Thomas the Tank Engine series | Children's Books Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Thomas the Tank Engine series 1,473pages on Thomas the Tank Engine series Author: Description About The Railway Series (now better known as The Thomas the Tank Engine series) is a set of story books about a fictional railway system located on the fictional Island of Sodor and the engines that lived on it. There are currently 41 books in the series, the first being published in 1945. Twenty-six were written by Rev. W. Awdry up to 1972. From 1983 to 1996 a further fourteen were written by his son, Christopher Awdry . Nearly all of The Railway Series stories were based upon real-life events. As a lifelong railway enthusiast, Rev. W. Awdry was keen that his stories should be as realistic as possible. The engine characters were almost all based upon real classes of locomotive, and some of the railways themselves were directly based upon real lines in the British Isles. There have been several television series made out of them. Audio adaptations of The Railway Series have been recorded at various times under the title The Railway Stories.

There is also a musical inspired by the Railway Series, Starlight Express. The books The books are written for small children. Every book has trains in, with each train being able to talk and think like a human. Each train is given its own unique character. The books are very famous for their illustrations, with some people claiming that the illustrations give the books their unique charm, and not the actual stories themselves. Authors Twenty-six books were written by Rev. W. Awdry up to 1972. From 1983 to 1996 a further fourteen were written by his son, Christopher Awdry. Illustrators William Middleton : Illustrated the first ever book, but Rev. W. Awdry did not like his illustrations, so he was dumped. Reginald Payne : Illustrated Thomas the Tank Engine, but was not available for the next book, even though Rev. W. Awdry wanted him back. C. Reginald Dalby : Dalby illustrated the next eight books in the series. The Three Railway Engines was reprinted with Dalby's artwork replacing William Middleton's and he also touched up the artwork for the second book.

His work on the series proved popular with readers, but not so with the author, who repeatedly clashed with him over issues of accuracy and consistency. Dalby resigned from the series in 1956, following an argument over the portrayal of Percy the Small Engine in the book of the same name. Despite the tempestuous relationship with Awdry, he is probably the best remembered of the series' artists. John T. Kenney : His style was less colourful but more realistic than Dalby's. As a result of his commitment to realism and technical accuracy, he enjoyed a far more comfortable working relationship with Awdry, which lasted until Gallant Old Engine (1962), when his eyesight began to fail him. He was not as nearly as popular as C. Reginald Dalby with fans however. Gunvor Edwards & Peter Edwards : The artist initially chosen to replace him was the Swedish-born artist Gunvor Edwards. She began illustrating Stepney the "Bluebell" Engine, but felt unsuited to the work. She was assisted for that volume by her husband Peter, who effectively took over from then on.

Both artists retained credit for the work, and the "Edwards era" lasted until Wilbert Awdry's last volume, Tramway Engines. The style used in these volumes was still essentially realistic, but had something of an impressionist feel. Clive Spong : Illustrated all of Christopher Awdry's books. Reader's Reviews Please add your review here. Books in the series 1000+ images about Thomas the Tank Engine on Pinterest | Thomas the tank, Thomas the train and Engine Sodor is a fictional island in the Irish Sea used as the setting for The Railway Series books by the Rev. W. Awdry, and later used in the Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends television series See More Thomas | Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Main article: Thomas in the Railway Series Details of Thomas' arrival on the North Western Railway in 1915 are more or less undocumented. There is no official explanation to how he arrived on the island. However, the most popular rumour (according to Sodor: Reading Between the Lines ) is that he was sent to Sodor due to a war-time mix up.

Instead of returning to the south coast of England when the problem was sorted, both his driver and fireman married local girls and decided to stay. Sir Topham Hatt purchased Thomas for a "nominal fee". Bio in the television series Thomas the Tank Engine started his life on the Island of Sodor as a cheeky little engine who shunted coaches for the Main Line engines, such as Henry and Gordon . He liked to play tricks on them, including Gordon, "the biggest and proudest engine of all". He was taught a lesson when Gordon tricked him into being coupled to him during his express run. Tired out, he vowed never to tease Gordon again, realising he did not have to be important. Soon he desired to pull his own passenger train too, much to the bemusement of the other engines. He got his chance when Henry became ill, and no one could pull the passenger train. However, Thomas was so excited that he accidentally left his train and his passengers behind, believing he was pulling it easily. He soon realised his mistake and returned to pull the train. The engines laughed at him, though, and soon Thomas wanted to get out of the shunting yards and see the world.

Edward offered him a chance to pull trucks, and Thomas excitedly took the job, not realising how troublesome trucks could be. The trucks pushed him down Gordon's Hill into a siding, where the Fat Controller told him to practice so that one day he would become as good as Edward. Thomas soon proved himself when he rescued James after his accident with the trucks, using the Breakdown Train . As a reward for his quick and heroic action, the Fat Controller promised him his own branch line. Thrilled, Thomas soon began running his branch line with his two new coaches, Annie and Clarabel , who he grew to love very much. He soon considered his branch line to be the most important part of the entire railway, a fact he would constantly remind the other engines of. However, he continued to make mistakes and dream big, and sometimes this got him into trouble, such as when he was so impatient that he left his guard behind at Elsbridge or when he wanted to fish, not realising the implications of a fish being in his boiler.

His greatest mistake was when he got his snowplough broken in the winter and ended up stuck in a snow drift, having to be rescued by Terence , whom he had insulted earlier for not having "real" wheels. He soon proved himself again, though, when he beat Bertie the bus in a great race. He quickly became friends with both Terence and Bertie, despite their differences. Although Thomas' branch line was indeed the pride of the line, on the main line, things were not going well for the Fat Controller, who was having to deal with Gordon, Henry, and James' sulking, refusing to do Thomas' former work of shunting themselves. After they went on strike, Thomas was brought back to help alongside Edward and their new friend, Percy, who quickly became Thomas' closest friend. Thomas also became friends with Toby after he was asked by the Fat Controller to help their railway avoid a lawsuit from a rude policeman. But Thomas still had some cheekiness in him, returning to teasing Gordon after Gordon slid into a ditch. He soon needed Gordon's help after he blatantly went past a danger sign and fell down a mine. They soon became friends after that and promised never to tease each other again. Thomas and Toby later helped Mrs.

