THE SiF BLOG

Favourite RS Book: Thomas & The Fat Controller's Engines (Bulker)

2012-01-27T21:00:00.000Z

The Fat Controller's Engines

Review by Bulker

Over the years, as I slowly made my way through Christopher Awdry's books, this one always stood out as a particular delight to read. It wasn't the first one I read, nor the last, I guess I read it at a time when one couldn't be too picky over which book to choose, ie, if I saw a book available, and had the means to buy it, I would snap it up. I found this book at the age of 15, way back in 2000, at a heritage railway shop. It was available along with several other Christopher Awdry books, and because I was unaware of the situation at the Railway Series at the time, I decided to buy just one book, and this was the one I chose, I'm not sure what stood out about it, but it ended up being amongst the last Railway Series books I would be reading for a good few years, and I think I therefore made a good choice.

I've always been particularly fond of this volume, and I can't altogether say why! Perhaps it's simply because I bought it at a time of my life that I remember fondly, or maybe it is simply the quality of the stories. I certainly feel there is a quality about these unlike any other he wrote. They are simple, yes, but that's part of the beauty of them. They are not overly complicated, and do not seem to follow the same pattern as many of the author's earlier tales.. Indeed, some of the stories almost remind me of the earliest ones in the series, a supposed time of simplicity and innocence on Sodor, and this book seems to show that.

In hindsight, maybe this isn't the best, other books which I read years later, including the lesser know Jock the New Engine and Great Little Engines, certainly contend for the title. I was never particularly excited about reading those two volumes, but was pleasantly surprised, and impressed when I read them for the first time. Still, book 39 has a lot going for it, and shows many strengths as well. The idea for the book was of course to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the series, certainly a new idea for the series, and I must say, Christopher Awdry often had interesting and original ideas for books. So this is introduced at the beginning, with a typical conversation in the big shed, where all the main characters are discussing and arguing about what a Jubilee is, when the Fat Controller announces his plan to celebrate the milestone. This is a marvellous scene, which includes as many of the main characters as possible and has to be one of the only ones where it is directly acknowledged that the series is real. So important is this though, that the author spends \a few pages on it, concluding with the announcement that Pip and Emma, the high-speed train who Christopher introduced in an earlier volume, would be returning to bring the royal train. After this, the rest of the story can be devoted to something different, and Gordon puffs away.

As said earlier, there is a welcome sense of simplicity throughout much of this book, and I think the first story is a good example of this. It was always my favourite in the book, and in many ways, it reminds me of the earlier story 'James and the Bootlace'. It is Gordon who is puffing along with the express, when all of a sudden, for reasons unknown, (to Gordon's crew at least), he comes to a halt. The reader however was treated to a splendid illustration of some crows crossing in front of his train, and shortly after it becomes obvious that the crows are the culprit. There is an opportunity here to include a bit of railway history, when the fireman mentions that he read of a similar incident on the Great Western Railway in 1915. Gordon sets off again shortly after, but is subject to some banter from the others!

This book isn't set on any one particular area of the railway, just a generic book set across the Fat Controller's railway, which brings all the engines together at the end. An old favourite, Edward, who has barely appeared in Christopher' Awdry's books is at last the star of this story. As for the characters chosen for the first three stories, I sometimes feel it is no accident that it was three characters in particular who featured:

As it was the 50th anniversary volume, Edward was obviously an appropriate engine, being as he was, the very first character in the series. It was also fair that one of the other two original characters from the first book should be a major player, and thus Gordon took the role, whilst Henry opened the book. And whatever you may think of Thomas and his frequent appearances, it wouldn't seem right leaving him out of this one. Meanwhile most of the others get at least a small look in, with Duck and the Scottish twins having small roles, and cameos for BoCo and Daisy.

Edward's story takes us along his branch line, in which he loses a wheel near Suddery, incidentally a location I don't think we've ever seen before. His wheel rolls off into an adjacent field of cabbages, though rather unfortunately, illustrator Clive Spong chose not to show this. The author describes this scene almost in a climatic way, with the crew examining Edward to see what the problem was, ending with the surprise discovery that his wheel is no longer there. Meanwhile, the Fat Controller, has a rather amusing conversation with a farmer over the telephone, who has found an engine's wheel in his cabbages, and the climax to this story I suppose is a sarcastic remark from the farmer (via the Fat Controller) to Edward, about how best to pick cabbages!

The third story returns to Thomas' line, and the problem of burrowing rabbits under embankments, and thus weakening of the line. It's probably the most technical of the stories, but it is dealt with in such a way that it mostly holds it interest, and even this one feels a little different to the usual Thomas related story, but is nonetheless a classic Thomas and Percy story, high-lighting their friendship, and showing how they help each other keep the branch line running.

And so finally, we return to the event that was mentioned at the start of the book, and though no details have been given away, the plans gradually emerge as the story progresses. However, the story begins with, of all things, a spider. Spiders are generally un-popular creatures, but this one comes in to the story as a creature who made a web the previous autumn, which would go on to cause much trouble several months later. I'm kind of reminded about Charlotte's Web in this scene, the spider was portrayed as an innocent by stander, who was merely doing her job of, well, being a spider.

“She knew nothing about the plans for the Golden Jubilee celebration.”

This line kind of says it all really. Anyway, Edward has returned, and it is revealed that there will be a red carpet, bringing memories of the Queen's visit, and speculation of another royal visitor.

On the day itself, Pip and Emma have arrived with the special train, while the engines gather at the Big Station. But just as everything seems to be working correctly, the signals fail, at the worst possible time, causing some potential embarrassment, and no doubt loads of panic for the Fat Controller, shortly before a royal train is due. Turns out it was caused by the old spider's web, which blew in between two electrical contacts. The engines are flagged through, which takes ti

Favourite RS Book: Edward The Blue Engine (The Master)

2012-01-27T20:30:00.000Z

Edward Sets The Pace
Edward the Blue Engine
By Ceri Jenkins
When volunteers were asked to promote a single book of Wilbert Awdry's fine Railway series, a book immediately came into my head to represent. That book was 'Edward the Blue Engine'. Why you may ask? Well, in my personal opinion - it's better than 'Enterprising Engines', not at least the petty point of it actually having four separate stories. In the next few chapters, I shall attempt to explain why it is worthy of being 'The Best Railway Series Book' ever:

Environment
For myself personally - I don't believe the railway series ,until this book, was actually a railway. They are the engine stories with special guests. They don't feel like day to day running of a railway until this book.

The supporting cast shoots up, from about six in all the books to date. Sidney, Charlie, Jem & the vicar are introduced. They actually do day to day business – talking, repairs, running a steam locomotive. Things a boy of this age could see everyday & relate to.

'Cows!' particularly emphasises this in terms of environment. It gives a good sense of atmosphere in terms of the railways in respect to farming. The inconvenience the railway building & operation would have on grazing animals & the inconvenience loose animals can be to the railway are well hidden into the story whilst the reader's mind is drawn to the main plot.

Reminiscence
With one story exception, this book is like no other but is the founding of many. Gordon & Henry's scene in 'Cows!' is touched upon again in The Twin Engines . Edward's finding of Trevor will spookily mirror the eerie atmosphere of 'Escape'. Issues of Scrap, Heritage & Obsolescence will wind their through the rest of the series like roots.

'Enterprising Engines' is not only like 'Edward the Blue Engine', it practically is. A ridiculed steam engine saving it's younger counterpart & replacement, a steam driven machine awaiting being cut up being save by the actions a small blue tender engine & a guest cameo. The biggest difference between these books is when 'Edward the Blue Engine' was published when no – one cared about withdrawal of steam engines whereas when 'Enterprising Engines' was published everyone did.

'Bertie's Chase' , however, is firmly a light hearted homage to 'Tank Engine Thomas again'. At the end of Thomas & Bertie's 'great' race, it is mentioned that they both wanted another race. A hidden message to careful what you wish for to those who remember this, as Bertie finds himself lagging seriously in a race to get Thomas's passengers onto Edward's train. The focus on Bertie here leads to some stunning visuals not really taken advantage of in the original story.

Heritage
Possibly this book's strength all in all, is that it represents the heritage movement for the first time, though probably building up to 'Four Little Engines' in the next volume. This would later be the foundations on which the series later opposition to the Modernisation plan.

Now the idea of putting something to better use got a mention in 'Toby the Tram Engine' but that's not really the same as the use in 'Saved from Scrap' or 'Escape'. We don't know Toby's fate in that book (But we do know Henrietta's fate as a hen house.) It is never implicitly stated Toby would be sent to scrap whereas we know Trevor, Donald, Douglas & Oliver, possibly every other engine, would.

This book also the first mention of scrapping. The punishments for the engines to this book & after have been relatively minor – Grounding, Loss of paintwork, Chores. Soon the series would take a turn to the darker side by threatening the very existence of the railway they work on.

In a more light hearted styling, 'Saved from Scrap' does this theme superbly. One of things I find brilliant about this story, it's very much a wild western theme in the pictures. Little green until the final picture. The vicar & Trevor standing opposed. It's very much about meeting your fate. Then the ride off away in the setting sun.
Speaking of sunset, notice the shadows. This story only appears to have western shadows, artistically speaking meaning the beginning of the end, the fall to darkness & the end of Trevor's existence.
This story is actually so iconic, BBC Top Gear's Captain Slow himself, James May actually refers to it. Not as a mention to Thomas or Wilbert Awdry but to the heritage movement itself.

Obsolescence
Now Obsolescence gets an early mention in this book here too. Previously an engine would be withdrawn for bad behaviour or lack of work or failing to perform their duties. Edward, on the other hand, is lined up for scrap by James for being a bit slow. Something almost forgotten about when reading but think about it again. This in the fifties is a reflection of the attitude of many people. This is the attitude that led to the Modernisation plan. “Get rid, we don't have patience for you.”

'Old Iron' quite rightly proves this attitude to be the self centred nonsense logic it is by having the antagonist having their well-being to depend on the very notion they were originally ridiculing! It reaffirms belief in the old ways. I also love the intrinsic use of humans in the story making it feel very railwaymanlike.

Conclusion
Ok, I'm not a very essay writer, that's the first thing we can draw from this. The point I would like to to hammer home is: I think 'Edward the Blue Engine' is the 'The Best Railway Series Book' is because it to me represents all of what Wilbert was trying to accomplish in his book series.
If you also agree with me, then I ask you to do one simple thing: Vote Blue!

Favourite RS Book: Tank Engine Thomas Again (MRHloco)

2012-01-27T19:30:00.001Z

The Adventures That Carved The LegendTank Engine Thomas AgainReview by MRHloco
By Ringo!

When it comes to my interest in the Railway Series, it's difficult to say where the starting point was exactly – I've been told that age reduces memory over time. But, as with many SiF members, I do know that Thomas The Tank Engine & Friends, the famous TV series of the 1980s, was a big part of it and with good reason. In Ringo Starr's generation particularly, I was introduced to some of the finest stories ever penned by the Reverend Wilbert.

I doubt very much if it was the first book I ever read from the series but Tank Engine Thomas Again is certainly, for me, one of the classics. All four stories from this volume found their way into that magical first season of episodes and all were adapted to perfection! One particular Thomas video I had as a child included those four stories so it's perhaps appropriate to say that this started off my great personal affection for Thomas The Tank Engine.

An Octopus's Garden Of England!
Continuing Thomas' adventures from Volume 2, this book takes us to Thomas' branch line for the first time and immediately we start the first story with a fascinating blend of the old and the new in more ways than one. For a start, Thomas has earned the independence he so craved and now it's just a question of how he'll cope with the responsibility it brings. And, for the most part, he does so in the most admirable way possible but more on that under characterisation.

As discussed further on in this review, it's amazing to note how many events Wilbert Awdry found useful in this series of stories. The television episodes that came later may have made them feel a bit more...complete in some ways (the TV version of Thomas Terence & The Snow really shows us what the author meant by 'nearly buried' under as much snow as that) but the books that inspired them were still brilliant nevertheless.

Of course, the volume wouldn't be complete if Thomas was the only character: I would expect that coming from more recent TV episodes, sadly. From that hard-working countryman Terence and the helpful but competitive public transport role of Bertie to Annie and Clarabel the confidant coaches, the Reverend gave them all a chance. The human roles were never forgotten either but played less of a part: the established vehicles still needed some fleshing out first!

On the whole, this is a positive volume with the innocence of youth in its nature and there's nothing exactly bleak about it. All the same, the presence of Bertie and his assertion that 'we buses have to work' clearly indicates the animosty between road and rail that was to become more profound later on when Dr Beeching came along. And, on several occasions, Thomas has a battle to face but, as with a lot of children, he's been unconsciously programmed to survive.

As time went on and the Railway Series books gained a strong following, the Ffarquhar Branch became particularly popular and somehow it's not hard to understand why. Through the illustrations (more on those shortly), the quiet atmosphere of country life and the various characters that served it, one of Sodor's backwaters rose to fame, much as Stratford-Upon-Avon did through the works of Shakespeare. And the diverse incidents covered in this particular book are a big part of that.

Easily one of my favourite stories in this volume is Thomas Goes Fishing, partly based on how far the Reverend went for historical accuracy. Not only did a Glasgow & South Western engine crew come across a boiled eel in their locomotive's tank one day but the water bucket process had been used as long ago as September 9th 1863 on the opening day of the Highland Main Line between Pitlochry and Aviemore. It also led to a memorable scene in The Titfield Thunderbolt!

Historical references are plentiful in more ways than one: the river bridge on which that story takes place is in fact inspired by Isambard Kingdom Brunel's famous Maidenhead Bridge, still defying the laws of physics to this day! The prototypes of Terence and Bertie are sourced from road vehicles of the period and there's signalboxes and semaphore signals too: everyday railway items that, in this day and age, can only be found on branch lines to Bodmin General or Embsay!

Railway companies went to great levels to promote the delights of the countryside: a relaxed picnic beside the River Severn near Highley, for example, must have made a dramatic difference to the industrial hardship and intense pollution levels of Victorian Birmingham, my own birthplace. So, in a sense, Thomas' Branch Line reflects the idealisation of British Isles life that can be seen in those early posters: more peaceful, less troubled, great territory for adventures!

Left Behind On The Easel?
It's fair to say that C.Reginald Dalby's artwork set standards and emphasised clearly just what was really needed. Starting with the not-so-good bits of it, a certain illustration in Thomas & The Guard gave the Reverend a big continuity issue: not only did Henry seem to have gained a brass-capped chimney but also buffers the same shape as Gordon's! And that, bearing in mind that the two Big Engines shared colour, tenders and appearance at the time, resulted in many letters!

In fact, Dalby's history with the Reverend wasn't exactly positive: for all the bright charm it had, his artwork also had serious flaws that resulted in his downfall over Percy, a fellow tank engine who Thomas would later befriend. The Henry image was an especially dodgy one (indeed, in this book, some pictures of Thomas' facial features are better than others) and other volumes probably have more examples of flaws than I can list here...

That being said, I have no desire to be unfair on Dalby. On the contrary, his art enchanted Allcroft and Mitton when production on Thomas's television debut started in earnest. That first illustration transfers the familiar in a different landscape, as the episodes did later. Small details (such as men by the trackside) also came in and, although there was less emphasis on making the art solid, this is more than made up for by how believable the scenarios are made.

On Page 25, for example, Thomas' intense expression of agony and a passing workman's alarmed reaction complete the image of how serious it is and the snowplough on Page 39 is immediately faimilar from the TV adaptation! The changing seasons (autumn to winter in particular) are sublime and the snow scenes remind me a lot of Disney's Once Upon A Wintertime, which I also loved as a child, which predated this book by a year and which has left me quite moved upon rediscovering it recently.

The Stars...Of Our Show!
In recent years, the overuse of Thomas in the TV Series has explained most of the dissatisfaction that's been going against him. For me, however, there's much to like about that particular character and the stories in this volume are part of my evidence. Another reason is that, here and on many other occasions in the original books, we get to see Thomas experience human changes and thus evolve in methods that recent TV episodes have mostly ignored.

When we first met the character, he was still at the start of the pecking order and frustrated by the limits on his way of life. As the volume in question has already been covered, I won't go too much into detail but I suspect that a continuation of his adventures was just what younger fans of that time longed to see. After all, Thomas had (and still has) so many recognisable personality features that he as good as wheel tapped into their hearts!

So Thomas is presented as affectionate, confident and with a great sense of humour, telling Henry in no uncertain terms that he needs 'exercise', after a lengthy delay at the junction. From the very start of Thomas & The Guard, in fact, the narrative makes it very clear how seriously Thomas takes the responsibility of keeping the branch line in order. Not only for the locals but also because no one should have an excuse to doubt his value now, least of all the Fat Controller!

Such is Thomas' frustration over the situation that it results in him leaving the guard behind! In the original book, however, the incident was caused by an umbrella left to its own devises, based on a similar incident at Eastbourne. Even then, the guard, unable to attract the crew's attention, chases the train himself, knowing it'll be halted at a signal. His success speaks its own volume, reminding Thomas of the value of patience and also a taster of things to come...

Now to Thomas Goes Fishing and, again, Thomas is captivated by a pastime that seems so easy for humans. If only he could fish himself and we can't help but agree! In theory, he could, with his crew's help, but, as the driver points out, their busy schedule won't permit it and nearly every other engine (possibly excepting Edward) seems to think fishing ridiculous. It's no surprise as such that Thomas is naively skeptical of the rather patronising words 'Engines Don't Go Fishing!'

Thanks to an out-of-order water column, he gets his wish sooner than expected but there are some painful side effects to contend with. The Fat Controller returns here as a sympathetic parental role, much like Thomas' crew. All see the amusing side of the outcome and soon resolve the problem by genuinely fishing, adapted to perfection on screen! But Sir Topham is quick to caution Thomas that he'd rather not have to deal with the same problem twice and our hero is quick to agree!

