Thomas (RWS)

"Thomas is a tank engine who lives at the big station. He's a cheeky little engine with six small wheels, a short, stumpy funnel, a short, stumpy boiler, and a short stumpy dome."

- The Author introducing Thomas

Thomas is a blue tank engine who works on the North Western Railway and is the railway's number 1 engine.

When he first came to the Island of Sodor, Thomas worked as the station pilot at Vicarstown. He now runs the Ffarquhar Branch Line with his friends, Percy and Toby, and his two faithful coaches, Annie and Clarabel.

Biography
Details of Thomas' arrival on the North Western Railway in 1915 show he arrived by mistake. How this happened is unknown, but it is believed he was sent to Sodor in a wartime mix-up. His driver and fireman got along well with the local people and married Sudrian women. By 1920, neither one wanted to leave the Island or their beloved engine.

Through an inquiry, Sir Topham Hatt found out that the LB&SCR had written off Thomas as being "lost on war service". Rather than face complications resulting from a change in their books, the LB&SCR quietly sold Thomas to the North Western Railway for a "nominal sum".

Thomas formerly worked as the station pilot at Vicarstown, shunting trains for the bigger engines on the Main Line to take out. He enjoyed teasing the other engines, especially Gordon, who he would quietly sneak up on and whistle loudly while Gordon dozed in a siding. Eventually, Gordon managed to get back at Thomas by pulling out of the station before he could be uncoupled from his coaches, dragging him down the line at a tremendous speed. Thomas vowed to never tease Gordon again. Perhaps as a result of his brief excursion beyond his boundaries, Thomas longed to see more of the world and become a part of it and became jealous of the bigger engines for having the chance to pull trains.

On an occasion when Henry felt ill, Thomas took his morning passenger train since there were no other engines available, much to his delight. However, for unknown reasons, Thomas left the station before he could be coupled to his train, leaving behind the coaches, the passengers and their luggage. Thomas was not aware of his mistake until he was stopped by a signalman who asked where his train was. Ashamed and confused, Thomas returned to the station and collected his coaches. Subsequently, the incident made him a laughing stock among the other engines.

Thomas continued to grumble to the other engines, though they took no notice of him. However, Edward felt sorry for him and allowed him to take his goods train to Wellsworth while he handled his shunting duties in the yard. Although Edward had warned him to be careful around the trucks, Thomas took no notice and bumped the trucks as he started. When they reached Gordon's Hill, the trucks pushed him down the line, causing him to lose control. He only just managed to stop the train before hitting a set of buffers in Wellsworth Yard, where he was confronted by the Fat Controller. So that Thomas could learn about trucks almost as much as Edward, the Fat Controller kept Thomas there, continuing the swap with Edward, and could easily keep an eye on things, as he lives at Wellsworth.

While Thomas worked there, he saw the Breakdown Train. Shortly after he learned what its purpose was, James ran right past him, out of control thanks to his trucks, and derailed in a field west of the station. Thomas fetched the Breakdown Train and rushed to James' aid, helped to clean up the broken trucks and bring James back to the shed when he was re-railed. As a reward for his actions, Thomas was given two new coaches - called Annie and Clarabel - and the responsibility of running the Ffarquhar Branch Line, much to his delight.

Thomas loved his branch line dearly and had many adventures during his first days on the line. He once left his guard behind by accident and on another occasion he accidentally swallowed a fish in his tank when he took on water from the lake, causing him tremendous pain. During the autumn season, Thomas met Terence and teased him for his caterpillar tracks, though he soon came to regret this after he became stuck in the snow and had to be pulled out by him. Thomas later met Bertie and was challenged to a race to Ffarquhar. Although he was behind for most of the race, Thomas managed to overtake Bertie and won.

