50 Fun Facts About Thomas the Tank Engine

Which Anglican clergyman created Thomas and The Railway Series?

He first told the stories in 1943 to his son Christopher, who was in bed with measles.

On which fictional island does Thomas run?

It lies in the Irish Sea between Cumbria and the Isle of Man.

Which real locomotive class is Thomas based on?

Illustrator Reginald Payne chose the Billinton-designed 0-6-0T; all the real E2s were scrapped between 1961 and 1963.

Thomas debuted in which year's Railway Series book?

It was the second book; The Three Railway Engines came first in 1945.

What was the first book in Awdry's series called?

Its release was delayed by wartime paper shortages.

What did the letters NW on Awdry's original wooden toy stand for?

The toy was made from a broomstick and looked quite different from the book character.

Awdry carved the original toy for his son out of what?

Christopher lost the toy; it was recreated for the 70th anniversary.

Which illness kept young Christopher Awdry in bed when the stories were first told?

Christopher was two and noted any inconsistencies as his father repeated the tales.

How many books are there in The Railway Series?

Wilbert wrote 26 and his son Christopher added 16 more between 1983 and 2011.

How much did Edmund Ward pay Awdry for the first stories in 1943?

Many other publishers had rejected him first.

Which illustrator gave Thomas his look but went uncredited for decades?

After his 1947 breakdown, Dalby re-illustrated the book and remains the only credited artist.

Illustrator C. Reginald Dalby quit in 1956 after a row over which character?

Awdry had built a model of Percy for reference, but Dalby ignored it.

Which artist illustrated all of Christopher Awdry's Railway Series books?

That made him the most prolific artist ever to work on the series.

What is the Fat Controller's real name?

It was first revealed in the introduction to Henry the Green Engine in 1951.

What was the Fat Controller called in the first two books?

The change came with the third book, after Britain's railways were nationalised in 1948.

Which Beatle narrated the first two series of the TV show?

Britt Allcroft said his fame had 'nothing to do with' her choice; she simply found his voice perfect.

Who replaced the original narrator on the American dub in 1990?

Starr left to return to his music career.

Which producer discovered the books in 1978 and brought Thomas to television?

She spent four years raising money, including mortgaging her house for a £50,000 loan.

Allcroft found the books while researching a documentary on which heritage line?

Stepney, a real Bluebell engine, later got his own Railway Series book.

On which UK channel did the series premiere on 9 October 1984?

The first episode, 'Thomas and Gordon', drew 8.5 million viewers.

What was the title of the 1983 pilot episode?

David Mitton directed, with music by Mike O'Donnell and Junior Campbell.

In the US, Thomas stories first appeared as segments of which PBS show?

It ran from 1989 to 1995.

Where was the model-era series filmed?

It used radio-controlled models and static figures at 1:32 scale.

In which year did the series switch to computer animation?

Nitrogen Studios provided the first CGI, which finally let the characters' faces move.

Which company bought HIT Entertainment for US$680 million in 2011?

The sole intent was acquiring Thomas & Friends.

Which 2018 rebrand sent Thomas travelling to other countries?

It added Rebecca and Nia, the series' first African locomotive, designed with the United Nations.

Nia, designed with the United Nations, is the series' first locomotive from which continent?

Mattel built the UN's Sustainable Development Goals into the new episodes and film.

Which 2021 reboot was animated in 2D by Nelvana?

The deal called for 104 eleven-minute episodes and two hour-long specials.

Which composer wrote a cancelled 1977 Railway Series adaptation that fed into Starlight Express?

The BBC had tried a live broadcast with Hornby models in 1953, complete with derailments.

Which 2000 film was the franchise's first theatrical release?

It grossed almost US$20 million against a US$19 million budget and Allcroft resigned from her company.

Who played Mr. Conductor in the 2000 feature film?

Peter Fonda played Burnett Stone and Mara Wilson played his granddaughter Lily.

Which claw-armed villain hunts the lost engine Lady in the 2000 film?

He was voiced by Neil Crone.

Which firefighter and taxi driver was briefly cast as Thomas's voice for the 2000 film?

Allcroft heard him when he picked her up in his cab; a test screening led to his replacement by Eddie Glen.

Which 2009 special first gave every character an individual voice actor?

Ben Small voiced Thomas in the UK dub and Martin Sherman in the US.

What is the fictional native language of Sodor called?

It is a Goidelic language similar to Manx; Dryaw is an anagram of Awdry.

Which island's diocese name inspired Awdry to invent Sodor in 1950?

There was a Diocese of Sodor and Man, but no island of Sodor, so he created one.

What is the capital of Sodor?

Tidmouth is the largest town, and Ffarquhar is the end of Thomas's branch line.

Which Welsh line inspired Sodor's narrow-gauge Skarloey line?

Awdry volunteered there as a guard from 1952.

Sodor's Culdee Fell line is based on which real rack-and-pinion line?

The Arlesdale Railway, meanwhile, copies the Ravenglass and Eskdale in Cumbria.

What is the Fat Controller's standard-gauge network called?

Its main line runs from Barrow-in-Furness through Vicarstown to Tidmouth.

What is the name of the express train from Tidmouth to London?

Gordon hauls it to London in the story Gordon Goes Foreign.

Which real express locomotive appears in the books alongside City of Truro and Stepney?

City of Truro, Stepney and Wilbert were other real locomotives written into the books.

In Awdry's later books he appears as which character?

The Fat Clergyman was based on his friend Teddy Boston; a CGI Thin Clergyman cameoed in 2015.

Where was the Reverend Awdry born in 1911?

The family later lived 200 yards from Box Tunnel, where he heard banking engines 'talking' at night.

Which honour was Awdry appointed to in the 1996 New Year's list?

By then his health was too poor to travel to London; he died in March 1997 aged 85.

Which company launched the OO gauge 'World of Thomas the Tank Engine' range in 1985?

They reused their 1979 E2 model, adding a face and extended tanks, and kept the range for 30 years.

In which Marvel film does a model Thomas grow to full size and crush a police car?

Yellowjacket throws the Bachmann HO model at Ant-Man during the climactic fight.

Gamers famously modded Thomas in to replace dragons in which 2013 effort?

He has since turned up in Grand Theft Auto V, Sonic and the Resident Evil 2 remake.

In Thomas and the Breakdown Train, Thomas rescues which engine and wins a branch line?

Until then he was only a station pilot who longed to pull the express.

Royal Mail put Thomas on stamps in 2011 to mark what?

He was also the only fictional name on The Independent on Sunday's 2009 Happy List.