But, though Thomas is more careful what he wishes for now, he still has some way to go and, upon meeting Terence for the first time, is less than tactful about 'caterpillars'! In winter, he's fitted with a snowplough and detests the heavy, cumbersome object endlessly. In an interesting twist, his fierce battle with it reflects a child's wars with adults who are constantly telling them what to do, an image that Roald Dahl, another of my favourite writers, made good use of!

Thomas soon gets his own back on the snowplough (and a telling off for his trouble!) but blizzards results in the line being blocked. Unaware of the side effects, his' own overconfidence quickly gets the better of him and, emerging from the tunnel, he recklessly charges a snow drift, only to stick fast in it. After several unsuccessful attempts to free him by crew and passengers, his distress is very apparent: he's seen his mistake alright but is it too late to rectify it?

Apparently not: who should come thundering through the tunnel to Thomas' rescue but Terence?! Although a minor character, this newcomer is the first road vehicle we ever meet in the Railway Series. Industrious and employed on a farm near the railway, his appearance seems comic but he laughs off the comments about 'ugly wheels' in good humour and emphasises how versatile he is, thanks to his ability to literally make tracks.

Better still, upon learning of Thomas' troubles, Terence has no desire to hold back: having never held a grudge in the first place, he now has the perfect chance to prove his point and his own very helpful personality. It certainly is a lesson that stands the test of time: since then, Thomas has always been accepting of newcomers and appreciative of what makes us unique. But there's still one more character yet to meet...

A red single decker bus was called upon to rescue the stranded passengers so it's natural enough that Thomas & Bertie should introduce Bertie himself. This time, Thomas is more cautious before judging the newcomer but, given how seriously he takes his role on the railway, it's only a matter of time before Bertie's matching persona of confidence and over-zealous sense of duty provokes him into accepting the challenge of a race.

Being familiar with the plot of the aforementioned film The Titfield Thunderbolt, which also featured a race between a branch line train and a bus belonging to a local rival company, I do wonder if the events of Thomas & Bertie went on to be inspirational to Tibby Clarke. However Pearce and Crump were kee to use the closure of the Titfield branch to their advantage: perhaps Thomas, not realising it at the time, fears that Bertie is out to do likewise...?!

Interestingly, this was one of only two Reverend Wilbert tales that were entirely fictional: he rarely did this and, at the end of the story, clearly emphasises that it's unlikely to be repeated, even on Sodor. Even so, the sheer thrill factor we get is infectious: Thomas may still be one who isn't willing to take criticism lying down but he's learnt sense from the previous stories. The evidence? Well, he knows the railway and the obstacles that are in the way by heart!

Sure enough, Bertie ends up restrained several times by a level crossing, traffic lights and possibly limited congestion, much to his frustration. Add the fact that speed limits existed even in those days and Thomas' claim that he can go faster is certainly coming true. But Thomas has problems of his own to content with. There's all the stations and signals for a start and even he gets a nasty shock when he sees Bertie crossing a bridge ahead: that's enough to break anyone's self esteem...!

But, in a way that only Edward has ever truly matched, Thomas perseveres the whole way, never once letting problems defeat him. He crosses the river on replenished tanks and the terrain counts in his favour for the final stretch, much as i did for Brunel! Burrowing beneath hills in the tunnel, he reaches Ffarquhar in triumph and he and Bertie soon earn each other's respect, and gain a great working relationship in and around Ffarquhar.

So, yes, there's a lot to love about Thomas, especially in these stories. He's more flawed than his mentor Edward but not as much as some heroes I could mention. Whenever he makes a mistake, he endevours to learn from it and, in the events of the final story, his new found maturity is proven by his effort and determination, which can work for us too, if we put our minds to it. But, above all, we can connect with the fulfilment and fun he gets in life through his adventures.

All The Drums & Whistles!
Ultimately, that explains the reason for his particular longevity. Edward was the best role model of all the engines, later joined by Toby, Duck and BoCo. But, even so, Thomas was also someone you could look up to, certainly a role that children could feel particular empathy with. He wasn't exactly perfect but then he didn't need to be: his experiences were in line with what nearly everyone went through at some point in their lives and that captured the readers' imagination!

So, while I love all the Reverend.W.Awdry's works equally, Tank Engine Thomas Again has a great element that still makes it stand out personally. If you ever wanted a reason why Britt Allcroft took Thomas on as her TV series mascot, for instance, the stories of this volume and the first one of all before it are the best evidence. They literally carved a legend in the iron he was made of and, as the years and volumes passed, it only continued to thrive...

*

Favourite RS Book: Branch Line Engines (henrythegreen)

2012-01-27T19:30:00.000Z

Who are the 'Branchline Engines'?
Branch Line EnginesReview By David Dobrydney

Growing up with the Thomas TV series, the only exposure I had to the Railway Series was a box set of the first four volumes and an odd copy of “Gordon the Big Engine.” Looking on the back cover of the latter my five-year old self would be fascinated by the other titles listed, as they seemed so vague. Who were the “Troublesome Engines” or the “Mountain Engines”? And who was Stephany the “Bluebell Engine”?

But I eventually acquired a copy The Complete Collection, the omnibus edition of the Reverend Awdry’s works and quickly learned how the books and TV show tied together. One of my favorite volumes of the Railway Series quickly became “Branchline Engines” of 1961. In addition to opening and closing with two of my favorite Awdry tales, this one to me is almost the quintessential Railways Series book, a set of four very entertaining stories connected with an interesting arc.

We start with “Thomas Comes to Breakfast.” Following the now-established premise that engines don’t always understand human colloquialisms, Thomas takes his driver at his word when the he says Thomas could manage the branch line without him.

There has been debate over who is to blame for what follows, Thomas himself or the ‘careless cleaner’ who meddled with his controls. I maintain that certainly the cleaner is guilty of dereliction of duty. However, if we accept the idea of a steam engine as being alive and having a certain degree of control over the elements that give them motion, then it was Thomas who exploited the situation due to his own conceit and is therefore at fault.

Regardless of who was responsible, the resulting accident where Thomas nearly plows over a family eating breakfast is an underrated piece of British comedy. The silent near-nonchalance with which the stationmaster goes out to shut Thomas’ regulator, while his wife is more concerned with a ruined meal and Thomas trying not to do even more damage by sneezing calls to mind something out of a “Carry On” film.

Of course the Fat Controller comes in to bring us back to reality. While there is the humorous juxtaposition of an English gentleman berating a steam engine wearing a bush and a window frame, Thomas’ little adventure has put his branch line at a disadvantage. One that will have to be solved by of all things, a diesel railcar!

The next story introduces us to that diesel railcar, “Daisy.” When the Fat Controller brings this latest interloper from the mainland, Toby and Percy are initially leery as one gets the idea they’ve heard what happened two books ago in “Duck and the Diesel Engine.” Percy even flat out asks when Daisy is going to leave!

However, Daisy poses a different sort of problem than Diesel did. She is basically a coach, albeit a motorized one, and the engines have traditionally respected coaches. So Toby and Percy do their best to keep her happy. But since she is a diesel engine, Daisy has the same character flaw as Diesel in presuming her innate superiority. Hence Daisy wants to stay in the carriage shed, but she’s dismissive of her precursors Annie, Clarabel and Henrietta.

Matters get worse the following day when Daisy, having just proclaimed herself the latest thing to the passengers, decides that she isn’t going to do the additional work of pulling the morning milk van. Here she’s reminiscent of a spoiled teenager of the postwar years, wanting all of the attention but none of the additional responsibilities. She whines until she gets her way, then chuckles smugly about it.

More of this side of Daisy’s personality comes out in the next story, “Bull’s Eyes.” Daisy rejects established facts about why Toby has sideplates as mere cowardice and goes off assured of her own abilities. Since obstacles on her journey are dealt with for her (the level crossing has gates, the horse has a farmer to halt it) Daisy has no reason to think anything different.

This leads to a humorous reckoning when Daisy comes face to face with Champion the bull. For the first time Daisy is faced with a problem she can’t talk her way out of and is forced to let Toby, with his old-fashioned ways, show her how it’s done.

As we begin the final story, “Percy’s Predicament,” Daisy is nowhere to be seen. Instead it’s Percy who is our focus, eager for a change after having to pick up after Daisy. So desperate is Percy for a change he jumps at the chance to take Toby’s trucks from the quarry.

Ironically Percy now displays some of the overconfidence he chastised Thomas for in the first story when, despite acknowledging the steepness of an unfamiliar line, he declares ‘trucks don’t dare play tricks on me now.’ This leads him to be a bit too blunt with them, with the inevitable effect of making the trucks want revenge. And that’s what the trucks get when they combine their weight with the steep line and send Percy out of control.

I’m going to digress here to speak about John Kenney’s illustrations. He is my favorite of the RWS illustrators and this book contains some of his finest work. There’s the look on Thomas’ face when he realizes there are no buffers on his siding, followed by his looking into the Stationmaster’s dining room. There’s also Daisy confronting Champion, her Guard impatiently swatting at the beast with his cap.

However, “Percy’s Predicament” contains what I consider his best piece of artwork, that of a runaway Percy tearing through the crossing. The elements in this one picture; the boy standing with his bicycle, the rooster fleeing the scene, Percy’s driver leaning out of the cab yelling to the crossing guard who’s frantically waving his red flag, and finally the look of panic on Percy’s face as he realizes he’s in way over his head combine to make an unforgettable image.

When Percy is finally stopped by an ill-placed brake van, he ends up in as much a humorous position as Thomas, perched atop a truck that somehow holds his weight. But while Percy has done the branch line another blow by putting himself out of commission, his accident has forced Daisy’s hand and the Fat Controller confronts her about her laziness and fibs about ‘fitter’s orders.’

But Daisy, after Toby selflessly helped her out with Champion (hence the Fat Controller’s knowing reference to bulls when he lauds Toby’s knowledge), has changed her tune and accepted that while she may be ‘highly sprung and right up to date’ there are still things she needs to learn.

Which of course sets the stage for our epilogue where Thomas returns, Annie and Clarabel get a reward of a run for putting up with Daisy and Percy takes Thomas’ place at the works.

"Branchline Engines" occupies an interesting place in the progression of the Railway Series. While Awdry was already moving away from the series lighthearted beginnings with entries like "Duck and the Diesel Engines" and "The Twin Engines" with their undertones of modernization and scrapping, here he takes a step back. For the first time since 1957, we returned to the more friendly world of the Ffarquhar branch where life, as the Reverend put it in his foreword, is never dull! And while this visit sees modernity creeping in, it is still a fun visit and unlike the incorrigible Diesel, this time the newcomer is successfully assimilated into the Sodor family.

While it may be a paraphrase from the TV series adaptation of "Percy's Predicament," I think the ending narration from the episode provides the best way to close out this look at my favorite entry in the Railway Series: “All are now friends, and Toby has taught Daisy a great deal. She shooed a cow off the line the other day all by herself! That shows you, doesn’t it?”

SiF Media Site - Clear Up Due

2012-01-23T12:42:00.001Z

It is with some regret that I am announcing a complete overhaul of the current media site. This has been on my mind for quite some time, and it's only now that time is being created to get the work done.

In the coming months, I'll be renovating it from top to bottom with a number of casualties due to be on the cards. I'm not sure which bits I'll be clearing out as yet, but effectively, no-one is safe from the axe at the moment - including Sodor Studios.

Main reason I'm doing it is to make things easier and more managable in the long-run. The other is because a lot of the media is well past it's best and really needs to go. On top of that, it would be great to clear some webspace for new stuff in the long-run.

The music videos look most likely to be cut down, as do certain redubs, but the audio portions are more likely to stay.

Everything that is removed will be archived on my own external hard-drive, so nothing is due to go for good, and can be brought back as and when required. A likely compromise with the music videos is to upload the axed downloads to YouTube where they'll be added to a special playlist to be enjoyed time and again.

I apologise to anyone who this may well inconvenience, but my mind is made up.

Favourite RS Book: James The Red Engine (RRSI)

2012-01-21T08:00:00.001Z

James The Red Engine

Review by Jason Shields

James was always my favourite character as a kid, because simply he was red (and red was always my favourite colour).

But what makes his stories some of my favourites in either the TV Series or in the Books, is that how he’s always brought back down to earth for letting his vanity about how he looks and attitude of being either: cocky, boastful or criticizing the old or the different such as: Edward, Toby and Diesel Engines, get the better of him and prove that they can be good friends and co-workers. Plus how he can also prove others wrong when they doubt him because of his incidents, insults and vanity getting the better of him when he reckons he can do “this, that and other” – like how one Kid reckons he or she can do something that another Kid can’t but is proven wrong when the tables are turned upon him/her.

James’ stories in his debut showcase how he lets his vanity get to him for having a coat of red paint put on him from previously having black, and claiming himself as being really splendid which causes him to misbehave before he even takes the express in the first story. From that, like any child making a small mess with their Father or Mother’s best suit and dress, he is told off and warned that he could have what makes him feel good taken away (like a Kid could have his favourite toy taken away from him/her for misbehaving).

But this of course, like any kid who feels frustrated from being told off by the “grown-up” shall we say to act even more irrationally by doing the exact thing the old wiser engine or elder member of the family have told you not to do – in James’ case it’s to not “bump coaches”. But that frustration just causes him to want to prove himself further by thinking that the gossip is all on one engine because he’s the biggest and is the only one who can pull coaches more easily than others. However, that frustration and needing to prove yourself comes back to haunt you when something happens that just makes you feel more frustrated, worried, embarrassed and then sad when being punished further.

Like when a kid is told to stay in their room, or in the house for being naughty they’re always given the chance to go out again and prove themselves to being a good friend or employee to someone. What makes Troublesome Trucks my favourite story in the whole book is that no matter how many times or how often someone or a group can really get you by saying: “You can’t do it, you can’t pull us, you can’t-you can’t!” We’d always keep on believing that we can and will prove them wrong, even if we have a little slip along the way. But in the end, one way or another we do eventually prove them wrong and our boss are pleased with how well we managed and away us – in James’ case he’s allowed to keep his red coat.

Of course, when news spreads round to those who feel “they’re the best in the world or nobody comes before them” we always prove them wrong when the tables are turned upon them. For James, he proved Gordon wrong when the tables were of course turned against Gordon for boasting that when he’s not there to pull the express the railway needs two engines, how someone like him has never lost his way when pulling his routine job and boasting that he seems to know the line by instinct when every wise person or engine knows that there’s always some else who helps operate things (in the engines case it’s the Signalman who makes them run on the right lines).

For all that he had put up with, James could have simply said “no” to helping with the express because Gordon said this that and the other. But obviously knowing what he’d gone through before hand, he was willing to give it a try again and to not go too fast when pulling the coaches or even have something break to be repaired by a bootlace. Like with all jobs in everyday life, if we do something we tried before well and have proven the boss that we can do it well – James is offered the chance to pull the express sometimes (which of course anyone would easily agree too in whatever job they were offered to do at the workplace sometimes – or a Kid volunteering to help out somewhere like with the elderly).

As for the proud know it all, Gordon teaches the naughty trucks manners when for some in his position would think: “Oh I’m too proud to teach them, they’re dirty and etc” but admits that he does like some quiet work for a change and he also acknowledges the protagonist of the book on a good job just like how a fellow employee or another kid in the street can tell the other on a job well done for whatever they’d done within that particular environment and for bringing them down to earth on thinking: “I thought I knew it all, but I was proven wrong.”

What makes this book so wonderful to me is that it’s a simple lesson on what happens when you can act like the know it all and how you can look so great, when in fact all that can simply get you into trouble when you least expect. Or even, how someone beyond has heard what you said and places different obstacles for you to over come (or to simply show why a particular item is needed for a particular situation) and to prove yourself to your boss, family, teacher or friends that you can do well and be good when your given the chance to redeem yourself – even when there’s that little voice, or a group saying “you can’t do it!” or “when I’m not there, they need two of you,” Just by believing that you can and will, or you’ll try and not make the same mistake twice that you can always prove them wrong in any given moment.

Favourite RS Book: The Twin Engines (Christopher Review)

2012-01-21T08:00:00.000Z

A Tale Of Two Engines

The Twin Engines

Review by Christopher

Out of all the books in the Railway Series, choosing just one favourite is never easy. The way Wilbert Awdry manages to blend original storytelling within a working railway - despite Sodor being fictional, it is still as close to real life as made possible - has always fascinated me. How his stories hold good morals for children without being preachy while, at the same time, keeping the interest of the parents reading them, many who may happen to be huge railway buffs or retired railway workers themselves. The fact that he also based his stories from real-life railway incidents, even as the narration slowly matured, has been one of my main inspirations to one day follow in his steps as a writer myself.

But of the more complex stories the Good Reverend has penned in the entire Railway Series, I consider The Twin Engines as an excellent example. When the Fat Controller orders a new goods engine for his railway, he winds up with two for the price of one! Donald and Douglas arrive from Scotland, and are alike as two peas. No one can tell which is the right engine as they had both "lost" their numbers, so the Fat Controller has to decide which to keep. However, his decision becomes more difficult as the Twins prove to be as good as the other...both as hard workers and subject to folly, from misplacing important coaches to smashing into a signal-box!

It's more than just that, however. The date this book was published, 1960, is around the time where steam engines were being scrapped as part of the Modernisation plan for British Railways; and while it is never mentioned, it acts as an undertone for the purpose and goal of the titular characters. The Twins themselves realise that if one stays then the other risks being scrapped if sent home - and as the stories progress, their situation becomes more despairing and uncertain as they go to greater lengths to stay together and prove their worth, especially when a Spiteful Brake van threatens to intervene on their chances...

It's just one side of Donald and Douglas that makes them both memorable characters - containing true "brotherly love" for one another, as well as being strong-minded against others who dare to cheek them, courageous throughout to get their work done, and even mischievous - as most twins are - when joking around with the other engines. In fact, it was through Donald and Douglas that my fascination of Scottish folk in general has grown, right down to their challenging dialect! How they seem to represent a positive image for Scotland in all, in terms of these well-rounded characteristics, which are brought out nicely to the storyline befitting of them.