In 1960, Thomas crashed into the Ffarquhar stationmaster's house after a careless cleaner had meddled with his controls. Being unable to stop on his own, this incident taught Thomas that he still needed his driver to control him, as opposed to when an earlier compliment by his driver had gone to his smokebox. Thomas was sent to Crovan's Gate Works to be mended and received some changes to his design, including a new footplate that was now level from smokebox to bunker. When Thomas returned to the branch line, he began looking after the passenger trains with Daisy.

In 1990, Thomas was invited by the National Railway Museum to represent the North Western Railway in the Great Railway Show, an event showcasing many famous engines across the UK. Thomas was excited, but the journey to York was shaky; he damaged his front buffer beam when he hit a crossing gate and the lorry he was travelling on was booked for parking illegally. Thomas was repaired when he arrived at the Museum and befriended Green Arrow while he was being mended, though he continued to have bad luck when he ran into a bag thrown onto the line and frightened a small child. Fortunately, Thomas managed to make up for his bad luck when, as he was double-heading a rail tour with Green Arrow, he noticed the line up ahead was damaged and stopped the train. As a reward for his actions, Thomas was made an honorary member of the National Railway Museum and received a commemorative plaque. Afterwards, Thomas left York and returned to Sodor.

In 1995, during the Golden Jubilee of the Railway Series, Thomas derailed on his branch line after rabbits had been undermining the track. He was rescued and managed to attend the Jubilee at Tidmouth albeit after being delayed at Knapford Junction after a set of points and a signal failed.

In 2007, during which Toby was having to handle the overflow of quarry workers, Thomas discovered an old carriage named Victoria, who he asked to be restored and help Toby. He brought her up from the Junction to Ffarquhar to meet Toby, after having to bypass Terence's toppled cart that had nearly blocked the line.

In 2011, Thomas had been crossing the river bridge near Elsbridge, when he was forced to stop due to an injured swan laying on the rails. He escorted it to Ffarquhar where it was taken to a vet and after recovery, Thomas brought it back to Elsbridge where the swan was freed. Later, he attended the Thin Clergyman's centenary.

Personality
In his early appearances, Thomas can best be described as cheeky and immature. His cheekiness is often directed towards the big engines, in particular Gordon. This - combined with his immaturity - often gets him into scrapes. Thomas is also known for being impatient and fussy. He is easily irritated by other engines delaying the running of his branch line and will often snap at them, whether the delay was their fault or not. His impatience can also cause him to hurry and forget things, such as when he left his coaches behind or when he accidentally left the guard at the station.

Since getting his branch line, Thomas has quickly matured into a really useful engine, despite all his flaws. He feels a sense of responsibility for running the line and takes great pride in his work. Though he will often brag about how it is "the most important part of the whole railway," he ultimately means well and wants to please the Fat Controller. He is always willing to help someone in need, whether it be rescuing another engine with the Breakdown Train or helping get stranded passengers to the station.

Basis
Thomas is based on a London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR) Class E2 0-6-0T. Thomas is one of the second batch of E2s, built with extended side-tanks. Only the first two of these were built early enough to be Thomas, placing his build date at either June or September 1915.

These engines were built by Brighton Works between 1913-1916 to replace the aging Stroudley LB&SCR E1 class and were primarily used for heavy shunting and short-distance goods trains in the London area and on the south coast. During their final working years, the E2 class worked as shunting engines at Southampton Docks alongside the USATC S100 Tank Engines, until they were replaced by the BR Class 07 diesel shunters. In real life, all of the E2s were scrapped, with none surviving into preservation.

While Wilbert Awdry intended Thomas to be a different engine, it was illustrator Reginald Payne who illustrated Thomas as an E2, as Payne was a southern man, and thus based Thomas off a southern engine. Although initially annoyed, Awdry was content after finding out the design was based off a real locomotive, and he allowed it to stay in the series.

In illustrations, Thomas appears to differ from the real E2s in a few significant ways. He is depicted as being shorter in length than his original basis, has two extra windows on the sides of his cab, does not have the stepladders near his front buffer beam, his bunker is notably longer and he has wheel splashers, something the original E2 class lacked. Interestingly, Awdry's Mk3 OO gauge model of Thomas was refitted with larger diameter wheels than those found on the E2 class, thus justifying the added splashers.

