Jim Henson and Britt Allcroft Present: Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends

[Duke Andrew of Dank]

In 1977, Britt Allcroft secured the rights to producing the Rev W Awdry's Railway Series books for television. Then, Jim Henson took interest in the same project and decided to collaborate with Allcroft on the new show.

The end result was Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends, which has reached the world record books for the longest-running children's show in history. This part of the show's history is narrated by Ringo Starr and Michael Angelis in the UK.

SEASON 1 (1983)
1. Thomas and Gordon
2. Edward and Gordon (Edward's Day Out/Edward and Gordon)
3. The Sad Story of Henry
4. Edward, Gordon and Henry
5. Thomas' Train
6. Thomas and the Trucks
7. Thomas and the Breakdown Train
8. James and the Coaches (James and the Top Hat/James and the Bootlace)
9. Troublesome Trucks
10. James and the Express
11. Thomas and the Guard
12. Thomas Goes Fishing
13. Thomas, Terence and the Trucks
14. Thomas and Bertie
15. Henry and the Elephant
16. Tenders and Turntables
17. Trouble in the Shed
18. Percy Runs Away
19. Coal
20. The Flying Kipper
21. Whistles and Sneezes (Gordon's Whistle/Henry's Sneeze)
22. Toby and the Stout Gentleman
23. Thomas in Trouble
24. Dirty Objects
25. Off the Rails
26. Leaves
27. Down the Mine
28. Paint Pots and Queens
29. Mrs. Kyndley's Christmas
30. Thomas' Christmas Party

SEASON 2 (1985)
1. Thomas, Percy, and the Coal
2. Cows
3. Bertie's Chase
4. Saved from Scrap
5. Old Iron
6. Thomas and Trevor
7. Percy and the Signal
8. Duck Takes Charge
9. Percy and Harold
10. The Runaway
11. Domeless Engines
12. Pop Goes the Diesel
13. Dirty Work
14. A Close Shave
15. Better Late Than Never
16. The Missing Coach
17. Break Van
18. The Deputation
19. Thomas Comes to Breakfast
20. Daisy
21. Bull's Eyes
22. Percy's Predicament
23. The Diseasel
24. Buzz, Buzz
25. Wrong Road
26. Edward's Exploit
27. Ghost Train
28. Wooly Bear
29. Thomas and the Important Visitor
30. Percy to the Rescue

Season 3 (1987)
1. Thomas Gets Bumped
2. Skarloey and Sir Handel (Introduces Skarloey, Peter Sam, Sir Handel, and the Thin Controller)
3. Peter Sam and the Refreshment Lady
4. No Joke For James
5. Old Faithful
6. Thomas, Percy and the Dragon
7. Mavis (Introduces Mavis)
8. Toby's Tightrope
9. Percy's Promise
10. Ballast (Introduces the Small Railway)
11. Donald's Duck (Introduces Dilly)
12. Tender Engines (Introduces Flying Scotsman)
13. Escape (Introduces Oliver, Isabel, & Toad)
14. Super Rescue (Introduces Bear & Spamcan)
15. Resource and Sagacity
16. Tit For Tat (Introduces the Thin and Fat Clergymen and The Small Controller)
17. Mike's Whistle
18. Toad Stands By
19. Bulgy
20. Useful Railway
21. Fire Engine
22. Deep Freeze
23. Thomas Percy, and the Post Train
24. Percy Takes the Plunge
25. One Good Turn
26. Heroes
27. Percy, James, and the Fruitful Day
28. Gordon Goes Foreign
29. Double Header
30. Thomas, Percy's Christmas Adventure

Season 4 (1991 or 1994)
1. Scrambled Eggs!
2. Mavis and the Lorry
3. What a Picture!
4. Special Attraction (Toby's Seaside Holiday/Bulstrode)
5. Trevor Helps Out
6. Toby Takes the Road
7. Down the Drain
8. Trucks (Introducing Rusty)
9. Home at Last (Introducing Duncan, the open coaches, Gertrude & Millicent, and Cora)
10. Rock n' Roll
11. Old Little Twins (Introducing Talyllyn and Dolgoch)
12. Special Funnel
13. Steamroller (Introducing George the Steamroller)
14. Passengers and Polish
15. Gallant Old Engine
16. Thomas and Stepney (Introducing Stepney the Bluebell Engine)
17. Train Stops Play (Introducing Caroline the Vintage Car)
18. Bowled Out (Introducing Bowler/Class 40)
19. Old Groaner
20. Thomas and the Evil Diesel
21. The Fat Controller's Engines (Introducing Jinty, Pug and other BR engines)
22. Drip Tank
23. Stop Thief!
24. Mind that Bike
25. A Better View for Gordon
26. Whistle Trouble
27. Terence Turns Pot Hunter
28. Fish
29. Triple Header
30. Make Someone Happy