Kyndley at her cottage after she was snowed in and helped her celebrate Christmas with a very special Christmas party. The following year, Thomas shared a shed on his branch line with Percy and Toby. However, he became conceited about his brilliant blue paint and soon paid the price when Percy accidentally caused a coal hopper to pour coal all over him. Thomas was angry at Percy, but the two friends soon made up after Percy had an accident with some coal trucks. Thomas soon met Trevor , a friend of Edward 's, who proved his usefulness when he helped Thomas at the newly constructed harbor. Unfortunately, Thomas became ill a few months later and had to be sent to the Works , while Duck looked after his branch line. When Thomas came back, his brakes were stiff, and made it seem as if they were hard on. As a result, one day, when his fireman was ill, a substitute accidentally caused Thomas to run away, and Harold had to help stop him. Later, when the Viaduct needed to be repaired, the main line engines became late to drop off Thomas' passengers and, as a result, made him late for Bertie .

Thomas continued to be of great service to Sir Topham Hatt's railway, although he still remained a cheeky little engine. Thomas later became conceited again when he took his driver 's compliment to heart and believed he no longer needed him to work his branch line. This was untrue, but Thomas was too puffed up with himself to not believe it and, one morning, found himself rolling along the line, when a cleaner had accidentally started him up. He soon broke into a stationmaster 's house and ruined the family's breakfast. He had to be rescued by Donald and Douglas . As a result, the Fat Controller angrily sent him to the works again. He arrived back a few weeks later just in time to take over for a battered Percy, who just had a predicament with some trucks. The following Christmas, Thomas was eager to sing carols with the other engines, but had to pick up a Christmas tree for the Fat Controller. Unfortunately, on his way back, he was caught in a snow drift and was lost. Donald and Douglas soon rescued him in time to sing carols with all his friends. Persona Thomas is rather cheeky, but is good at heart and generally behaves well, except when he is getting into mishap.

He loves teasing the others and, on occasion, brags about his superiority, but is always brought down to earth in due course. If Thomas has one major character flaw, it is that he is forgetful, and slightly impatient. However, he is also optimistic and idealistic. Although their friendship has been turbulent at times, Percy is generally portrayed as Thomas' best friend, especially in the television series. Basis Thomas is based on the Billington E2-Class 0-6-0T locomotives built for the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway between 1913 and 1916. He is apparently one of the last batch built as only these engines featured his distinctive extended-side-tanks, projecting forward over the leading wheels and little downsweeps at each end of footplate. The E2s were introduced in 1915 to replace earlier members of the E1 class, which had been scrapped. The last five in the ten strong class had extended side tanks to give a greater water capacity, but all engines had two inside cylinders and driving wheels 4'6" in diameter.

After so many years of service, all of the Billington E2s, both original and modified, spent their last working years at Southampton Docks and they were all scrapped by 1963, the very last pair being Nos 31204 and 31209, the latter being amongst the last batch. Thomas has a slight modification of having wheel splashers over his front wheels whereas the original E2s did not. Livery Thomas is painted in the North Western Railway's standard blue livery with red-and-yellow lining and the number "1" painted on his tank sides in yellow with a red border. In the Railway Series, he carries two builder's plates on the sides of his cab. In the first three seasons of the television series, Thomas also had red lining on the back of his bunker. However, when characters received new models in 1994, the lining had been excluded for unknown reasons. Running plate Thomas's running-plate was allegedly a source of some contention to the Reverend W. Awdry during the course of the Railway Series. As originally drawn, it had a distinctive dip at the front, but none at the back.

The story goes that, to Awdry's eyes, this meant that Thomas' buffers would be at different levels, an operational inaccuracy and impossibility. This seems curious on Awdry's part, as all the artists had drawn Thomas as having an extra-deep rear bufferbeam to compensate, thus putting the front and rear buffers at the same level. Be it a matter of taste or inaccuracy, the issue of the running-plate had to be settled: thus Thomas' excursion into the Stationmaster's house at Ffarquhar was arranged. After his repairs at Crovan's Gate , Thomas returned with a new running plate that was flat and level from smokebox to bunker. The E2's on which Thomas was based had dipped running-plates at both front and rear and the Hornby Thomas model displays these features, having been retooled from a set of moulds formerly used by Hornby to make E2 models. His television counterpart, however, retains the unique forward-dipped running plate. Too much Thomas? While he may seem innocent enough, poor Thomas created a fair bit of trouble for Christopher Awdry and Egmont Books , publishers of the Railway Series, when the latter started asking for more books about the happy little tank engine.

Granted, Thomas was the most popular character in the original Railway Series books, but Egmont went too far and thus the problem continues. With the advent of the television series, Egmont started asking for more Thomas and to this day Thomas has eight Railway Series volumes under his undercarriage. Two of the titles actually have very little to do with Thomas - Thomas Comes Home dealt with the adventures of the branch line engines during Thomas' visit to York, while Thomas and the Fat Controller's Engines only featured one story about Thomas, although he did appear in two of the other three stories. As a result of Thomas' fame, classic characters like Oliver and Bear have become largely neglected. Thomas and the toddler When the Reverend W. Awdry created Thomas, he 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 was based on a LNER J50 or a Hudswell Clarke with smaller side tanks and splashers. He was painted blue with yellow lining, and carried the letters "NW" on its side tanks. Awdry claimed that this stood for "No Where", but later works would identify the railway Thomas and his friends worked on as the North Western Railway .

Oh, the Payne For the illustrations of Thomas the Tank Engine, Edmund Ward , then-publisher of the Railway Series, hired illustrator Reginald Payne , who decided to base Thomas on the LB&SCR E2 Class. (Awdry was annoyed that Thomas was obviously not the tank engine he had first drawn, but was satisfied when Payne explained that he was drawn after a real prototype). Unfortunately, Payne did not receive any credit for his work; it is only since the publication of Brian Sibley 's The Thomas the Tank Engine Man that he has received recognition. Thomas on the big screen In 2000, Thomas made it to cinemas in the box-office flop Thomas and the Magic Railroad , in which he was voiced by Edward Glen . He was the only engine from the television series to play a major role in the story, and even left Sodor briefly. Popular culture The Nene Valley Railway at Peterborough, England, was the first railway in the world to possess a full-scale replica "Thomas", an industrial tank engine built by Hudswell Clarke so nicknamed for its blue livery and resemblance to the famous tank engine. In 1971 the name was made official by the Reverend W. Awdry.

