The Railway Series

The Railway Series
Author	Reverend W. Awdry Christopher Awdry George Awdry
Illustrated by	William Middleton Reginald Payne C. Reginald Dalby John T. Kenney Gunvor and Peter Edwards Clive Spong Stephen Lings
Published	1945-2011
Publishers	Egmont Heinemann Young Books Random House Books Little Pops

The Railway Series was the series of children's books off of which Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends is based.

The first books were written by the Reverend W. Awdry as a way to cheer up his son Christopher, who was ill with measles. The original series had twenty-six books, since expanded to forty-two by Christopher. After a large hiatus, a new book was published in 2007 and again in 2011.

In 2012, the first four books were released in digital format on iTunes in the UK. Audio adaptations of the Railway Series have been recorded at various times under the title The Railway Stories.

History

The origins of the Railway Series can be traced back to Wilbert Awdry's childhood, listening to nearby steam engines struggle up the steep grade on the Great Western Railway. He noticed they made sounds that made it seem as if they were having conversations. To Awdry, it was as if each engine had its own personality.

In 1943, during the height of the Second World War, Awdry's young son Christopher was ill with the measles. To entertain his bed-ridden child, Wilbert told stories of talking engines named Edward, Gordon, and Henry. Christopher demanded consistency among each retelling of the stories, so Wilbert wrote them down. It was not until Awdry was heavily persuaded by his family that he sent in his stories to be published, and in 1945, The Three Railway Engines was published.

Between 1948 and 1972, Awdry wrote a new title every year. The series went through six different illustrators, William Middleton, Reginald Payne, C. Reginald Dalby, John T. Kenney, and Gunvor and Peter Edwards. Awdry received letters from railwaymen who would read the stories to their children or grandchildren. They praised his realism. Almost all of the stories in the Railway Series were based on a real event that happened to some engine, somewhere, at some time.

Although Awdry "retired" in 1972, annuals were published. In 1983, Christopher Awdry, who had written articles for railway magazines, decided to carry on the torch. After being inspired by a story told by an engineman on the Nene Valley Railway, he penned Really Useful Engines. Eager to put out new material to coincide with the upcoming television adaptation, publishers Kaye and Ward accepted the new book. Christopher consistently put out new Railway Series titles until the late 1990s, and Clive Spong was assigned as the current illustrator.

During the early 2000s Christopher was not asked to write any new titles despite the popularity of the TV series. It was not until 2007 that he was finally able to get a new title published. Four years later, to honour what would be his fathers one-hundredth birthday, he published Thomas and his Friends. This was the first book in the entire series to have "The End" written after the books conclusion. At the 2014 Tale of the Brave premiere in Leicester Square, London, Alf Fortnam, widower of the late Hilary Fortnam, said Christopher Awdry was finished with the series.

Books written by the Reverend W. Awdry

1. The Three Railway Engines - Edward, Henry, and Gordon have several adventures.
2. Thomas the Tank Engine - A station pilot tries to gain respect.
3. James the Red Engine - James gets into trouble and tries to make up for his errors.
4. Tank Engine Thomas Again - Life on Thomas' Branch Line is far from dull.
5. Troublesome Engines - When the big engines go on strike, Percy is brought in to help.
6. Henry the Green Engine - Henry overcomes illness to prove his might.
7. Toby the Tram Engine - Toby is saved by the Fat Controller after his tramway closes.
8. Gordon the Big Engine - Gordon pulls his act together in time for a royal visit.
9. Edward the Blue Engine - Edward is getting old, but proves that he has plenty of life in him yet.
10. Four Little Engines - The story of the Skarloey Railway engines working together to keep their line running.
11. Percy the Small Engine - Percy is fed up of being ordered about and gets a chance to shine when Thomas needs help.
12. The Eight Famous Engines - Already famous for their adventures the engines take a trip to England, but Thomas almost puts a damper on the trip.
13. Duck and the Diesel Engine - A malicious diesel creates confusion and blames Duck.
14. The Little Old Engine - Skarloey returns to find that things have changed on his little railway.
15. The Twin Engines - Two well-meaning Scottish goods engines create confusion in the yard.
16. Branch Line Engines - Thomas has an accident and a lazy diesel-railcar named Daisy arrives.
17. Gallant Old Engine - The Skarloey Railway engines prepare for Rheneas' return.
18. Stepney the "Bluebell" Engine - Stepney of the Bluebell Railway pays a visit to Sodor.
19. Mountain Engines - We meet the Culdee Fell Railway engines, and Lord Harry makes up for a silly accident.
20. Very Old Engines - Skarloey and Rheneas recall their early days and celebrate their 100th birthday.
21. Main Line Engines - Gordon and James get into silly mishaps while Edward surprises everyone.
22. Small Railway Engines - Three new engines arrive on Sodor to work a narrow gauge goods line.
23. Enterprising Engines - Diesel power may be triumphing on the mainland, but it is quite the contrary on Sodor.
24. Oliver the Western Engine - A boisterous Great Western engine gets into trouble.
25. Duke the Lost Engine - Peter Sam and Sir Handel recall their old days as a search begins for an old engine.
26. Tramway Engines - Percy and Thomas have adventures, while Mavis causes trouble.

These volumes were later compiled into Thomas the Tank Engine: The Complete Collection.