Thomas' Engine Shed: The Classic Library (The Railway Series)

Product Information

The Reverend Wilbert Awdry was a railway enthusiast who held a passion for steam engines as a child that lasted the rest of his life. The book series originated when, in 1943, he told a story about a steam engine to his son Christopher, who had developed measles. In the story, little Edward helps Gordon’s train up a hill. Awdry went on to build a model of Edward but didn’t have enough materials to make Gordon. So, he built a smaller engine and named it Thomas. Soon enough, Christopher wanted stories about Thomas, the bright blue engine, and a legend was born. Thomas the Tank Engine has been enchanting children for over seventy-five years. He first appeared in the second volume of the Rev. W. Awdry’s Railway Series and soon became its lead character. He was featured in the hit TV series Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends, which ran for 37 years, and the new animated show Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go. He also stars in movies, specials, merchandise, and railway experiences. Thomas has become a name known throughout the world. Still, it all started with an English vicar who became one of the most influential authors ever in kids' books. In 1979, British writer and producer Britt Allcroft came across the books, [4] and arranged a deal to bring the stories to life as the TV series Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends (later simplified to Thomas & Friends). The programme became an award-winning hit around the world, with a vast range of spin-off commercial products. Awdry's requested models, to which Lines Bros. subsidiary, Meccano Ltd, responded with Percy and wagons in 1967. [14] Hornby Hobbies launched their 'The World of Thomas the Tank Engine' in the 1985. This was a 00 gauge range of model railway train sets and models which they made for the next 30 years. For Thomas they used their 1979 model of a LB&SCR model of a Class E2 tank engine which they suitably altered with a face and extended tanks to look like Thomas. Many of the characters in the 'Railway Series' books were thus modelled (with faces) by Hornby, including characters added for the television series. They also supplied suitable coaches, wagons and lineside buildings within the series. At the heart of the Thomas the Tank Engine series lies the lovable blue engine himself, Thomas. With his cheerful demeanour and can-do attitude, Thomas has become an iconic character in children's literature. As readers join him on his various escapades, they learn valuable lessons about friendship, teamwork, and the importance of being true to oneself. Through his experiences, Thomas teaches children the power of determination, kindness, and the joy of discovery.

Payne was not credited for his illustrations at the time, and it is only since the publication of Brian Sibley's The Thomas the Tank Engine Man that he has received recognition. It had often been erroneously assumed that C. Reginald Dalby created the character, as he was responsible for illustrating books 3–11 and repainting the illustrations of books 1 and 2. I bought Thomas in 1948 when I was writing Tank Engine Thomas Again, and wanted to start modelling once more after a lapse of some twenty years. Thomas was one of Stewart Reidpath's standard models with a heavy, cast white metal body, and was fitted with his "Essar" chassis and motor. Stewart Reidpath is now dead, and his motors, let alone spare parts for them, have been unobtainable for years; but Thomas still keeps going! He is, as you might expect from his age, a temperamental old gentleman, and has to be driven very carefully indeed. Evans-Thirlwell, Edwin (9 May 2019). "Why are people modding Thomas the Tank Engine into video games?". The Face . Retrieved 15 May 2019. Main articles: Thomas & Friends and Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go Thomas' model in Series 8 (2004)

Creative Play

Thomas - Engine Profile & Bio: Thomas & Friends". Mattel. Archived from the original on 7 March 2021. In The Adventure Begins which is a retelling of Thomas's early days on Sodor, he is a bluish-green colour when he first arrives on Sodor, his tanks are lettered "LBSC" (for the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway) with the number 70 on his bunker. The 70 is a reference to 2015 being the 70th anniversary for The Railway Series, while the LB&SCR E2 class were actually numbered from 100–109. The real life LBSC no. 70 is an A1 class.

Awdry, Christopher (2005). Sodor: Reading Between the Lines. Spalding, UK: Sodor Enterprises. ISBN 0-9549665-1-1. OCLC 931417954. Follow the adventures of Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends on their many easy to follow adventures around Sodor. Perfect for young readers aged 2+. For the first time, all 65 books are collected together as one bundle in one single amazing boxset, all characters included to showcase all the different railways and directions, with different individual adventures for kids to enjoy!

Christmas Gifts

All of the prototype LB&SCR E2 class locomotives were scrapped between 1961 and 1963. Thomas locomotives used on Day Out with Thomas days on heritage railways are either unpowered replicas or converted from other locomotives. [10] The Railway Series