Other characters are also brought in to play their part - all who eventually become fond of the Twins and band together to ensure they both get to stay on Sodor. Up to nine or so characters in four short stories, compared to a few of the earlier books where it focused on just the lead character alone. Bringing in more players to the Twins' story adds to Awdry's development as a writer, as he bounces personalities off one another and uses these, along with his real-life railway mishaps, to move the main story along seamlessly from one from the other. It indeed makes them complex, but also much more fascinating.

When some of these stories were adapted for Series 2 of the TV Series, it was the third tale, "Break Van", that marked Donald and Douglas' television debut. And to this day, I am still half-hearted at how rushed it seemed compared to what I recall from the book, one that I can quote from heart. It can be argued that "The Missing Coach", with little action going on, may have been too difficult for younger viewers to understand - in terms of a tender swap by Donald's crew to cover up Douglas' mistake - but it showed the true urgency the engines and their crews were under in order to secure their own safety. Something that peaks the interest of the villainous Brake Van, who tries to make their lives difficult - resulting in his to be cut short when Douglas accidentally flattens him. All of which leads up to an extremely satisfying ending come "The Deputation" (with much difficulty in pronouncing the word!).

But with drama comes humour, another trait that had made Awdry's work so memorable today. Next to the characters themselves, Awdry manages to insert subtle jokes that only the parents would understand. Example: the Scottish Twins' numbers are 57646 and 57647 respectively. But their locomotive class, 812, only reached as far as 57645! Throw in a reference to the Twins' deep-toned whistles - "Tugboat Annie!" to quote Gordon - and it'll raise a smile to anyone who recalls that 1950's television show. Clearly Awdry understood both his "audiences" carefully, and ensured that everyone is kept satisfied.

And next to the stories are the illustrations. I had always admired John Kenney's work. Despite drawing for a small number of books, his interpretations of the engines and their surroundings felt more "real" than Dalby's previous works, and seem to set an example for Gunvor and Peter Edwards and Clive Spong later on down the line. The engines are well-detailed and glossy, yet their faces are expressive and fun, a perfect combination to draw children in with awe and interest - case in point with the book cover, which shows Donald and Douglas with matching grins as the Fat Controller puzzles over which is which. As with Awdry, Kenney has been another inspiration whenever I feel the urge to draw railway-based artwork, to ensure they're kept as detailed yet impressive as his.

To sum up, The Twin Engines is far and beyond a simple children's book. It maintains intelligence and realism, yet delivers subtle morals through strong storytelling, with there being a new twist in the tale following each chapter to make you want to read on. Although it would be unfair to consider this "the" best RWS book ever penned - it is merely an example of Awdry's work with others that follow in the same suit - to me it has a firm place in my heart in terms of memorable characters, all who play an important role, and a storyline that manages to entertain, educate and engage, in that order exactly.

Favourite RS Book: Main Line Engines (orangepastille)

2012-01-20T20:30:00.001Z

Main Line Literature

Main Line Engines

Review by orangepastille

As I begin this review, it’s worth pointing out that I had already seen the televised versions of the featured stories prior to reading the book itself. Indeed Wrong Road and Edward’s Exploit were amongst my favourite stories in the entire franchise. However, this did not deter me, if anything I was intrigued to discover these stories as the Reverend had originally intended them to be. Needless to say I was not disappointed.

First Impressions

Before looking at the book in detail, let’s look at the book in a general sense. The tone of the book tends to shift. It begins with the humorous antics of Bill and Ben in The Diseasel, maintaining a sense that humour (often aided by clever puns, "diseasel", Duck referring to Bill and Ben as "The Bees") during the second and third tales. The mood becomes more downbeat in Edward’s Exploit, this change of tone encapsulated in the line “the weather changed”, but ultimately culminates in a joyous celebration of Edward’s triumph.

The Edwards’ impressionistic illustrations manage to effectively convey a great sense of atmosphere, from the tranquil maritime scene on page 5, to busy rush-hour scenes at the Tidmouth terminus, to the pensive, ‘calm before the storm’ scene outside the sheds that opens Edward’s Exploit. There are a good few coastal images in this book, from Brendam docks to Tidmouth shed, something which I always enjoy.

Old versus New

It’s worth considering this book in the context of time it was written. By the mid-1960s the world was changing, the old was being replaced by the new, both in railway terms and with regard to culture in general. In some ways this book alludes to this, although not as strong a theme as it was to be in the later Enterprising Engines, modernisation is still hinted at it in the form of BoCo. But there is a sense that new is not always bad. BoCo manages to quite peacefully integrate himself into the NWR family without posing a threat to their existence.

On the other hand, there is still much evidence of the old. However, if anything this book demonstrates that there is still a place for the old in a modern world. Despite Gordon’s comments that he should give up and be preserved, Edward struggles on and proves that old does not correlate to weak. It’s notable that the first engine to accept the “modern” BoCo is actually the oldest member of the NWR fleet. The volume ends with Edward and BoCo happily working the Brendam branch together, effectively symbolising that the old can in fact co-exist with the new. And that’s quite a positive message for readers to take home in my opinion.

Railway Racism?

At times The Railway Series has been criticised on the basis that it supposedly promotes racism through the steam versus diesel conflict. To my mind this has always been an over-generalisation and I would urge such critics to read this book in particular. Let us consider the story Buzz Buzz. Here we have BoCo, a diesel arrive at Tidmouth shed. It’s true that Duck is initially wary of this newcomer, but on getting to know the diesel he realises that BoCo is actually quite an amiable engine, and the two are soon friends. Surely this is a positive message to young readers, teaching them that by putting any prejudices aside and making an effort to get to know someone, we can all be friends, regardless of differences in race. Yes, Duck had some (arguably understandable considering past events) prejudices about diesels, but the important point is that ultimately he does not let them cloud his judgement, gaining a new friend as a result. In a way the Reverend was being realistic here, in the real world racial prejudice does exist, sometimes in otherwise good people (Duck, the Caledonians), but I think what is important here is that it is depicted as something that can be overcome – thus making us all better off for it. Contrast this to James’ attitude. Unlike Duck or the Scots, he has no real prior grievance to justify his attitude towards diesels. Despite Duck’s protests he is quite rude towards BoCo when they first meet. He calls BoCo derogatory names: “buzz-box diesel”. But is this attitude lauded by the author? Far from it, by the tale’s conclusion James’ quasi-racist remarks have come back to (literally) hit him in the face, with him now becoming the butt of “buzz buzz” taunts by the other engines, in typical Awdrian humour.

Railway Realism

One of the things I’ll always remember this book for was that, as a kid, it gave me an early understanding of the logic behind railway timetabling. It’s simple really; the faster train must run ahead of the slower train. The Reverend gets this idea across quite effectively in Wrong Road through his simple explanation of the goings on at Tidmouth station every evening. We learn that Gordon’s train leaves at 6.25, with Edward following at 6.30. The author even uses this to set up the events of the rest of this story. There is mention of Gordon having to wait as he has missed his path, all this helps give children a basic knowledge of how the railway works in this regard. Combined with the text, the Edwards’ warm, inviting image of Edward and Gordon waiting in at Tidmouth conveys a sense of the hustle and bustle to be seen at a major station in the evening rush-hour, something which happens across the world to this very day.

It also gave me an early introduction to the concept of route restrictions on the railway, through the references to Gordon and Henry being prohibited from the branches due to their weight. The opening story teaches readers a little about the railways’ role in supporting local industry; we learn that Bill and Ben bring China Clay from the pits to the harbour at Brendam for onward distribution elsewhere via ships or engines on the Main Line. There is even a brief explanation about the commodity itself and its uses, something which young readers might not otherwise be familiar with. It’s worth pointing out that here that before this book we knew little about the traffic flows on the Edward’s branch, so this was quite a welcome development in that regard. The concept of goods being imported is alluded to as well, in Wrong Road we learn that BoCo has brought trucks of coal for the Twins, something that would not be obtainable locally.

Apart from the text, the illustrations have nice little hints of railway detail as well. These range from the brass works-plates depicted on some of the engines, to the lamp/disc head-code arrangements, to the rivets on Bill and Ben’s cylinders.

Strength of Character

Edward has always been an admirable character in the series, a hard worker, caring and wise. In many ways this book is a celebration of Edward. His influence pervades through all the stories, he calmly but firmly mediates of the Twins’ dispute with BoCo in The Diseasel and despite not actually appearing in the story it his friendship with BoCo that persuades Duck to give the diesel a chance in Buzz Buzz. In Wrong Road he does not get argumentative with Gordon when the big engine snobbishly begrudges “Branch Line diesels” being let pull the Express. Instead, he chooses to employ subtle, but witty, sarcasm: “I’m sure BoCo will let you pull his trucks sometimes. That would make it quite fair”. The scene is captured brilliantly in the Edwards’ depiction of a pompous, nose upturned, Gordon alongside a grinning, knowing, Edward. All of this builds up towards what I believe is the character’s finest hour, Edward’s Exploit. I always loved the television version of this story, and the original edition did not disappoint. Despite the big engines’ comments about Edward straining to start his train at the beginning of this tale, he ultimately comes out looking stronger than ever. He sustains perhaps the most severe injury ever depicted in the series, who could forget that image of him grimacing in pain, his running plate, cab and splashers torn by the loose side-rod. The weather conditions only make matters worse. A lesser engine would have given up at this stage, and few would blame them for it. But not Edward. Though crippled, he does not let this overcome him, his body may be damaged but his determination is stronger than ever. With some assistance from his crew, Edward ultimately gets the train on the move again, his crew encouraging him, while passengers cheer him on from the coach droplights. It is telling that when he does get back to the shed that night the normally opinionated Gordon and James choose to remain, in the Reverends’ words, “respectfully silent”. Ultimately I think this story, and Edward himself, has much to offer young readers. There are so many positive messages to be drawn here, old age does not mean weak, always try your best, don’t let events or others get you down, you can achieve anything with enough determination. Edward, we salute you.

Of course Edward is not the only character worthy of comment in this book, what can we say of Bill and Ben? Despite this volume being their only appearance in the Reverend's tales, the impression they make is a lasting one. They have a childlike playfulness to them not seen in the series since the early days of Thomas and Percy. The series itself had gradually become more serious as time progressed, so their appearance is quite welcome in that respect. Yet at the same time, the Reverend was not entirely re-inventing wheel either. While the pair do possess the naïve and mischievous qualities of the earlier engines, they also have a sort of impish demeanour all of their own. The Edwards’ artwork helps convey this aspect of their personality to good effect, think of their faces as they creep up on a startled Gordon on page 39. Look at that grin on the very cover of the book itself, as though they are fully aware of the incongruity of their appearance on the front of a book entitled Main Line Engines. Yet there they can be quite innocent at the same time, such as when they voice their concern that the “diseasel” might “magic (them) away like the trucks”. Again, the artwork helps reinforce this to good effect, just look at Bill’s puzzled expression on page 7. Their childlike naivety adds to the book’s humour too, giving rise to the first story’s pun-rooted title, The Diseasel. Awdry uses this wordplay to good effect; one can’t help but laugh at the line “the dust made him sneezle”.

BoCo’s characterisation is also worthy of discussion. Earlier in this review the idea of “steam vs. diesel” racism was discussed. Indeed, up to now there had been few diesel characters portrayed in a wholly positive light, visiting ones had been arrogant, deluded with notions of superiority, and in one case, downright villainous. Even Daisy was not with her problems, being quite stuck up at first. Only the narrow gauge Rusty was truly virtuous from day one. But all that was to change in this volume, with BoCo’s arrival finally providing an example of a standard gauge diesel that is honest, hardworking, and free of the superiority complex his predecessors had. He is humble and well mannered, asking Duck permission to enter Tidmouth shed, rather than simply assuming that it is his right to do so. He demonstrates his humility by apologising to Bill and Ben over the mix-up with the trucks. It’s notable that he doesn’t retort James’ derogatory comments, instead choosing to ignore them. He is quite a responsible engine too, when offered the chance to haul the Express rather than wallow in the prestige he is more concerned that his trucks won’t be looked after, despite it being a less glamorous job. By doing good work he ultimately becomes a permanent part of the Fat Controller’s fleet, and accepted as one of the “family”. Ultimately it is his good work ethic and helpful personality that BoCo is regarded for, him being a diesel makes no difference by the end of the book. Even characters like Donald and Douglas, whose very lives where once threatened by the onset of diesels, come to accept him.

Conclusion

So to end this review, I think it’s safe to say that this volume has a lot to offer readers. It’s full of positive messages, promoting the idea of determination, while subverting negative concepts such as racism and ageism. It’s educational in other aspects too, teaching readers a bit about the railway without becoming too technical. Backed up some wonderful artwork, this really is a classic volume that I would recommend all “Thomas” fans read if they have not already done so, you won’t be disappointed.

Favourite RS Book: Great Little Engines (Ryan Review)

2012-01-20T20:30:00.000Z

Great Little Memories

Great Little Engines

Reviewed By Ryan

Oneof my earliest childhood memories is going on a family / friends holiday downto Wales in the early 1990s, when I was around four years old. It was here that I received my first RailwaySeries books, and among them was GreatLittle Engines by Christopher Awdry. On the same trip, I recall we had a postcard with four photos on it –and in the bottom right hand corner, there was a photograph of Sir Handelstanding at Tywyn Wharf station. Notbeing old enough to know any better, I was convinced that this was the realengine from the Island of Sodor, which made the stories all the more special.

WhenI began building my Railway Series library later on, I developed something of afascination with the Skarloey Railway characters, which stemmed from reading thesestories. Whilst I would argue thatChristopher Awdry wrote better material in other books, there was a uniquecharm about the setting here which interested me. Probably the fact that I had latched onto thefact that these engines were real,and there was a place to visit them, which was referenced in numerous volumes Icollected. Thus began a life-longappreciation for everything narrow gauge, which developed throughout my teenageand adult years.

Thestories are simple, gentle and work on a level which sustain interest, and theydon’t suffer from the level of technical detail that Christopher would placeinto his stories later on. But at thesame time, he had a great subject matter here, and following in his father’sfootsteps, he cultivated a book which promoted the Talyllyn Railway in its timeof need. The presence of No.3 in aCorris Railway livery, but mocked up on occasion as Sir Handel, had rejuvenatedthe Talyllyn Railway’s fortunes following a slight decline. But it provided Christopher Awdry with agreat means of inspiration – with one of the stories from the book, where SirHandel hits the tree at Nant Gwernol taking place during the period that ‘SirHandel’ was running on the Talyllyn between 1982 and 1984.

It’sfrom these books that I developed an appreciation of Clive Spong’sartwork. The images were bold, they werebright and they had so much detail and technical accuracy, which a curiouschild craves. In addition to that, thereare some scenes depicted from the Talyllyn which are easily identifiable suchas Pendre and Nant Gwernol.

Iwould struggle to say that I appreciate Christopher Awdry’s work in the waythat I do his father’s more engaging style of writing. However, this particular book stands out inmy mind as a significant part of my early childhood, and has had a significantimpact on my interests in later life. Andfor that, I am appreciative.

Powering up the Playlists

2012-01-18T12:03:00.002Z

I've decided to place a greater emphasis upon YouTube Playlists to develop SiFansite further. At the moment, I am renovating the Other Classic Children's Characters page with new playlists for all the shows that we currently feature. These will feature episodes and clips from the official YouTube channels of the shows that are currently active, and any clips or videos we can find for the ones which are not. We have temporarily pulled the page whilst the work goes on.

When the page resurfaces, hopefully by Saturday this week, it will include new additions with Theodore Tugboat and Dream Street added to the line up of shows!

Other pages due to receive the same treatment include some of the interview pages (Martin T. Sherman's page has been given a playlist), the entire Episode Guide, Songs of Sodor, and several others.

If you have any videos uploaded to YouTube, which we could use for our playlists or know of any on other channels, please get in touch via our YouTube Channel.

Favourite RS Book: Tramway Engines (The Vicar of Wellsworth)

2012-01-14T08:00:00.002Z

The Finale at Ffarquhar

Tramway Engines

Review by The Vicar

When I pick up a book to read, the most desirable trait I look for is coziness. A Great Western engine escaping from scrap? Nope. A steamroller racing a narrow gauge engine? Not my first choice. For me, I love reading the stories nestled deep into the Ffarquhar branch, with two cheeky tank engines, and two very different tram engines.

Themes aside, my favourite thing about the book is the illustrations. Peter Edwards’ illustrations are incredibly realistic. I can’t get enough of the hay blowing in Woolly Bear! Even though Percy’s smoke box is incorrect in Woolly Bear, it gives a bit of variety to his look, yet not wild like C. Reginald Dalby. In addition, the faces in this book are the crispest of any other Edwards-illustrated book. Just the right amount of shadowing.

Onto the stories. Ghost Train was first introduced to me as a George Carlin narrated episode on the US VHS, “Ten Years of Thomas”, a video I watched over and over again. I was so scared, I wanted to run downstairs into my mom’s arms! Reading the story, I didn’t get the same effect. However, it was a very different take on the story, and a milder cut. Woolly Bear on the other hand, was a story that I hadn’t seen much; the one I read in Book 26 was still relatively fresh. An interesting story, I particularly like the insult aimed at both Percy AND C. Reginald Dalby! Mavis was also an episode I’d seen one too many times. It was a good episode, and I really don’t like how Daisy was replaced by Diesel in the TV Series. Daisy actually knows nothing about trucks, and is a feminine diesel like Mavis! Toby’s Tightrope was an episode I could honestly say I’ve seen maybe 2 or 3 times. Though the TV adaptation has its similarities and differences, the book can’t be beat. I’ll never get enough of Toby fighting for control!

