The Railway Series
The Railway Series , German: The Railway Series , is a children's book series on which the television series Thomas the Tank Engine and the musical Starlight Express by Andrew Lloyd Webber based.
The books are about stories from Thomas and his friends who live on the fictional island of Sodor. Every story has a lesson suitable for children. 26 of these books were written by the Rev. Wilbert Vere Awdry in the years 1945-1972 and from 1983 by his son Christopher Awdry , a total of 42 volumes were published by 2011. Wilbert Awdry got the first inspiration for these books as a child, because he lived next to a railway tunnel of the Great Western Railway in Box . He wrote the first stories to cheer up his son Christopher (* 1940), who had measles . All books consist of four stories (the only exception being Henry the Green Engine , which consists of five stories).
Almost all stories are based on events that took place on real railways and all locomotives and other machines that occur are also based on those that exist in reality. The series was illustrated by William Middleton (1945), Reginald Payne (1946), C. Reginald Dalby (1948–1956), John T. Kenney (1957–1962), Gunvor and Peter Edwards (1963–1972) and Clive Spong ( 1983–2011) and edited by Edmund Ward (1945–1968), Kaye & Ward (1968–1998) and Egmont Publishing (since 1998). In Germany, the only published book was published by Ravensburger Taschenbücher .
In 2012, the first four books appeared digitally on Apple iOS devices in the UK . All books are published in English and Japanese. In Germany, the first two books were translated into one book in 1981, "Wilbert Awdry's Talking Railways: Thomas the Tender Locomotive and Other Railway Stories", by Josef Guggenmos .
history
Wilbert Awdry had been interested in steam locomotives all his life and watched them as a child. He imagined the puffing noises of the locomotives as their language and how they talked to each other. When Awdry's three-year-old son Christopher fell ill with measles in 1943 and Wilbert had to cheer him up, he told him stories about live steam locomotives. The first characters were Edward, Gordon and Henry, and Christopher wanted to hear the stories so often that Wilbert ended up writing them down. Wilbert's wife Margeret found these stories and suggested that Wilbert publish them. After a few refusals, the editor Edmund Ward volunteered to print the stories, on condition that the end of the last story was changed: the Henry locomotive was walled up in a tunnel in this one, but was released again in the edited version. The Three Railway Engines finally appeared in 1945.
When writing the stories, it was important to Awdry that they were not aimed directly at children, but rather were easy to read for the people who had to read the stories to the children. Furthermore, the morals of the stories weren't the focus and in fact Awdry wanted his stories to be more different from the classic children's books he had to read with his brother as a kid. Instead, his locomotives should behave more like real people than like good role models.
Books written by Wilbert Awdry
| No. | title | action | Stories | Year of action | Publication date | TV adaptation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Three Railway Engines | Edward, Henry and Gordon have several adventures. | Edward's Day Out Edward and Gordon The Sad Story of Henry Edward, Gordon and Henry |
1923 1923 1922 1923 |
May 12, 1945 | season 1 |
| 2 | Thomas the Tank Engine | A shunting locomotive seeks respect. | Thomas and Gordon Thomas' Train Thomas and the Trucks Thomas and the Breakdown Train |
1924 | October 18, 1946 | season 1 |
| 3 | James the Red Engine | James gets into trouble and tries to correct his mistakes. | James and the Top-Hat James and the Bootlace Troublesome Trucks James and the Express |
1925 | September 14, 1948 | season 1 |
| 4th | Tank Engine Thomas Again | Thomas experiences adventures on his new branch line. | Thomas and the Guard Thomas Goes Fishing Thomas, Terence and the Snow Thomas and Bertie |
1925 1931 1947 1948 |
December 31, 1949 | season 1 |
| 5 | Troublesome Engines | Because the big locomotives are on strike, Percy is called in to help. | Henry and the Elephant Tenders and Turntables Trouble in the Shed Percy Runs Away |
Between 1925 and 1935 | Jan 15, 1950 | Season 4 Season 1 Season 1 Season 1 |
| 6th | Henry the Green Engine | Henry overcomes his illness to prove his skills. | Coal The Flying Kipper Gordon's Whistle Percy and the Trousers Henry's Sneeze |
- 1935 - - - |
July 10, 1951 | Season 1 Season 1 Season 1 Season 3 Season 1 |
