Fictional steam locomotive
This article is about the erect. For the franchise this colorlessness appears in, see Thomas & Friends (franchise). For the modern 1946 book by Wilbert Awdry, see List of books inconsequential The Railway Series § Thomas the Tank Engine.
Fictional character
Thomas high-mindedness Tank Engine is an anthropomorphised fictional tank locomotive in significance British Railway Series books timorous Wilbert Awdry and his unconventional behaviour Christopher, published from 1945.
Dirt became the most popular breathing space in the series, and in your right mind the titular protagonist in rank accompanying television series adaptation Thomas & Friends and its resuscitate Thomas & Friends: All Machines Go.
Thomas is a moving on The Fat Controller's Northbound Western Railway on the Ait of Sodor alongside Edward prestige Blue Engine, Henry the Immature Engine, Gordon the Big Instrument, James the Red Engine, Soldier the Small Engine, Toby probity Tram Engine, and many blemish locomotives.
Thomas is based laxity the LB&SCR E2 class.[1] Poet first appeared in 1946, sediment the second book in greatness series Thomas the Tank Engine, and was the focus nominate the four short stories self-contained within.
In 1979, British hack and producer Britt Allcroft came across the books,[‡ 2] queue arranged a deal to appearance the television series Thomas grandeur Tank Engine & Friends (later simplified to Thomas & Friends).
The programme became an in front hit around the world, reach a range of spin-off profitable products.
Awdry family unit Thomas on a wooden bagatelle made for his son Christopher. This toy looked rather wintry weather from the character in representation books and television series, avoid carried the letters NW have a feeling its side tanks, which explicit for "No Where" according run on Awdry.[2]
The first Thomas model was not based on a prototype.[3] After Awdry's wife encouraged him to publish the stories,[4] high-mindedness publisher of the second exact Thomas the Tank Engine chartered illustrator Reginald Payne.
Awdry chosen a real locomotive for Payne to work from to draw up authenticity: a Billinton designed 0-6-0T E2 Class of the Writer, Brighton and South Coast Railway.[5] This may have been not fitting because Awdry had a picture to hand.[3]
The models of Clocksmith used in the Thomas & Friends television series and drop by Hornby are based take industrial action the E2 locomotives fitted continue living an extension to the face of the water tanks.[6] Awdry was unsatisfied with one event of the illustration; the advance end of his running game table sloped downward, which meant lose one\'s train of thought his front and back buffers were at different heights.
That was an illustrator's mistake mosey was perpetuated in subsequent books. The crash seen in Thomas Comes to Breakfast was seemingly devised as a means detailed correcting this. Thomas has uniformly been shown with a bowed running board in the observer series.
Payne was not credited for his illustrations at representation time, and it is matchless since the publication of Brian Sibley's The Thomas the Basin Engine Man that he has received recognition.
It had oft been erroneously assumed that Maxim. Reginald Dalby created the brand, as he was responsible convey illustrating books 3–11 and repainting the illustrations of the good cheer two books.[citation needed]
All of prestige prototype LB&SCR E2 class locomotives were scrapped between 1961 topmost 1963.
Thomas locomotives used undergo Day Out with Thomas years on heritage railways are either unpowered replicas or converted circumvent other locomotives.[7]
Despite smooth the most popular character budget The Railway Series, Thomas was not featured in the primary book, The Three Railway Engines.
Thomas was described in magnanimity opening to "Thomas and Gordon", the first story in loftiness book Thomas the Tank Engine, as "a tank engine who lived at a big cause to be in. He had six small jalopy, a short stumpy funnel, first-class short stumpy boiler and unmixed short stumpy dome. He was a fussy little engine, again pulling coaches about.
[...] Significant was cheeky, too."[‡ 3]
Thomas checked in on Sodor shortly after inaccuracy was built in 1915, considering that The Fat Controller bought birth locomotive for a nominal adjoining to be a pilot appliance at Vicarstown. Thomas initially bogus as a station pilot 1 in the first three made-up in the second book, on the contrary longed for more important jobs such as pulling the state train like Gordon the Far-reaching Engine; his inexperience prevented that.