Tramway Engines was the perfect way to end off Wilbert’s books. The best illustrator made this book his best, too. The other (Wilbert written) Ffarquhar book, (Branch Line Engines), seemed less at home. Thomas was away, a visitor came, and Percy later was gone for repairs. This book truly remains a special piece on my shelf. I’ll treasure it with all my care, (because the only way to get another one is online!)

Favourite RS Book: Henry the Green Engine (Skarlouie)

2012-01-14T08:00:00.001Z

A Train Full Of MemoriesHenry The Green EngineWritten by Louie West-Sparkes
At the age of two I was christened. Many people bought me gifts, keepsakes, clothes, etc. But one of my mum’s friends bought me a gift I still have today. It was the railway series by the Rev.W. Awdry. I loved this big book and took it everywhere I went. But there was one book I remember very well for many reasons. Henry the green engine had sparked my imagination as a child because most of the stories in this book were simple yet elegantly portrayed in a wonderful context.

However as I have got older I have read other stories from the other books. Such as “Enterprising Engines” and “Small Railway Engines” I didn’t really read these ones as a child because I wasn’t able to understand them, because I was so young at the time. However something with Henry the green engine aided me in the right direction. My parents would take it in turns to read the stories from the book. My mum always seemed to make “The Flying Kipper” so magical to me. I had originally watched the television series, but my mum seemed to make it come off the television screen and into our house. She would sometimes demonstrate with my ERTL model which I loved. My Dad whenever he read “Henry’s Sneeze” it made me laugh when younger. He again seems to make the part when Henry sneezed seemed real.

There is one memory that the book makes me remember as soon as I read it. Was when I was four I was in a music video. (Over the rainbow by Cliff Richard) When between takes my mum again would read me all the stories from Henry the green engine. I remember her reading ‘Coal’ to me. As soon as I see the picture of Henry outside the shed it takes me back to those moments in the studio when I was four years old.

The Illustrations that went along with these books also set off my imagination as I was getting older I would look through the book and try and remake the images in the books with My ERTL’s which brought the small little stories of Henry the green engine into my little hands. After this I broke a couple ERTL Henry toys by pulling the face off to make a sad face for him. I was fed up with a happy expression being on his face when he had crashed!

The Character of Henry I could relate to and still can. When I was growing up I was a clumsy child so whenever I bumped into things I would think of “The Flying Kipper” which would make me smile, and I also thought about “Henry’s Sneeze”. If someone ever hit me or said something horrible I would think of what Henry did, and did something by either telling a teacher or do something back.

The story of “Henry’s Sneeze” shows morals which I live by today. An eye for an eye type philosophy. For example, when a few boys dropped a few stones on his train, he didn’t just go and grumble about it. He did something back, he sneezed on them. This stopped them from ever dropping stones on him again. This story has helped me as I have grown up and I still love it from when I was small.

Henry the green engine showed a period in Henry’s life (With the exception of Percy and the trousers) which I see now looking back on it, there was him growing up, we have him in “Coal” with his firebox problem but he overcame it. “The Flying Kipper” He crashed but got back up and carried on. In “Gordon’s Whistle” Henry gets teased by Gordon but karma teaches him. Finally in “Henry’s Sneeze” which shows the morals of Henry with an Eye for an Eye.

To conclude. Henry the Green Engine was a book I loved as a child. For the illustrations, the story, the way it was read to me and all the memories holds to me now as a young teenager.

HENRY THE GREEN ENGINE: A BOOK ANY CHILD WOULD LOVE.

Favourite RS Book: Enterprising Engines (Simon Review)

2012-01-13T21:00:00.002Z

Just Enterprising
Enterprising EnginesReviewed by Simon

There are few books in children's literature which tug at the heart strings, make you laugh out loud, feel the tension, anxiety, and then triumph in such quick succession, as the twenty third title in The Railway Series. First published in 1968, it was set against the backdrop of the end of steam.

From the humble steam shunters, to the massive express passenger locomotives of British Railways, they were all to be withdrawn, and cut up in the name of progress.

Enterprising Engines was so appropriately titled: it ridiculed the great enterprise set out by a national institution, determined to rid the land of the steam engine, and in equal measure it praised private enterprise through determined individuals and their steam locomotives.

I remember so vividly the first time I was read this book: I was seven years old, suffering with the chicken pox, and unable to sleep. One of the symptoms of this bout of chicken pox was severe disorientation; the room would spin when I closed my eyes, and tried to sleep. Unable to coax me into sleeping, my parents called upon my late grandfather, Stanley, to read me another of the “Thomas stories”.

Oh the irony – that my soon to be favourite children's book, did not feature Thomas the Tank Engine at all. Its influence on my life has been profound, and whilst the original copy given to me as a child has long since departed, a reprint was sourced, and now sits on my shelf as a reminder of happier times.

For it was Gordon's story, and Oliver's story, combined with the mischievous digs at the modernisation plan of the 1950s and 60s, which made the greatest impact.

Gordon – in fiction, a rebuilt Gresley Pacific, realizes that with the end of steam on the “other railway” - its real name, British Railways, never spoken in the books – he will be one of the last of his kind left. The very real pain and anguish, summed up in just a few sentences by the big engine (“What sir! All my Doncaster brothers, drawn the same time as me?”) right at the start of the book, sets the tone for that to follow.

Gordon is alone. A survivor. His pain is clear from the outset, but the grim first two pages, with the question of survival hanging over Gordon, and the revelation that his brothers were “All gone, except one” is almost instantly turned on its head, by the arrival of a famous, and instantly charismatic locomotive who needs no introduction, other than the sight of two massive, eight wheeled tenders, and apple green paint, shining in the yard lamps.

Gunvor and Peter Edwards illustrated Enterprising Engines, and their work is so woefully under-appreciated. The sheer brilliance of their impressionistic, yet detailed artwork captures both the sombre mood of the book's backdrop, and the scenes of triumph throughout.

Whether it was the two Pacifics, side by side, with details like the walschaerts valve gear, superheater headers, lamp irons or the livery on 4472 being perfect to the reality, or the torchlight catching the word “Scrap” on the tanksides of Oliver, as he and Douglas were inspected, breathlessly waiting on the “right away”, the Edwards artwork added to the overall story in ways which artists, before and after, were unable to manage with such aplomb.

The stories themselves are nothing less than the best of Awdry. The first two stories turn the wheels forward, placing the emphasis on the loss of family, a bereavement, and then a heart rendering reunion, whilst allowing the necessary and wonderful good humour of the Reverend to shine through.

For Henry, arrogantly oblivious to the predicament of Gordon and Flying Scotsman, is more interested in the number of tenders he can obtain from the wily Duck, to get one up on the big engines – and his comeuppance in the form of six very old, very dirty tenders, filled to the brim with boiler sludge! Both the artwork and the literature combine for what is still a great source of hilarity.

By the turn of the second story, the situation has changed. Suddenly the diesels are present. They are real, and the first, D199, further emphasizes the Awdry's rebuke to the diesel revolution on the real British Railways: “Our controller says 'Steam engines spoil our image',” was not far off the mark, in reality.

Steam locomotives, bar Flying Scotsman, owned by Alan Pegler, were to be banned at the end of steam in 1968, from the national network.

At the time of the book's publication, Britain's railways had changed forever. In a little under a decade, all trains were diesel hauled on British Railways, Flying Scotsman, complete with second tender and Pullman coaches, was overseas, and whilst a few fledgling preserved lines were opening here and there, the rescuing of hundreds of steam locomotives from the scrap men was in its infancy.

Henry's story, where the humble steam locomotive, despite wounded with a failed regulator, saves both the haughty D199 and its train of oil tankers, and D7101 and its express, could so easily be ridiculed for being preposterous – a locomotive of 1930s vintage, rescuing not one, but two modern diesels?!

It is therefore gratifying, adding to the overall effect of the book as a whole, that the story is not only based on real life, but was written with artwork derived from photographs sent in by a young fan of the books.

And so to Enterprising Engines' finale. Simply titled “Escape” and “Little Western”, the last two stories intertwine their themes, and run from the nervous and frightened atmosphere of a faraway goods yard (“The 'Hisssssss' came again. This time, it sounded almost despairing”), to the tension of the inspection by the yard Foreman, looking over Oliver, Isabel, Toad and Douglas' train.

It is with the plucky escape of Oliver, the smallest of the Great Western tank engine classes, that we find the spirit of determination to beat the scrap man – to beat British Railways and their diesels – to triumph in preserving this way of life – at its absolute best. Douglas discovers the tank engine, complete with autocoach and brakevan, out of coal and in despair.

His last chance for freedom, after a journey, signalbox to signalbox, with snarling diesels searching for the escapee, is nothing short of pure fiction, but what wonderful fiction in a mould so quintessentially British. Awdry himself admitted of its fiction, but he believed that it was “just about possible”.

In reality, and after the book's publication a member of Oliver's class (the 14xx autotanks), specifically number 1466, was to be bought up by a few teenagers from British Railways, and driven to its new home. Life imitated art, and that is part of the beauty of the book which still shines.

Bear – the erstwhile D7101 – is bought for Sodor, for his usefulness, and charisma. Oliver, saved from scrap, is returned to full Great Western livery, and paired with Duck, where the two are used to reopen a branchline, in the Great Western mould.

Awdry was so far ahead of his time with this final story. One only has to look at the Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway, the Severn Valley Railway, Didcot Railway Centre, and many more, to see the adage “We reopen branches” was not such an arrogant, conceit from the two Great Western engines, but a statement of fact of that to come.

Enterprising Engines captured my imagination initially through the comforting and emotive voice of my late grandfather. The stories within showed such depth of thought, history and emotional content that were perfect when read aloud, as intended, that to this day I can remember the voice, the artwork, and my own reactions to each story as if it were yesterday.

This book has greatly influenced my own work, and I would suggest most emphatically, that if you have watched the television series' interpretation, but never read the original book in full, do so now, and particularly for this:

The book is now more than a simple children's book, and I would argue it was never a simple children's book.

It was, when first published, a contemporary account of the changing landscape of British Railways. Now, it is proof that the determination of individuals to have a dream, and turn it into reality – the preserved heritage railway, was not ever the pipe dream it was decried as at the time of writing in the 1960s.

It serves to remind us of the early days of railway preservation, the very real losses to Britain's landscape and everyday life. It reminds us of the sacrifices made, and that the determined efforts of a few select individuals were not in vain, for preserving our railway history.

There's no doubt in my mind, and there never has been, that there was only one volume in the whole of The Railway Series, which was perfect, but there's no other word for it, other than “Enterprising”.

This, the overall theme, which was an aspiration for many railway preservationists at the time, and something achieved by many of the preserved steam railways of today, is that which remains with me, and will continue to do so, for all of my days.

“Please tell everyone”, he went on, “that whatever happens elsewhere, steam will still be at work here. We shall be glad to welcome all who want to see, and travel behind, real engines”.

Favourite RS Book: Wilbert the Forest Engine (Cranky)

2012-01-13T21:00:00.001Z

The Engine From The Forest...

Wilbert the Forest Engine

Review by Jock Martin

After his father's retirement, Christopher Awdry began writing the stories that originally had been written for him. Through new illustrations by Clive Sprong and using Christopher's imaginative and unique storytelling, 17 more volumes of the beloved Railway Series were written.

As the Railway Series neared it's 40th volume, Christopher decided to write a book about a blue saddle tank from the Forest of Dean named Wilbert (Who is indeed named after the Reverend Wilbert Awdry himself). To help with one of the stories, Awdry decided to enlist a creative writing class at Abingdon school to help craft one of the stories. Soon the first story in the book was written, "Percy's Porridge". The book was then dedicated to the creative writing class themselves by Christopher.

The volume begins with the story itself, which involves the Fat Controller arranging to borrow an engine from another railway to assist Donald and Douglas. The Fat Controller picked a blue saddle tank engine from the Forest of Dean named Wilbert, who had always been eager to meet the famous Thomas the Tank Engine. With a great opportunity at hand for both parties, Wilbert is invited to come and assist the engines of Sodor.

The first story apply named "Percy's Porridge" centres around our favourite green saddle tank engine who is upset that Wilbert may not come to Thomas' branch line. Upset that he cannot meet a fellow saddle tank like himself, Percy's problem washes away with a wet storm the next day, which causes problems for Percy after an accident involving some bags of oatmeal on a platform. With Percy needing "repairs" after the incident, Wilbert is brought to Thomas' branch to assist whilst Percy is away. The story ends with the two engines meeting, sharing a mirror reflection of smiles.

The second story, "Cab over wheels" revolves not around Wilbert or any of the Fat Controller's engines, but of an engine Wilbert knew named "Sixteen". A magnificent junction into some different storytelling, which allowed Christopher to explore new means of expanding the Sodor universe.

The story begins by explaining that Wilbert's first drop is at the lead mines. A discussion with Thomas about the importance of danger signs leads Wilbert to tell the tale of Sixteen, an bored engine who wanted to go past a danger board simply so his boring life may be a bit more adventurous. Ignoring warnings from his friends, Sixteen uses the advantage of a wet day and the misdeeds of troublesome trucks to reach his goal. However, much like Thomas' own experience, Sixteen's pleasure resulted in his downfall as the rails he rode on titled sending Sixteen down the mound of dirt and rocks on his side. Wilbert finishes his story by telling the engines that Sixteen was sent to his shed in disgrace, but luckily he was purchased and now works in the midland.

The third story "Foaming at the funnel" tells the moral of how constant chattering can result in lack of work ethic. The story revolves around Wilbert taking milk tankers Knapford. On one of his trips he meets and chats with James and the two talk for quite some time. On his way to Knapford his driver realizes he needs to take on water but due to his short-sightedness Wilbert ends up at the wrong hosepipe and takes on milk instead of water! Thomas takes poor Wilbert back to the sheds so his tank can be emptied.

Wrapping up the book is "Wired-Up", which begins with Percy's return to the branch line. Wilbert is sent to Duck's Branch where he meets Duck, Oliver and the small engines of Arlesdale. During Wilbert's job of taking ballast trucks to Tidmouth, a coupling gear on of the trucks falls off. With some guidance from Bert, Wilbert borrows a coil of wire and has it spun around his coupling. The result is a successful job well done using creative thought to solve a problem, another moral well established. The end of the story has Wilbert returning home, with high praise from the Fat Controller and his engines.

In retrospect, the 38th title in the Railway Series does it's job has a part of the collection by showcasing a real life railway and one of it's engines, much like the representations of the Talyllyn and Snowdown railways. Wilbert is a creative character with a respect for the Sodor engines and the means to get work done and learning from his mistakes.

As a bonus, learning about Sixteen and his misdeed only furthered the world of Thomas and of course, provided another character for merchandising. Both Wilbert and Sixteen received ERTL models whilst Wilbert also got a Wooden Railway representation.

Christopher included what lessons could be learnt in his stories, which involved once again the importance of safety and how gossiping can decrease posterity of work.

To wrap up and summarize, Wilbert the Forest Engine remains my favourite of Christopher's stories because of it's simplicity and effectiveness within it's presentation. The book rose awareness to the Forest of Dean railway and Wilbert became a beloved character in the Railway Series. It's amazing what a series of book's about talking trains and their lives can do to create such a positive atmosphere within the society of railways.

"Making Movies"

2012-01-03T17:28:00.002Z

One of the things which has been incredibly striking about this fanbase, and others, around the world, is that we all want to be the director.

There are so many fan films, parody series, and various forms of media out there nowadays, because it is so easy to pick up a camera, edit the footage into a cohesive film, and then put it up on the various media sites (Youtube in particular) for people to watch.

So my question is simple. Why aren't we thinking of doing something on the scale of this yet?

Sonic the Hedgehog - Eddie Lebron

This is a fan film created by fans, for fans. It's strictly not for profit, it is intended to reinvent the way fans go about fanfiction, and whilst the style might not be attractive to the most diehard of Sonic fans, the graphics are amazing.

Their website, found here, relates the full details of the film and how they are approaching it.

Here are the questions I want to ask.

Do you want a fan production in a similar vein?

In what medium (animation/live action/models) do you think one should be made?

What sort of plot should it have?

I'm genuinely interested as to the fanbase's feelings on this. The general feeling of gloom which is threatening to overthrow the initial good cheer of Nitrogen Studio's poster for the upcoming Thomas Film has to some extent made me wonder if we're going about this the wrong way.

As one member of the Sodor Island Forums said, perhaps rightly, of the upcoming film:

Unless [Railway Series] films are made by us [the fans], either singularly or collectively, there is no hope in anything remotely accurate.

I would not disagree with that statement at this point, at all. The worrying thing about Shane Acker's interview yesterday was the persistent pushing of the father-son storyline, and the focus on the people-less side to the engine characters and their railway.

The saddest thing is, unlike Sonic the Hedgehog, any live action film should, I think, use a real railway, and not a one of us has the funds to create such a thing.

Until next time - let us know your thoughts on the questions posed above.

Favourite RS Book: Gordon The Big Engine (DealAjani Review)

2012-01-02T21:08:00.000Z

Gordon the grown-up engine
Gordon the Big EngineReviewed by DealAjani

Like most of the members here, my memories started with the tv series and not the books. But over the years I always returned to one story within the Railway Series. Book number eight, Gordon the Big Engine always enthralled me. Maybe it was because I saw so much of myself in him, or maybe it was simply because he was the biggest in the fleet.

Either way, as the oldest of three sons, I came to recognize my position within the family. I was the biggest & consequently the strongest, until late into high school. Gordon, in a similar way is the elder son of the NWR fleet. As the oldest child you are constantly reminded of your superiority to that of your siblings. While your brothers have to take out the trash, you can iron the clothes or you may get a little bit more at dinner, because you’ve started your growth spurt.

Looking back on the last 20 years, I do realize that there may be more similarity to Gordon and me than ever before. The first story deals with his refusal to do a task which he considers beneath himself. In a way I had the same reaction to mowing lawns, but because my mother can be considered an “iron lady” I had no choice in the matter!

