Kellsthorpe Road (T&F)/Behind the Scenes

Background Information
Kellsthorpe Road is a fictional station located 2.5 miles south of the town of Kellsthorpe on the Island of Sodor created by the Reverend W. Awdry. It serves as the junction between The Main Line and the Kirk Ronan Branch Line.

The station first appeared in the eighth series episode Thomas Saves the Day, which first aired in 2004. Its last appearance was in the twenty-fourth series episode Thomas' Fuzzy Friend, which was released in 2020.

Gauge 1 model
Kellsthorpe Road was first built for the eighth series, in which it is said to be a new station. The television series model of the station is based on Taplow, a station on the Great Western main line between Paddington and Reading.

Close-up model
A close-up model of a small portion of Kellsthorpe Road station was built to be used for scenes involving the close-up scale figures.

CGI model
In 2009, the series introduced Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI) as a replacement for the show's long-standing live-action models. Kellsthorpe Road was recreated from scratch in CGI by Nitrogen Studios. The model was "hand-sculpted" in Maya, a 3D animation and modelling software.

According to Greg Tiernan, the CGI models are subjected to many rounds of review before they are submitted to HiT Entertainment for final input and approval.

Though the station first appeared in CGI in the seventeenth series, produced by Arc Productions, the model for the station was actually recreated by Nitrogen Studios, but was never used during their tenure.

The station and surrounding area have undergone several changes throughout the CGI series, including:
 * Series 17:
 * The unique signal box in the same architectural style as the station was replaced by a generic white signal box.
 * Series 18:
 * The track layout slightly changed and a diesel refuelling station was added.