Thomas (disambiguation)



Thomas is a blue tank engine who works on the North Western Railway. He originally worked as the station pilot at the Big Station but longed to leave his yard to go out and see the world. After helping to rescue James from a nasty accident, Thomas was rewarded with two new coaches, Annie and Clarabel and was given the responsibility of running the Ffarquhar Branch Line, where he works to this day.

Details of Thomas' arrival on the North Western Railway in 1915 are mostly undocumented and it is unknown exactly how he turned up on Sodor. The most popular theory put forward, however, is that he was sent to Sodor in a wartime mix-up.[1]  His driver and fireman got along well with the local people and married Sudrian women. By 1920, neither one wanted to leave the Island or their beloved engine.

During an inquiry, Topham Hatt found out that the LB&SCR had written off Thomas as being "lost on war service". Rather than face complications resulting from a change in their books, the LB&SCR quietly sold Thomas to the North Western Railway for a "nominal sum".[2]

Thomas originally worked as the station pilot at Vicarstown, shunting trains for the bigger engines on the mainline to take out. He enjoyed teasing the other engines, especially Gordon, who he would quietly sneak up on and whistle loudly while Gordon on a siding. Eventually, Gordon managed to get back at Thomas by pulling out of the station before he could be uncoupled from his coaches, dragging him down the line at a tremendous speed. Thomas vowed to never tease Gordon again. Perhaps as a result of his brief excursion beyond his boundaries, Thomas longed to see more of the world and become a part of it and became jealous of the bigger engines for having the chance to pull trains.

On an occasion when Henry fell ill, Thomas took his morning passenger train since there were no other engines available, much to his delight. However, for unknown reasons, Thomas left the station before he could be coupled to his train, leaving behind the coaches, the passengers and their luggage. Thomas was not aware of his mistake until he was stopped by a signalman who asked where his train was. Ashamed and confused, Thomas returned to the station and collected his coaches. Subsequently, the incident made him a laughing stock among the other engines.

Thomas continued to grumble to the other engines, though they took no notice of him. However, Edward felt sorry for him and allowed him to take his goods train to Wellsworth while he handled his shunting duties in the yard. Although Edward warned him to be careful around the trucks, Thomas took no notice and bumped the trucks as he started. When they reached Gordon's Hill, the trucks pushed him down the line, causing him to lose control. Thomas raced through Maron station and came to a stop, where he was confronted by the Fat Controller. Sometime after this, Thomas was relocated to Wellsworth to learn more about handling trucks.

Thomas was present in the yard when James ran out of control with his trucks and derailed in a field outside the station. Thomas fetched the Breakdown Train and rushed to James' aid and he helped to clean up the broken trucks and bring James back to the shed when he was re-railed. As a reward for his actions, Thomas was given two new coaches, Annie and Clarabel and was given the responsibility of running the Ffarquhar Branch Line, much to his delight.[3]

In 1995, during the Golden Jubilee of the Railway Series, Thomas derailed on his branch line after rabbits had been undermining the track. He was rescued and managed to attend the Jubilee at Tidmouth or be it after being delayed at Knapford Junction after a points and signal failure.

In 2007, during which Toby was having to handle the overflow of quarry workers, Thomas discovered an old carriage named Victoria, who he asked to be restored and help Toby. He brought her up from the Junction to Ffarquhar to meet Toby, after having to bypass Terence's toppled cart that had nearly blocked the line.

in2011, Thomas had been crossing the river bridge near Elsbridge, when he was forced to stop due to an injured swan laying on the rails. He escorted it to Ffarquhar where it was taken to a vet and after recovery, Thomas brought it back to Elsbridge where the swan was freed. Later, he attended the Thin Clergyman's centenary. Before coming to Sodor, Thomas lived at Brighton, where he worked alongside several other engines. He was brought to the North Western Railway when the Fat Controller was in need of a new tank engine to shunt trains at Knapford and was originally painted teal-green before receiving his blue livery.

Thomas was cheeky at first and enjoyed teasing Gordon by waking him up while he was resting at Knapford. Gordon managed to get back at Thomas by leaving the station too quickly before he could be uncoupled and though Thomas learned his lesson about teasing Gordon, he wanted to see more of the world and go beyond the yard at Knapford station. He was given the chance to pull his first passenger train when Henry became ill but left the station too early when he mistook the guard's whistle for Edward's train for his own, leaving behind his coaches and passengers. Thomas was stopped by a signalman and he went back to the station to fetch his train.

Thomas was teased relentlessly about this mistake by Gordon and James, though Edward felt sorry for him and offered to let Thomas take his goods train while he took care of his shunting duties in the yard. Thomas could hardly contain his excitement and was too excited to listen to Edward's warning about the trucks, believing that he could handle them easily. However, as he reached the top of Gordon's Hill, the trucks began pushing Thomas down the line, causing him to run out of control and nearly crashed until he stopped in a siding.Thomas was pulling his coaches to Killaban, but he was late due to repairs on the Main Line Loop. When he arrived to connect his passengers with Gordon's train, the latter scolded him for being late and tells him that engines are really reliable, and right on time. After talking about Mr. Conductor coming to be in charge of Sodor while Sir Topham Hatt is on a holiday, Diesel 10 rushed by, spreading dust all over the two engines. Thomas reminds Gordon about Diesel 10, who has used to be on Sodor.

