and Percy's Squeak! (*cameo*)
* **1997** - Henry's Busy Day (*does not speak*), Henry's Hills, Henry, 'Smile, Please!', April Fool!, The Flower Train, James, Star Story! and Size Wise
* **1998** - The Exhibition! (*does not speak*), Billy's Bones! (*cameo*), James Breaks the Rules, James' Hotel!, The Easter Cake! (*cameo*) and Christmas Crisis (*does not speak*)
* **1999** - Bill and Ben's Trick (*mentioned*), Duck and Diesel and Donald and Douglas
* **2000** - The End of the Rainbow!, Night Work (*cameo*), Rude James, The Milk Train, Harold's View, Henrietta's Holiday (*mentioned*), Lucky to be Lost! (*cameo*), The Lost Scarf (*does not speak*) and Painting the Shed
* **2001** - False Alarm, Diesel Day!, Choc-o-BoCo! (*cameo*), A Special Story About BoCo (*does not speak*), A Special Story About Snow! (*cameo*), Midnight Mavis, A Burst Balloon! (*cameo*) and Pulling the Post (*cameo*)
* **2002** - The Winning Shot (*cameo*), James and the Bees, Big Ideas!, Sodor Goes Pop!, The Blue Engine Club, Diesels and Steam Engines (*cameo*), Clean Up Chaos (*cameo*), A Snowy Reception (*does not speak*) and Diesel's Drums
* **2003** - New Year Cheer!, Feeling Fine, Tour of Sodor, Crane Strain! (*does not speak*), Books Aboard!, The Boatshow, Super Heroes! (*cameo*), A Foggy Friend (*cameo*), Harold's Bad Day (*cameo*), Gordon's Surprise, The Most Beautiful Station (*cameo*), Percy's Party! (*cameo*), Animal Antics!, Frozen Engine (*cameo*), Sandblasted! (*cameo*), Revving Racers (*does not speak*) and The Cat Controller!
* **2004** - Rocket Power, Fishy Business, Harvey to the Rescue!, Scrapes and Spills, Thank You, Thomas!, James and the Red Balloon, Scary Jack Frost, James' New Coat, Peep! Peep! Moo! Moo!, Holiday Hat, Daisy's Delight, Thomas Gets It Right, Percy to the Rescue (*cameo*), Harold's Bad Day (*cameo*), Henry's Forest, Sky Shapes, Place to Play, Toby's Troubles!, Edward to the Rescue! (*cameo*), Dirty Percy!, Emily's Day Out, Colour Quarrel!, A Frog in his Throat!, It's Only Snow! (*cameo*), Favourite Journey, The Big Wheel, The Train Trolley, The River Race, Engine Ball, Spotty Thomas, Missing Murdoch, Salty's Tales, Dazzling Diesel!, Sparks Fly (*cameo*), Thomas the Tortoise, Glider Rider (*cameo*) and Taking Off!
* **2005** - King Thomas, What's Cooking?, Winter Watch, Percy and the Magic Carpet (*cameo*), Emily's New Route, Three Kings, Spick and Span, Really Useful Colours, George's Little Joke, A Treat for Trying (*cameo*), Cat and Mouse, Glider Rider (*cameo*), A Jumbo-Sized Surprise (*cameo*), Relay Rescue, On the Beach, As Good as Gordon (*cameo*) and Something Fishy
* **2006** - Justice for James, Fun and James, Saving Edward (*cameo*), Thomas, Emily and the Snowplow (*cameo*), Old and Useful, Thomas and the New Engine and Thomas and the Statue (*cameo*)
