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Started in 1945 and concluded in 2011, ''
The Railway Series ''The Railway Series'' is a series of British books about a railway known as the North Western Railway, located on the fictional Sodor (fictional island), Island of Sodor. There are 42 books in the series, the first published in May 1945 by Wi ...
'' is a series of 42 British books written 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 ...
and his son Christopher Awdry. This is a list of all characters who appeared in the book series. Unless otherwise said on this page, the technical notes come from actual notes laid out by Awdry when he was developing the characters and setting for his stories; these notes are cited in his publication ''The Island of Sodor: Its People, History, and Railways''.


North Western Railway

The North Western Railway (NWR) is the main standard gauge rail network on the
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 ...
. The railway's motto is "Nil Unquam Simile", which is Latin for "There's nothing quite like it". From nationalisation on 1 January 1948, until it was privatised, the railway was the North Western Region of
British Railways British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. Originally a trading brand of the Railway Executive of the British Transport Commis ...
(BR). From 1925 onwards, it has been managed by three Fat Controllers.


Steam engines


Diesel engines


Rolling stock


Skarloey Railway

The Skarloey Railway (SR) is a gauge railway, which runs from the North Western Railway's Crovan's Gate station to Skarloey station. Beyond Skarloey, the line continues to a former slate quarry, later used as ammunition dumps. The railway is owned by Sir Handel Brown, who serves as its chairman, and is run by Mr. Roger Sam, the son of the previous controller, Mr. Peter Sam.


Steam engines


Diesel engines


Rolling stock


Culdee Fell Railway

The Culdee Fell Railway (CFR) is Sodor's only rack railway. It climbs to the top of Sodor's highest mountain, which shares the railway's name. It is based on the Snowdon Mountain Railway in North Wales, was opened in 1900 and for many years was operated under the direction of Mr. Walter Richards, the General Manager. The railway was only featured in ''Mountain Engines''. The engines on the line are all s.


Steam engines


Rolling stock


Arlesdale Railway

The Arlesdale Railway is Sodor's only miniature railway. It is based on the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway in Cumbria. The railway is run by Fergus Duncan (The Small Controller). Its five engines appear in the books. The diesel engines are mentioned in the companion books: ''Sigrid of Arlesdale'', ''Blister I'' and ''Blister II''.


Steam engines


Diesel engines


Privately owned/other Sudrian railways


British Railways/Visitors

Various engines from British Railways (BR; also known as "the Other Railway"), and some from preserved/private railways and
museums A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private collections that are used by researchers ...
have visited the North Western Railway, both on regular trains to-and-from the mainland, for special events, or under a lease agreement.


The 'Other Railway' Engines


Non-rail vehicles


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:List of The Railway Series characters The Railway Series characters Literary characters introduced in 1945
Railway Series ''The Railway Series'' is a series of British books about a railway known as the North Western Railway, located on the fictional Sodor (fictional island), Island of Sodor. There are 42 books in the series, the first published in May 1945 by Wi ...