Other tank engines the world over have since been dressed up as Thomas. Some railways have even gone so far as to rebuild locomotives to produce a better replica. Unfortunately this has created a divide between preservationists: some claim it disfigures historic locomotives and trivializes the preservation movement, others say it attracts visitors and can potentially spark an interest in railways amongst young children. A "real Thomas" (built for The All Aboard Live Tour ) was used in a special play staged to celebrate the eightieth birthday of Queen Elizabeth II , starring beloved characters from children's literature. In the play, Thomas was used to convey Sophie Dahl, the granddaughter of the late Roald Dahl, to center stage, and was greeted by thunderous applause and cheers from the audience of two thousand children and their parents. Another "Real Thomas" is used during "A Day Out With Thomas" events where people actually ride in his passenger coaches and get their pictures taken with Sir Topham Hatt. Additional attractions include petting zoos, pony rides, story telling, viewing of "Thomas and Friends" videos, and temporary tattoos. There are stage performances called Thomas the Tank Engine Live , where people get to see Thomas and his friends perform on stage.

Three different plays have been made - "Thomas Saves the Day", "A Circus Comes to Town", and "Thomas Saves the Day". Appearances Ultimate Guide to Thomas the Tank Engine | HowStuffWorks Ultimate Guide to Thomas the Tank Engine NEXT PAGENEXT Copyright Gullane (Thomas) Limited. A HIT Entertainment Company Thomas is the most famous fictional locomotive in the world. See more children's television show pictures . Thomas the Tank Engine is the most widely known fictional locomotive in the world. For 60 years, Thomas and his friends have been delighting children and adults alike with stories of exploration and imagination. With his slightly "cheeky" attitude and can-do outlook, Thomas leads his friends and kids everywhere on adventures that teach timeless lessons such as discovery, friendship, and cooperation. With the help of Britt Allcroft, the producer who created the Thomas the Tank Engine television, film, and licensing franchise, we take a look inside Thomas the Tank Engine -- his fascinating history, his cross-continental television series, and his cast of characters, all as we find out what's in store for the future.

Up Next Ultimate Guide to 'The Incredibles' "Thomas is a blue tank engine who lives at a big station on the Island of Sodor. He's a cheeky little engine with six small wheels, a short, stumpy funnel, a short, stumpy boiler, and a short, stumpy dome." So goes the Storyteller's introduction in the very first episode of "Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends" for television. But let's go back to the beginning and uncover the origins of the world's favorite little engine. Thomas the Tank Engine is a "true blue" engine who proudly wears "#1" on his side. He and his railway friends have been working the railways on the Island of Sodor for more than 60 years. Thomas is a Really Useful Engine -- which is the highest compliment that the railway director, the Fat Controller (a.k.a. Sir Topham Hatt), offers to an engine -- and though he sometimes gets into trouble, he always comes out on top. He usually learns a really useful lesson in the process. But did you know Thomas wasn't the very first train in the "Thomas & Friends" stories? It's true. The English television series and its U.S.

counterpart are based on "The Railway Series" books by the Reverend Wilbert Awdry (1911-1997). The first book by Rev. Awdry followed the stories of three engines: Edward, Gordon, and Henry. Thomas didn't even exist until two years later. The late Rev. Awdry was a lifelong railroad enthusiast and an Anglican clergyman. He was inspired to create "The Railway Series" stories by the steam engines he had grown up around. Awdry said, as quoted on the official Awdry Family Website, "I, along with my brother George, inherited our father's love of railways, and after moving to Box, Wiltshire, in 1917, our house was within sight and sound of the Great Western Railway's main line near Middle Hill. I used to lie in bed at night, listening to the engines struggling up the hill to Box tunnel, and imagining that they were talking to themselves." In 1942, Awdry's young son Christopher came down with a bad case of the measles. Awdry amused his son with original stories and rhymes during the long days of his recovery.

His tales of the trains of Sodor proved to be Christopher's favorites. As chronicled in Wikipedia's entry on "The Railway Series," the first of these stories to be written down was called "Edward's Day Out," about a little old engine named Edward who hadn't been out of the yard and on the rails for a long time. Awdry wrote another story featuring Edward that also introduced Gordon, a proud and boastful engine who eventually got his comeuppance. A third tale, titled "The Sad Story of Henry," was about a silly engine who thinks the rain will spoil his lovely paint. He won't come out of a tunnel and ends up bricked up inside it. This story also introduced the Fat Controller. Awdry decided it was time to commit the stories to print after Christopher kept correcting his father during his frequent retellings. Awdry drew simple companion illustrations as well -- pictures of the engines with human faces on them -- each with a different expression. Encouraged by his wife to "do something" with his stories, Awdry sent them to various children's publishers. After many rejection letters, he finally found a publisher willing to take the stories to print.

At the publisher's request, Awdry wrote a fourth short story, "Edward, Gordon, and Henry," which brought the three engines together and released Henry from imprisonment in the tunnel. These were published in one volume, "The Three Railway Engines," in 1945. Shortly after the first stories were finished, Awdry began the idea for a new engine. Christmas 1942 saw the birth of the character that would become the favorite locomotive of many children and adults. Awdry constructed a toy tank engine for Christopher as a Christmas gift, which he named "Thomas." Of course, stories about Thomas soon followed, and were eventually collected and published in 1946 as "Thomas the Tank Engine." One important and fascinating element of the stories is their basis in fact. Awdry always felt it was important to model his fictional stories and characters around real-life trains and events as much as possible.

A few examples of actual incidents recreated in "The Railway Series" include: an engine slipping on excess leaves on the track, a newspaper and bootlaces being used to repair a leaking brake pipe, a cow and her calf charging a moving train, and the inspiration for very first Thomas story -- in which an over-eager Thomas heads out of the station without being coupled to any train cars. Awdry looked to real life for his trains, too. An obscure 0-6-0T Class E2 shunting engine built for the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway was the model for Thomas. Gordon was based on a Gresley A3 Pacific from the London and North Eastern Railway. Percy was pattered after an old Avonside locomotive, and the Scottish Twins, Donald and Douglas, are based on members of the 812 Caledonian class of 1899. (A meticulous accounting of the connections between "Railway Series" stories and real events is maintained at the Real Stories Website .) The Reverand Awdry continued to write a new book nearly every year until he retired in 1972.

His son Christopher -- now grown and with a son of his own -- took up the writing of the series soon after. He followed the template his father had used before him. He wrote three short stories (this time about Thomas, Percy, and Duck) and then brought them all together in a final story. His first book was titled "Really Useful Engines." The younger Awdry wrote an additional 40 stories and was instrumental in bringing the popular series to the small screen. Like his father before him, Christopher was also quite adamant that his stories be set in real time and based in real-life events. Consequently, his stories introduced "The Railway Series" readers to more modern machines with the high-speed trains Pip and Emma, and Harold the Helicopter. Interestingly, neither Rev. Awdry nor his son Christopher ever envisioned Thomas as the star of the books. In fact, at the time the television series began, there had only been two books named after Thomas specifically. Rather, the Awdrys treated the characters in the books as an ensemble and wrote about many different characters, some recurring and others appearing only in one or two stories.