Season 5
1. Thomas, Percy, and Old Slowcoach
2. Oliver Gets the Bird
3. Baa!
4. Edward Cracks a Nut
5. Crosspatch
6. Bucking Bronco
7. Stick-in-the-Mud
8. Granpuff
9. Ducks and Dukes
10. Bulldog
11. You Can't Win
12. Sleeping Beauty
13. Signal Failure
14. Cranky Bugs
15. We Need Another Engine (Introduces Frank)
16. Sticking Power
17. Mike and Jock (Jock/Teamwork) (Introduces Jock)
18. Double Teething Troubles
19. Lady Hatt's Birthday Party
20. Percy's Porridge (Introduces Wilbert)
21. Cab Over Wheels
22. Foaming at the Funnel
23. Wired-Up
24. Out of Puff
25. Overhaul
26. Sliding Scales
27. Henry Sees Red
28. Donald and the Lost Tarpaulin
29. Horrid Lorries
30. Snow!

 

[Duke Andrew of Dank]

A few details on my personal take on TUGs, Thomas' short-lived but excellent maritime counterpart...

• Clearwater never goes bankrupt. As such, three more seasons are made until the show ends in 1991 due to the crew's desire to return to working on Thomas full time.
• Also, Puffa has a face. With face masks being revised versions of Edward's in TTTE.
• The original show is released in the US in the late 1990s on VHS, replacing Sally's Lighthouse.
• Season 1 gets 12 more episodes.
• Season 2 focuses on the Bigg City Port during the Great Depression. This season is considered a major improvement over the already great season 1. As for one thing, humans are also featured. Mainly as wooden figures like in Thomas. But more importantly, Hercules get far more screen time and development.
  
• Season Three focuses on the Bigg City during the Second World War. With such plots as a Luftwaffe air raid on the ports and how the Tugs of both teams helped. As well as the subsequent arrival of the US Army. Among those who are sadly killed in the war are Billy Shoepack (sacrificed himself to save Sunshine from the Luftwaffe), Bluenose (bombed in air raid), and Lord Stinker (also destroyed in air raid, when he was used as a makeshift carrier of munitions).
• Season 4 is the ultimate series finale as during the immediate postwar era. All loose ends are tied up. Including Starr and Zero's tugs burying their hatchets. As they look forward to a newer future for them.

 

[Duke Andrew of Dank]

Shining Time Station

After the success of Thomas & Friends in the United Kingdom, Britt Allcroft and her production company teamed up with PBS station WNET in New York City to produce and distribute the sitcom-esque Shining Time Station, every episode of which would include a couple of episodes of Thomas & Friends. The series starred Ringo Starr, George Carlin, Didi Conn, Brian O'Connor, and The Flexitoon Puppets. Ringo Starr, who had already been providing the voice of the storyteller for the British series, agreed to extend the role to include the on-screen character called Mr. Conductor in Shining Time Station. He later left the show and was replaced by George Carlin.

The show was largely the same as OTL. But there was a key difference in the form of its take on Mr. Conductor. Instead of one tiny man played by two actors, he was now two real-sized men with different histories. Ringo Starr's conductor had lived in the UK for years before, then came to America for more work when steam ended on British Railways. Ringo's conductor was quiet and reserved, though good with children. George Carlin's Mr. Conductor was more lively and outgoing, and was stationed at a US military base on Sodor during the Cold War. In general, Sodor was portrayed as a real life place people could visit, as opposed to a magical realm.

The show ran for five seasons from 1989 to 1996. With a few specials in addition to the normal episodes. After the show proper ended, it was succeeded by Mr. Conducter's Thomas Tales, which focused on releasing the unreleased narrations of Thomas' Season 5 episodes.

The show is still fondly remembered by those who saw it.

 

[Duke Andrew of Dank]