Eventually Gordon is taken down a peg or three and is faced to realize that he is part of a team. Much like being part of a family, this means leaving your personal feelings behind for the betterment of a group. So when he is banned from pulling coaches, he tries to impart some wisdom upon James, which goes unnoticed, but works out in the end for both engines.

In my dealings with my youngest brother I have found that sometimes it is best to sit back and let nature take its course. Now this can have slightly different results with humans than with machines, but Gordon seems to have followed this same philosophy. When Thomas, being the cheeky little scamp he is, teases Gordon about running into the ditch, Gordon doesn’t even get a chance to respond. While this is for the best, one does wonder what Gordon would’ve said had he gotten a response in!

So when Thomas falls down his own respective ditch, Gordon doesn’t hesitate in lending his strength to help out his fallen comrade. Much like when my brother lost his phone, I didn’t hesitate to help him find it.

In the end, Gordon is welcomed back into the fold (although had Henry not gotten too big for his wheels, it begs the question of just how long would he have been in punishment) just in time to pull the Queen’s train to Sodor.

As the aforementioned oldest, life is a train ride sometimes. There are days when I get a bit too cocky because I’m the one with a somewhat steady job, in college, away from home, and have the most money. But if I ever get to that point, I can be assured that my brothers will remind me of my many issues that I have conveniently forgotten! Gordon, in a similar position, seems to have learnt this over the course of his own book.

I’ve gotten my nephew a copy of the total collection, and as he’s the oldest of two, I can only hope that he grows up to be a bit like Gordon, proud, but always ready to help.

Favourite RS Book: Thomas & The Twins (Christopher Review)

2012-01-02T21:06:00.002Z

Small But MightyThomas & The TwinsReviewed by Christopher

Throughout my youth, I recall the only real places I managed to find Christopher Awdry's books were through my visits to the various "Days Out With Thomas" events my parents would take me to - notable of all the Mid-Hants Railway. And I'm not sure which of these railways it was, but I most definitely recall my Mother buying for me Thomas and the Twins. And as I grew up, my affection and dedication to the books as a whole grew stronger. In a way, I feel two particular characters here share the same development with me...

While Thomas and the Twins may not be everyone's favourite Christopher Awdry book, to me I have a certain fondness of it. Mainly to the fact that, unlike the current TV Series, which sees characters being crane-shunted willy-nilly all across the Island, Christopher places a logical reason for Thomas to be sent on Edward's Branch - the river bridge on his own line needs repairs, and as Thomas is too heavy for it he is sent to Edward's for a spell. The concept of Thomas working on a different Branch Line seems interesting as are the use of characters that he interacts with there - Edward the Blue Engine, Trevor the Traction Engine and the China Clay Twins, Bill and Ben, the true "stars" of this book.
Ever since reading Main Line Engines, Bill and Ben have become an unforgettable pair; cheeky, playful, and with a sly sense of humour, discovered first-hand by Gordon himself! And they are the reason why I have chosen this as my personal favourite Christopher book, for they add a sense of fun into the stories. The first tale alone, which sees Thomas suffer an embarrassing accident with a dairy lorry, is perfect for the squat little engines to take advantage of - and Bill foiling an Enthusiast's hopes for a perfect photograph makes for excellent reading, too.

Of course, bar the absence of another fan favourite, BoCo the "Diseasel", Edward and Trevor play their roles nicely. Edward to act as peacemaker between the three tank engines, and Trevor in the third story where he "helps out" in an emergency. Some say the stories may seem uninspired and dull, but I've learnt that even a simple storyline, with the right amount of characters, inspiration and invention, can still fuel the interest of fans alike.

Clive Spong's illustrations are as fantastic as ever here. From the sight of Thomas approaching the lorry in the morning gloom, to the lush green hills of the China Clay Workings, to even the atmospheric scenes of Brendam Harbour, his illustrations have become another true staple in the Christopher Awdry era. It is most interesting to note, too, that he even manages to keep Bill and Ben in scale with their real-life counterparts, Alfred and Judy, when comparing to their original appearance in Main Line Engines. Seeing them one on each side of Thomas in several illustrations shows how well their child-like quirks suits their current statures.

But going back to Bill and Ben, as I had mentioned previously I feel that the clay twins share something that everyone experiences as we grow older - although still cheeky and mischievous, there is a sense of them slowly, ever so slowly, maturing. This is evident where, in the third story, they share with Thomas their knowledge of the different types of clay they have to transport from their workings - dry clay in "hooded" trucks, wet clay in tankers - and the previous story sees them literally pulling together when helping to guide a ship out to sea (one of the many real-life events experienced from a Driver of the Port of Par railway, which inspired Christopher to pen this book).
But the final story, "Down the Drain", the more thrilling out of the three, shows true gratitude and maturity from Bill and Ben. Thomas comes to Ben's aid after bad weather leaves him stranded in a flood, to which the Twins resolve to never tease Thomas again. "Maybe!" I hear you say...while that maybe true, I feel that a little character development (which actually sticks!) never did anyone any harm. Change is nature, after all, and I feel that perhaps that's what Bill and Ben have experienced during Thomas's temporary presence in their lives...so long as they don't forget to still have a little fun either!

"The Thomas Movie: Shane Acker's Folly"

2012-01-02T20:04:00.004Z

First and foremost, a disclaimer. This piece is not reflective of the general opinion of the Sodor Island Forums, nor its staff and members. This is my view, and my view alone.

So, with that out of the way...!

There's been some more developments on the forthcoming live action Thomas & Friends film, and it has centered on the director of the film, Shane Acker, giving a brief interview on it:

How do you follow your mega-successful animated feature about a rag doll battling a machine called Cat Beast on post-apocalyptic Earth? Why, with a live-action film about a smiling anthropomorphic train, of course.

That's next on the list for Shane Acker M.Arch. '98, M.F.A. '04, best known for creating and directing 9, the 2005 Academy Award-nominated short that was expanded into a 2009 feature produced by Tim Burton. Acker has agreed to direct an upcoming live-action feature based on Thomas the Tank Engine.

So far so good. An academy nominee directing the first big movie outing since the abysmal Thomas & The Magic Railroad.

"It probably isn't something you imagine me being immediately attracted to, this material," Acker says of the still-untitled Thomas feature, slated to hit theaters in 2013. But a compelling script about a preteen boy longing to reconnect with his father drew Acker in.

"It centers on this father-son reunification story," he says of the film, which will be a hybrid of live-action and animated elements and will have a darker, more grown-up feel than the Thomas programs preschoolers watch.

Okay, darker is good, and whilst the premise sounds not unlike the plot of Thomas & The Magic Railroad, the idea of a father/son reunification as a plot device is intriguing. Then we get this:

It's not easy to do, but certainly Acker is up for the job.

"I think it's really fun. A world of just trains, a train-centric world — what would that world be like? A world of trains without people."

On reading this I felt despair. Anxiety and worry all over again.

I don't know why it is made so complicated. You would think that with so much literary material out there, writing for Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends/Thomas & Friends would be easy.

You would have thought, given there is "bible" of sorts (The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways, Wilbert & George Awdry), that anyone with a modicum of common sense would read up on that first, before running in blindly and putting pen to paper.

The whole point to Thomas & Friends, its previous incarnation and the series of books which spawned it, was the people. Railways serve people, their sole purpose in life is transportation of people and goods.

What made the original books so endearing was their true to life nature, and how the locomotives and their characteristics echoed something of human nature. The locomotives were nothing without their drivers and firemen, without the signalmen, passengers and freight.

The Reverend W. Awdry looked to the railway history of Great Britain to inspire his stories, drawing from real life and creating stories which echoed real life. Removing people from the frame entirely removes the purpose for existence these locomotive characters have!

The rest of the interview could be described at best, as "worrying".

Acker is one of the hottest young animators on the scene, but if all had gone to plan, he would have been an architect.

"I originally came to UCLA to do a graduate program in architecture," he recalls, "and it wasn't until the tail end of that degree that I started taking a couple of classes in the animation department as electives. I just really fell in love with it."

Looking back, though, animation was always in Acker's blood. "I always was a cartoonist and illustrator — you know, the kid that's always drawing during class," he recalls. "I was a big skateboarder and doing these little sequences of skate tricks, which was basically animation, although I didn't really realize it at the time.

I mean, really worrying. Is this man really capable of doing justice to one of the United Kingdom's most beloved series of books, the world's number one children's brand?

It's the step after step away from the realism of the Nitrogen Studios' Poster, seen above, towards what can only be described as a "magical" world of talking trains...minus the people, that really worries me.

In fact, on a side note, I'm pretty sure the technology minus people plot line has been done to death, twice over now by Pixar.

Could it work with Thomas? It hasn't worked so far! Thomas & The Magic Railroad - horrendous. Calling All Engines - ludicrous. Hero of the Rails, surprisingly good but fundamentally flawed. Misty Island Rescue - sickly island rubbish. Day of the Diesels? Would have been better with a Deltic in it...! And had an absolutely dire plot.

My only consolation is the fact that I know he cannot possibly do worse in terms of dialogue than "Thomas' firebox was on fire".

(With due apologies to Sharon Miller)

And so, the brief interview ends with a few self plaudits. I remain skeptical and unconvinced, but with only a poster to show for it, and a brief description of an outline of a possible script for this film, it would be incredibly shortsighted of me to write Acker off here and now. I only hope and pray Mr Acker is reading, and understanding my concerns for the history of this brand.

To be fair to Mr Acker, I understand and wholeheartedly appreciate his sentiments expressed in the end of the interview:

Acker maintains an unbelievably packed schedule, but there's one thing that keeps him motivated.

"Hopefully, you inspire," he says. "That's always the best compliment I get as an artist or as a teacher — that I've been able to inspire somebody to try to create."

We can only hope that Mr Acker's words are not entirely the whole picture of that to come.

The SiF Alternative Xmas Speech (Original Script)

2011-12-26T19:48:00.001Z

Our current version of the 2011 Alternative Christmas Speech has gone down a treat, however, we'd like to share the original cut which Diesel 'ate', which didn't make it to production.

"THESiF ALTERNATIVE XMAS SPEECH"

Presentedby Diesel & Derek

Writtenand produced by Professor Vengeance

DIESEL:Dmman

DEREK:Chris

BERT:Alaric

Weopen with a rousing rendition of God Save the Queen, rudely interrupted by theMadness cover version.

Derek:

[notices camerais on]

Oh, right! We've started!Good day, gentle viewers and let me begin by wishing you all a Merry Christmas,a Happy Hanukkah, a Cracking Kwanzaa, a Delightful Diwali, a Radical Ramadan...

Diesel:

Oh, for the love ofHeidegger, will you just get started already!?

Derek:

Now, now, I don't wantanyone to feel left out, do I?

Diesel:
Dereeeeek...!

Derek:

Oh, all right. Seasonsgreetings to all and welcome to this year's SiF Alternative Christmas Speech.My name is Derek...

[ahem]

Diesel:

[thoroughlybored]

Ughhh. And my name isDiesel. Isn't that just thrilling?

Derek:

Oh, come on, Diesel. Youcould at least sound a little excited. It's Christmas after all!

Diesel:

But it's not Christmas,is it, smoke-for-brains? It's bloody October! It isn't even Halloweenyet and they've already gotten us doing the yearly retrospective!

I mean, there's still twomonths left until 2012! Who knows what'll have happened by the time this stupidthing hits the airwaves? The fall of the coalition? The death of capitalism?The Geordie Shore Christmas single!? And we'll have ignored them all! We'lllook like idiots!

Derek:

All right, it's not terriblyconvenient, I'll grant you, but if we don't do this then the Thin Git won't letus celebrate Christmas when it DOES come around; and I know how much you'vebeen looking forward to meeting a certain diesel railcar under the mistletoethis year...

Diesel:

[suspiciouscoughing over end of Derek's last line]

[regaincomposure]

Yes. Well, in that case, Isuppose that I have no choice.

Very well, then. Let's getthis over with and kick things off with the biggest story of the year:

THERE IS NO MONEY LEFT INTHE ENTIRE WORLD. AT ALL.

Yes, people, years ofgovernment borrowing and gambling in the housing market have come back to biteeveryone in their collective arses, and have pushed Europe, America and - mostimportantly - us to the very brink of a double-dip recession.

Derek:

Which sadly has nothing todo with ice-cream. Which is a shame, because I could really go for a double-dipright about now. I nearly overheated just getting to the set on time.

Diesel:

Well, you'd better get usedto it, Derek. Even if I did care about your personal feelings, I couldn'tafford to buy you an ice-cream if I tried.

Flaming, ruddy austeritymeasures. You know, my Driver's shown me clips of some of the violence andprotests around the world against all these horrid cuts being made to savemoney. Occupy Wall Street, Occupy London, Occupy Greece Full Stop...

And frankly, I have only onething to say all those disenfranchised folk camping outside St Paul's andburning down Birmingham:

You people are WUSSIES.

That's right! You think yousilly, squishy humans have it bad!? Have you SEEN how bad things have gottenaround HERE these past few months!? We can't even afford to put a roof over ourheads - LITERALLY.

Derek:

On the plus side, our tanshave improved dramatically. My face used to be pale blue, you know.

Diesel:

And right now, mine isbright red! We can't even afford basic rolling stock anymore! The coaches havebeen replaced with trucks, the trucks have been replaced with shoppingtrollies, and the shopping trollies - well, I'm not sure what they've beenreplaced with. I think it involves pulleys, but I can't be too sure.

But that's not all beingsacrificed in the name of cheapskatedness! The fares are up, repairs are down,and stations are wobbling from side to side, mostly due to the aforementioneddecline in repairs. Furthermore, all our diesel fuel now has to be bought inbulk from the local Lidl and anyone who doesn't like it gets to fill up fromthe hosepipe near the sewageworks.

Derek:
Oh dear. I wondered why that petrol tasted so rum.

[burp]

Ooh, 'scuse me.

Diesel:

I wish I could, but we'recontractually obligated to do this as a team.

Derek:

Well, in that case, I thinkI'd better chip in with something a little less gloomy. Despite their economicwoes, the people of Britain still found time to get their freak on back inApril to celebrate the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. Thehappy couple, now the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, were married inWestminster Abbey before a truly star-studded congregation. Everybody who isanybody was there, from the Queen of Spain to the Queen of Pop.

N.B. Cuephotographs of the real-life Queen of Spain and Elton John respectively.

Derek:

The whole affair wastelevised around the world, in up to 180 different countries, and currentlyholds the Guinness World Record for the Most Live Streams for a Single Event,with more than 72 million following the event.

And to think, I can hardlyscare up more than a dozen views for my YouTube blogs. I wonder why that is.

Diesel:

Well, call me a philistine,but I'm not exactly sure filming yourself having your nostril hairs plucked byMrs Muck the cleaning lady makes for journalistic gold.

Derek:

Oh, come on, it was a slownews day. It was either that or lip-synch to an obscure European pop song.

Diesel:

Huh. I honestly can't decidewhich of those is worst.

Derek:

Oh well, I only do those fora bit of fun. I don't care if I never become rich and famous. After all, it'snot the end of the world.

Diesel:

Yes...but it nearly was. Atleast, according to one man.

Back in May, U.S. Christianradio DJ and professional troll Harold Camping sparked frenzy and panic amongstthe faithful by proclaiming that the Rapture would take place on Saturday the21st of that month.

In case you hadn't noticed,it did not.

As if that wasn't badenough, Camping then claimed that it was only the 'spiritual' day of judgmentand that the physical Rapture would take place on October the 21st.

In case you hadn't noticed,it did not.

As if that wasn't badenough, Camping had already predicted the end of the world twice beforehand;the 21st of May 1988 and the 6th of September 1994.

And in case you hadn'tnoticed, IT ABSOLUTELY SODDING WELL DID NOT.

Not that it matters, anyway.We don't need the Reverend Tawdry there to tell us we've entered the End ofDays. Earthquakes and tsunamis are tearing the planet to pieces every otherweek, the Western World is crumbling under its own greed, Sarah Jane and theBrigadier are dead, and somebody actually made My Little Pony enjoyable!

Bert:
Oi loike ponies!

Diesel:

SHUT UP, BERT!

Derek:

Ooh, that reminds me! Wehaven't covered entertainment yet! Deary me, is my face red!

Diesel:

Mmyes, I think it's sunburn.Those new roofs can't come soon enough, if you ask me.

Derek:

2011 was a busy year in thesporting world. In rugby, the New Zealand All-Blacks claimed their first WorldCup trophy in 24 years while, in cricket, India became the first nation to wina World Cup final on their home ground. Eastern Europe reigned supreme atWimbledon, with Serbia's Novak Djokovic and the Czech Republic's Petra Kvitová rompingto victory in the singles, whileGermany's Sebastian Vettel became the youngest ever defending champion inFormula One history. Oh, how super for them!

Not that it wasn't a goodyear for we Brits, of course. At the end of August, the British Athletics teamwon themselves a jolly good total of seven medals at the World Championships,two of them nice shiny gold; Northern Ireland's Darren Clarke swung to success in the Open, his first majorchampionship victory, and dear old Andy Murray claimed first place in both theCincinnati and Shanghai Masters. Hoorah!

Diesel:

But neither of those areWimbledon, so no-one cares.

[cue stupidDiesel laugh from Fiery Flynn - Hehehehehehehe. Nyeh.]

Derek:

It's been a busy year inTinseltown too, and highly educational too. We've learned that Hollywood stillloves a good old-fashioned British period piece...

Cue poster forThe King's Speech.

That Disney's return to formlast year wasn't a mere fluke...

Cue posters forTangled and Winnie the Pooh.

That sometimes, life is justjolly nice to look at...

Cue poster forThe Tree of Life.

And that summer next year isgoing to be simply super! Ahehe, no pun intended.

Cue posters forThor, Captain America and the Avengers.

