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''The Railway Series'' is a series of British books about a
railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
known as the North Western Railway, located on the fictional
Island of Sodor The Island of Sodor is a fictional island that is the primary setting for ''The Railway Series'' books by Wilbert Awdry and its television adaptation ''Thomas & Friends''. It lies in the Irish Sea between Cumbria and the Isle of Man. Inspirat ...
. There are 42 books in the series, the first published in May 1945 by
Wilbert Awdry Wilbert Vere Awdry (15 June 1911 – 21 March 1997), often credited as Rev. W. Awdry, was an English Anglican minister, railway enthusiast, and children's author. He is best remembered as the creator of Thomas the Tank Engine and several other ...
. Awdry wrote 26 books; the final one being written in October 1972. His son,
Christopher Christopher is the English language, English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek language, Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or ''Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Jesus ...
, wrote 16 more between September 1983 and July 2011. The series features many anthropomorphic vehicles. Thomas eventually became the most popular and famous character in the series and the titular character of the
television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...
series ''
Thomas & Friends ''Thomas & Friends'' is a British children's television series which aired from 9 October 1984 to 20 January 2021. Based on ''The Railway Series'' books by Wilbert Awdry and his son Christopher Awdry, Christopher, the series was developed for ...
'' from 1984 to 2021. The children's television series originated as adaptations of these stories. Nearly all of ''The Railway Series'' stories were based on real-life events. As a lifelong railway enthusiast, Awdry was keen that his stories should be as realistic as possible. The engine characters were mostly based upon real classes of locomotives, and some of the railways themselves were based upon real lines in the British Isles. Audio adaptations of ''The Railway Series'' have been recorded at various times under the title '' The Railway Stories''.