Later at Tidmouth Sheds, Thomas accidentally bumps into some buffers, James warns him about it, and Thomas reminds him that buffers are for stopping engines from crashing and into accidents. After Diesel 10 arrives and announces his plan to destroy a lost engine and replace Sodor's steam engines with new diesels taking over, Thomas is confident that diesel engines won't take over as long as Mr. Conductor is around and heads off to find him, leaving James confused.

On his branch line, Thomas met Mr. Conductor, who is concerned about his journey from Shining Time keeps getting bumpy. Thomas comforts him and tells him all about Diesel 10's arrival. After arriving at Knapford, Thomas shunted some Troublesome Trucks at Tidmouth Sheds, talking to James and Gordon, who boast that Thomas is too small to collect Mr. Conductor. After hearing the other engines conversation about Lady, Thomas is confident that little engines like him, can find her. Harold accidentally spreads Sneezing Powder all over Thomas, Splatter and Dodge, dumped by Diesel 10. Thomas is sure that Diesel 10 is still causing trouble.

At the sheds, Thomas and the other engines are soon asleep with Mr. Conductor, until Diesel 10 attacks the sheds, and demands the lost engine's whereabouts. Mr. Conductor threatens Diesel 10 with a bag of sugar, seizing him up if pouring it in his fuel tanks.

Meanwhile, after Thomas was with the other engines gather for the meeting about their individual concerns about Diesel 10 destroying Lady and he set off to find Mr. Conductor, then Bertie offers a race with him, but Thomas apologizes to him when he is unable to accept Bertie's offer for a race and decides to help Mr. Conductor solve some mysteries.

That night as Percy arrived at Knapford with the Mail Train, Thomas and Percy talk about how Mr. Conductor travels to Sodor on a magic railroad by a set of magic buffers as Diesel 10 overhears them. Then, Toby told them to carry on taking the Mail Train while Toby followed him to the Smelters Yard and distracted Diesel 10, Splatter and Dodge.

Throughout the film, Thomas spends all his time, making sure he is really useful. Thomas works very hard, taking passengers on his branch line, and the Main Line Loop, and trying to find and help Mr. Conductor find the source of his gold dust, in order to keep the two worlds together.

After a coal truck for Henry disappears through The Magic Buffers, Bertie calls out to Thomas about his missing coal truck, leading Thomas and Percy to realize that the buffers lead to the Magic Railroad and the lost engine. Thomas suggests they should protect the buffers from Diesel 10. Later, Thomas meets Lily and Junior, he told Annie and Clarabel that Percy will pick them up, leaving Annie and Clarabel behind and takes them to the windmill, where Mr. Conductor is looking for the clue. After Junior is flung away with Diesel 10. Mr. Conductor, Lily and Thomas discuss the Lady and Burnett Stone and wonder if he could help them to. After Percy alerts Thomas about Splatter and Dodge finding the magic buffers before Diesel 10 destroys the Magic Railroad, Mr. Conductor advises Thomas to take Lily to her grandpa, through the buffers, because he is really useful and will find a way.

Thomas was reluctant but bravely agrees. The two guided by The Tumbleweed, go through the magic buffers, and explore the Magic Railroad. Thomas finds the coal truck, and couples up to it as a clue. When the two arrive at Muffle Mountain, Lily runs off to find her grandpa. However, a wind blew very high, knocking Thomas loose, into another portal of The Magic Railroad.

When Lady and the Magic Railroad were restored, Thomas met up with Lady and steamed through the Magic Buffers, meeting Mr. Conductor and Junior at the Sodor Wishing Well, until the two engines are found by Diesel 10, Splatter and Dodge. Thomas and Burnett bravely decide to help Lady. Thomas, Burnett and Lady are chased by Diesel 10, throughout the Kirk Ronan line. Thomas reminds Lady that little engines can do big things before they reach the viaduct. Lady and Thomas bravely make it across, whistling cheerfully as Diesel 10 falls off the viaduct and lands into a barge full of sludge. Thomas and Lady arrive back safely and help out with more of the clues. After the gold dust is restored, Thomas and Lady thank each other and learn the valuable lesson of magic. Thomas happily puffs back home to Tidmouth Sheds to tell Sir Topham Hatt and the other engines all about his magical adventure

Thomas is described as being a cheeky and fussy engine. He often gets into scrapes, usually by being over-eager to do things best left to bigger and more sensible engines. But clouds never last long in Thomas' life and he is soon bustling about again, playing his part in the yard and on his very own branch line, of which he is extremely proud.

Appearances
 * Spotless
 * Smudger's day off
 * Break My Stride(cameo, speaks only in music video)

Trivia
 * Thomas was the first character in the Railway Series to have a number. According to Brian Sibley, Awdry used the number one because it was the easiest to draw.
 * Thomas was the first character introduced in the television series.
 * From the first to twelfth series during the model era, Thomas had three different facial expressions: furious, jovial and irritated; that was not used on-screen. His unused second series jovial face mask, however, was used in The Great Festival Adventure game, where Thomas was teasing Gordon about being on the turntable.
 * Also in the tenth series episode, Topped Off Thomas, his unused third series outrageous face was used where Thomas was arguing with Spencer about going or not going faster than the wind and later challenging him to a race to Kellsthorpe Road.
 * Sometime before or during production of the fourth series, Thomas also had an elderly face mask, created by model maker Jeremy King, which was originally made as a joke to David Mitton during the filming of Thomas and the Magic Railroad.[9] [10]
 * He is only surviving member of his class in the tv show of Thomas and friends.
 * He is a member of Sir topham hatt's railway.