Diesel:

[offscreen,holding on the Marvel movie posters]

[fake happiness]

Yes, and that's not all!We've also learned the people at Pixar really are only human after all...

Cue poster forCars 2.

That DC don't give a tossabout anyone who isn't Batman...

Cue posters forGreen Lantern and Jonah Hex.

That Hollywood doesn't givea toss about anything that wasn't already a movie twenty years ago...

Cue posters forFootloose, The Thing and Arthur.

And that People. Really.Will. Watch. ANYTHING.

Cue posters forThe Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence) ['People'] Mr Popper's Penguins['Really'] Justin Bieber: Never Say Never ['Will'] The Smurfs ['Watch'] andTransformers: Dark of the Moon ['ANYTHING']

Bert:
OI LOIKED THE BIT WHERE FINGS BLEW UP!

Diesel:
SHUT UP, BERT!

And speaking of thingsblowing up in people's faces, two of the world's most wanted men both foundthemselves riddled with karma earlier this year. And by karma, I do, of course,mean 'bullets'.

Osama bin Laden, the head ofAl Qaeda, was killed by American forces in a secret compound in Pakistan, whileColonel Muammar Gaddafi, the dictator of Libya, was killed by his own peoplenear his hometown of Sirte following a months-long revolution, one of manystarted during the so-called 'Arab Spring'.

The circumstancessurrounding both men's deaths remain shrouded in controversy, owing toconflicting and vague information about exactly what happened in their finalmoments.

Until now. For today, gentleviewers, I can reveal to you all exactly who killed the world's mostwanted men.

MRS CRUELLY!

Haha! Yeeees, that's right!What do you think she's been doing for the last two years? Knitting? Nooo,she's been in the Middle East, training with the Navy Seals. Lance CorporalWilfred Owen Mann, I believe she's been calling herself. Apparantely she gotbored of terrorizing us and decided she had bigger fish to fry.

[increasinglytraumatized]

So let me take thisopportunity to say this to the tyrants and terrorists of the world - DON'T tryanything funny. You really have no idea what that woman is capable of, with herpoisonous home preserves and arsenal of knobbly walking sticks. And those eyes.Those big, bulging, wild eyes. They stare into your very mind, into your verysoul...

Say, Derek, how about movingon to the website news before I completely freak out over here!?

Derek:

What? Oh, yes, right, ofcourse! Would be a bit rude us doing this for SiF and not talking about themfor a bit, now, wouldn't it?

Things have been a littlebit slow on the creative side of SiF this year, with the number of officialredub and audio releases being down on last year. On the other hand, we haveseen the release of the jolly good Tidmouth Lightningbolt audio specialthe rise of the rambunctuous Rifftrains, and major advancements in thefield of computer animated productions using railway modelling programmes, suchas Trainz.

Diesel:
Spelt with a 'Z' instead of an 'S'.

Because poor literacy is KEWL!

Derek:

Then, of course, there's theExtended Railway Series, which now has over 100 spiffy volumes and a brandspanking new minisite to guide you through them all. Isn't that lovely?

2011 also saw the very firstSiF trip to the Isle of Man (and very lovely it is too, so I'm told), as wellas a jolly relaxing week in East Sussex and the greater London area. Many havealready called it the best big meet in the fansite's history.

Derek:

[sombre]

But there is perhaps one SiFevent which stands out above all others this year, one that is bothheartwarming and heartbreaking in equal measure.

I am, of course, referringto the tragic passing of Matthew Dawson.

Matthew, better known on SiFas Matthew24691, had been battling cancer for three and a half years beforefinally succumbing to the disease in August this year. He was 20 years old.

Matthew will be rememberedby the members of SiF for many different things; the bravery and determinationwith which he had faced his illness for so long, the polite and friendlydemeanor with which he conducted himself, and his great passion for GrimsbyTown Football Club, whom he was able to meet in person a few days before hispassing. Even those who did not know him personally on the forum spoke highlyof his pleasant manner throughout his three years as a member.

To honour his life, both onand away from SiF, a special charity auction was arranged on the Fansite in hismemory, raising over £750 for Clic Sergent Children's Cancer Charity. And whowas the winner, you may ask? None other than TV series director and head ofNitrogen Studios, Greg Tiernan, who contributed a whopping £500 to the finalpot.

It just goes to show thateven the very worst times can bring out the very best in people, eh, Diesel?

Diesel:

[sombre]

Yes, quite. And on thatnote, I suppose we should take this opportunity to remember some more of thosewe have also lost this year.

Cut to montageof captioned pictures set to appropriate music.

I've listed allthe 'major' deaths of the year thus far below, Ryan, so feel free to pick andchoose the ones you feel most appropriate. I would prefer if you leave in thethree Doctor Who actors at the end, if only because they make the perfectlead-ins to the joke obituaries.

STEVE JOBS

ENTREPENEUR

1955-2011

BETTY FORD

AMERICAN FIRST LADY

1918-2011

DICK KING-SMITH

AUTHOR

1922-2011

BRIAN JACQUES

AUTHOR

1939-2011

DWAYNE MCDUFFIE

COMIC BOOK WRITER

1962-2011

AMY WINEHOUSE

SINGER-SONGWRITER

1983-2011

GERRY RAFFERTY

MUSICIAN

1947-2011

GARY MOORE

GUITARIST, THIN LIZZY

1952-2011

MICHAEL 'WURZEL' BURSTON

GUITARIST, MOTORHEAD

1949-2011

NATE DOGG

RAPPER

1969-2011

JOHN BARRY

COMPOSER

1933-2011

SIR HENRY COOPER

BOXER

1934-2011

DAN WHELDON

RACING DRIVER

1978-2011

MARCO SIMONCELLI

MOTORCYCLE RACER

1987-2011

TED LOWE

SNOOKER COMMENTATOR

1920-2011

'MACHO MAN' RANDY SAVAGE

WRESTLER

1952-2011

SIDNEY LUMET

DIRECTOR

1924-2011

ELIZABETH TAYLOR

ACTRESS

1932-2011

MICHAEL GOUGH

ACTOR

1916-2011

PETE POSTLETHWAITE

ACTOR

1946-2011

JANE RUSSELL

ACTRESS

1921-2011

JEFF CONAWAY

ACTOR

1950-2011

JACKIE COOPER

ACTOR

1922-2011

CLIFF ROBERTSON

ACTOR

1923-2011

DAVID CROFT

TELEVISION WRITER-PRODUCER

1922-2011

JOHN SULLIVAN

TELEVISION WRITER

1946-2011

GEORGE BAKER

ACTOR

1931-2011

RICHARD PEARSON

ACTOR

1918-2011

BETTY DRIVER

ACTRESS

1920-2011

SIR JIMMY SAVILE

RADIO & TELEVISIONPRESENTER

1926-2011

ROY SKELTON

ACTOR

1931-2011

NICHOLAS COURTNEY

ACTOR

1929-2011

ELIZABETH SLADEN

ACTRESS

1946-2011

THE DOCTOR (SORT OF)

TIME LORD

1963-2011/1969-???

CHARLIE HARPER

BACHELOR

2003-2011

JOHNNY STORM, THE HUMANTORCH

SUPERHERO, FANTASTIC 4

1961-2011

HALF OF THE D.C. UNIVERSE

1934 (OR WHENEVER THE LASTREBOOT WAS)-2011

THE SPACE SHUTTLE PROGRAMME

1981-2011

THE SPACE SHUTTLEPROGRAMME'S CAFETERIA

1981-2011

THE THIN GIT'S UNDERPANTS

1975-2011

DEREK'S TWELTH ENGINE IN AMONTH

2011-2011

DEREK

1999-2011

Derek:

Um, excuse me, Diesel, butI'm not dead yet.

Diesel:

Oh. Right. Sorry, Derek,force of habit.

Derek:

Well, we're almost out oftime here anyway, and after all that death and unhappiness, I think it's onlyfair that we end proceedings with something a little more uplifting.

Diesel:

I'll drink to that. Or Iwill once we get this stupid thing over with.

Derek:

Hmm, let's see. We needsomething with lots of bright colours and happy smiles...Something devoid ofanything too exciting or intelligent...Something completely and utterly insubstantialwith no conflict, drama or most basic spark of anything resembling interestwhatsoever.

Diesel:

Huh! And just what,pray tell, could possibly meet all those suspiciously specific demands?

Cut back toDerek, grinning broadly.

Diesel:

...

Oh no. Oh no! You don'tmean-! You can't mean-!

Derek:

Oh yes, I mean. Roll clip,please, Leonard!

Diesel:

What?! No, Leonard, don't doit! You can't possibly AAAAAAAAA!

Cue the openingseconds of the CG Thomas & Friends intro, followed by a montage of all thevery worst lines and moments of Series 15 and/or 'Day of the Diesels'.

The montage isset to eiher the instrumental of the current theme tune or the 'Day of theDiesels' theme. Whichever tune you think works best.

Ryan, sincethere's far too much stupid moments for me to narrow down, I'm going to trustyour judgment and let you pick the clips yourself. Have fun!

Diesel:

[alternatingbetween screams of terror, sobbing and other unhappy noises as the abovemontage plays]

WHY, LEONARD, WHY!?

OH MY GOD! THE STUPID! ITHURTS, IT HURTS!

OHHHHH! OHHH, I CAN'T FEELMY BRAINS! WHERE HAVE THEY GONE!?

I DON'T WANT TO LIVE ON THISPLANET ANYMORE!

Derek:

OK, Leonard, wind it down,wind it down.

The montagefinally ends.

Diesel:

[various quietsobbing, whimpering noises in background]

Derek:

Well, I'd say we're justabout done here now. Here's wishing you Happy Holidays and an Even Happier NewYear! I've been Derek...

Diesel:

And I've been violated!

[sobs]

Derek:
And we'll see you again next year, here on the Sodor Island Fansite.

Diesel:

You're despicable.

[groan]

THE END.

SiF's Favourite Railway Series Book Poll

2011-12-24T15:12:00.000Z

Which Railway Series book is your favourite?

In 2010 and 2011, we did a set of polls on the Fansite to decide the best ever episode and series of the TV Series. In 2012, I want to take that to new heights and discover which of the Railway Series books holds the greatest affection among the general readership.

Given that Awdry's writing of the series developed significantly over the course of nearly 30 years and 26 books, the tone, atmosphere and nature of the books changed continually. Many consider his first eight books to be his finest and best loved work, whilst others argue that his later and darker books have an edge that came throughout his time as a writer.

In January 2012, to coincide with the polls, the SiF Blog will be featuring a set of reviews by SiF members who have written about their favourite Railway Series books. These will include 5 Rev. Awdry books and 5 Christopher Awdry books.

We are keen to play this as a means of finding the most favoured Railway Series volume, as naming the most voted for book as 'The Best' one would be completely unfair given the quality of work that Awdry produced, and each person will have an opinion on what they consider to be the best Railway Series book.

So please cast your vote and help us to find out which Railway Series book stands out the most among the SiFansite visitors!

Merry Christmas from SiF

2011-12-23T18:10:00.001Z

A big thanks to all our members, visitors, subscribers and supporters for a fantastic 2011, and here's to a great 10th anniversary year in 2012!

Merry Christmas to everyone!

Blue Mountain Mystery - Three New Characters Revealed!

2011-12-15T11:24:00.003Z

Cleveland's Wholesale Diecast Models have revealed the names and toy designs of three new Thomas & Friends characters due to make their debut appearances in the upcoming 2012 special - Blue Mountain Mystery.

There will be a new narrow gauge engine called Luke

A lorry called Winston

And a crane called Merrick

Plus, we are likely to be treated to hearing more about the early life of Victor the Steamworks Engine, as a 'Flashback Victor' has also been listed with a new paint-scheme:

There are several other playsets and reissued characters all ready to pre-order for release next year by visiting the Cleveland Website:

VISIT THE CLEVELAND WEBSITE AND PRE-ORDER

Catching up with Mike and Steve

2011-12-08T21:13:00.001Z

We have had the good fortune of keeping in touch loosely with Steve Asquith and Mike O'Donnell following their contributions to the Sodor Island Fansite's interview pages. Both of them have decided to take different paths in life away from Thomas's world, and we were gratified to find that Steve was linking to his interview with us through his new website to promote his business:

Steve Asquith went back to University and retrained as a Print Maker, and through his passion, he opened up Open Access print-making facilities in Kent, aimed at both professional print-makers and giving those who wish to learn a chance to try their hand, with Steve providing tuition. You can see examples of the work Steve has produced on the Saxonshore Press website, and book a place on one of his many courses.

Meanwhile, our musician friend, Mike, has decided to go down another route, similar to what he has been doing for much of his working life:

In 2010, Mike set up Playtime Productions and has launched his own range of characters and brands aimed at different age-groups for a television audience. All are wonderfully cartoony and a world away from what he did with Thomas and Tugs during his twenty year involvement with the series. Check them out and see what you think for yourself!

Diesel & Derek Spread Festive Jeer

2011-12-06T10:36:00.000Z

Last year we were honoured to have Sir Topham Hatt deliver his Christmas Monologue to the masses as part of our 'Alternative Christmas Message'.

This year, whilst the engines of Sodor spread the Winter Holiday cheer, Diesel and Derek will be broadcasting from The Other Railway to give you some festive jeer instead...

And instead of reasons to be thankful - in true, Other Railway style, Diesel will be giving everyone his Top Ten reasons why he hates Christmas, ranging from music to incompetent temporary staff brought in to help with the Christmas rush.

It's going to be an absolute hoot - and despite his protests to the contrary, Diesel and Derek would love you to join them.

Diesel & Derek's Alternative Christmas Message will be available to view during Christmas week on Sodor Island Fansite and on the SiForumsAndFansite YouTube channel.

To read of their numerous other misadventures on the Other Railway, click here to visit the Tales From The Other Railway Mini-Site!

SiF Turns 9

2011-12-04T01:01:00.000Z

It's a bit daunting to realise that right now, SiF is currently in it's 10th year of operation, one year away from officially clocking up a full decade in one form or another, keeping Thomas fans all over the world together.

Year 9 has seen the Fansite reach back to it's glory days with tremendous efforts by myself and Troublesome Truck to spruce it up again and revive it's fortunes. Simon led the way in reviving this Blog and getting it back on it's feet again, and giving it the audience, role and definition it previously lacked. And the Extended Railway Series is due to thrive once again as the V2 begins to take shape and new submissions begin to appear for the first time in nearly three years, following the ERS Overhaul, and continued work on the ERS Online Guide.

Media production on the forum may well have stalled for the time being, but we are still keen to plug other people's work on the Fansite and via our YouTube channel. Through plugging other people's videos, we have built up to over 770 subscribers and are continually aiming for the golden spike of 1,000 in 2012.

The saddest moment of 2011 for us all was the passing of SiF member, Matthew Dawson. But through his passing came £750 worth of good for Clic Sargent Children's Cancer Charity, thanks to the generosity of Greg Tiernan, and a number of SiF members who thought enough of Matthew to contribute cash to mark his passing. We'll definitely be doing more to celebrate his life in years to come, and raising cash to help children with cancer and their families.

We've had our share of controversies throughout the year as per usual, but they're better left forgotten, as for the first time in our lifetime, I feel public opinion on YouTube and elsewhere is far more positive toward SiF - the membership continues to grow, and detractors are often few and far between these days... the majority of them are ones who have been booted out and continue to harbour a grudge - thankfully most people now choose to make up their own minds.

In 2012, to mark the 10th year of SiF's running, a number of us are taking a week long trip to the Isle of Man - easily the closest physical place to the Island of Sodor, and the geographical inspiration for Awdry's world.

It has been a tremendous honour to spearhead so many wonderful things throughout the last six years as SiF's leader. However, without the hard work, dedication, unity and friendship of my staff team, SiF would be a completely different place, and would not be growing at the rate it currently is and continues to. They are a fantastic group, and I'm proud to work with them. Likewise, I'd like to extend my gratitude and warmest wishes to every member of our boards - whether you're a seasoned veteran who's stuck with us through thick and thin for the better part of ten years, or you're a newbie trying to find your way around and make your mark, we're delighted to have you on board and sharing your memories and appreciation of Thomas with us.

To everyone else, enjoy Year 10 of SiF and all that it will have to offer.

SiF Interview Martin T. Sherman

2011-12-01T20:06:00.001Z

Martin T. Sherman

Through very good fortune, I have managed to track down the American voice-over for Thomas and Percy, Martin T. Sherman, and he has completed an exclusive interview which will be launched on SiFansite next weekend.

Martin discusses his roots in theatre and acting, the roles he's played over the years, things he's written, his involvement with David Mitton's Orsum Island project and Captain America: The First Avenger, his time on Thomas & Friends, and his hopes for the future.

We hope you will enjoy reading about his experiences.

Something Everyone Should Read

2011-11-25T21:15:00.001Z

Last night, I got a very nice surprise when I came across this review of SiF from someone who only signed up last year. Previous to this, this person had not been a huge fan of SiF, mainly listening to hear'say of YouTube members who had been kicked out with a very sour taste in their mouths. He signed up, looked for himself and is currently enjoying what SiF has to offer, and fully appreciates the need for rules - because he sees how they work.

I'd like to personally thank Chris for his Blog post, and I would like everyone who is not a member of SiF yet, and has heard some bad stuff about us to read it. This guy shared your views, and didn't like us either - then he signed up... and all that changed.

TPAT2 On SiF

This kind of thing separates the 'fact' from the fiction, and it's not often that SiF is singled out for praise. So I was very touched to find that Blog post, and I am deeply thankful for his kind words.

The bottom line is simple - make up your own mind and don't listen to half the bullshit that people spread about SiF over on YouTube. Asking someone else and listening to other people's opinions is all well and good - but how do you think we rose to 1700 members? Magic? No - hard work, enforcing the rules and having some good structure to keep us strong for years to come.