Encouragement from fans and pressure from publishers and producers eager to capitalize on the tank engine's fame convinced the Awdrys to focus the spotlight on Thomas. The result is the worldwide phenomenon we know today. Sadly for Thomas fans, the original "Railway Series" books are currently out of print, but copies may be found online and at used booksellers. The good news is, Thomas and his friends are as close as your television. In the next section, we'll look into Thomas's very popular television show. 1 Thomas & Friends Toys – Toot Toot Toys - Items tagged as "Clearance" Thomas & Friends If you have ever driven through Centre Road at Bentleigh East, you have seen our store front of Toot Toot Toys. We are a popular toy shopping destination in Victoria and we offer toys of every brand that you have ever heard of. We offer toys from Lego, Bruder, Schleich and Brio Toys. Our store is fully equipped to handle young children with a child play area. To make your shopping experience even better, we also have a barista made coffee offering. Of the many brands that we offer, we want to talk to you about one of our top selling brands, Thomas & Friends.

Almost every toy manufacturer offers train sets. It’s almost like an essential toy. There are some brands which focus almost exclusively on making train related toys. Brio Toys is one such toy maker who makes excellent train toys. Then, we have the Thomas & Friends toys. The Story So why is he called "Thomas the Tank Engine"? A tank engine really has nothing to do with the tanks that are used in war. Actually, a tank engine is a type of train system where the locomotive (the main part of the train that pulls the rest of the coaches) contains the fuel as well as water with it. This is called a tank engine. Thomas & Friends is a fictional character in ‘The Railway Series’ books by Reverend Wilbert Awdry. The books were very popular and eventually, a television show called “Thomas and Friends” was brought to life. That is when Thomas & Friends character became really popular. In fact, the show started in the year 1984 and continues to have new episodes made even today. With such a popular Thomas & Friends show, and long running, kids are bound to love these characters. Hence, Thomas & Friends toys came into toy stores all over the world.

Thomas & Friends Toys The Thomas & Friends toys that are sold featuring Thomas & Friends are found under the brand name “Thomas and Friends”, which is the name of the TV show. Here, we will share with you the most popular category of Thomas & Friends toys and merchandise that are available from our retail store as well as our online store. Books If you are looking for something that really gives your children an insight excellent storytelling that has enthralled millions of kids around the world, get Thomas & Friends books today. These book were written with rich detail. They are fictional but they reflect the real world like no other kids books will ever do. We have the entire Thomas & Friends collection at our store and we are sure, the Thomas & Friends books will make for some quality reading time for you and your kids. The most popular books at our store would be ‘Thomas & Friends My Busy Books’, ‘Thomas & Friends Stuck on Stories’ and ‘Victor the Busy Engine – My Thomas Library’. Games and Puzzles Thomas & Friends brand also offers a lot of games and puzzles, along with toys.

In this category, you will find Stacking Puzzles, board games, clock games and even building blocks that are similar to what you might find with Lego bricks. There are also kid’s specific card games that can really get those parties going when other kids come over to play. Our top selling Games and Puzzles from Thomas & Friends are ‘Thomas & Friends Fish Card Game’, ‘Thomas & Friends Snap Card Game’ and ‘Thomas & Friends – I Remember Game’. Thomas Wooden Railway This category is where Thomas & Friends toys become really colorful. The entire book series of Thomas & Friends is based on trains and the fictional ‘Island of Sodor’. The island filled with locomotives, cranes, multiple engine types (many of these based on real world train engines) and a huge collection of train tracks. Each and every one of these characters are available in Thomas & Friends toys form. Many of these characters are also borrowed from the hugely popular television show. If you or your kids read the books or watch the TV show, you really want to play with them. This is your chance to get all those Thomas & Friends characters in your home.

Our bestselling Thomas Wooden Railway toys are ‘Diesel 10 – Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway’, ‘Straight & Curved Expansion Pack – Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway’ and ‘Henry – Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway’. Thomas Minis You already like the Thomas & Friends toys. The books, the television show and the whole setup. Imagine if they were smaller? You don’t have to imagine because the company that makes Thomas & Friends toys actually offers ‘minis’. Yes, we have the Thomas & Friends ‘minis’ at our store. Minis are just like their regular sized counterparts but tiny. The mini collection is sold as waves, and they are supposed to be used together. There are two waves that are currently offered, and ideally you should buy both of them. You can individual mini toys as well, but since they are so small, it’s good to buy them in sets. Other than the above toys from Thomas & Friends, we also offer other toys from Thomas & Friends such as Take-n-Play, 70th Anniversary Specials, Mega Bloks and Partyware. Buying From Us You read about our great collection of Thomas & Friends toys. Other than Thomas & Friends, we also sell toys from other brands.

There are two ways you can buy these toys from us. We will be happy have your visit our fully kids ready store in Victoria. If you are unable to visit the store in person, you can place orders for our collection of toys through our online store. Our Thomas & Friends online store is open round the clock and we are available through email and phone to answer any queries you might have. Whether online or at our store, you will get the best shopping experience. We have excellent shipping facilities to go with our online store. Shop for Thomas & Friends toys today. Sort by Learn More About Thomas & Friends | Thomas & Friends THE STORY OF THOMAS & FRIENDS 1911 Wilbert Vere Awdry was born on 15th June, 1911 to Vicar and railway enthusiast Reverend V. Awdry and his wife Lucy in Ampfield, Hampshire U.K. 1916 In the English countryside, a young Wilbert listens to the puffing of nearby steam engines and as he imagines their conversations, he doesn’t doubt that these engines have their own unique personalities.

1942 Now a father himself, the storyteller is inspired to “engineer” tales about these steam engines to entertain his own young son when he was in bed with the measles. These original stories were told over and over again until, pressed by Christopher to be more consistent with the details, the Rev. W. Awdry finally scribbled the stories on scraps of paper. At Christmas, Awdry built Christopher a model of Thomas and Edward, and some wagons and coaches out of a broomstick and scraps of wood. 1945 Upon the persistence of his wife, Margaret, Awdry wrote the first book of “Railway Series,” entitled “The Three Railway Engines.” Within a few months, 45,000 copies were sold. 1950 During a visit to the Isle of Man, Wilbert discovers the official title of the Bishop of the Isle of Man was “Lord Bishop of Sodor and Man.” Rev. W. Awdry wonders whether an island between the Isle of Man and the mainland would be suitable location for his stories.