SEASON 6
1. Thomas, Percy, and Old Slowcoach
2. Oliver to the Rescue (TTL's analogue to Rusty to the Rescue; Part 1 of the Molly the Yellow Engine saga)
3. Mountain Engine
4. Bad-Look Out
5. Molly and the Express (TTL's analogue to Molly's Special Special; Part 2 of the Molly the Yellow Engine saga)
6. Henry's Rocky Experience (TTL's analogue to Edward Strikes Out; Part 3 of the Molly the Yellow Engine saga)
7. Danger Points
8. Domeless Engines
9. James, Molly and the Tree (TTL's analogue to James and the Trouble with Trees; Part 4 of the Molly the Yellow Engine saga)
10. Devil's Back
11. Overloaded
12. Avalance
13. Susan's First Day (TTL's analogue to Emily's Adventure; Part 1 of the Susan the Orange Engine saga)
14. The Speed Demon (TTL's analogue to As Good As Gordon; Part 2 of the Susan the Orange Engine saga)
15. Double Teething Troubles
16. Eels On Wheels
17. Toby's Vintage Train
18. Her Finest Hour (TTL's analogue to Thomas Saves The Day; Part 3 of the Susan the Orange Engine saga)
19. Something in the Air (Same as OTL, but with Susan in Thomas' role; part 1 of the Barry the Rescue Engine saga)
20. Barry's Shakedown (TTL's analogue to S11 Thomas in Trouble; Part 2 of the Barry the Rescue Engine saga)
21. Bringing Back Emily (TTL's introduction of Emily as the star of a railway museum in Vicarstown)
22. Emily to the Rescue (TTL's analogue to Emily's New Coaches)
23. James Goes Backwards (TTL's analogue to Don't Go Back; Part 3 of the Barry the Rescue Engine saga)
24. Barry, Mud, and Sheep (TTL's analogue to Muddy Matters; Part 4 of the Barry the Rescue Engine saga)
25. A Better View for Gordon
26. Drip Tank
27. Lady Hatt's Birthday Party
28. Put Upon Percy
29. All At Sea
30. The Fat Controller's Engines

Season six features two books Christopher Awdry intended to have published - Thomas and Victoria and Barry the Rescue Engine, and Mountain Engines, Domeless Engines, and The Fat Controller's Engines are finally adapted for television. The remaining sixteen episodes are new stories written by the likes of Andrew Brenner, Paul Larson, Laura Beaumont, Davey Moore, Mark Huckerby and Nick Ostler, with Christopher Awdry's input, as well as railway consultant David Maidment.

The first staff-written character is introduced in the form the kind and gentle Molly, a yellow female tender engines based on the Great Eastern Claud Hamilton 4-4-0. Also introduced here the lively and witty Susan, an orange tender engine based on the Great Central Railway Pom-Pom 0-6-0. Third is the elderly and wise Emily, based on the Great Northern Stirling Single. Also introduced is Barry the Rescue Engine, a character Christopher Awdry hoped to write about, is also introduced into the show at this point.

A few of the stories are featured in OTL's seasons three and five (Double Teething Troubles, No Joke for James, Thomas, Percy and Old Slow Coach, and A Better View for Gordon), and they also help to expand the world of Sodor on television. In the US, George Carlin leaves the show to return to his comedy career, being replaced by veteran actor Michael Keaton (Batman 1989, Beetlejuice), while Michael Angelis continues for the UK. The series is produced in 1997 and it airs in 1998 and 1999.

 

[Duke Andrew of Dank]

Variations of the intro

Unlike OTL, the intro to show always uses the original theme music by Mike O'Donnel and Junior Campbell. However, the visual layout of the intro changed many times. These are some of the changes made to it over the years.

Season 1 (1981)

Largely the same as OTL.

Seasons 2-10 (1982-2005)

Largely uses footage from the beginning of Thomas Comes to Breakfast. But with a fw extended and deleted shots in there as well.

Season 10-14 (2005-2009)

Same as later model era with theme still present. With the obligatory classic theme.

 

[edgeworthy]

I always preferred the audio adaptions done by Johnny Morris. To me the TV series always came across as an inferior rip-off.

Compared to vinyl delivered with soul and class.

 

[Duke Andrew of Dank]

Models of Thomas' First few characters

Here are details on how the models of TTL are different from OTL...

General

• Handrails on sides of cabs and occasionally on boilers.
• Visible safety valves on front of whistle.

Thomas: Mostly same as OTL

Edward: Mostly same as OTL

Henry

• MK1 shape resembles RWS design more closely
• MK2 resembles an LMS Black 5 more.

Gordon: Mostly same as OTL

James: Mostly same as OTL

Percy: Mostly same as OTL

Toby: Dark blue sideplates like in the Railway series. also based on the LNER Y6 instead of J70.

Duck and Oliver: Painted GWR Brunswick Green like in the RWS

Donald/Douglas: Blue like in the RWS

 

[Loulou]

Models of Thomas' First few characters

Here are details on how the models of TTL are different from OTL...

General

• Handrails on sides of cabs and occasionally on boilers.
• Visible safety valves on front of whistle.

Thomas: Mostly same as OTL

Edward: Mostly same as OTL

Henry

• MK1 shape resembles RWS design more closely
• MK2 resembles an LMS Black 5 more.

Gordon: Mostly same as OTL

James: Mostly same as OTL

Percy: Mostly same as OTL

Toby: Dark blue sideplates like in the Railway series

Duck and Oliver: Painted GWR Brunswick Green like in the RWS

Donald/Douglas: Blue like in the RWS

So will Thomas be modified after he comes to breakfast?