Origins

The stories began in 1942, when Christopher, at the age of two, had
measles Measles (probably from Middle Dutch or Middle High German ''masel(e)'', meaning "blemish, blood blister") is a highly contagious, Vaccine-preventable diseases, vaccine-preventable infectious disease caused by Measles morbillivirus, measles v ...
and was confined to a darkened room. His father told him stories and rhymes to cheer him up. One of Christopher's favourite rhymes was:Sibley, p. 96 Early in the morning, Down at the station, All the little engines Standing in a row. Along comes the driver, Pulls the little lever Puff, puff! Chuff, chuff! Off we go! The origins of this rhyme are unknown, but research by
Brian Sibley Brian David Sibley (born 14 July 1949) is an English writer. He is author of over 100 hours of radio drama and has written and presented hundreds of radio documentaries, features and weekly programmes. Among his adaptations is the 1981 version o ...
suggests that it originated at some point prior to the
First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. The words, with some slight alterations, were later set to music by Lee Ricks and
Slim Gaillard Bulee "Slim" Gaillard (January 9, 1911 – February 26, 1991), also known as McVouty, was an American jazz singer and songwriter who played piano, guitar, vibraphone, and tenor saxophone. Gaillard was noted for his comedic vocalese singing ...
in 1948 and released by
Tommy Dorsey Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. (November 19, 1905 – November 26, 1956) was an American jazz trombone, trombonist, composer, conductor and bandleader of the big band era. He was known as the "Sentimental Gentleman of Swing" because of his smooth-to ...
and his orchestra as a single entitled "
Down by the Station "Down by the Station", also known as "Down at the Station", is a popular song written by Paul Mills and Slim Gaillard and first recorded by The Slim Gaillard Trio in 1947. The song was most famously recorded by Tommy Dorsey in 1948. Background T ...
". Wilbert's answers to Christopher's questions about the rhyme led to the creation of a short story, "Edward's Day Out", featuring Edward the Blue Engine, an old engine who is allowed out of the shed for a day. Another story about Edward followed, this time featuring Gordon the Big Engine, named after a child living on the same road who Christopher considered rather bossy.Sibley, p. 98 A third story had its origins in a
limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...
of which Christopher was fond,Sibley, pp. 99–100 and which Awdry used to introduce ''The Sad Story of Henry'': Once, an engine attached to a train Was afraid of a few drops of rain It went into a tunnel, And squeaked through its funnel And never came out again. As with the previous rhyme, the origins of this are uncertain, but Awdry received a letter telling him that a similar poem had appeared in a book of children's rhymes, published in 1902: Once an engine when fixed to a train Was alarmed at a few drops of rain, So went "puff" from its funnel Then fled to a tunnel, And would not come out again. This story introduced popular characters Henry the Green Engine and the Fat Director. Encouraged by his wife Margaret, Awdry submitted the three stories to publishing firm Edmund Ward in
Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...
in 1943. The head of the children's books division requested a fourth story to bring the three engines together and redeem Henry, who had been bricked up in a tunnel in the previous story. Although Wilbert had not intended that the three engines live on the same railway, he complied with the request in the story ''Edward, Gordon and Henry''. The four stories were published by Edmund Ward in 1945 as a single volume, ''The Three Railway Engines'', illustrated by William Middleton. Christmas 1942 saw the genesis of the character that grew to become the most famous fictional locomotive in the world. Awdry constructed a toy
tank engine A tank locomotive is a steam locomotive which carries its water in one or more on-board water tanks, instead of a more traditional tender. Most tank engines also have bunkers (or fuel tanks) to hold fuel; in a tender-tank locomotive a tender h ...
for Christopher, which gained the name Thomas. Stories about Thomas were requested by Christopher, and 1946 saw the publication of ''Thomas the Tank Engine''. This was illustrated by Reginald Payne, whom Wilbert felt to be a great improvement over Middleton. Like its predecessor, this book was a success, and Awdry was asked to write stories about
James James may refer to: People * James (given name) * James (surname) * James (musician), aka Faruq Mahfuz Anam James, (born 1964), Bollywood musician * James, brother of Jesus * King James (disambiguation), various kings named James * Prince Ja ...
, a character who first appeared in ''Thomas and the Breakdown Train'', the final story in ''Thomas the Tank Engine''. The book ''James the Red Engine'' appeared in 1948, the year in which the railways in Britain were nationalised, and from this point onwards, the Fat Director was known by his familiar title of
the Fat Controller The Fat Controller is a fictional character originating from ''The Railway Series'' books written by Wilbert Awdry, Reverend W. Awdry and his son, Christopher Awdry. In the first two books in the series (''List of books in The Railway Series# ...
. ''James the Red Engine'' was notable as the first book to be illustrated by
C. Reginald Dalby Clarence Reginald Dalby (28 January 1904 – 3 April 1983), born in Leicester, England, was the third illustrator of ''The Railway Series'' by Wilbert Awdry, W.V. Awdry and a Royal Air Force intelligence officer during the Second World War. Hist ...
, perhaps the most famous of the ''Railway Series'' artists, and certainly the most controversial due to the criticism later aimed at him by Awdry. Dalby illustrated every volume up to ''Percy the Small Engine'' (1956) and also produced new illustrations for ''The Three Railway Engines'' and made changes to those of ''Thomas the Tank Engine'' in 1949 and 1950, respectively. In making the stories as real as possible, Awdry took a lot of inspiration from a number of sources in his extensive library and found the ''
Railway Gazette ''Railway Gazette International'' is a British monthly business magazine and news website covering the railway, metro, light rail and tram industries worldwide. Available by annual subscription, the magazine is read in over 140 countries by tran ...
''s "Scrapheap" column particularly useful as a source of unusual railway incidents that were recreated for ''The Railway Series'' characters. Awdry continued working on ''The Railway Series'' until 1972, when ''Tramway Engines'' (book 26 in the series) was published. However, he had been finding it increasingly difficult to come up with ideas for new stories. After this, he felt that "the well had run dry" and so decided that the time had come to retire. He wrote no further ''Railway Series'' volumes but later wrote a spin-off story (''Thomas' Christmas Party'') for the television series, and expanded versions of some of his earlier stories, as well as writing ''The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways''. In addition, he wrote a number of short stories and articles for the annuals.


Cultural context

Anthropomorphisation of locomotives has a literary tradition extending back at least as far as the writings of
Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English journalist, novelist, poet, and short-story writer. He was born in British Raj, British India, which inspired much ...
in his 1897 story " .007".