He decided upon the name “Sodor” which lies between the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea and Barrow-in-Furness on the British Mainland. 1957 The first consumer products come to market, released alongside “The Railway Series” books. Four full-colour printed cardboard kits or “pre-cut model engine books” were produced whose pieces could be pressed out, folded and glued together to make realistic models of the engines. The engines included Thomas, with Annie the Coach, Percy with Clarabel the Coach, Gordon the Big Engine and his Tender and James the Red Engine and his Tender. 1967 Meccano becomes one of the first companies to release a train toy set featuring a clockwork model of Percy (with a likeness to Percy in the books) with some trucks and a circle of blue plastic track. 1972 “Tramway Engines” becomes the last book to be published and the Rev. W. Awdry retires from writing children’s fiction. He has written 105 stories in a 26-volume series. 1979 Rev. W.

Awdry meets television producer, Britt Allcroft at the Bluebell Railway in Sussex during the recording of a short documentary and having read the books, is inspired to bring the stories to television. 1981 Television rights are negotiated with publishers Kaye &amp; Ward and funds are raised to finance the production of the series. Britt Allcroft viewed a number of animation styles and settled upon an innovative new “live action model animation” process she felt would do justice to “The Railway Series.” 1982 A chance encounter with an engine driver presented Christopher Awdry an opportunity to continue the series. The train driver’s tales of an ill-fated train rescue inspired Christopher to duly turn this into a “Thomas” story for his son, Richard. 1983 Three more tales were created by Christopher Awdry and “Really Useful Engines” was published in the autumn. A book was written and published every year until 1995. 1984 Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends, a new animated production for preschoolers , makes its broadcast debut on ITV in the U.K. and enjoyed instant success, attracting an audience of 8.5 million children and adults.

A very special passenger hops aboard as former Beatles member, Ringo Starr, joins the Thomas the Tank Engines & Friends television series as storyteller for 52 episodes – the first of several famous storytellers to come. 1985 Hornby acquires the license for Thomas and produces two electric railway systems and a series of engines, tracks and accessories. 1989 Next stop, America! Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends pulls in to the U.S. and debuts on PBS (Public Broadcasting Service). 1991 Japan is the next international stop for Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends. Michael Angelis takes over from Ringo Starr as storyteller and narrates 13 series of Thomas for the U.K. 1996 Thomas the Tank™ Engine travels all the way to Wisconsin for the first U.S. Day Out With Thomas™ family event. Day Out With Thomas offers aspiring young engineers and their families the opportunity to take a ride with a 15-ton replica of their classic storybook friend, Thomas the Tank Engine, and enjoy a day of Thomas and train-themed activities and entertainment. Thomas finds his way online as launches. Rev. W.

Awdry is awarded an OBE in the 1996 New Year’s Honours List. 1997 Rev. W. Awdry died peacefully on 27th March. 1998 Thomas goes off the rails as a Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends theme park, Thomas Land, opens at Fujikyu Highland Theme Park in Japan. 2000 Thomas and the Magic Railroad, the property’s first feature-length film release, rolls into movie theaters worldwide. 2002 Another famous voice takes a ride with Thomas when actor Alec Baldwin narrates new Thomas episodes in the United States. 2003 Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends is shortened to Thomas & Friends. 2005 Thomas & Friends celebrates its 60th anniversary with a year of activities, including the national Day Out With Thomas 2005: The Celebration Tour, a feature-length home entertainment release, “Calling All Engines,” new television episodes, and limited edition toys and books. 2007 Thomas takes to the stage when Thomas & Friends Live! On Stage launches the first U.S. live theatrical tour of Thomas & Friends. Following its U.S. run, the tour travels internationally to Asia, Australia, Europe and Canada.

Thomas Town, the first U.S. theme park attraction for the Thomas & Friends brand opens at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in San Francisco and Six Flags New England. Actor Pierce Brosnan announced as new special guest narrator of Thomas & Friends. 2008 Thomas Land, a $10 million theme park featuring 12-themed rides, opens at Drayton Manor in the U.K. This Thomas Land attraction, replicating the Island of Sodor, is the first in Europe and the second in the world. Thomas enters the Guinness Book of World Records for The World’s Longest Toy Train Track set by TOMY and HIT Entertainment at Thomas Land at Drayton Manor in the U.K. The track took two weeks to design, two days to build, and two and a half hours for Thomas to steam around 1.8 kilometers of track! 2009 Hero of the Rails debuts as the first feature-length Thomas & Friends home entertainment release in CG animation and to celebrate, celebrity premiere events are held in London for the first time at VUE Cinemas in Leicester Square. Thomas & Friends™ Live! On Stage: A Circus Comes to Town debuts in the U.S. visiting more than 50 cities from January through August.

2010 Thomas & Friends celebrates its 65th anniversary around the world with new CG-animated television episodes and a new CG-animated website. The special event was also marked with a year-long “Making Tracks to Great Destinations” campaign, including a special limited edition 65th anniversary book published by Egmont U.K., a 65th party extravaganza at Thomas Land and a special “Thomas month” at Hamleys where a Guinness World Record was broken for The World’s Longest Cake Train. New global master toy partner Fisher-Price and new master construction partner Mega roll out new lines of Thomas & Friends toys. Thomas & Friends launches its first mobile applications for iPhone® and iPod touch® and its first application dedicated to the iPad®. The apps chart in the top 10 paid apps for kids in their first weeks of launch. Random House releases e-book versions of favourite Thomas & Friends titles. 2011 The CG-animated feature Day of the Diesels is released spotlighting the classic rivalry between the Diesel engines and the Steam engines on the Island of Sodor. The musical stage show, Thomas & Friends Live! Thomas Saves the Day visits more than 33 cities in the U.S.

2011 Thomas steams into the record books again as Japan takes back the World Record for the Longest Train Track at Fuji-Q Highland theme park using track from Tomy’s toy railroad Plarail Thomas series. 2012 Thomas & Friends is acquired by Mattel, Inc. and becomes one of Mattel’s top five core brands. 2013 Thomas & Friends moves to a new national daily schedule on PBS KIDS® in the U.S. reaching nearly 110 million households. Thomas & Friends also launches a microsite on PBSKIDS.org and on the PBS KIDS mobile app. A new Thomas Wooden Railway™ line is launched worldwide by Fisher-Price®. Thomas Town opens in China. 2014 Thomas & Friends wins ‘Best Classic Licensed Property’ at The Licensing Awards in London, UK beating some tough competition including Barbie, Doctor Who and Batman. A 50 foot long Thomas holding 20,000 cubic feet of helium takes part in Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade for the first time ever! Percy joins Thomas at selected Day Out With Thomas events across North America.

