Large Scale Central

Thomas the Tank Engine

General Discussion
#1

Spent last night and this morning with the grandkids. We visited the station in Bloomington, Illinois yesterday evening to watch the “Texas Eagle” and the “Ann Rutledge” come through. They also pass in back of the daughter’s family’s house about 1/2 mile away across a strom inpoundment, so the interest in trains is high and constant.

Besides 1:1 watching, we had our constant dose of Thomas. Does anyone know about the layout used in making this series?

A lot of it looks like modified LGB stuff.

Is there a single book called “Thomas the Tank Engine” or is that just hype?

Has anyone tried to figure how the layout for the models used in the filming is layed out? Maybe 3 loops with some sidings?

How about a source for cars and engines other than Thomas and James in any scale? Is it available?

Thanks in advance for any help with these pressing questions.

#2

There is a single volumn compelation of all Thomas stories out there.

#3

I did answer my own question about a single book. There is a book of all the Thomas stories. Obviously, it was ordered and will probably be used as a Christmas present.

Victor, thanks we were replying at the same time.

#4

Thomas is big with my grandkids also , and they are wondering why I have / like trains , and that Grandpa does not know all Thomas stories locos and cars names ?
I do enjoy watching the videos with them though .

#5

Yeah Dennis,

I like the stories, but I’m also fascinated with the layout and wonder where and how much of it is detailed or is it all just stage props. Lots of the stuff looks like LGB.

#6

Let’s see how much of this I remember…Thomas and the rest were thought up by an Anglican minister name Wilbert Awdry who told the first stories to his sick child (kid’s name was Christopher, and he’s written some TTE stories too). The first story was Edward’s Day Out. Rev Awdry’s wife pushed him to have them printed, the first book of the series was The Three Railway Engines (which included Edward’s Day OUT) published in '45. Thomas was actually a latecomer, he didn’t appear until the second book, published in '46. New books with 3-5 stories each appeared approximately every year for the next quarter century. I think Christopher Awdry has added about 10 more books since his dad retired. My daughter has a BIG book with a collection of all the original 26 W Awdry books…It’s available in bookstores, on Amazon, or evilBay…It’s called Thomas the Tank Engine, The Complete Collection. (Yes, I read it, and yes, I enjoyed it immensely)

And yes, the TV models are gauge 1, with Marklin mechanisms. Thanks to the second artist Rev Awdry employed to illustrate his books all the engines (except James) have an actual prototype, ole Thomas is actually a Class E2 shunting engine built for the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway. Even more interesting IMO, is that many of the stories were based on actual happenings on British Railways and its predecessors. A railway locomotive did disappear down a mine shaft on the Furness Railway and get spun on a turntable by the wind on the Midland Railway. Also, the people who appear, the fat controller, the fat clergyman, the vicar who saves Trevor were all based on friends of Awdry…The thin clergyman is considered to be Rev Wilbert Awdry himself

Lionel made Thomas and James in Gauge 1, IMO they are very cheaply built and not very good runners. I think they made Thomas and Percy in O gauge as well.

Hornby has made an extensive line in OO and Bachmann is making quite a few in HO

Probably more than you wanted to know…And I remembered mor than I thought I would

#7

Also, the Strasburg RR in Pennsylvania has built 1 real steam (ex BEDT #15) and several dummy Thomas (One 3 foot gauge that’s based out of Durango) that travel around to various rail museums for “Day Out With Thomas” events. Never been, but they say the places are always packed.

#8

Thanks all for replies.

Mik, I found some more info once I started digging.

http://www.pegnsean.net/~railwayseries/ffarquhar.htm

Looks well versed in the history of garden railroading.

#9
Ric Golding said:
Spent last night and this morning with the grandkids. We visited the station in Bloomington, Illinois yesterday evening to watch the "Texas Eagle" and the "Ann Rutledge" come through. They also pass in back of the daughter's family's house about 1/2 mile away across a strom inpoundment, so the interest in trains is high and constant.

Besides 1:1 watching, we had our constant dose of Thomas. Does anyone know about the layout used in making this series?

A lot of it looks like modified LGB stuff.

Is there a single book called “Thomas the Tank Engine” or is that just hype?

Has anyone tried to figure how the layout for the models used in the filming is layed out? Maybe 3 loops with some sidings?

How about a source for cars and engines other than Thomas and James in any scale? Is it available?

Thanks in advance for any help with these pressing questions.


I remember an article in either GR or MR about how they filmed the show. Musta been GR because the models were LGB sized. And it was a while ago since I can’t remember much of the details.

On another note, while driving on the PA Turnpike from Bedford, Pa. to Carlisle, Pa. to deliver a load, I passed a flatbed with Thomas loaded on it. I don’t know if it was a dummy or the real thing as it was traveling in the opposite direction and didn’t get but a quick look at it.

#10

Yes, most of the locos and stories have prototypes in Brit-land, but I must correct the comment about Thomas being an LBSCR E2 class.

The model of Thomas that Hornby punted around for a while IS an E2, but the original Thomas was an industrial tank loco ( I think a Hudswell Clarke, but memory is fading…) from a sugar beet line near Peterborough in England.

Neil the Brit.