Continuing series under Christopher Awdry

Christopher Awdry was a keen railway enthusiast like his father. On a visit to the
Nene Valley Railway The Nene Valley Railway (NVR) is a Heritage railway, preserved railway in Cambridgeshire, England, running between and Yarwell Junction. The line is in length. There are stations at each terminus, and three stops en route: , and . History ...
he was inspired to write his first story ''Triple Header'' based on a railway man's account of a locomotive running out of steam short of its destination. In the story, Thomas, Percy and Duck take on the Wild Nor' Wester but find it more than they can handle. Christopher wrote three further stories, ''Stop Thief!'', ''Mind That Bike'' and ''Fish'' and showed them to his father, who encouraged Christopher to submit them for publication. At the time, work on the
television adaptation An adaptation is a transfer of a work of art from one style, culture or medium to another. Some common examples are: * Film adaptation, a story from another work, adapted into a film (it may be a novel, non-fiction like journalism, autobiography, ...
was underway, and Kaye and Ward were keen to revive ''The Railway Series''. The book ''Really Useful Engines'' was published in 1983. Wilbert had considered this title for his own 27th volume before abandoning the project. Christopher wrote another 13 books, including the 50th anniversary volume ''Thomas and the Fat Controller's Engines''. He also wrote stories for the television series, notably ''More About Thomas the Tank Engine'', ''The Railway Series'' 30th volume. The success of the television series led to tensions between Christopher and the publishers. Thomas was the central character of the television series and the publishers wanted stories focused on Thomas. Christopher produced ''Thomas and the Fat Controller's Engines'' that had one story about Thomas, while ''Thomas Comes Home'' did not feature Thomas until the last page. The series' 40th volume, ''New Little Engine'', was published in 1996.
Egmont Publishing The Egmont Group (officially Egmont International Holding A/S; known as Gutenberghus Group until 1992) is a Danish media corporation founded and rooted in Copenhagen, Denmark. The business area of Egmont has traditionally been magazine publishi ...
who had taken over from Kay and Ward, did not publish further ''Railway Series'' books and allowed the existing back catalogue to go out of print. There was a selected print run in 2004 of the original 26 books, but in 2005, the sixtieth anniversary of Wilbert's first book, the Awdry family were disappointed that not all of the stories were available in their original format. In 2005, Christopher published ''Sodor: Reading Between the Lines'' under his own imprint Sodor Enterprises. This book expanded the fictional world of Sodor. He published several more books, mostly set on real railways in Britain. In 2006, Egmont started to re-publish Wilbert's books in their original format. The fourteen books written by Christopher were re-released in August 2007. On 3 September, Christopher published the 41st book in the series, ''Thomas and Victoria'', illustrated by
Clive Spong Clive Spong is an English illustrator of ''The Railway Series'' books by the Wilbert Awdry, Rev. W. Awdry. He illustrated the books written by Christopher Awdry published since 1983. Books *''Really Useful Engines'' *''James and the Diesel Engin ...
. The book addresses issues relating to the railway preservation movement. In July 2011, Egmont released the 42nd book in the series: ''Thomas and his Friends''. The final story ended with the words "The end". Christopher Awdry said that he had other material, which he hoped would be published. He narrated new stories about the narrow-gauge engines on "Duncan Days" at the
Talyllyn Railway The Talyllyn Railway () is a narrow-gauge railway in Wales running for from Tywyn on the Mid-Wales coast to Nant Gwernol railway station, Nant Gwernol near the village of Abergynolwyn. The line was opened in 1865Drummond 2015, page 17 to carr ...
in
Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
.