2015 Thomas & Friends celebrates 70 years since the very first book of the series, "The Three Railway Engines" was published on 12th May 1945. Fictional locations in Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends | Scratchpad | Fandom powered by Wikia Fictional locations in Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends 219,247pages on Share There are many fictional locations in Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends, the television series based on The Railway Series of children's books by the Rev. W. Awdry and his son Christopher . They are all located on the Island of Sodor . Contents [ show ] The Island of Sodor in the Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends television series differs significantly from that in The Railway Series books. The comprehensive history and geography of the island and its railways, developed by the Rev. Awdry and his brother George to ensure consistent portrayal in the stories, has largely been ignored. The television version of Sodor appears considerably larger, and has far more industry. It does not appear to be connected to the Mainland. Furthermore, the portrayal of the island has varied between series as different models have been used over the years.

The TV series features a number of stations and railway installations at towns and villages with names based on locations from the books. However, apart from the names, they have little or nothing else in common. This is a summary of the locations as they appear in the television series. For the very different perspective of The Railway Series, see Fictional Locations (The Railway Series) (direct links are also provided below, where appropriate). Towns and Villages Arlesburgh For The Railway Series article, see Arlesburgh Arlesburgh is a town standing on either side of the River Arle estuary. There are two railway stations in the town the main one being Arlesburgh West on the North Western Railway and is the terminus of Duck's branch line . This is also the terminus of the Arlesdale Railway , and was once served by the Mid Sodor Railway . The other station is Arlesburgh Bridge Street and is served only by trains on the Arlesdale Railway. The town is a popular tourist destination on Sodor, largely because of the Arlesdale Railway. It is also an ancient port which once boasted a steamer service to Douglas, Isle of Man , which was operated by the Mid Sodor Railway.

Arlesburgh West station near the harbour was first opened in 1916. Although it more or less closed in 1947, as the mineral traffic for which it had largely been built had dried up, it was reopened in 1968 by the Fat Controller to transport ballast from the hills. It was here that Bulgy the Double Decker Bus stole Duck and Oliver's passengers. It was also here that the troublesome truck S.C. Ruffey or Scruffey was destroyed. The NWR engine sheds at Arlesburgh are home to Duck, Oliver and sometimes Donald or Douglas . On some early maps of Sodor including ones drawn by the Rev Awdry himself Arlesburgh is spelt Arlsburgh. Arlesdale For The Railway Series article, see Arlesdale Arlesdale is the name of the River Arle valley and is the home of the Arlesdale Railway which runs from Arlesburgh at the mouth of the river to Arlesdale village itself. Arelsdale village should not be confused with the nearby village of Arlesdale Green where the former Mid Sodor Railway had its main works and engine sheds.

In the first season of the TV series Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends , Arlesdale was the name of a station on Toby the Tram Engine 's branch line before he came to Sodor. Ballahoo For The Railway Series article, see Ballahoo Ballahoo is most notable for its tunnels on the main line of the North Western Railway of which there are two. The first was constructed in 1915 and, due to poor construction, partially collapsed. This left the tunnel in two sections. The second tunnel was cut in 1922, when Henry the Green Engine stopped in the first tunnel and refused to come out. As it was impossible to move him, the Fat Director decided instead to cut a new bore. When Henry was finally removed, both tunnels remained in service. As a result of these events, the tunnels are nicknamed "Henry's Tunnel". The only book in which the tunnels have played a significant role was The Three Railway Engines, the first book in The Railway Series, published in 1945 . Although in the book the illustrations of the tunnel show that it has two bores throughout the two stories in which the tunnel is featured. Ballahoo itself is a dormitory town for Barrow-in-Furness .

It has a station served by a joint NWR/ National Rail service from Barrow, and is on the Norramby branch. Brendam For The Railway Series article, see Brendam Brendam is a town and a major port on the Island of Sodor . In the television series, Brendam is the main harbour for the whole of Sodor. It is a very large port which requires the services of Salty the Dockside Diesel to deal with the large volume of traffic, assisted by Bill and Ben. Most of the other engines have worked here at one point or another, and there is an engine shed to house them. Cranky the Crane is also based here, and works hard loading and unloading ships. A coastal branch line runs from the port, and is mainly used for fish traffic. The Sodor Shipping Company has a number of large warehouses here. Gordon's Express appears to start from here, meeting the passenger ships. The post comes in through this port, and there is an ocean liner service. A popular attraction is the Regatta . Christopher Awdry has criticised the design of this version of the harbour as being unrealistic, as it is far too large for the volume of traffic an island like Sodor would require.

However, it should also be noted that the Sodor of the television series is generally very different to that of the books. Many of the buildings, ships and cranes actually originated with another series, Tugs . This series was set in a large American port serving a major city, which goes some way to explaining the size of Brendam Docks. Crovan's Gate For The Railway Series article, see Crovan's Gate Crovan's "Gate" is a narrow gap in the hills used to hold off invaders in the Island of Sodor 's history. This has been expanded to allow road and rail to pass through. The name Crovan's Gate now also applies to a town which has grown up to serve the railway works and former quarries and mines in the area. It is served by two railways . It is the terminus of the Skarloey Railway and a station on the main line of the North Western Railway . It is also the location of the North Western Railway's extensive works. Just east of Crovan's Gate the NWR's Ballahoo and Norramby branch leaves the main line; this line was at one time part of the Sodor & Mainland Railway .

The NWR's express train from Tidmouth to Barrow calls at Crovan's Gate. The NWR works are possibly the best-equipped steam locomotive works in the British Isles , and are capable of undertaking any repair, overhaul or restoration job for any locomotive on the Island. They have also played a major role in the construction of new engines for the Arlesdale and Skarloey Railways. The Fat Controller has also recently been looking into the possibility of manufacturing components for engines on heritage railways . Dryaw For The Railway Series article, see Dryaw Dryaw is located on Thomas' branch line being the first station after the junction at Knapford , and is most notable in the stories for its airfield. This is the home of Harold , the helicopter owned by the Coastguard. It was here that Percy made his promise to get the Vicar 's Sunday School back safely. In the TV series the station is shown to have a small footbridge that runs over the rails and runs from the platform on one side to the platform on the other side. Dryaw also has a small picket fence running at the edge of the platform, separating the platform from the airfield.