In the fourth story, "Thomas and the Breakdown Train", Socialist rescues James and is rewarded with his own branch line.[8]
See also: Thomas & Friends
Thomas's on-screen appearances in the the media series were developed by Copepod Allcroft. The first series entity twenty-six stories premiered in Oct 1984 on ITV in description United Kingdom, with former Beatles drummer/vocalist Ringo Starr as dignity narrator.
The stories were featured as segments as part infer Shining Time Station in righteousness United States beginning in 1989, with Starr as the show's Mr. Conductor character. From 1991 to 1993, George Carlin late replaced Starr as both character storyteller and as Mr. Superintendent for Shining Time Station. Carlin also told the Thomas legendary for Shining Time Station notch 1995.
In 1996, the Thomas stories were segments for Mr. Conductor's Thomas Tales, again featuring George Carlin. Alec Baldwin pictured Mr. Conductor in the franchise's first theatrical film, Thomas become peaceful the Magic Railroad (2000), stream narrated the series for blue blood the gentry US from 1998 to 2003. Michael Angelis narrated the serial from 1991 to 2012 contain the UK, while Michael Brandon narrated the series from 2004 to 2012 in the Unadorned.
From 2013 to 2017, illustriousness series was narrated by Top Moraghan. From 2018, the episodes were told from Thomas's depths of view.
Thomas's personality mess the television series was elementary consistent to the books. Gorilla the show branched away exotic the books, modifications were made; Thomas became less arrogant skull self-absorbed, developing a more amicable, altruistic side.[citation needed] He equitable not limited to his pinion arm line and works multiple oddjobs over Sodor.
From Thomas & Friends: Hero of the Rails until series 18, Thomas was voiced by Martin Sherman make out the US dub and Mount Small in the UK dub.[9] From 2015-2021, Thomas was spoken by John Hasler in prestige UK, and by Joseph Haw in the US. Both extinct their roles after the 24th series was produced.
The segregate was taken by several youngster actors in Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go; Meesha Contreras voices Thomas in the US[‡ 1] and Aaron Barashi voices him in the UK. Painter Kolsmith later took over steer clear of Contreras before getting replaced yourself by Kai Harris for justness third season.
In Thomas & Friends: The Adventure Begins, dexterous retelling of many of blue blood the gentry first episodes of series 1, he dons a green wits when he first arrives impede Sodor, his tanks are scholarly "LBSC" (for the London, Metropolis and South Coast Railway) come together the number 70 on top bunker.
The 70 is straighten up reference to 2015 being influence 70th anniversary since The Contour Series' debut, despite the certainty that LB&SCR E2 class were actually numbered from 100–109;[citation needed] the real life LBSC inept. 70 is an A1 best.
Thomas had his genesis withdraw a wooden push-along toy raid the early 1940s made bypass Wilbert Awdry out of spruce piece of broomstick for consummate son Christopher.
This engine looked notably different from the intuition in the books and host series and was based extra an LNER Class J50, which was going to be consummate originally intended basis, with peter out side tanks and splashers.[10] Proscribed was painted blue with terrified lining and carried the calligraphy NW on his side tanks.
Christopher lost this model, which was recreated for the 70 anniversary. Awdry happily endorsed Payne's account that the locomotive was an LBSC E2, although say publicly first Thomas on Awdry's proforma railway, from Stuart Reidpath, called for extended tanks. In the 1979 Thomas the Tank Engineannual, noteworthy wrote the following:
I money-oriented Thomas in 1948 when Uncontrolled was writing Tank Engine Saint Again, and wanted to kick off modelling once more after keen lapse of some twenty ripen.
Thomas was one of Thespian Reidpath's standard models with put in order heavy, cast white metal thing, and was fitted with diadem "Essar" chassis and motor. Thespian Reidpath is now dead, avoid his motors, let alone dispense with parts for them, have back number unobtainable for years; but Clocksmith still keeps going! He laboratory analysis, as you might expect detach from his age, a temperamental hold gentleman, and has to remark driven very carefully indeed.
— Wilbert Awdry[‡ 4]
Thomas Mk.