#11

Another thing about Thomas is that most of the Museum railways here have a Thomas look alikes , so when they want some money for museum work , they put Thomas Series faces on the engines and it brings the kids in by the dozen . It not only brings the money in , it gets the kids interested in the trains in general . My last Thomas weekend was with the Dean Forest Railway in Gloucestershire . Still got my lollipop , I have a go at it when I’m playing with my very own Thomas .

#12

I want to thank you all for taking an interest in this thread, especially those across the pond. Some of the info is a little hard to decipher, as I’m sure some of our more obscure railroads over here are to you. The ones that are well known are probably not to hard to find info on, but those little pieces of steel that have faded into history offer a lot of interest to some people. I found a chronological listing of when things happened, concerning Thomas. It became popular in the USA in 1989. Well that is long after my children would have shown interest, so that answered one question right there.

Mike, many of our tourist railroads have “a day with Thomas”, also. It does spark the children’s interest.

#13

In 1987, I retired and took over the job of house-husband and care-provider for our two daughters, 2 and 5 years of age. Good TV programs helped and PBS had several.

Among them was ‘Shining Time Station’ which always included a story about Thomas and his friends. The girls really enjoyed the series and of course the Muppets, too. And we had a ride-on engine from Little Tykes, and LGB trains to play with, too.

Mr. Rogers was a favorite but I had had enough of him the first time around even though I was seldom at home, working seemingly 24/7 while the first three kids were growing up (in the late '50s, early '60s). But Bullwinkle Moose and Rocky the Squirrel is what those kids remember most.

#14

As I recall, he got the idea when he brought an article about a funny thing that happened on a railroad to show Christopher when he was in the hospital. Christopher said it looked like the loco was smiling.

Caleb and Ethan loved Shining Time Station, but lost interest in it when George Carlin started playing the conductor instead of Ringo Starr.

#15

Tom Ruby said:
As I recall, he got the idea when he brought an article about a funny thing that happened on a railroad to show Christopher when he was in the hospital. Christopher said it looked like the loco was smiling. Caleb and Ethan loved Shining Time Station, but lost interest in it when George Carlin started playing the conductor instead of Ringo Starr.

Yeah that was a bit of a reach for me too, I grew up listening to Carlin’s albums, so whenever I was flipping channels and saw George on “Shining Time” I kept thinking he would break into his “Seven Words You Can Never Say On The Island of Sodor” routine… OK This is DEFINETELY NOT for kids, but are pretty darn funny… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZaB9V_KxmY There are other clip, just enter Ernest the Engine…

#16

Never much cared for the Beatles, but Ringo was a much better conductor than Carlin. But I gotta admire you Vic, nobody can’t touch your ability to slide down that slippery slope; I need a better search engine but never thought about Shining Time Station!

Art
A limerick is furtive and mean,
You must keep 'er in close quarantine.
Or she sneaks to the slums,
Where she promptly becomes,
Disorderly, lewd, and obscene.

#17
Mik said:
Lionel made Thomas and James in Gauge 1, IMO they are very cheaply built and not very good runners. I think they made Thomas and Percy in O gauge as well. Hornby has made an extensive line in OO and Bachmann is making quite a few in HO
Lionel's Gauge 1 Thomas and James are OK if you don't expect them to pull like an SD70. Leastwise, I haven't had problems with mine. Lionel did (do?) Thomas and Percy in O. I have them in a box somewhere. I wasn't especially impressed. Hornby's line is OK. Crude mechs (typically British of their era, before Bachmann -- yes, Bachmann -- showed the Brits a better way), but certainly closest to the books. Bachmann's HO I have no experience with. Tomix do Thomas, James, Henry and Percy in N gauge (scale uncertain, but certainly larger than 1:160; probably closer to 1:140). They seem to be good runners.
#18
Chris Vernell said:
Lionel's Gauge 1 Thomas and James are OK if you don't expect them to pull like an SD70. Leastwise, I haven't had problems with mine.
Not like an SD70, but expecting it to be able to pull 4 or 5 2 axle cars on level track, without stripping the bloody gears, shouldn't be an unreasonable expectation, should it?
#19

I am a Grandfather and I remember Thomas from my childhood. The Bachmann stuff is OK, if a bit delicate. And is being expanded.

I think Carlin is a US only thing, they changed some of the text for the US audience as well. I have a new DVD with Ringo doing the commentary and the older videos from the library also have Ringo, so I guess Carlin dubbed some of the more recent US issued DVD’s. With the PC changes.

I took the 2 of the Grandchildren to the Colorado Railway Museum for Thomas, he was there 5 days in all, all trips sold out months ago, but we had a good time without actually going on the train. They had a massive marquee chocker full of Thomas stuff, for sale. I have never seen it so packed, must have been a massive money earner. Thomas here was a dummy pushed by a Diesel.

I thought the film’s were all O Gauge, seem to remember reading up about it, a quick google of the Model Makers from the Credits should confirm.

#20

I do beleive I read an Article in MR years ago about the lyout usedfor filming the Thomas Segments, and aomong the interesting tidbits were that they orgianlly built from scratch the locomotives in O scale for the line, then found out that the Marklin O scale was much more dependable than their own stuff!