Originally, Reginald Payne illustrated Thomas without the additional cab side window and also gave him a Southern Railway-style smokebox saddle and lower front bufferbeam. These features were removed when C. Reginald Dalby re-illustrated the book.

In the early volumes of the Railway Series, Thomas' footplate is dipped at the front, but oddly enough is not dipped at the back. In Branch Line Engines, his footplate was levelled out from smokebox to bunker.

Livery
Thomas is painted in the standard blue livery used by the North Western Railway, with red and yellow lining. His number (1) is painted on his side tanks in yellow with a red outline. He has a black running board with red bufferbeams and valences.

Originally, he was illustrated as having red lining on the rear of his bunker. However, since Clive Spong took over as illustrator, the lining has disappeared.

When Thomas first arrived to the Island, it is likely that he would have been painted in LB&SCR Goods Black livery with red lining and yellow lettering.

Appearances
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The Railway Series

 * Thomas the Tank Engine - Thomas and Gordon, Thomas' Train, Thomas and the Trucks and Thomas and the Breakdown Train
 * James the Red Engine - James and the Top-Hat
 * Tank Engine Thomas Again - Thomas and the Guard, Thomas Goes Fishing, Thomas, Terence and the Snow and Thomas and Bertie
 * Troublesome Engines - Henry and the Elephant, Tenders and Turntables, Trouble in the Shed and Percy Runs Away
 * Henry the Green Engine - Coal
 * Toby the Tram Engine - Thomas in Trouble and Mrs. Kyndley's Christmas
 * Gordon the Big Engine - Down the Mine and Paint Pots and Queens
 * Edward the Blue Engine - Bertie's Chase and Old Iron
 * Percy the Small Engine - Percy and the Signal, Duck Takes Charge and Percy's Promise
 * The Eight Famous Engines - Percy Takes the Plunge and The Fat Controller's Engines
 * Duck and the Diesel Engine - A Close Shave
 * The Twin Engines - The Missing Coach
 * Branch Line Engines - Thomas Comes to Breakfast, Daisy and Percy's Predicament
 * Stepney the "Bluebell" Engine - Stepney's Special and Train Stops Play
 * Main Line Engines - Wrong Road
 * Tramway Engines - Ghost Train and Woolly Bear
 * Really Useful Engines - Stop Thief!, Fish and Triple-Header
 * More About Thomas the Tank Engine - Thomas, Percy and the Coal, The Runaway, Better Late Than Never and Drip Tank
 * Toby, Trucks and Trouble - Mavis and the Lorry
 * Thomas and the Twins - Scrambled Eggs, What a Picture!, Trevor Helps Out and Down the Drain
 * Thomas and the Great Railway Show - Museum-Piece, Not the Ticket, Trouble on the Line and Thomas and the Railtour
 * Thomas Comes Home - Snow Problem, Washout! , Toby's Megatrain and Thomas Comes Home
 * Wilbert the Forest Engine - Percy's Porridge, Cab Over Wheels, Foaming at the Funnel and Wired-Up
 * Thomas and the Fat Controller's Engines - Birdstrike, Rabbits and Golden Jubilee
 * Thomas and Victoria - Overloaded, Eels On Wheels and Toby's Vintage Train
 * Thomas and his Friends - Thomas and the Swan and Centenary

Companion Volumes

 * 1970 - Twelve Happy Engines
 * 1972 - The Railway Series: Surprise Packet
 * 1976 - Famous Engines and Railway Map of the Island of Sodor
 * 1984 - Thomas's Christmas Party
 * 1985 - Thomas Comes to Breakfast
 * 1986 - Thomas and the Missing Christmas Tree and Thomas the Tank Engine: The Complete Collection
 * 1987 - The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways and Thomas and the Evil Diesel
 * 1990 - Thomas and Gordon Off the Rails
 * 1992 - Thomas and the Hurricane
 * 1996 - Thomas the Tank Engine: The Complete Collection
 * 2005 - Sodor: Reading Between the Lines
 * 2007 - Thomas the Tank Engine: The New Collection