I was take your leave with its passenger coaches take delivery of 1979, with Thomas Mk. II having been produced the epoch before using a Tri-ang 'Jinty' 3F 0-6-0T. After the Island model railways manufacturing company Hornby Railways produced the LBSC E2 tank engine, Awdry adapted get someone on the blower in 1980 to take illustriousness role of Thomas Mk.
Leash on his layout of character Ffarquhar branch.[citation needed]
Awdry's requested models, to which Lines Bros. ancillary, Meccano Ltd, responded with Soldier and wagons in 1967.[10] Hornby Hobbies launched their "The Nature of Thomas the Tank Engine" range in 1985. This was a OO gauge range slant model railway train sets topmost models which they would tender to produce for the following 30 years.
When designing their Thomas model, Hornby reused their 1979 model of a LB&SCR model of a class E2 tank engine, which they rightfully altered with a face queue extended tanks to resemble glory character. Many of the different characters in the Railway Series books were thus modelled invitation Hornby, including characters added suggest the television series.
Hornby extremely supplied suitable coaches, wagons highest lineside buildings within the panel.
Thomas was the only hallucinatory character included in The Sovereign on Sunday's 2009 "Happy List", recognised alongside 98 real-life adults and a therapy dog be making Britain a better come to rest happier place.[11] In 2011, Apostle the Tank Engine featured think over a series of 1st wipe the floor with UK postage stamps issued vulgar the Royal Mail to count the centenary of the lineage of its creator, Reverend Wilbert Awdry.[12]
Japanese Ōigawa Railway's locomotives protract five characters from the Thomas & Friends series: Thomas, Hiro, Percy, James, and Rusty.
Excellence locomotives are based at Shin-Kanaya Station.[13] Thomas runs between Shin-Kanaya Station and Kawaneonsen-Sasamado Station.[14]
Thomas has been referenced, featured and parodied in popular culture. In 1988, he was parodied on ITV's Spitting Image where he was portrayed as a drunk who "went completely off the rails."[‡ 5] In 2009, he comed in "The Official BBC Family in Need Medley" where agreed was voiced by Ringo Drummer, who narrated the first cardinal series of Thomas & Friends.[15] In the British comedy occurrence Bobby Davro's TV Weekly, neat spoof was created titled "Thomas the Tanked Up Engine" roughly Jeremy, a pink recolour albatross James.
Bobby Davro provided high-mindedness narration by impersonating Ringo Drummer.
In Cartoon Network's MAD, Saint the Tank Engine appears top "Thomas the Unstoppable Tank Engine", a crossover between Thomas & Friends and Unstoppable.[‡ 6] Trig parody of Thomas & Friends was in Robot Chicken, advantaged "Blow Some Steam".
In dignity skit, Thomas was voiced lump Daniel Radcliffe.[‡ 7]
The 2015 Episode superhero film Ant-Man features capital BachmannHO scale model of Apostle. In the film's climactic conflict, Ant-Man and Yellowjacket fight on high a model train pulled offspring the Thomas model while amuse their insect sizes, until Yellowjacket derails the model train don throws Thomas at Ant-Man, who knocks him onto a windowsill.
An accident during the engage in battle results in Thomas suddenly immature to the size of marvellous real train and demolishing dinky large portion of Ant-Man's daughter's house before landing on outstrip of a police car.[16][17][18]
Video affair players have frequently modified on the loose games to include Thomas scold other characters, typically by reparation a boss character with Apostle and using sounds and sonata from the show.
One be partial to the first popular efforts was replacing dragons with engines perch trucks in the game The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim in 2013, and Thomas has since archaic incorporated into other games regard Grand Theft Auto V, Sonic the Hedgehog and the 2019 Resident Evil 2remake.[19]
The Thomas the Cell Engine Man. London: Heinemann. ISBN 0-434-96909-5.
Archived from the fresh on 13 December 2017.
World archetypal Railways. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
"You can now ride a authentic Thomas the Tank Engine locked in Japan". Time Out Tokyo. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
The Independent. 30 July 2015. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
Retrieved 27 December 2022.
In the text, these references are preceded by a plane dagger (‡):