Thomas was a tank engine, who lived at a Big Station. He had six small wheels, a short stumpy funnel, a short stumpy boiler, and a short stumpy dome.
Thomas as originally drawn by Rev. Wilbert Awdry did not resemble closely any real locomotive class (though there are a few engines with similar sloped tanks, most popularly the GNR J50 class). This is probably because of Thomas' origin as a somewhat crude toy made from a broomstick
The original wooden model of Thomas.
when Awdry sent in sketches to the publisher he still thought of the character he was telling stories about as the toy he'd built for his son, rather than as a particular locomotive. Although Awdry still had a certain attention to detail in his sketch--he remembered the axles, brakes, buffers, brake pipe, chain coupler, and connecting rods--all details that the wooden toy lacked. Let it not be said that Awdry didn’t still think of Thomas as a full-size machine.
Two of the sketches Awdry sent in to the publisher.
In this case I imagine Thomas as a freelance design. Maybe he was built in-house by the No Where Railway's motive department, maybe he's a one-off industrial locomotive; either way he's a truly unique engine in this alternate depiction.
Folks--if you look at the wooden Thomas model and the sketches Awdry drew of Thomas, one thing becomes abdundantly clear: When Awdry said "short and stumpy," he MEANT "short and stumpy."
To celebrate the Railway Series 80th anniversary, I helped organise an art collab in which over 200 artists came together to illustrate scenes from the books!
Here is a compilation of their efforts. Once again a huge thank you to all who participated. 🙂
The Fairbourne Miniature Railway takes travellers from the village of Fairbourne along the beaches of Bae Ceredigion/Cardigan Bay to the mouth of the Mawddach River at Barmouth Ferry station. This railway runs on a 12.25-inch (311mm) gauge for 2 miles.
Barmouth Ferry is the northern terminus of the railway and used to be on a balloon loop, so the locomotives did not have to run round their…
The Rev. Wilbert Awdry inherited an interest in railways from his father, the Rev. Vere Awdry, and together with his brother George, became a keen railway modeller. He published his first book in what would become The Railway Series in 1945. By 1951, he had written four more. In February that year, someone sent him an article which had appeared in the Birmingham Mail entitled “Eight Miles of…
The Rev. Wilbert Awdry inherited an interest in railways from his father, the Rev. Vere Awdry, and together with his brother George, became a keen railway modeller. He published his first book in what would become The Railway Series in 1945. By 1951, he had written four more. In February that year, someone sent him an article which had appeared in the Birmingham Mail entitled “Eight Miles of…
Another childhood classic. For this one though, I have a fully outlined half-fleshed-out adventure story for Stewie Steamer that includes the secret origin of all steam engines and why they all have faces. #awdry #trains #art #illustration #cartooning #childrensbook #comics #indiecomics #illustrators #picturebook #childrenillustration #watercolor #characterdesign #illustratorsketchbook #artistsofinstagram #sketchbook #doodle #illustrationartists #illustrationoftheday #instaart #artist #sketch #digitalart #artwork #illustratorsofinstagram #illustratorsoninstagram #art (at NJT Train to NY Penn) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs-lyE4hTwj/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1jrwr871umjye
