Thomas and Friends: A History
Author: Nicholas MoreauPublished on: Mar 16, 2004
This is our first stop in my three-part series of articles on the "Thomas and Friends" books, TV show, and successful line of DVDs. Here we look at how the series started, its evolution into books, a TV show, and then DVDs, a travelling attraction, and a theme park.
Born son to the Vicar of Ampfield, a small town near Romsey, Hampshire, in 1911, Wilbert Awdry grew up in a home passionate for the rail.
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" the Island of Sodor, between the Isle of Man and England. In 1958, a map of Sodor and neighbouring Walney Island was published. In later maps, Walney became part of Sodor. Some spellings changes, like Vickerstown into Vicarstown.
In 1982, producer and screenwriter Britt Allcroft became reacquainted with the series of books, while he was filming a documentary of a preserved steam railway. She had fond memories of these books in her childhood, and was inspired to bring them to the screen.
Two years later, Awdry and Allcroft's series, "Thomas and Friends", steamed onto the British television screen. Quickly former Beatle Ringo Starr joined the series as the storytelling conductor.
That year, Wilbert's son Christopher, for whom the first stories were written for, wrote his first in his father's The Railway Series. Christopher would end up adding a further 14 books between 1983 and 1996.
In 1989, the Canadian-produced "Shining Time Station" debuted on PBS, with outspoken comedian George Carlin as the soft-voiced, pint-sized conductor.
In 1995, the now out-of-print book "The Thomas the Tank Engine Man", a biography of Awdry, was published. The book was written by writer and broadcaster Brian Sibley.
In 1996, Wilbert Awdry was honoured with an Order of the British Empire. Sadly, by that time Awdry was unable to travel to London to recieve it, as his health had deteriorated too far. The Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire bestowed the Order to Awdry at his home. Wilbert died peacefully at his Stroud, Gloucestershire home, on March 21, 1997, at age 85.
Still, even after Wilbert Awdry's death, the adventures of Thomas continue on. In 1991, "Thomas & Friends" arrived on Japanese television, to so much fanfare that The Thomas & Friends Theme Park opened in 1998. In 1996, "Thomas and Friends" launched www.thomasthetankengine.com, getting an early start on the then new medium of the Internet, being one of the first children's books or TV shows to launch its own exclusive website.
Thomas travelled from the Island of Sodor to the National Railroad Museum in Green Bay, Wisconsin, making his first live touring appearance in the US. Since then, the "Day Out With Thomas" family event has toured the rails of US, with Thomas and Sir Topham Hatt now entertaining one million guests each year.
In 2000, Alec Baldwin starred in "Thomas and the Magic Railroad",
a feature released in theatres worldwide. Alec stayed on to narrate some
of the later DVDs in 2002.
In my next column, we'll look at the newest Thomas and Friends release from Anchor Bay Entertainment, New Friends For Thomas & Other Adventures