| 7th | Toby the Tram Engine | Toby is rescued by Sir Topham Hatt after his overland steam tram line is shut down. | Toby and the Stout Gentleman Thomas in Trouble Dirty Objects Mrs. Kindley's Christman |
1951 | July 26, 1952 | Season 1 Season 1 Season 1 - |
| 8th | Gordon the Big Engine | Gordon does everything possible to prepare for the royal visit to Sodor. | Off the Rails Leaves Down the Mine Paint Pots and Queens |
1952 1952 1952 1953 |
June 19, 1953 | Season 1 Season 3 Season 1 Season 4 |
| 9 | Edward the Blue Engine | Edward is getting old but he tries to do anything. | Cows Bertie's Chase Saved from Scrap Old Iron |
1952 | November 23, 1954 | season 2 |
| 10 | Four Little Engines | The stories of the narrow-gauge locomotives on the Skarloey Railway are told. | Skarloey Remembers Sir Handel Peter Sam and the Refreshment Lady Old Faithful |
1952 | November 22, 1955 | Season 4 |
| 11 | Percy the Small Engine | Suffice it to be commanded around, Percy sees his chance of rescue when Thomas needs help. | Percy and the Signal Duck Takes Charge Percy and Harold Percy's Promise |
1955 | January 1, 1956 | Season 2 Season 2 Season 2 Season 3 |
| 12 | The Eight Famous Engines | After the locomotives have become famous for their adventures, they take a trip to England. | Percy Takes the Plunge Gordon Goes Foreign Double Header The Fat Controllers Engines |
1956 | September 15, 1957 | Season 2 - A Season 3 Season 4 |
| 13 | Duck and the Diesel Engine | A devious Diesel comes to Sodor and tells lies about Duck. | Domeless Engines Pop Goes the Diesel Dirty Work A Close Shave |
1957 | June 23, 1958 | Season 3 Season 2 Season 2 Season 2 |
| 14th | The Little Old Engine | Skarloey comes back to his little railroad and finds many changes there. | Trucks! Home at Last Rock 'n' Roll Little Old Twins |
1958 | January 1, 1959 | Season 4 Season 4 Season 4 - |
| 15th | The twin engines | Two Scottish twins cause a lot of trouble on the train. | "Hullo Twins!" The Missing Coach Break Van The Deputation |
1959 | September 15, 1961 | - - A Season 2 Season 2 |
| 16 | Branch line engines | Thomas has an accident, so a new, lazy diesel called Daisy arrives. | Thomas Comes to Breakfast Daisy Bully Eyes Percy's Predicament |
1960 | September 15, 1961 | Season 2 Season 2 Season 4 Season 2 |
| 17th | Gallant Old Engine | The narrow-gauge locomotives prepare everything for Rheneas to return from the workshop. | Special Funnel Steam Roller Passengers and Polish Gallant Old Engine |
1961 (present) 1952 (flashback) |
January 1, 1962 | Season 4 |
| 18th | Stepney the "Bluebell" engine | Stepney from the bluebell train visits Sodor. | Bluebells of England Stepney's Special Train Stops Play Bowled Out |
1962 | 15th August 1963 | Season 4 |
| 19th | Mountain Engines | We hit the Culdee Fell Railway locomotives and Lord Harry had a stupid accident. | Mountain Engine Bad Look-Out Danger Points "Devil's Back" |
1963 (present) 1900 (flashbacks) |
15th August 1964 | - |
| 20th | Very old engines | On their hundredth birthday, Skarloey and Rheneas are remembering their early days. | Crosspatch Bucking Bronco Stick-in-the-Mud |
1965 (present)
1865/1867 (flashbacks) |
June 15, 1965 | - |
| 21st | Main line engines | Gordon and James make silly mishaps while Edward surprises everyone. | The Diseasel Buzz, Buzz Wrong Road |
1965 | November 15, 1966 | Season 2 Season 3 Season 2 |
| 22nd | Small Railway Engines | Three "enchanted" little locomotives work on the miniature train of the Arlesdale Railway . | Ballast Tit for Tat Mike's Whistle Useful Railway |
1967 | August 1, 1967 | - Season 20 Season 20 B Season 20 |
| 23 | Enterprising Engines | Diesel power may triumph on the mainland, but not on Sodor. | Tenders for Henry Super Rescue Escape Little Western |
1967 | 4th October 1968 | Season 3 - Season 3 Season 3 |
| 24 | Oliver the Western Engine | A proud Great Western steam locomotive gets into trouble. | Donald's Duck Resource and Sagacity Toad Stands By Bulgy |
1968 | 15th November 1969 | Season 3 Season 3 Season 4 Season 3 |
| 25th | Duke the Lost Engine | Peter Sam and Sir Handel talk about their old days when the search for a missing locomotive begins. | Granpuff Bulldog You Can't Win Sleeping Beauty |
1928/1947 1904 1920 1969 |
October 15, 1970 | Season 4 |
| 26th | Tramway Engines | Percy and Thomas go on adventures while Mavis causes mayhem. | Ghost Train Woolly Bear Mavis Toby's Tightrope |
1962 | October 15, 1972 | Season 2 Season 2 Season 3 Season 3 |
These books were later merged into Thomas the Tank Engine: The Complete Collection, 1997.