Illustrators

''The Railway Series'' is perhaps as highly regarded for its illustrations as for its writing, which in the immediate post-Second World War era were seen as uniquely vivid and colourful. Indeed, some critics (notably
Miles Kington Miles Beresford Kington (13 May 1941 – 30 January 2008) was a British journalist, musician (a double bass player for Instant Sunshine and other groups) and broadcaster. He is also credited with the invention of Franglais, a fictional language ...
) have claimed that the quality of the illustrations outshines that of the writing. The first edition of ''The Three Railway Engines'' was illustrated by the artist William Middleton, with whom Awdry was deeply dissatisfied. The second artist to work on the series was Reginald Payne, who illustrated ''Thomas the Tank Engine'' in a far more realistic style. Despite an early disagreement as to how Thomas should look, Awdry was ultimately pleased with the pictures produced. Payne later suffered a nervous breakdown and proved impossible to contact to illustrate ''James the Red Engine'', so C. Reginald Dalby was hired. Dalby also illustrated the next eight books in the series. ''The Three Railway Engines'' was reprinted with Dalby's artwork replacing William Middleton's and Dalby also touched up Payne's artwork in the second book in 1949 and 1950, respectively. Dalby's work on the series proved popular with readers, but not with the author, who repeatedly clashed with him over issues of accuracy and consistency. Dalby resigned from the series in 1956, following an argument over the portrayal of Percy the Small Engine in the book of the same name. Awdry had built a model of Percy as a reference for the artist, but Dalby did not make use of it. Despite the tempestuous relationship with Awdry, Dalby is probably the best remembered of the series' artists. With ''The Eight Famous Engines'' (1957), John T. Kenney took over the illustration of the series. His style was less colourful but more realistic than Dalby's. Kenney made use of Awdry's model engines as a reference. As a result of his commitment to realism and technical accuracy, he enjoyed a far more comfortable working relationship with Awdry, which lasted until ''Gallant Old Engine'' (1962), when Kenney's eyesight began to deteriorate. The artist initially chosen to replace him was the Swedish artist Gunvor Edwards. She began illustrating ''Stepney the "Bluebell" Engine'', but felt unsuited to the work. She was assisted for that volume by her husband Peter, who effectively took over from then on. Both artists retained credit for the work, and the "Edwards era" lasted until Wilbert Awdry's last volume, ''Tramway Engines''. The style used in these volumes was still essentially realistic but had something of an
impressionistic Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by visible brush strokes, open Composition (visual arts), composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...
feel. When Christopher took over as author of the series in 1983, the publisher was keen to find an illustrator who would provide work that had the gem-like appeal of Dalby's pictures, but also had the realism of Kenney and Edwards' artwork. The artist chosen was
Clive Spong Clive Spong is an English illustrator of ''The Railway Series'' books by the Wilbert Awdry, Rev. W. Awdry. He illustrated the books written by Christopher Awdry published since 1983. Books *''Really Useful Engines'' *''James and the Diesel Engin ...
. He illustrated all of Christopher Awdry's books, a greater number than any other artist working on ''The Railway Series''. He also produced illustrations for a number of
spin-off Spin-off, Spin Off, Spin-Off, or Spinoff may refer to: Entertainment and media *Spinoff (media), a media work derived from an existing work *''The Spinoff'', a New Zealand current affairs magazine * ''Spin Off'' (Canadian game show), a 2013 Canad ...
stories written by the Awdrys, and his artwork was used in ''The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways''.


Sodor

Awdry received numerous letters from young fans asking questions about the engines and their railway, as well as letters concerning inconsistencies within the stories. In an effort to answer these, he began to develop a specific setting for the books. On a visit to the
Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...
, he discovered that the
bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
there is known as the
Bishop of Sodor and Man The Bishop of Sodor and Man is the Ordinary of the Diocese of Sodor and Man (Manx Gaelic: ''Sodor as Mannin'') in the Province of York in the Church of England. The diocese only covers the Isle of Man. The Cathedral Church of St German where ...
. The "Sodor" part of the title comes from the Sudreys, but Awdry decided that a
fictional island Below is a list of islands that have been invented for films, literature, television, or other media. A * The Abarat: 25 islands in an archipelago, one for each hour and one for all the hours, from the series ''The Books of Abarat'' by Clive ...
between the Isle of Man and England by that name would be an ideal setting for his stories. In partnership with his brother George (the librarian of the National Liberal Club), he gradually devised Sodor's history, geography, language, industries and even geology. The results were published in the book ''The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways'' in 1987.