Pop-Up Books
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 * 1983 - Bertie the Bus and Thomas the Tank Engine
 * 1984 - Thomas the Tank Engine and the Tractor, Henry the Green Engine and the Elephant
 * 1986 - Thomas the Tank Engine Goes Fishing, Percy the Small Engine Takes the Plunge
 * 1995 - Percy the Small Engine and the Scarf, Thomas the Tank Engine Catches a Thief and Thomas the Tank Engine and the Scrambled Eggs
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Thomas & Friends

 * Series 9 - Thomas and the Toy Shop
 * Series 24 - Thomas and the Royal Engine

Specials

 * 1976 - Thomas the Tank Engine
 * 2015 - The Adventure Begins

Videos

 * Mr. Perkins' Storytime and Postcards - Thomas and Gordon, Thomas and the Breakdown Train, A Scarf for Percy, Thomas Goes Fishing, Thomas' Train, Thomas Comes to Breakfast, Thomas in Trouble, Ghost Train, Thomas and Bertie, Thomas, Terence and the Snow, The Fat Controller's Engines and Trouble in the Shed
 * Storytime with Mr. Evans - Thomas and the Guard

Documentaries
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 * 1995 - The Making of Thomas the Tank Engine and The Thomas the Tank Engine Man
 * 2005 - Run! Thomas & Friends "Steam Locomotive is Alive"
 * 2015 - 70 Years of Friendship, Secret Journey of Thomas the Tank Engine and Original 70th Anniversary History Time Travel
 * 2020 - Original 75th Anniversary History Time Travel

Annuals

 * 1985 - Percy to the Rescue, Thomas and the Important Visitor, The Strawberry Special, Bertie Saves the Day and Unhappy Landing
 * 1986 - Percy and the Christmas Tree, Terence Takes a Bath {not seen}, Golden Oldies , You Never Know
 * 1987 - Signal Failure and Lost in the Snow
 * 1988 - Responsibilities, Thomas and Trevor and Terence Turns Pot Hunter
 * 1989 - The Trouble with Sheep and Post Early for Christmas
 * 1990 - Thomas and the Cricketers and Old Square Wheels
 * 1991 - Thomas and the Sunday School Outing and Rusty Red Scrap Iron
 * 1992 - Percy and the Vicar's Prizes and Thomas and the Swans
 * 1993 - Thomas and the Snow Block
 * 1994 - Thomas and the Tickles, Better Safe than Sorry and Bertie the Snow Bus
 * 1995 - The Picnic Express, Oliver's Sparkler and Thank You, Thomas and Toby
 * 1996 - Rings a Bell!, The Wrong Shirt and Pantomime Pranks

Books
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 * 1986 - Thomas Goes to Town
 * 1987 - Thomas's ABC
 * 1989 - Thomas's Book of Colours

Official Description
1987= From Official Media:

From Official Media:
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Trivia

 * Thomas was the first character in the Railway Series to have a number. According to Brian Sibley in The Thomas the Tank Engine Man, Awdry used the number one because it was the easiest to draw.
 * Christopher Awdry lost the original Thomas toy when he was in the United States. To this day, its whereabouts are unknown. It is unclear whether or not the original coal truck and carriage model were lost as well. However, a replica was made for a 70th-anniversary sizzle reel. The second version of the original toy was made as a "thank you" gift by Michael White.
 * He was named by Christopher Awdry, upon receiving the original wooden Thomas toy made by his father.
 * Despite being said to whistle numerous times in the text of the books, Thomas is never illustrated with a whistle outside of the original illustrations by Reginald Payne, which depict him with a tall hooter-type whistle behind his safety valves.