 

[Duke Andrew of Dank]

So will Thomas be modified after he comes to breakfast?

I had considered it, butI have decided against it because Thomas' original shape is too endearing for me. Though the back bufferbeam is still lower.

 

[Duke Andrew of Dank]

In case anyone is wondering how I would make the Small Railway possible in my alternate model series. My ideas is that each gauge would be built in a different scale.

Standard Gauge: S Scale

Skarloey railway: On3 Scale

Small Railway: HO Scale

 

[Duke Andrew of Dank]

Educational Segments
After Thomas was no longer aired as part of Shining Time Station, Britt Allcroft made a series of educational segments to help extend an episode's air time to 30 Minutes.

Among these were:

• Union Pacific Big Boy: Detailing the iconic articulated engines. This segment is them most recalled of the group.
• Casey Jones: The story of the Illinois Central engineer is detailed. The segment was lost until 2012.

 

[Duke Andrew of Dank]

I'm actually going to detail some ideas I had for if we were to keep this closer to OTL.

General

• The Classic Seasons have 30 episodes each.
• George Carlin stays on longer. With whatever would stop him being butterflied.
• This is the general model followed by model makers when making the characters...
  • Standard Gauge: S Scale
  • Skarloey/Mid Sodor/Culdee Fell Railway: On30 Scale
  • Small Railway: HOn3 Scale

Characters

• Duck, Oliver, and BoCo are painted in Brunswick Green.
• Donald and Douglas are eventually painted blue.
• The stories for characters like Molly, Rosie, and Neville are based on these fan stories.
• Molly has the number 19 painted on her tender in blue.
• Emily S8-11 character is instead used for an orange engine called Susan. Who is a CGR 9J and numbered 26.
• Emily is based on the SECR O Class instead of the Stirling Single.
• Neville has the number 33 painted in yellow on his cab, and "North Western" on his tender.
• Belle is now a fictional 2-8-4T version of the Stanier 8F. 31 is painted on her coal bunker.
• Rosie's Current number is one her from the start.

Season 1

• Henry and the Elephant, Leaves, Mrs. Kindley's Christmas, and Paint Pots and Queens are adapted here instead of later.

Season 2

• The Missing Coach is adapted.
• Better Late Than Never is replaced with an adaptation of Percy's Promise.
• Bulls Eye is adapted in this season.
• Diesel Off the Quay, TTL's analogue to the World's Strongest Engine, is made.
• Percy and the Trousers is adapted.

Season 3

• An adaptation of Super Rescue replaces OTL's Trust Thomas.
• Toad Stands By is adapted in the Season.
• An adaptation of Thomas and the Evil Diesel replaces Diesel Does It Again.

Season 4

• Out of the Narrow Gauge, only the ones from Four Little Engines and The Little Old Engine are adapted. With the rest being in Season 5.
• The narrow gauge stories not adapted are replaced with the best stories from OTL's Season 5: A Better View for Gordon, Thomas, Percy, and Old Slowcoach, etc.
• The entirety of RWS 27: Really Useful Engines is adapted.
• Rusty to the Rescue is replaced with Stepney Gets Lost. Though Stepney does meet Rusty when he wander all the way to Crovan's Gate.
• Molly and Susan are introduced in this season.

Season 5

• The rest of the Rev Awdry's Narrow Gauge Stories are adapted.
• The events of Small Railway Engines are adapted. The story Ballast is reworked to take place while the line is being built.
• Smudger is not created, and Alcroft instead brings in Stanley: MSR No. 2.
• Emily and Arthur are introduced in this season.

Thomas and the Magic Railroad is not produced.

Season 6

• Season 6 and the following ones maintains the lighting of Seasons 4 and 5.
• Jock the New Engine and Wilbert the Forest Engine are adapted.
• Murdoch and Spencer are introduced.

Season 7

• Neville and Belle are introduced.
• Gordon the High Speed Engine and Thomas and the Twins are adapted.

 

[Duke Andrew of Dank]

Nameboard details

ITTL, the show reshot many of their nameboard sequences as better models came and camera improved too. From here on, the engines would have individual places hwere their nameplates were shown off...

- Thomas: At Ffaeqhuar
- Edward: On the siding at Wellsworth
- Henry: At the goods yard in Tidmouth
- Gordon: At Knapford Station
- James: At Tidmouth Sheds
- Percy: At the Ffarqhuar Quarry
- Toby: Right next to Percy
- Duck: At Arlesburgh
- Donald and Douglas: In the open shed at Tidmouth harbor
- Molly: In the coach shed at Tidmouth
- Susan: At Elsbridge
- Oliver: At a shed near the sea, likely on the Little Western