"Further Thoughts on the Wikia"

2011-11-20T20:29:00.003Z

I have been very gratified to note that two of the Thomas Wikia Questions admin have made their feelings known to us over the last day, with promises to rectify the situation by removing the spam.

Most of what has been posted has now been deleted, but more will of course, appear.

In any event, it was very big of Richie and SkarloeyRailway01 to come forward with offers to help, and I am also grateful to Thomasfan on SiF for putting us in touch with them.

Returning the situation, however, there's so many issues at work here, it is astounding.

On the one hand, we have what would hold up in court as harassment. The explicit nature of the posts made means I cannot in all good conscious post them here, but the fact that the posts are traceable to their OPs (Original Posters) means we could take this further if not for one simple fact: we don't want to.

We'd rather see this resolved in the best possible manner; educating as to why posting this sort of thing by fans of the show, on a discussion forum intended for fans of the show in question, is wrong, and shouldn't be supported or condoned in any way.

Yet there are those who will still see an excuse to believe that this is, and I quote, as The Sodor Island Forums:

"[going] ballistic, make a big deal out of it and threaten everyone to respect your "authority" or you will be terminated".

That's not the case in any way, shape or form. It's about common decency. It's about decent people being able to go to a public resource and not fear that posting in said resource will result in spam, abusive messages, or public harassment.

The anonymity of the internet, which people hide behind when they act in the most depraved ways, is there because those posters sincerely believe that their actions won't result in recrimination.

The problem with this idea is, as has been discovered this past week by a few users, it is very easy to track where such posts originated, and I would say it's fairly rare in this fanbase to find someone who is both a Thomas fan and an expert hacker.

One poster today on our blog post from yesterday made some extremely salient, and important points about the whole debacle.

SIF may have had tons of abuse, but it's very successful for one reason: discipline. Everyone knows (or at least SHOULD know) what to say where. It's because of this leadership and tight rules that has made it a success. And because of these rules, I feel SAFE talking about a topic I love talking to people about. I don't feel that way anywhere else.

I'm happy to see that. Ryan's work on the forum and fansite have always had this idea at the back of his mind - The Sodor Island Forums will always be a place where like minded people can come together to discuss Thomas & Friends safely, without fear of seeing abusive, sexually explicit or racist posts being thrown around all the time.

With freedom, comes responsibility, and sadly the internet is more and more becoming a place where individual responsibilities are largely ignored.

Most likely my final point on this matter - we take posts of this nature very seriously. We don't tolerate it amongst our own members on the forum, and we don't tolerate it anywhere else within our section of the fandom.

In terms of elsewhere on the internet, if you run a website where comments can be made publicly and anonymously, it is your responsibility to keep that comments section clean, particularly if it is party to younger users of the internet, which invariably, this fanbase is made up of.

And as I have said privately to the rest of the staff team on The Sodor Island Forums - let this be an example to everyone that we won't tolerate it on our turf, and that we'll continue to make The Sodor Island Forums a safe place for people to discuss their favourite television series, in a rational and pleasant manner.

Until next time.

"Thomas Wikia Questions & Individual Bannings"

2011-11-19T10:47:00.011Z

Over the last week, the staff of The Sodor Island Forums have been actively tracking posts made on the Thomas Wikia Questions site.

We will not be linking to this discussion forum, or its posts directly, but we will state for the record that some of the posts being made were appalling in all senses of the word.

Having tracked the posts to their origins, we have made positive ID matches with current members of The Sodor Island Forums, and have suspended their accounts pending further investigations.

The nature of the posts being made by one forum member in particular, have been so heinous as to horrify a good deal of the staff members here. In his case, he will be banned later today.

There's no excuse for sexually explicit, racist, abusive, or otherwise horrific personal attacks on any forum, in any form, and in society in general.

It is wrong, purely and simply, and decent human beings around the world would be shocked at the content of that written over the course of the last three months on the Thomas Wikia Questions section.

The Sodor Island Forums has always prided itself on making sure that within the confines of the forum and fansite, we uphold the best values in terms of reasonable, quantified debate, honest and open reviews, and above all a safe environment where people can post happily without fear of denigration.

However every so often, we will find that one of our own has been taking part in what amounts to little more than cyber-bullying; a concept which is on the rise and generally causing great misery to young people worldwide.

That this forum member has been leading a double life, believing anonymity would prevent others from discovering his personal attacks on various members of The Sodor Island Forums in this way, is nothing short of pathetic, and utterly disgusting.

We will not stoop to his level by naming and shaming him, but his account has been suspended from The Sodor Island Forums forthwith, after being positively identified as the perpetrator of these horrendous personal attacks.

Many of the comments were aimed at members of the staff, one in particular: in their way of speaking, their being and above all, making sexually explicit suggestions which are degrading, false, and furthermore, utterly reprehensible.

If we believed that talking it out with the member in question would solve the matter, we would, but personally speaking, I don't see that it will. What can we ask?

"Why are you making sexually provocative comments about people and anthropomorphic trains?"

It's so ridiculous it's laughable.

The behaviour exhibited by the perpetrator of these comments is also laughable. Within moments of his account being suspended, he posted a video on Youtube asking why he had been banned. The below should be a clear indicator as to why:

I have edited the above as the extreme content of the posts does not bear thinking about, and it is by no means appropriate for the people who will come to this blog, looking to read about their favourite television series on a daily basis.

Sadly, as is the nature of any fandom, you will get people who look to bring down others to their gutter-low set of standards and behaviour.

I would ask this - particularly of those who feel that banning users from forums is indicative of a "dictatorship" - would you keep a person on a forum after he had posted such disgusting comments elsewhere?

That we were able to positively identify who it was in a matter of minutes shows just how remarkably stupid the forum member was.

Let it be known now - we will not tolerate this sort of behaviour on The Sodor Island Forums, and we will not tolerate forum members going further afield and posting in this manner, particularly when it abuses the volunteer members of staff which work extremely hard, day by day, to keep this fountain of knowledge and history going, or abusing anyone else in the fandom or elsewhere.

Membership of The Sodor Island Forums is a privilege, not a right, and we reserve our right to revoke it when a member crosses the line of common decency.

We would also like to register our disappointment that the admin of the Thomas Wikia - and seemingly, the separate Thomas Wikia Questions - have not been able to curtail the vast amounts of spam, personal attacks, and sexually provocative and disgusting content therein, since the questions section opened.

We will take this further if no action on the part of the Thomas Wikia is taken to remove and permanently ban the people involved, be it through their accounts, IP addresses, or similar.

We want action, not excuses, and I think given the level of vitriol involved, we would expect no less.

The saddest thing which has emerged from all of this, is how one user can impact so negatively on everyone else.

Thomas & The Takeover - Part 5: Takeover Poll Results

2011-11-12T17:37:00.001Z

As Mattel were a complete rank outsider, and no-one really voted for them in a previous poll, over half of everyone who voted (128 votes) were completely indifferent to the buyout. Although one feels that if it had been a more popular or unpopular choice such as Disney, Chorion or Viacom, the feeling would have been a lot stronger than the apathy that we have seen here.

Once again, the majority of folks aren't fussed about what happens so long as the show continues to run - and the episodes are not dictated to by what toy company products can be shoe-horned into the series next.

Do We Still Need A Steam Team?

2011-11-08T21:47:00.000Z

In 2004, HIT Entertainment produced their first series of Thomas & Friends. The conscious decision they made was to go back to basics and have a core character-base of eight characters - Thomas, Edward, Henry, Gordon, James, Percy, Toby and a newcomer from the previous series under Gullane, Emily. They would become The Steam Team - the identifiable faces of the Thomas & Friends brand, and the main focus of all future episodes with all other characters relegated into supporting roles.

The Rise & Fall Of Emily

Eight years ago, Emily was introduced into the TV Series whilst Gullane were still in charge. The following year, under HIT Entertainment’s shake-up of the Thomas series, they elevated her to ‘lead character’ status. The reason for this being that HIT felt they needed a strong female character within the character group. However, despite retaining this position for the seven series produced under HIT Entertainment, she slipped quickly and quietly into the background and obscurity by the time of Series 9. So it begs the question – was Emily’s inclusion little more than tokenism?

Emily’s character was redefined for Series 8 of the TV Series. Head Writers of the time, Paul Larson and Abi Grant drew strongly on the character traits of Lucy from Charles Schultz’s ‘Peanuts’ to provide a new character basis for her. She was opinionated, bossy, domineering and felt she needed no help from anyone else. She provided a dynamic for the group that hadn’t been there previously, it wasn’t a character type that Awdry had ever explored – some argue that he was right to do so, but I personally find her to be a great addition to the series when her part is well-written.

She's shocked...

Emily had a strong presence throughout Series 8, being one of the five characters that the writers called upon most out of the eight they were now writing for (Thomas, James, Gordon and Percy being the others). She played a prominent part in the 2005 special, Calling All Engines, as well. But over the progressing series, her role in the series has became increasingly marginalised. She has played no great roles in any of the specials that followed Calling All Engines. She is not used very often as a supporting or featured character to another leading player, and is often simply called upon as and when required, or in some cases, given a small line simply for the sake of making sure she's at least had a few measly seconds of screen time. She played no great part in The Great Discovery or Hero of the Rails, and in Misty Island Rescue and Day of the Diesels, she was simply given one line of dialogue and a fleeting appearance!

Emily’s screen time has suffered particularly since the advent of CGI in the TV Series. A previous complaint had been that new characters were present for the course of a series and then mysteriously vanish when the next one came around. From Series 13 onward, characters such as Charlie, Victor, Kevin, Hiro, Bash, Dash and Ferdinand are featured frequently within new episodes. However, this comes at a price for our old friends. Throughout Series 15, James only had dialogue in one episode – James To The Rescue. He never featured as a supporting character, but frequently cameoed. Meanwhile, the Logging Locos of Misty Island were included for at least half the series, Charlie made frequent appearances, and when engines visited the Steamworks, Victor and Kevin were there to help out.

The Special Special
The Engine Roll Call song has the lyric: "All with different roles to play..."
If you actually sit and watch the show right now, none of the engines have a primary role or function which makes them unique or special. In the Railway Series, each engine had it's place and it's role.

- Thomas was the branch line passenger engine

- Edward worked mixed-traffic on his branch line

- Henry would often be responsible for stopping passenger trains on the main line

- Gordon would run Express passenger services - which he is still seen to do, but is never used in stories

- James would run mixed-traffic on the Main Line

- Percy would be branch line goods

- Toby worked the Quarry Branch line

There were groups of engines that existed in unique settings, and through that, they were able to play out a different style of story and situation applicable to their place in the universe. Now, everyone is lumped in together, and they all perform the same primary function - to run Special Specials, which quite often include completely implausible situations with absolutely no connection to reality or show any form of ecological validity. Worse still, with the formulaeic writing style, there's absolutely no surprises as to what happens, when it happens and how it happens - it's boring.

The Steam Team Imbalance

Edward, Henry and Toby have often overlooked by writers from Series 8 onward also – all three reduced to feeble old men. Right now, from the main eight they are forced to work with, the only ones they seem to have a clear vision of working with are pompous and loud Gordon, and the naive Percy. Thomas’s appearances are a requirement, so there’s no argument there... but the greatest question of all is – has the Steam Team had its day?

The original plan was to re-establish the core characters of the series, which would have been fine if it had been done across one or two series, and then slowly reverted back to it's former identity. But it has remained at the Reboot Point since 2004 - there's been very little development within the series creatively, if anything it's regressed backwards to a point where it's so regimentally written with each story told with the same sequence of events. Basically, same story - just different ingredients inside.

'Stars of the show'

There is no longer an even-spread throughout the character base at present - Thomas will often take centre-stage, backed by Percy, whilst the other engines pick up whatever little time is left over for them. Could a bit of variety in the cast bring about a bit more of a positive change in how we see the current series as it stands right now?

Previously, when the characters actually had character in the Awdry / Allcroft / Mitton stories, there was an element of fun in it - not knowing what the plot of the episode would be like, how intense it would get or how the character would drive the story along. Granted, as the cast list has enlarged quite considerably over 15 series, there has been a need to find a set of identifiable characters to promote the 'brand', but do they need to have the extreme emphasis that has been laid upon them for 8 years at the expense of other equally as important characters? I have previously advocated for the return of Duck, given his role in the series before, but there are characters introduced in the TV Series which have some level of potential to be pushed to the forefront as well.

For the female role - we also have Rosie, who is popular with the fans and gels well with Thomas and the other tank engines. Given the situation with Emily, who was originally intended for the role but has been subsequently overlooked for quite some time, maybe the role of token female engine could be shared with Rosie to help the gender balance on Sodor.

Too Much Thomas

The distribution of the episode base allows Thomas up to half the episodes of the series. He will take the vast majority of stories as the focus character, and will either make cameo or support-act appearances in other episodes. Aside from the Fat Controller, he will be the character you will often see the most on screen. But does he really need to be so prevalent throughout the series?

Yes, the show is called Thomas & Friends, but it has been known as this since Britt Allcroft was in charge, and the distribtuion of stories was far wider-ranging. Granted, Thomas was 'crane-shunted' into some strange situations where he wouldn't have been needed, but it was never on the scale where he pops up every episode simply for the sake of it at times.

New Characters

In the current series, new characters are introduced as secondary characters or purely as support acts in their debut episodes. The story is often about Thomas, who will be appearing alongside them, and carrying the core of the storyline on his tanks - the likes of Scruff, Charlie, Hank, Rosie, Hiro, Bash, Dash, Ferdinand, Stanley, Molly, Flora, Billy, Dennis and Neville have all been introduced with Thomas as the main character of their debut episode - they've just been along for the ride. Similarly, in their debut episodes, Rocky played second-fiddle to Edward, and Whiff was a supporting character to Emily.

Charlie and Thomas

New characters who have been given a chance to shine in their own right have been introduced on the Narrow Gauge Railway. In his debut episode, Fearless Freddie showed Skarloey and Rheneas a thing or two about speed and knowledge of the hills, and Madge the Snub-nosed lorry with her motherly ways proved she was able to carry two episodes as the leading player alongside the narrow gauge engines.

Fact of the matter is, whilst previously new characters were given a chance to shine in their own right, develop as personalities independently and leave their mark on the audience - now they're just introduced as another plot device for Thomas or one of the existing Steam Team engines to work with. It's simply another highlighter of the fact that the new characters for the series are so hugely underdeveloped, overlooked and unimportant outside of the merchandising line. Their sole purpose is to be used as a prop for an existing 'friend' to lead them into the world of Sodor, and it's a shame that this is the case.

Further to that, you tend to find that newer characters such as Victor, Kevin, Hiro, Charlie, Bash, Dash and Ferdinand are being pushed more heavily than existing character as well. Given how bland some of these characters are - wouldn't it be kinder to us all if we saw our old friends return to take their place?

Time To Make Some Changes?

On a personal level, I still say it is right to religiously dedicate episodes to these characters as was the norm in Series 6 and 7, but allow supporting characters of the moment to shine moreso as leading players. The Steam Team do not need to play the role of supporting characters in every single episode as well. We see enough of them when they're the primary focus of an episode, and if the circumstances dictate that they would be a good fit for the realms of the storyline, then by all means implement them in there, but do not simply crane-shunt them in to the story.

HIT have done exceptionally well with Thomas in the last few years, bringing the characters to a wider audience than ever in their lifetime - but this is largely down to the marketing that HIT Entertainment does so well. Whenever Thomas is referenced by a parent or child, nine times out of ten, they will be referring to an event that has happened within a Mitton / Allcroft era episode, and the story will quite often be an Awdry written one.

Quite honestly, I would advocate a return to the original means of producing the series and make effective use of all characters that Thomas and Friends has to offer. Whether they're classic / vintage, or new and funky, there has got to be some kind of dynamic here which can see them living and working alongside the current 'main' cast. How would I rework it? Simple - 5 episodes maximum to Thomas, 7 dedicated to the rest of the 'Steam Team', 3 narrow gauge, 5 for other characters outwith these categories.

It's clear already that the writing team are faltering with the character base they are forced to work with at the behest of HIT Entertainment. By expanding that character-base and creative freeom, I feel better storylines could come as a result as we see other characters explored and utilised throughout the series as we did with the first seven series where character development was a feature - unlike now where no-one learns anything...

Essentially - less of Thomas, more of the friends.

Positive Changes Within The Fandom

2011-11-07T20:08:00.000Z

There's been a lot of change for the better, particularly over the last twelve months, within the Thomas Fandom.

The Rise of YouTube
Previously I was never a great fan of YouTube's impact upon our fandom. Then I discovered how useful it actually can be when applied to SiFansite, and it's gone a great way to helping bring us closer to the wider fandom, particularly those with creative talent and vision who bring us some absolutely brilliant productions which we can showcase on the Fansite.

Some can use their channels very efficiently, and provide hours of entertainment for others - we use ours to plug other people's videos a lot of the time, and it seems to be working for us. We don't have a great deal of videos worth showing or plugging ourselves - so it's worth helping out those who do!

The Rise of Blogs
TheTopHatts saw a gap in the market and grabbed it with both hands. Roll Along Blog keeps everyone up to date on what's going on with Thomas, and although SiF will sometimes be able to post news which will have been passed to us first (a lot of the time we know things well in advance but cannot say anything out of courtesy or confidentiality) - Roll Along will often provide a one-stop shop for what people want to know, didn't know, or didn't know where to find out about it to begin with. It's an uneviable task, but it stands to good reason, and provides a service which no other site can keep up with.

SiFansite is a time-capsule, an archive where information will live for a very many years, whereas Roll Along Blog provides a 'here and now' service, requiring constant maintenance and dedication. It's good because it's complimentary to other sites and forums, it helps others, and it's been very helpful in getting the word out on certain news items which would often prove difficult to spread the word on.

