Mavis (RWS)/Behind the Scenes

Background Information
Mavis is a fictional standard gauge diesel locomotive created by the Rev. W. Awdry. She lives and works at the Ffarquhar Quarry.

She first appeared in The Railway Series book, Tramway Engines, which was published in 1972. Her last appearance was in Thomas and the Fat Controller's Engines, published in 1995.

Front of Mavis: Mavis is based on a British Rail (BR) Class 04, specifically the version built for tramroads.

Mavis is named after the Rev. W. Awdry's neighbour in Rodborough, Stroud. Awdry's model of Mavis was actually made in 1962, ten years before she debuted in the Railway Series. As Tramway Engines is the last book written by Wilbert Awdry for the Railway Series, Mavis is the last character Wilbert Awdry created before he retired.

Awdry's model
Awdry's model of Mavis was made using an Airfix kit and introduced to the Ffarquhar Branch layout in 1964, eight years before Tramway Engines was published. Awdry described the building of the model in the 1979 annual:

"MAVIS came a year later than Daisy, though she didn't get into a book till 1972! She was easy to make too. Her body is built up from the Airfix kit, and to make her 'go' I fitted her with a K's motor bogie. Her body is stuffed with lead and plasticine, and the extra weight makes her powerful and smooth running."

When first built, the model did not have cowcatchers, as can be seen in some photographs of the Ffarquhar Layout. Besides the one below, similar images can be found on the A Day on Awdry's Railway DVD.

The model is currently on display at the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum in Tywyn, Wales.