* **2007** - A Job for James, The Santa Engine, Ding-a-Ling!, The Best Smile (*does not speak*), Autumn Leaves (*cameo*), Surprise Visitor (*cameo*) and Wheely Useful
* **2008** - Snow Trouble! (*cameo*), Track Race, Being Bright (*cameo*) and Thomas and the Lighthouse! (*does not speak*)
* **2009** - New Delivery and Thomas Saves the Day (*does not speak*)
* **2010** - Diesel's Special Delivery (*does not speak*), Magpie Mavis (*does not speak*), The Best Present of All (*cameo*), Early Bird (*speaks in speech bubble only*), Bubble Trouble, Christmas Dinner Diner, Big Ideas, Proud Puffers, Creaky Cranky (*does not speak*), Misty Island Rescue (*cameo*), Pulling the Post (*cameo*), Emily's Lucky Day (*does not speak*), Snow Tracks, Thomas and the Rainbow! (*does not speak*), Perfect Plough (*speaks in speech bubble only*) and Percy and the Magic Carpet (*cameo*)
* **2011** - Off Colour, Being Percy (*cameo*), Steam on Stamps, Smiles All Round, Misty Island Rescue (*cameo*), Ready, Jet Set, Go! (*cameo*), Watch the Clock, Really Red, The Flying Teapot (*does not speak*), Tickled Pink, Winter Wish (*does not speak*), Making Annie Smile, Steamy Sodor (*does not speak*), Snow Tracks (*cameo*), Party Time, Mirror, Mirror, Heave Ho Thomas! (*cameo*), Ready, Jet Set, Go! (*cameo*), Scrubbed Up, Creaky Cranky (*does not speak*) and Animal Adventure
* **2012** - Clever James, Rescue Team, Tender Trouble, Paint for Percy (*does not speak*), Thomas and the Pigs, Museum Mayhem (*possible cameo; may be seen as model only*), Early Bird (*mentioned*), The Railway Show (*does not speak*), The Fat Controller's Bedtime Story (Issue 643), Team Spirit Time!, Message Mix-Up!, Clock Countdown (*cameo*), Thomas and the Sound of Sodor (*does not speak*) and Keeping up with James
* **2013** - Muddy Matters, Flash! Crash! Wallop! (*does not speak*), Hover Bother!, Being Percy (*cameo*), James and the Giant Animals, Henrietta's Holiday (*mentioned*), Thomas the Spotter, Gordon Runs Dry (*speaks in speech bubble only*), The Railway Rink (*cameo*) and New Year Party (*cameo*)
* **2014** - Engine Trouble, The Royal Carriage, Muddy Matters, Fever!, Henry's Forest, Henry's Hero (*cameo*), Frozen Turntable (*does not speak*) and Steamy Sodor (*does not speak*)
* **2015** - Stinky James, Signals Crossed, No 'I' in Team (*mentioned*), Duck in the Water, Silent Puffing!, Spencer's Star (*mentioned*), The Perfect Present (*cameo*), Henrietta's Holiday (*mentioned*) and Diesel's Drums
* **2016** - Tickled Pink! and James' Ghost Train!
* **2017** - Engine Trouble, Steamy Sodor (*does not speak*) and Flash! Crash! Wallop! (*does not speak*)