Cameo appearances

The Awdrys both wrote about Sodor as if it were a real place that they visited, and that the stories were obtained first-hand. This was often "documented" in the foreword to each book. In some of W. Awdry's later books he appeared as the Thin Clergyman and was described as a writer, though his name and connections to the series were never made explicit. He was invariably accompanied by the Fat Clergyman, based on the Teddy Boston, who was a fellow railway enthusiast and close friend. The two Clergymen were portrayed as railway enthusiasts, and were responsible for annoying the Small Engines and discovering Duke the Lost Engine. They were often figures of fun, liable to be splashed with water or to fall through a roof. Awdry also appeared in a number of illustrations, usually as a joke on the part of the illustrator. In one illustration by John T. Kenney in ''Duck and the Diesel Engine'' he appears with a figure who bears a strong resemblance to C. Reginald Dalby, which
Brian Sibley Brian David Sibley (born 14 July 1949) is an English writer. He is author of over 100 hours of radio drama and has written and presented hundreds of radio documentaries, features and weekly programmes. Among his adaptations is the 1981 version o ...
has suggested might be a dig at Dalby's inaccurate rendition of the character of Duck. A vicar appears in ''Edward the Blue Engine'' and other volumes as the owner of Trevor the Traction Engine. This may be a reference to Teddy Boston, who had himself saved a
traction engine A traction engine is a steam engine, steam-powered tractor used to move heavy loads on roads, plough ground or to provide power at a chosen location. The name derives from the Latin ''tractus'', meaning 'drawn', since the prime function of any ...
from scrap.. Dalby illustrated the entire Awdry family – Wilbert, Margaret, Christopher, Veronica and Hilary – watching Percy pass through a station ("Percy runs away" in ''Troublesome Engines'' (p53)).Sibley, p. 150 This was Christopher Awdry's only appearance in an illustration, but he often described meetings with the engines in the book forewords, usually with some degree of humour. Other people associated with ''The Railway Series'' were also referenced. In Dalby's books, he made allusions to himself twice on store signs (Seen in ''Off the Rails'' and ''Saved from Scrap'') and a reference to E.T.L. Marriott, who edited ''The Railway Series'', in ''Percy Takes the Plunge'' on a "Ship Chandlers" company sign. Peter Edwards also notes that he based Gordon's face on Eric Marriot's. The Fat Controller (originally The Fat Director in the earliest books which pre-dated the nationalisation of Britain's railways in 1948) was a fictional character, although Christopher Awdry has conceded that his doctor at the time may have provided an 'unconscious contribution' for his father. The Thin Controller, in charge of the narrow-gauge engines in the books was based on Mr Edward Thomas, the manager of the Talyllyn Railway in its last years before enthusiasts took it over in 1951. A number of the stories are based on articles which appeared in railway enthusiast publications of the period. The monthly ''Railway Magazine'' was a long-running enthusiasts' companion and the origins of several stories can be recognised. The railway books written by C. Hamilton Ellis, were another source.


Preservation movement

Awdry used the books to promote steam railways in the United Kingdom. The Skarloey Railway was based on the
Talyllyn Railway The Talyllyn Railway () is a narrow-gauge railway in Wales running for from Tywyn on the Mid-Wales coast to Nant Gwernol railway station, Nant Gwernol near the village of Abergynolwyn. The line was opened in 1865Drummond 2015, page 17 to carr ...
in Wales, where he volunteered. The Skarloey books often included a promotion for the Talyllyn Railway, either in the stories themselves, or in a footnote or the foreword. Some of the illustrations in the books depict recognisable locations on the Talyllyn Railway. From the 1980s onwards, the Talyllyn Railway occasionally repainted one of their locomotives to resemble its Skarloey Railway "twin". As well as paint schemes and names taken from the books' artwork, these locomotives are fitted with fibreglass "faces". These characters' appearances have been written into ''The Railway Series'' by Christopher Awdry in the form of visits by the fictional engines to the Talyllyn Railway. Two other railways on Sodor are based on real railways: The Culdee Fell Railway is based on the
Snowdon Mountain Railway The Snowdon Mountain Railway (SMR; ) is a narrow gauge rack-and-pinion mountain railway in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. It is a tourist railway that travels for from Llanberis to the summit of Snowdon, the highest peak in Wales. A return journ ...
and the Arlesdale Railway is based on the
Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway The Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway is a minimum-gauge railway, minimum-gauge heritage railway in Cumbria, England. The line runs from Ravenglass to Dalegarth for Boot railway station, Dalegarth Station near Boot, Cumbria, Boot in the valley o ...
in
Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders the Scottish council areas of Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders to the north, Northumberland and County Durham to the east, North Yorkshire to the south-east, Lancash ...
. From ''Duck and the Diesel Engine'' onwards, a number of real engines and railways were explicitly featured. Flying Scotsman, City of Truro,
Stepney Stepney is an area in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in the East End of London. Stepney is no longer officially defined, and is usually used to refer to a relatively small area. However, for much of its history the place name was applied to ...
and Wilbert were all real locomotives that appeared in ''The Railway Series'', the latter two having books dedicated to them: ''Stepney the "Bluebell" Engine'' and Christopher Awdry's ''Wilbert the Forest Engine''. Wilbert's appearance was of particular significance as the locomotive was named in tribute to Wilbert Awdry who was the president of the
Dean Forest Railway The Dean Forest Railway is a long heritage railway that runs between Lydney and Parkend in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. The route was part of the former Severn and Wye Railway which ran from Lydney to Cinderford. The society that op ...
at the time. In ''Thomas and the Great Railway Show'', Thomas visited the
National Railway Museum The National Railway Museum (NRM) is a museum in York, England, forming part of the Science Museum Group. The museum tells the story of rail transport in Britain and its impact on society. It is the home of the national collection of historical ...
in York, and several of the museum's locomotives are featured including
Mallard The mallard () or wild duck (''Anas platyrhynchos'') is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa. It has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Arge ...
, Duchess of Hamilton,
Stephenson's Rocket Stephenson's ''Rocket'' is an early steam locomotive of 0-2-2 wheel arrangement. It was built for and won the Rainhill Trials of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway (L&MR), held in October 1829 to show that improved locomotives would be m ...
, Iron Duke and
Green Arrow Green Arrow is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and designed by George Papp, he first appeared in ''More Fun Comics'' No. 73 on September 19, 1941 (cover dated November 1941), th ...
. At the end of this book, Thomas is made an honorary member of the National Collection.