It is also the home of Tiger Moth, a bi-plane only in the TV Series (introduced in Season 5) as well as the home of the Hot Air Balloon (introduced in Season 7). The name is an anagram of "Awdry". Elsbridge For The Railway Series article, see Elsbridge In the television series, Elsbridge Station is the junction station for Thomas's Branch Line. It is in the countryside and has two platforms. Sometimes in the TV series the junction was shown to be also Lower Tidmouth station. Elsbridge was introduced in Season 1, but has not been seen since from Season 4. The name "Elsbridge" first appeared on a sketch map drawn by Rev. W. Awdry to illustrate the story in which Thomas the Tank Engine and Bertie the Bus have a race. The name comes from the town of Elsworth , where the Rev. Awdry was vicar at the time. In the Railway Series books, Elsbridge is a town close to Tidmouth and Knapford . Ffarquhar The town of Ffarquhar is the terminus of Thomas 's branch line.

Gordon's Hill For The Railway Series article, see Gordon's Hill Gordon's Hill is a steep hill located after Wellsworth station and before Maron station. It was first introduced in the story "Edward and Gordon" in The Railway Series , and it has also featured as a prominent location in the TV series. Gordon's Hill got its name after Gordon got stuck up on it and Edward had to push from behind. It is a place where a bank engine is often required to help trains up the hill. A further risk is that of runaway trains if there is insufficient braking power. When the railway was first built, this already difficult stretch of track was made more treacherous by strong winds. The line now runs up an avenue of trees, which were planted to reduce this problem. However, this does mean that in autumn there can be the additional hazard of slippery leaves on the line, as James once discovered. Interestingly, there is a real place in London called Gordon Hill, although it seems likely that this is a coincidence.

Kirk Ronan For The Railway Series article, see Kirk Ronan Kirk Ronan, named after the church of St Ronan, was the terminus of the Sodor & Mainland Railway , the first standard gauge railway on the Island. Originally just a fishing port, with the coming of the railway, the town developed considerably. Kirk Ronan first appeared in Season 5 and has not appeared in any other Seasons after as of now. It appeared that it was the Replacement for Knapford considering Knapford never appeared in that Season. Gordon crashed through the side of it and now has a panoramic View. Knapford For The Railway Series article, see Knapford Knapford is the main town and the big train station on the Island of Sodor. The station has four platforms, a glass roof, and about 8 trains a day. It contains The Fat Controller 's office, and is the station where HM The Queen visited The Fat Controller. Gordon also pulls his Express out from there every day. Other engines seen at this station include James , Duck the Great Western Engine , Donald and Douglas , Henry the Green Engine , Thomas and Percy.

Knapford was introduced in Season 1 and has been in all seasons but Season 5. It was originally a terminus station but appears to have become a through station in later series. The name "Knapford" first appeared on a sketch map drawn by Rev. W. Awdry to illustrate the story in which Thomas the Tank Engine and Bertie the Bus have a race. The name comes from the parish of Knapwell , where Awdry was vicar . Peel Peel is a station on the mainline. It has four platforms, two being on an island platform between the centre tracks. The station sign identifying it is clearly seen several times in Season 9 episode Thomas' Milkshake Muddle. Tidmouth Main Article: Tidmouth Tidmouth Sheds are where most of The Fat Controller 's engines live. Lower Tidmouth station is sometimes used in the TV series as the junction for Thomas's branch line . Vicarstown For The Railway Series article, see Vicarstown Vicarstown is situated on the east coast of Sodor and is joined to the mainland via a bridge across the Walney Channel.

Vickerstown is actually a town on the Isle of Walney , which Sodor replaces in the Irish Sea - the new name is an obvious choice for a town created by an Anglican priest. Vicarstown was the site for the original North Western Railway headquarters before they move to Tidmouth . Wellsworth For The Railway Series article, see Wellsworth Wellsworth lies near the coast at the northern end of a peninsula close to the island's former capital of Suddery. Near the village is a large hospital . The sheds at Wellsworth are home to both Edward the Blue Engine and BoCo the Diesel Engine who operate the branch line. Due to this Wellsworth is often called Edward's station in the books. At one time the vicar of Wellsworth was the Rev Charles Laxey . Coincidentally, his son is now the vicar of the parish. As a result, Wellsworth vicarage is the home of Trevor the Traction Engine . Wellsworth railway station is on the main line of the North Western Railway and serves as a junction for the Brendam Bay branch line. Although most trains run only between Wellsworth and Brendam some commence and finish at the big station at Tidmouth .

The express train usually pulled by Gordon the Big Engine does not stop at Wellsworth, although it was once accidentally sent down the branch. The line from Brendam to Wellsworth is one of Sodor's oldest and was at first known as the Wellsworth & Suddery Railway which was extended in the early part of the 20th century to Knapford to connect with other railways to become part of the NWR. Wellsworth is known as Edward 's station in the television series. Island industry Scrap yards The scrap yards have no definite location but they can sure scare any engine. Iron 'Arry and Iron Bert work there. Oliver, Stepney and Trevor were saved from scrap. At the scrap yards there is a huge grabber and smelter. There are also old rusted steam locomotives lined up everywhere. They are mostly recycled stunt double locomotives that were used for crash scenes. Some examples of this happen to be that City Of Truro's model, Duck's old model, spare Gordon models and steam engines from TUGS . According to Douglas it is located on the Other Rrailway and only diesels go or work there.

Miscellaneous industry Much emphasis is placed on the varying freight traffic carried around the island, since this allows for a greater range of storylines than would be the case for a purely passenger-carrying railway. To provide this traffic, a number of rail-served industries are present. For example, in the Season 9 story Thomas' Milkshake Muddle, the plot revolves around the carriage of milk (or butter) from the dairy to the ice cream factory and the bakery. List of rail-served industries The following is a list of the rail-served industries that have a direct bearing on the plotlines in episodes of the TV series: Mr. Jolly's Chocolate Factory – Season 6 Dairy – Season 8 Ice Cream Factory – Season 8 Bakery – Season 9 Full Steam Ahead: Thomas The Tank Engine Turns 65 : NPR Enlarge this image Thomas the Tank Engine began as "Edward the Blue Engine" -- star of the many stories the Rev. Wilbert Awdry told his son Christoper in the early 1940s. Christopher, who was sick with the measles, would correct his father if he did not use the same words to tell the stories each time, so Awdry began jotting the stories down.