James also appeared in the magazine stories, A Colourful Christmas, A Long Way Up!, A Special Story about Steam, Back-to-Front, Bricks and Tunnels, Building Blues!, Clever Climbers!, Coal Weather, Daisy's Day, Diesel's Drums, Diesel's Nasty Turn, Doctors and Nurses, Fast Food!, Fish and Fog!, Fishy Diesel!, Flying James, Gordon the Town Engine, Harvest, Jack Frost, James and Edward, James and the Cheese, Lazy Wheels, Leaves on the Line, Luggage, Party Time!, Percy's House, Picture Posters, Puzzles, Railway Open Day, Really Useful Edward, Rushing Around, Scaredy Puffer!, Sea Sick, Seeing Steam, Ship Ahoy!, Sodor's Strong Man, Special Passengers, Special Treats, The Best Band, The Best Engine, The Flower Dome, The Flyover!, The Haunted Mine, The Smartest Engine, The Smugglers, The Tiny Engine and The Very Important Job

### Annual Stories

* **1985** - Donald's Duck (*cameo*), Gale Warning and James' Rest Cure
* **1986** - Old Groaner
* **1987** - Signal Failure and Percy's Passengers
* **1988** - Percy and the Brake Van (*mentioned*), Responsibilities (*mentioned*) and Jack-in-the-Box
* **1989** - Trapped by Trees (*does not speak*)
* **1990** - Thomas and the Cricketers (*mentioned*), Old Square Wheels, Donald and the Breakaways and Points of No Return
* **1991** - Near Miss (*mentioned*) and Rusty Red Scrap Iron
* **1992** - Galloping Sausage
* **1993** - James' Traffic Jam and The Hut that Walked by Itself
* **1994** - James' Rest Cure
* **1995** - Easter Egg Special and Thank You, Thomas and Toby (*cameo*)
* **1996** - James Gets Cracking and Pantomime Pranks
* **1997** - Ice Magic (*not seen*), Rusty's Revenge and We Wish You a Merry Christmas! (*mentioned*)
* **1998** - Engines to the Rescue and The Star of the Show (*mentioned*)
* **1999** - Leaves on the Line
* **2000** - Slow Down, Thomas! (*mentioned*), Thomas the Famous Engine, The Flood (*does not speak*) and Star Engines (*does not speak*)
* **2001** - Very Special Engines (*does not speak*), Edward Saves the Day and Donald and Douglas (*cameo*)
* **2002** - A Special Day for Thomas, "That's the Way to Do It!" (*cameo*), The Really Useful Traction Engine and Percy's Dream (*does not speak*)
* **2013 Holiday Annual** - The Biggest Present of All (*cameo*)

### Books

* **2003** - Thomas, James and Cranky
* **2004** - Percy (*does not speak*), Oliver, Gordon (*cameo*) and Edward
* **2005** - Duck, Henry, Emily and Spencer
* **2006** - Molly and Harvey
* **2007** - Nevile and The Fat Controller
* **2008** - Whiff, Hector (*does not speak*) and The Snowy Special
* **2009** - Hank (*cameo*) and Stanley
* **2010** - Kevin, Hiro (*does not speak*), Troublesome Trucks and Victor
* **2011** - The Spring Surprise
* **2019** - Christmas in the Air! and Five Useful Engines
* **2020** - Thomas the Hero

### Audio Stories

* **2020** - Return to Sodor (*does not speak*), Thomas and the Beanstalk (*does not speak*), The Story of Thomas the Tank Engine, Happy Birthday Thomas!, The Story of Percy the Small Engine (*does not speak*), Who's Geoffrey?, Toad and the Whale (*not named; does not speak*), The Story of James the Funny Engine, The Story of Cranky the Crane, Thomas the Hero, Reds vs Blues, Thomas and the Dinosaurs, Thomas and the Gingerbread Train, Henry in the Dark, Thomas and the Runaway Pumpkins (*whistle only*), The Missing Christmas Decorations, Thomas and the Big Bad Storm, Christmas in the Air and Thomas and the Fairy God Engine
* **2021** - Thomas' Animal Ark

## Songs

* Will You Won't You (*performed*)
* Be Who You Are, and Go Far (*performed*)
* Somebody Has to be the Favourite (*performed*)
* The Most Important Thing is Being Friends (*performed*)
* Where in the World is Thomas? (*performed*)
* We're Friends (*performed*)

## Audio Files

### Whistles

Throughout the fourth series, in some scenes of the fifth series and Thomas The Tank Engine (Kids Station Game), James has Duck's whistle sound at seven steps higher in pitch.

In a Nick Jr. ad for Shining Time Station, James has a different whistle.

In the Leapfrog books, James is portrayed with a different whistle.

In 10 Stories from Thomas & Friends, James shares Thomas' whistle from the same sound book.

In Building the New Line, James has Henry's whistle at two steps higher in pitch.

In Thomas and Toby Narrated by Simon Prebble and the mobile app, Read and Play!, James has Henry's whistle at a lower pitch.

In the game Whistle and Peep, James has Stanley's whistle sound at a higher pitch.