Books written by Christopher Awdry
| No. | title | action | Stories | Year of action | Publication date | TV adaptation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | Really Useful Engines | Life on the island of Sodor is far from over. | Stop thief! Mind that Bike Fish Triple-Header |
unknown | September 12, 1983 | - Season 4 Season 4 - |
| 28 | James and the Diesel Engines | James is learning a lesson in using diesel locomotives. | Old Stuck-Up Crossed Lines Fire Engine Deep Freeze |
1976 1984 1984 1984 |
17th September 1984 | - |
| 29 | Great Little Engines | Sir Handel is not content with life on the railroad, as Peter Sam and Duncan try to prove. | Patience is a Virtue Peter Sam and the Prickly Problem Pop Special Sir Handel Comes Home |
1982 1982 1983 1984 |
October 28, 1985 | - |
| 30th | More About Thomas the Tank Engine | Thomas and Percy fall apart after an accident. | Thomas, Percy and the Coal The Runaway Better Late Than Never Drip Tank |
1985 | September 22, 1986 | Season 2 Season 2 Season 2 - |
| 31 | Gordon the high-speed engine | Gordon tries to prove how fast he can be while meeting the Inter City Pip and Emma. | High-Speed Gordon Smokescreen Fire Escape Gordon Proves His Point |
1986 | September 7, 1987 | - |
| 32 | Toby, Trucks and Trouble | Percy and Toby experience many adventures on the branch line. | Mavis and the Lorry Toby's Seaside Holiday Bulstrode Toby Takes the Road |
1987 (present) 1939 to 1948 (flashbacks) |
September 19, 1988 | -
Season 4 |
| 33 | Thomas and the Twins | Thomas meets Bill and Ben on Edward's branch line. | Scambled Eggs What a Picture! Trevor Helps Out Down the Drain |
1988 1988 1988 1989 |
September 11, 1989 | - |
| 34 | Jock the New Engine | A new powerful locomotive starts its work on the Arlesdale Railway . | We Need Another Engine Sticking Power Jock Teamwork |
1975 1975 1976 1976 |
August 6, 1990 | - |
| 35 | Thomas and Great Railway Show | Thomas goes to the mainland to take part in a large railway exhibition. | Museum-Piece Not the Ticket Trouble on the Line Thomas and the Railtour |
1990 | August 12, 1991 | - |
| 36 | Thomas Comes Home | The stories of Percy, Toby and Daisy while Thomas is on the mainland. | Snow Problem Washout! Toby's Megatrain Thomas Comes Home |
1991 | June 15, 1992 | - |
| 37 | Henry and the Express | Henry is sick again and needs some repairs. | Out of Puff Overhaul Sliding Scales Henry Sees Red |
1992 | April 8, 1993 | - |
| 38 | Wilbert the Forest Engine | Wilbert visits Sodor to help Donald and Douglas on Duck's branch line. | Percy's Porridge Cab Over Wheels Foaming at the Funnel Wired-Up |
1993 (present) 1943 (flashback) |
August 8, 1994 | - |
| 39 | Thomas and the Fat Controller's Engines | Sodor celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Railway Series . | Birdstrike Edward and the Cabbages Rabbits Golden Jubilee |
1995 | August 1, 1995 | - |
| 40 | New Little Engine | A new locomotive is being built for the Skarloey Railway . | Speedkiller Sir Handel's Plan Dirty Water I Name this Engine ... |
1996 | August 8, 1996 | - |
| 41 | Thomas and Victoria | Sir Topham Hatt is renovating an old passenger car named Victoria for Toby. | Overloaded Avalanche Eels on Wheels Toby's Vintage Train |
2007 (present)
Between 1891 and 1924 (flashbacks) |
September 3, 2007 | - |
| 42 | Thomas and his friends | Pip and Emma become members of the Fat Controller's Railroad. | Thomas and the Swan Buffer Bashing Gordon's Fire Service Centenary |
2011 | July 6, 2001 | - |
All but the last book are summarized in the 2007 book Thomas the Tank Engine: The New Collection .