Above, a sketch from Awdry's first manuscript of Edward's Day Out. The Rev. Wilbert Awdry hide caption toggle caption The Rev. Wilbert Awdry Thomas the Tank Engine began as "Edward the Blue Engine" -- star of the many stories the Rev. Wilbert Awdry told his son Christoper in the early 1940s. Christopher, who was sick with the measles, would correct his father if he did not use the same words to tell the stories each time, so Awdry began jotting the stories down. Above, a sketch from Awdry's first manuscript of Edward's Day Out. The Rev. Wilbert Awdry Thomas — that famous little blue tank engine — hits retirement age this year, but the plucky, imaginary locomotive shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. Thomas the Tank Engine had humble beginnings as the star of stories that the Rev. Wilbert Awdry told his son Christopher in 1942, when Christopher was sick in bed with the measles. Christopher would correct his father if the stories weren't told exactly the same way each time, so the reverend began jotting the tales down.

Those stories became The Three Railway Engines, which Awdry published in 1945. The Thomas books would become hugely popular in England — and in 1984, Thomas landed his own TV series, which has been narrated by Ringo Starr, Alec Baldwin and George Carlin. Now 70, Christopher Awdry shares his memories of his father and his beloved trains with NPR's Robert Siegel. "These toys were created for me … as amusements while I was ill," Awdry explains. "Father didn't think anything very much of them, but he made me a little model engine which he happened to paint blue … and, in time, I asked for some stories about my engine." Article continues after sponsorship Rev. Awdry was happy to make up stories about the little train, but told his son that it first needed to have a name — so they called him "Thomas the Tank Engine." The first season of Thomas The Tank Engine and Friends aired in 1984. It was narrated by Ringo Starr.

The episode "Off The Rails" appeared in the show's first season: YouTube 'Father Wanted Them Right' Thomas is — strictly speaking — a "side tank engine" — a steam locomotive that has tanks arranged on either side of the boiler. When it came time to illustrate the Thomas books, it was extremely important to the reverend that the locomotives be depicted accurately. Trains rolling through the English countryside had captured the elder Awdry's imagination when he was a boy. He based his imaginary locomotives on specific trains he remembered from his childhood — E2 Class 0-6-0T locomotives built for the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway between 1913 and 1916. "They are all based on original prototypes of locomotives that are run in this country," Christopher Awdry remembers, "and Father wanted them right." Thomas' roundhouse is located on the fictional Island of Sodor, which the Rev. Awdry dreamed up in the early 1950s, after visiting the Isle of Man to preach at a Sunday school festival.

Awdry had been on the lookout for places to set the imaginary railway — he had received many letters from young readers asking, "Where's Henry's tunnel?" and "Where's Gordon's hill?" "He discovered that the bishop [at the Isle of Man] is actually called the Bishop of Sodor and Man," Christopher Awdry explains. "On the way back, in the airplane from the Isle of Man to Liverpool, he realized that there was a wide-open space of sea between the two places and had the idea that if he were to create an island, he could call it Sodor — and he could give the bishop of Sodor and Man the other half of his diocese back." In the 1980s, Thomas & Friends TV episodes were produced using model trains and live-action animation. Today, in a series that debuted in September on PBS, Thomas is rendered in computer-generated imagery (CGI) animation. HIT Entertainment hide caption toggle caption HIT Entertainment In the 1980s, Thomas & Friends TV episodes were produced using model trains and live-action animation. Today, in a series that debuted in September on PBS, Thomas is rendered in computer-generated imagery (CGI) animation.

HIT Entertainment Tank Engine Trivia: Fun Facts About Thomas Thomas the Tank Engine was not part of the Rev. Wilbert Awdry's first book. He was introduced in the second book. New characters are introduced every year with their own fictional back stories — Hiro is the first Japanese engine and Victor is the first Hispanic engine. Thomas has found himself in many sticky situations, which have left him covered in jam, stinky cheese, sticky toffee, ice-cream, flour and mud. More than 80 million pieces of wooden track have been sold globally. That's 240 million inches — approximately the distance from New York to Paris. As of 2009, Thomas & Friends could be seen on television in 30 different languages and 185 territories. Excerpted And Adapted From: Thomas & Friends 65 Fun Facts The Rev. Awdry continued his work as a minister even while publishing Thomas stories, but Christopher Awdry says his father always kept his life as an author and his life as a clergyman separate. "He was a clergyman, minister, first and foremost, and that was the priority," Awdry explains. "Writing stories was very much a spare-time occupation.

It became his main source of income, but it was never his main source of employment." 'The Engines Were All His Family' Even at age 65, Thomas remains slightly smaller than the rest of his engine friends in the roundhouse. "I think he's a kid at heart," Awdry says. "[Thomas, Percy and Toby are] a bit like three small boys — but yet rather more commonsense and know-how and streetwise than your average three small boys." Thomas and his locomotive friends have been a part of Christopher Awdry's life since he was 2, and today, at 70, he can still say without hesitation that Toby the Tram engine — a serious little guy who pulls local commuter cars — is his favorite. He vividly remembers the day back in August 1952 when he was allowed to stand on a locomotive for the first time — it was the type of engine after which Toby was modeled, and he remembers it as "a very special thrill." The Rev. Wilbert Awdry, however, always insisted that he did not favor one locomotive over another.

"Father always used to say that he didn't have favorites," his son remembers, "because the engines were all his family, and in a family you don't have favorites." Thomas the tank engine friends toys product Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends Toys and Products Thomas the Tank Engine Toys & Product Complete line of Thomas the tank engine characters, trains and sets. Thomas the Tank Engine is over 60 years old. He lives on the Island of Sodor with all the other engines. The newest movie featuring Thomas and Friends is King of the Railway. Our favorite locomotive is a fictional engine. He is blue, and has an 0-6-0 wheel arrangement based on a LBSCR E2 Steam Engine. He lives on the fictional Island of Sodor, and is locomotive number 1 on the Sodor Railways. He is the star of his own television series . The blue engine first appeared in the 1940s, when stories about him were published in The Railway Series by Reverend W.V. Awdry. Now he is the most well known fictional locomotive in the world. Other fun Information :He has two coaches, Annie and Clarabel, and his own branch line.

His favorite saying is "Bust my Buffers" and when he is really angry, "Bust my Boiler". Sir Topham Hatt calls him a "Really useful engine". The #1 blue engine hates snowplows.

Question: What is the name of the fictional island upon which the 'Thomas the Tank Engine' stories are set?
Answer: 'SODOR'