No.93 - Thomas the Tank Engine

Hello! 

I've been recently informed that my blog loads in different fonts on different computers/browsers..... I'm really sorry if you've been trying to read it in a super italic font! This is not a bad decision on my part, but the work of the gremlins that live in the internet! If you would rather read the blog in a more readable font I suggest refreshing your browser window, which should change the font making for a more comfortable experience! 

Right, technical bits over! On with the blog! This time the book is Thomas the Tank Engine, no.2 in Rev. W. Awdry's Railway Series. 

Funnily enough this little book was really hard to track down and in the end I had to download it onto my kindle! But Thomas is everywhere I hear you say - true, but not the original Thomas. There's a difference? Yes! Now all the Thomas the Tank Engine books are part of the Thomas and Friends franchise, and the stories are all different! 

I was a Thomas the Tank Engine fan when I was little, in particular the 90s tv version, but I don't actually remember ever reading the original books! When trying to track this one down I was surprised to see that Thomas was not the main focus of the Railway Series, as the modern versions would lead us to believe, but in fact the second book. However, it is clear that out of all of Awdry's little trains, Thomas was the one to capture the hearts of children everywhere. 

This lovely little book is made up of 4 stories about Thomas, the little train who wants to be 'a very helpful engine', as the Reverend puts it. Thomas is introduced as a loveable but very cheeky engine! To begin with he has a bit of an attitude problem, playing tricks on the big engines and telling them they aren't working hard enough! Thomas's job is to move the coaches and carriages ready for bigger engines to pull, but really he wants to be like them and go on adventures. It certainly reminds me of smaller siblings wanting to do everything the older ones do, believing that that is better, and I think this is at the heart of Awdry's story. Over the 4 stories Thomas learns that he's not experienced enough to do the big jobs and that they are much tougher than he thinks. However, in the last story Thomas gets a chance to prove himself by pushing the rescue trucks to help save James when some naughty trucks run him off the rails. For this Thomas gets huge praise from the Fat Director (yes, not the Fat Controller! I was surprised too!). From then on the other engines stop seeing Thomas as a trouble maker and they all get on splendidly as equals. Thomas also learns that he is a valuable member of the team, and the jobs he does are as valid as the job of big engines.

It has its moral messages, just as you'd expect from a vicar writing for children in the 1940s, but it is fun too. Also, as you'd expect at that time, these books were written for boys, Awdry's son Christopher to be precise. The association with boys and trains or cars or any vehicle for that matter, is one that still continues today in the children's book industry. However, I would urge any one with a young child, whether boy or girl to read these lovely little books by the Reverend Awdry, as they are truly delightful! Plus C. Reginald Dalby's colour illustrations are beautiful too, each one its own little painting depicting the escapades of the little train. Children cannot help but love Thomas and his friends, and this is clear to see even today, where despite a few reinventions the characters are still timeless. Awdry's little train is a classic!