## Trivia

* James is one of the two engines to be called a red nosed engine. The other being Thomas.
* Michael Angelis gives James a Liverpudlian accent in the UK version of the live-action model era, but when the show switched from live-action to CGI animation, he gains a Cockney Londoner accent given by Keith Wickham and Rob Rackstraw. In the US dub, he consistently has an American accent, with the exceptions of Ringo Starr's US narrations for the first two seasons, the US narration of Gordon and Spencer done by Michael Angelis where he has his iconic Liverpudlian accent, and in both dubs of The Great Discovery where Pierce Brosnan gave both him and Gordon much more upper class voices.
* James's catchphrase "Here's James!" seems to be a reference to Jack Torrance's catchphrase "Here's Johnny!" which is heard in the famous 1980 horror film *The Shining*.
* James' whistle is a synth version of Edward's whistle. A synth is a combination of two sounds to make a harmony. James' whistle is made up of Edwards whistle 1 pitch lower combined with a 7 pitch lower version.
* In the first series, James was formally introduced in *Thomas and the Breakdown Train*, which was said to have been his first day on the railway. However, he had appeared in every prior episode as a background character. This may have been done to populate the sets, similar to how the Märklin Engine was used in later episodes.
* A large scale working replica of James was built by BBC Visual Effects for a tour in 2003, along with Thomas, Percy, Harold and Jack. The battery-powered locomotive is listed in the 2004 Guinness Book of Records as the largest model railway engine ever built, at 2.64 x 1.5 x 6.52 metres.
* James has been shown to be quite popular among several people who worked on the series:
	+ Andrew Brenner has said in an interview that James is one of his favourite characters, along with Toby, Bill and Ben.
	+ Mara Wilson stated on Twitter that James was her favourite character.
	+ Sam Barlow has said in an interview that James is one of his favourite characters, along with Gordon, Victor and Kevin.
* In *Toby's New Whistle*, James revealed that he once had a three-chime steam whistle.
* Out of every character in the television series, James has had the most different liveries.
* From 2017-onwards, James is the only male member of the Steam Team - both original and new - to have the same voice actor in both English language dubs.
* In some international dubs, James' name was changed:
	+ In the French dub of the model series, James was known as *Jacques*.
	+ On early Spanish translations of the Random House books, James was known as *Jaime*.
* James' Wooden Railway, Wood, Plarail, Motor Road and Rail, Tomy and TrackMaster toys omit his pilot wheels, making him an 0-6-0 instead of a 2-6-0, much like the real members of his class.
* James is the only 2-6-0 (mogul) locomotive in the television series to be named and seen.
* Three of James' Wooden Railway toys (the original, lights and sounds and Team Colours variants) were among the toys that were part of the Lead Paint Crisis in 2005.
* Plarail Taking Thomas uses James' Season 4-5 whistle sound.

## Quotes

*“Hello, I'm James. the number five red engine. I'm the brightest red engine on Sodor. Mind my paintwork.”*
―James' website audio
*“Here's James!”*
―James' catchphrase
*“I'm a splendid engine. Ready for anything. You never see my paint get dirty.”*
―James to Toby in Dirty Objects
*“Pulling the mail train is a job for a small engine, like Percy, not a splendid tender engine like me!”*
―James to Thomas in The Smelly Kipper
*“I'm the fastest red engine on Sodor!”*
―James' second catchphrase
*“Practice make perfect and that's what I am PERFECT”*
―James to Thomas in Emily to the Rescue
*“Shiny and Clean, Shiny and Clean!”*
―James in James and the Queen of Sodor

## Video

Thomas & Friends UK Meet the Characters - James! Videos for Kids

UK Narration

Meet The Steam Team Meet James Thomas & Friends

US Narration

## See also

* James in *The Railway Series*
* James in *All Engines Go*

## References

1. ↑ T&F Storytime "The Story of James the Funny Engine"
2. ↑ T&F S1 "James and the Express"
3. ↑ T&F S2 "Dirty Work"
4. ↑ T&F S3 "Buzz, Buzz"
5. ↑ T&F S3 "Buzz, Buzz"
6. ↑ T&F "Thomas and the Magic Railroad"
7. ↑ T&F S21 "The Fastest Red Engine on Sodor"
8. ↑ T&F S24 "James the Super Engine"
9. ↑ The Adventure Begins

Expand

**North Western Railway**Expand

**The Main Line**Expand

**Steam Team**