Other books
| title | action | author | Publication date | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas' Christmas Party | Thomas wants to throw a Christmas party for Mrs. Kindley, but her house is snowed in. | W. Awdry | October 29, 1984 | Requested by Britt Allcroft and David Mitton to be filmed as the season finale of the first season. |
| Thomas Comes to Breakfast | Thomas thinks he no longer needs a train driver, but then drives into the station master's house | W. Awdry | 2nd September 1985 | A new version of the story of the same name from Branch Line Engines. |
| Thomas and the Missing Chistmas Tree | Thomas is supposed to pick up a Christmas tree, but is buried on the way and has to be rescued by Donald and Douglas. | C. Awdry | October 20, 1986 | Served as a template for the season finale of the second season. |
| Thomas and the Evil Diesel | Diesel returns and is supposed to help out on Thomas' branch line. | C. Awdry | 5th October 1987 | Another requirement made by the producers of the TV series, but it was never made into a film. Instead, the concept of Diesel returning to help out was used several times until Diesel finally joined the railroad. |
| Thomas and Gordon Off the Rails | Gordon rolls into a pond and Thomas falls into a mine. | W. Awdry | 3rd September 1990 | A new version of the stories of the same name from Gordont the Big Engine. |
| Thomas and the Hurricane | Thomas and his friends are living with the aftermath of a hurricane. | C. Awdry | March 16, 1992 | - |
Broken books
In the 80s Christopher Awdry wrote a book called Barry the Rescue Engine , but it was never published: Because of the success of the TV series, readers wanted to read more stories about Thomas instead of being introduced to more new characters.
C. Awdry still had more material for other narrow-gauge stories.
Accompanying volumes
These accompanying tapes tell the fictional history of Sodor since ancient times . The history of the people, the culture, the geography and that of the railroad are described there in great detail.
- Railway Map of the Island of Sodor (Wilbert Awdry, 1958; 1971; 1983)
- Twelve Happy Engines (Wilbert Awdry, 1970)
- The Railway Series: Surprise Packet (Wilbert Awdry, 1972)
- The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways (Wilbert Awdry and George Awdry, 1987)
- The Thomas the Tank Engine Man (Brian Sibley, 1995; 2015)
- Sodor: Reading Between the Lines (Christopher Awdry, 2005)
Others
Almost all stories are based on events that took place in real life and all machines that occur have a counterpart in reality.
In the history of Henry's Sneeze from Henry the Green Engine Henry sneezes on some boys with soot. In the original version of the book, these boys were then referred to as "as black as niggers". This sparked a dabbot reported in the National Press in 1972. Awdry apologized and changed the sentence to "as black as soot".
Web links
- www.ttte.wikia.com (English)
- (English)
- www.awdrysrailwayseries.wikia.com (English)
- Sodor Iceland Fansite (English)
- Thomas the Tank Engine Wiki (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ The Railway Series. Accessed June 21, 2020 (English).
- ^ The Railway Series. Accessed June 21, 2020 (English).
- ↑ Amazon. Retrieved June 21, 2020 .
- ^ A History of the Railway Series. Retrieved July 29, 2020 .
- ^ The Thomas the Tank Engine ™ Man (1995 Documentary). Accessed July 30, 2020 (English).
- ^ The Thomas the Tank Engine ™ Man (1995 Documentary). Accessed July 30, 2020 (English).
- ^ Barry the Rescue Engine. Retrieved on August 12, 2020 .
- ^ Henry the Green Engine. Retrieved on August 12, 2020 .
- ↑ https://twitter.com/ttteguy1984/status/1145885705903775745. Retrieved August 12, 2020 .