Books

The following table lists the titles of all 42 books in ''The Railway Series''.


References in popular culture

Satirical magazine ''
Private Eye ''Private Eye'' is a British fortnightly satirical and current affairs (news format), current affairs news magazine, founded in 1961. It is published in London and has been edited by Ian Hislop since 1986. The publication is widely recognised ...
'' produced a book called ''Thomas the
Privatised Privatization (rendered privatisation in British English) can mean several different things, most commonly referring to moving something from the public sector into the private sector. It is also sometimes used as a synonym for deregulation wh ...
Tank Engine'', written in the style of ''The Railway Series''. The stories were strongly critical of private railway companies and the
Premiership of John Major John Major's tenure as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom began on 28 November 1990 when he accepted an invitation from Queen Elizabeth II to form a government, succeeding Margaret Thatcher, and ended on 2 May 1997 upon his resignation. As pr ...
, and covered subjects such as the
Channel Tunnel The Channel Tunnel (), sometimes referred to by the Portmanteau, portmanteau Chunnel, is a undersea railway tunnel, opened in 1994, that connects Folkestone (Kent, England) with Coquelles (Pas-de-Calais, France) beneath the English Channel at ...
,
London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or as the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent home counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in England. The Undergro ...
, transport of
radioactive waste Radioactive waste is a type of hazardous waste that contains radioactive material. It is a result of many activities, including nuclear medicine, nuclear research, nuclear power generation, nuclear decommissioning, rare-earth mining, and nuclear ...
and the perceived dangerous state of the railways.
Andrew Lloyd Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948) is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End theatre, West End and on Broadway theatre, Broad ...
wanted to produce a musical television series based on ''The Railway Series'', but Awdry refused to give him the control he wanted. Lloyd Webber would go on to compose the 1984 musical ''
Starlight Express '' Starlight Express'' is a 1984 musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Richard Stilgoe. It tells the story of a young but obsolete steam engine, Rusty, who races in a championship against modern locomotives of diesel and el ...
'', and create The
Really Useful Group The Really Useful Group Ltd. (RUG) is an international company set up in 1977 by Andrew Lloyd Webber. It is involved in theatre, film, television, video and concert productions, merchandising, magazine publishing, records and music publishing. ...
, a name inspired by the catchphrase "Really Useful Engines". There have been three adaptations of the series produced. The first was an unsuccessful pilot in 1953, which was filmed live and had a number of technical errors. Around three decades later came the ''Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends'' series, which premiered in 1984 and concluded in 2021. This was followed by '' Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go!'', a spin-off of the previous series which uses 2D animation and a more cartoonish style.


Notes


References

* *


External links

* (in
PDF Portable document format (PDF), standardized as ISO 32000, is a file format developed by Adobe Inc., Adobe in 1992 to present documents, including text formatting and images, in a manner independent of application software, computer hardware, ...
).
The Real Lives of Thomas the Tank Engine
��documents real influences behind the series * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Railway Series, The British children's books Series of children's books