Thomas the Tank Engine - Definition and Overview

Thomas the Tank Engine.

This article is about the fictional tank engine, for the television series, see Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends

Thomas the Tank Engine is a fictional tank engine. He is blue, and has an 0-6-0 wheel arrangement based on a LBSCR E2 Steam Tank Engine. He lives on the fictional Island of Sodor, and is locomotive number 1 on the Sodor Railways. He is the star of the television series Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends. Thomas the tank engine first appeared in the 1940s, when stories about him were published in The Railway Series by Reverend W.V. Awdry. Now he is the most well known fictional locomotive in the world.

Adventures of Thomas

Thomas and Gordon was the first episode of the television series and features a cheeky tank engine known as Thomas. He teases Gordon the Big Engine for being too slow and lazy. Gordon plots to revenge on Thomas. On a morning when Thomas was ill, Gordon takes revenge by starting the Express Train before Thomas is uncoupled. Thomas is forced to go the journey at high speed and at the end of the line Gordon laughs. Thomas is faced with a long slow ride home for his foolishness.

Further adventures with Thomas cause him to:

• Have trouble with trucks.
• Rescue James the Red Engine.
• Get fish in his boiler.
• Get stuck in snowdrifts.
• Race with Bertie the Bus.
• Fall down a mine.
• Rescue Mrs Kyndley.
• Go on a runaway.
• Get covered in coal.
• "Go to breakfast" at the stationmaster's house
• Get scared by a "Ghost".
• Get caught in a snowdrift again while bringing the christmas tree.
• Help with the post train.
• Get "bumped".
• Meet the "bluebell" engine, Stepney.
• Go faster than Gordon, with the help of a jet engine.
• Help deliver items to the icecream factory instead of taking children to the beach.
• And many other adventures...

Other Information

• Thomas has two coaches Annie and Clarabel and his own branch line.
• Thomas' favorite saying is "Bust my Buffers" and when he is really angry, "Bust my Boiler".
• The Fat Controller calls him a "Really useful engine".
• Thomas hates snowplows.