Wilbert Awdry's father was born in 1854, and considered himself to have grown up with trains. Wilbert once recollected that "Many of his parishioners were railwaymen, and he visited them in their platelayers' huts or on the station - sometimes he would take me with him. The men were all aware that their Vicar knew almost as much about railways as they did, and no-one ever turned 'Railwayman Parson' away."
Moving to Box, Wiltshire, directly in sight of the Great Western Railway's main line, Wilbert and his brother George quickly inherited their father's love of railways. Even in these early years, lying in bed, Awdry would listen to the engines at night, struggling up Middle Hill, "imagining that they were talking to themselves."
In 1943, Wilbert's son, Christopher Awdry, was "sidetracked" with measles. It was then that Awdry would create stories "told to amuse the invalid", of talking trains with amusing personalities. His wife, Margaret, suggested that he do something with the stories. Two years later, Awdry's first book was published, entitled The Three Railway Engines.
Introducing the engines Edward, Gordon and Henry, the book was successful enough to warrant what became to be known as The Railway Series. The second book by Awdry, Thomas the Tank Engine, introduced what is now the series most popular and identifable characters, Thomas. Almost every year since those original books in 1945 and 1946, more stories were published until 1972, at which time the series consisted of twenty-six original titles. The Railway Series stayed strong, until the 1990s, none of the books ever went out of print.
Wilbert Awdry's books were becoming very popular. Kids kept on writing in, asking the Reverend where Thomas and the other engines in the Railway Series lived. Looking with his brother at a map, Awdry decided there was no where in the British Isles, suitable for the trains to reside.
One summer, on holiday in the Isle of Man, the Reverend discovered the Bishop's in charge had the title "Bishop of Sodor and Man", a reference to the Sudderies, an area of what is now southwest Scotland. George and Wilbert decided to use the other half of the Bishop's diocese, hereby "discovering"
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