Meanwhile, thanks to Simon, our Blog has been revived as an Opinion Blog, which suits us down to the ground. We've got our hands full as it is writing for the Fansite and the forums, we can't be looking for news items as well - it'd consume all our time and effort. However, as I have stated previously, the Blog can often only exist within the here and now, and given the fact that many of our topics tend to tail off after a while, it's only right that we give them a little bit of a boost - which is why very soon, SiFansite will soon have a SiF Blog Archive to prolong the life of our existing blogs.

Other Sites Working Together
The Thomas & Friends Wikia has also been a big help to us. Through a collosal team effort, they have been able to keep information that SiFansite and The Real Lives of Thomas site doesn't such as magazines, and other more trivial items. I am guilty also of using their site as a reference when necessary for certain pieces of information, which occasionally cannot be found elsewhere. More recently, they have directed traffic back to us, and it's been a huge help to us.

On top of that, SiFansite have been actively linking more and more to The Real Lives of Thomas site, who were instrumental to helping us when we first started out.

The Decline of Forums
However, one thing I have noticed is that given it's open door policy, YouTube's popularity has soared among Thomas fans who use it as a means of communication and community. But at the same time, I've also noticed that a lot of Thomas forums, have suffered as YouTube has grown and grown. Back between 2004 and 2007, there were hundreds of forums across the net trying to gain a slice of the action - most of which fizzled out through lack of interest from the members, and then ultimately the administrators who cannot see the point of continuing to run their sites.

TV.com used to be extremely popular, standing as a strong alternative to SiF for a long time and now it seems to have become a virtual wasteland. Other forums seem to be going the same way - some clinging on for dear life with very little other than 'games' and little else to keep it from losing members' interest.

For a few years, a number of members who had a dispute with SiF held one particular forum up as an example of how a forum should be run. Right now, that forum has been declining for nearly two years and has reached a point of real stagnation through poor leadership and management. Meanwhile, SiF continues to go from strength to strength, which I can only attribute to the strength and manner of my team and the majority of members who toe the line, stick within the rules and don't expect everything to be their own way. The free-for-all approach is off-putting when you're looking for more structured and constructive discussion, which is what we offer on SiF. Many complain that SiF is too strict or uptight - but we've managed to maintain a successful forum which has lasted the pace because of our ability to manage a well ordered, well maintained and well managed board.

However, Sodor Island 3D is a shining example of a place which allows for a great deal of freedom among it's members, but still manages to maintain a level of discipline and order at the same time. I cannot commend Sean and Richard enough for their management of that board. But in the long-term, the free-for-all approach can prove an ultimate death knell for a forum. People grow up, people mature and people want more structured and interesting conversations - and if you go too far down the free and easy road, without maintaining or asserting order, you'll never be able to utilise it when you need it.

However, for all the criticism, backlash, flaming and abuse we've suffered - within the Thomas Fandom there's never been anyone who has been able to create a dedicated forum which has been able to come near to the level of success that SiF has enjoyed for nearly ten years. People who dislike us should probably think about that fact...

Final Thoughts
I like the way things are going right now - those who are working to provide something decent and strong are thriving, and I don't just mean SiF, Roll Along, TTTE Wikia or Sodor Island 3D in this. Everyone who puts original thought into what they do with their Blogs, YouTube channels and other things in order to act as complimentary assets to what currently exists, rather than trying to compete with them, will ultimately win out if they try hard enough.

Back around 2004 to 2007, we had so many forums and 'fansites' which were basic clones and offered no great alternative to SiF. No-one was willing to put in some original thought and push things forward. Just recently, this has changed and in my view, it ultimately works better for everyone concerned. Other fans get a choice and variety in what's available, and there's no clone or drone sites set up by complete morons, which try and fail to compete with the original concept - which ultimately will continue to come out on top.

All I can say is - to those who are innovating, keep it up. To those who are benefitting - enjoy it! :)

"Breaking News - Title of next special made public"

2011-11-07T19:46:00.000Z

Blue Mountain Buddies - Skarloey & Rusty!

It's perhaps the most bizarre way for next year's special of Thomas & Friends to break, but in the Toy World October 2011 edition, the name of the special was revealed as being Blue Mountain Mystery.

Although known to the SiF staff for some time (as a working title), we have been exercising caution with any reveals of information in the event that the development changes.

However, now that the title is in the public domain, it seems churlish to not share it.

We may have, as we did last year, a few surprises in store on this blog and fansite in the run up to next year's release, HOWEVER - underline that - HOWEVER, there is unlikely to be a reveal this side of the new year or before Season 16's release in the spring of 2012.

Until next time!

Further Developments

2011-11-03T12:27:00.001Z

We've found that the Blog has become quite popular recently. However, the main problem with something like this is that when posts are made, they become buried under everything that comes next. Therefore, the SiF Blog's most relevant, most viewed and most popular posts will be put on permanent display on a new Fansite page to maintain their longevity - as we have done with the Poll Reports.

Heritage Railway Focus and Classic Kids Vids are going to become more prominent fixtures on certain Fansite pages as well in the near future.

SiF & Friends' Charity Auction for Children In Need!

2011-10-31T19:36:00.000Z

Special thanks to Chris Signore for the special image!

SiF are proud to announce that we will be running a third charity auction this year - this time, we are raising funds for Children In Need, and we are teaming up with some very talented people to help us.

Ben Small (UK voice of Thomas) has agreed to sign five Thomas books for us to raise money for a children's charity. We had discussing this with Ben for a few weeks before we finally decided that Children In Need would be the best charity to aim for and work with, given the work that they do and the hours of entertainment the event provides on the BBC.

The books we have chosen for Ben to sign are all connected to characters he has or will be voicing within the TV Series.

Ben will be signing the following items:

Railway Series No.2 - Thomas The Tank Engine

Toby Had A Little Lamb - Dean Book

Rheneas - Thomas Story Library Book

Thomas Takes A Shortcut Picture Book

And as a major bonus, Ben, Sharon Miller (Writer), Keith Wickham and Matt Wilkinson (UK voice actors) will also be signing a copy of the Day of the Diesels storybook, based on the Feature Length Special.

We have no date determined for when the auction will begin, as the books are still in Ben's hands at the moment. However, we hope to have the auction underway by the time of the Children In Need event some time in November.

We are very appreciative of Ben's help, and would like to extend our thanks to Sharon, Keith and Matt as well for lending their support to our auction. We hope that people will be willing to put their hands in their pockets and bid for the items when they go up for sale. Keep an eye on Sodor Island Fansite for more details coming soon!

Dandy Diesels - Stupid Steamies Poll Results

2011-10-29T23:09:00.006+01:00

This one was a real eye-opener as everyone seemed to have an opinion on what was going on, and it yeilded some very interesting answers to boot.

Clearly people realise that there are problems within the writing of the series, and have voted accordingly. 19% (58 votes) of you believe that the Diesels Vs. Steam rivalry should be handled a little more sensitively, and that writers should be a little more conscious of what and how they're writing the episodes - considering how they may be inferred by a young audience.

26% (77 votes) want to see another viable alternative - making sure that not everyone is tarred with the same brush and that genuine villains within the series are targeted. Nice Diesels such as Salty and Mavis are accepted and at times, revered by the steam engines for their good personal qualities - and so they don't deserve to be lumped in with genuine baddies like Diesel, 'Arry, Bert and Diesel 10 who will often be seen getting up to mischief. We all must bear in mind that very early on, when the reputation of Diesels was lowered by Diesel, both the Rev. Awdry and the TV producers made a conscious effort to try and restore their position by introducing Daisy and BoCo to redress the balance and give us nice Diesels to rally behind.

11% (35 votes) believe it should be scrapped entirely. On a personal level, I don't see how this would work out. We would lose conflict which drives stories forward, and it remove a part of the series that has been around for several decades. 8% (26 votes) believe it should be kept as it stands now - but again, the way it is written is so incredibly flawed and sends out the completely wrong message to children of how to treat others who are seen as inferior or different to yourself.

However, the majority at 33% (98 votes) believe that it should be changed to reflect that Steamies can be villains as well. Hero of the Rails was a prime example of this. Spencer was put in the position that a Diesel engine normally would be, and it worked out so well in terms of storytelling as it provided a completely new kind of villain for us to hate.

The vast majority at a whopping 77% (219 votes) believe that the steam engines are far too negative toward the Diesels in the current episodes of the series. Only 10% (30 votes) believe otherwise.

1% (4 votes) believe that all Diesels are villains and deserve to be treated with the contempt they are within the series. However, the vast majority of you believe that there should be more selection within how the steam engines address their Diesel counterparts. 42% (120 votes) believe that the bile, contempt and general mistrust should be retained for the Diesels who deserve it. 56% (160 votes) believe that it should be ditched completely because there are nice Diesels like Mavis around who really don't deserve it and do very little to merit being lumped in with their peers.

Once again, people are voting for equality with the majority of votes, 38% (109 votes) going to make sure that the Diesels are portrayed fairly within the upcoming Thomas & Friends series. The second highest number of votes, 24% (69 votes) want to see more of the classic Diesels in episodes. 16% (46 votes) of voters just want to see more of the Diesels in action with no conditions attatched.

In effect, it would seem that the majority of people realise the problems within the series and want to see them addressed accordingly. People are not blind to the inequality on Sodor and that there is absolutely no need for this kind of intolerance or generalisations to be made against Diesels. They also seem to realise the implications that we have stated in our previous blog.

Thomas & The Takeover - Part 4: The Winner Takes All

2011-10-25T14:52:00.000+01:00

On 24/10/11, HIT Entertainment issued a press-release, naming Toy Giant Mattel as the winning bidder in the race to buy the company and it's many brands from the hands of private equity firm, Apax Partners. Here, we look at the new deal and what it means all around:

Apax Partners
The private equity firm bought HIT Entertainment for £489m in 2005, following a loss of sales drop by 24%, and net profit slump 96% from £6.51m to £288,000. Throughout their time with Apax, HIT have cost Apax yet more money as debts mounted and they came close on several occasions to defaulting on loans of up to $470m, but were thankfully saved by the banks allowing for a soft-breach and granting more time to pay back the loans.

Apax had been hoping to secure up to £1 billion for the sale of HIT Entertainment, which would have paid back the costs they had incurred when buying the company, however, it's a remarkable loss at £420m instead - £69m less than Apax paid for it. Evidently, Apax are the undoubted losers in this situation...

Mattel
The company has just gone and bagged themselves a huge bargain, with very lucrative possibilities ahead for their own financial gain in the future ahead. Mattel have been the driving force behind many of the Thomas brand products such as Take and Play toys and sets, Trackmaster toys and are now looking to expand further when the Wooden Railway brand falls into their hands when the licence with RC2 expires in 2013.

They now have virtual monopoly over three very strong children's brands - Fireman Sam, Bob the Builder and Thomas, and will use it to their fullest of advantage to drive their profit margins. Other toy manufacturers such as Character, who manufacture toys for Bob the Builder, and Learning Curve who produce toys for Fireman Sam and Thomas, will soon be pushed out in favour of Mattel bringing the rights to their properties back 'in house'.

HIT Entertainment
Many people at HIT will be heaving a huge sigh of relief as their worst fears have been thwarted - they have not been sold to the Disney corporation! However, with any takeover, there is huge uncertainty over the intentions of Mattel - other than using the successful HIT brands to sell toys exclusively for the new parent company's gain. There is no telling how much creative control that HIT will be afforded in future - whether or not the company will be restructured to suit Mattel's own preferences or needs, and indeed how they will influence the company on a creative or finanical basis.

This could be a move for the worse, or it could be a move for the better, we need to wait and see.

Reading Between The Lines
There have been some tell-tale signs that Mattel's intentions may be to push Thomas more aggressively than they will be with other HIT properties. In the press release for the takeover, published by HIT Entertainment yesterday, we see the following statement made by Robert A. Eckert, chairman and chief executive officer of Mattel:

“Mattel is the right home for Thomas & Friends®. This powerhouse brand is joining the ranks of such iconic brands as Barbie®, Hot Wheels®, Fisher-Price® and American Girl®. Thomas & Friends® routinely ranks among the world’s leading preschool toys. Additionally, with more than half of the Thomas & Friends® revenue generated from non-toy products, this transaction will marry Mattel’s global marketing, distribution and brand management capabilities with HIT Entertainment’s global programming and licensing expertise to accelerate growth of the combined portfolio.”

I would expect this kind of statement if the rights to Thomas and Friends had been sold seperately to Mattel, rather than as part of a package with HIT Entertainment. As Thomas is splintered off as a seperate HIT Entertainment company, it may well be that Mattel choose to have greater creative, politicial and financial influence and control over the future of this particular brand, leaving Fireman Sam, Bob the Builder and the various other HIT properties well alone to grow and develop under the watchful eye of HIT Entertainment as they currently stand.

It may well be that Thomas is pushed more so as a Mattel brand than a HIT brand, as his counterparts will be in future. Again, this is all speculation, and we can only see what happens in months and years to come.

Should We Have Already Guessed?
The official press release for the 2014 movie shows a design for Thomas which has been created by Mattel's entertainment properties design team in association with WETA. On top of this Mattel have become far more involved with HIT Entertainment through the development of new toys and products for the Thomas brand particularly as well.

Whilst the sale of Entertainment Rights (owners of Postman Pat) to Classic Media wasn't particularly surprising, as they are a media company, the sale of Thomas to a toy company wasn't really what fans were expecting - not from our poll on the topic anyway!

poll by twiigs.com

Only a core of 12 to 13 people voted for wanting Mattel to take over HIT or Thomas, and the same rough number believed they would be the successful bidder. Many more expected the likes of Disney to add Thomas to their portfolio, whilst British-based Chorion were the keen favourites among fans to maintain Thomas's roots as a British-based legacy.

But the deal does make a lot of sense - if you venture out to any Toys R Us store, you will find an abundence of Thomas & Friends toys - this is how HIT Entertainment make their money, through royalties from merchandising and marketing as much as they possibly can!

To read further on the original set of polls, click here to read Part 3 of the Thomas & The Takeover series.

Non-Mattel Products - What Of Their Future? One worrying thought that crossed my mind was this. Hornby has been the main producer of Thomas the Tank Engine model railway sets and models since the mid-1980s. However, with declining sales of their products, (which could be attributed to their high-price for what should essentially be treated as a children's toy!), they have taken a number of their products off the market in a view to retooling them or withdrawing them all together for a rest period.

In the USA, Bachmann are proceeding with numerous new sets, models and accessories to further develop their Thomas range, and have gained a foothold in the UK markets for the first time with their Large-Scale Thomas models and accessories, aimed at Garden Railways.

But, what if Mattel want to use the buyout of HIT to gain a full monopoly on the brands they own to the exclusion of other licencees? It is clear that the Thomas Wooden range will be brought under Mattel control in the years to come, but could Mattel use this as an opportunity to make their way into the model railway market?

Whilst Bachmann continue to perform well, Hornby doesn't. And if the company has the rights to the characters and brands, access to the right materials and reference points to recreate them, the ability to produce quality products for the mass-market - could this be applied to the model railway branch of Thomas as well? The likelihood is that Bachmann will retain their position as a lisencee for the brand, having produced many brilliant interpretations of the characters and models - but the possibility is there that Mattel may wish to monopolise all aspects of the merchandise, independent of print media which is likely to remain in the hands of Egmont.

The Railway Series
The focus once again returns to selling toys for the here and now. The Railway Series is an important part of Thomas's history, and is referenced in all promotional material in connection with the Rev. Awdry, but it is doubtful that it's position in the grand scheme of things is liable to change in any way shape or form in the coming years. The main onus will be on shifting as many toys and playsets as Mattel can push on the global market, aided hugely by the TV Series productions they put out in years to come.

Animation & Production ValuesWe hope and pray that Nitrogen Studios services are retained for the forseeable future. As a partner in the production of Thomas they have been second to none - giving the look of Sodor a huge boost, respecting the history of the brand in terms of both the Railway Series books and the TV Series legacy from the model production of 25 years. At present, nothing is certain for any of HIT's current deals when they run out, but we do hope that Nitrogen will continue to be part of Thomas's world for some time to come.

The FutureWe can only hope that Mattel give Thomas and HIT Entertainment the respect, encouragement and help they deserve to grow and develop in the years ahead. We wish every success to the new owners and hope that this new venture will prove extremely worthwhile. But we also warn you that you have a huge responsibility to generations of fans who have grown up with these characters through reading about their adventures in books, being entertained by them on screen, recreating their stories with toys and taking them through to their adult lives, and introducing them to the next generation.

It's an immense responsibility you have to live up to - make sure you do it well!

Why SiF Love Featuring Your Videos

2011-10-22T08:30:00.000+01:00

The original intention for what has become the SiFivision was to promote videos or projects connected to SiF as a whole. Hence, we went down the road of placing videos on the Fansite's front page from our own YouTube channel, and placing advertisements that people would make for their own forums, websites, media projects or other.

Over time, it's become a very successful venture in it's own right, and accompanied with the ongoing work that we do on SiFansite, it's boosted our flagging fortunes from 350 visitors a day to 650 to 700+. I'm very proud to help people on YouTube who want to push their viewing figures up, reach new audiences and build their subscriber bases.

The Underdogs...
One of the key things I have found over the last two years is that there is an abundance of fan-made Thomas videos on YouTube, which are sorely overlooked. The creative soul is there, the talent is unquestioned - but the audience hasn't been found. It's videos like these that I love, because they will gain the most benefits out of being featured on the Fansite. More often than not, I will get a very nice message thanking me for promoting the video as well. And if that particular run goes well, then there's scope and potential to go for another spin in future.

The unknown videos and video-makers can often provide a wealth of mutual benefits as well. Because the videos are not as well known, more people will view them, and on occasion, more people will visit the Fansite to view them too! Which brings me to my next point...

You CAN Argue With Popularity
I am approached by YouTube users all the time to promote their videos. Sadly, I can't feature everyone, but I try to do what I can for people who can bring mutual benefits. However, I have found that YouTube users who already have a huge audience in the palm of their hand will not see the same benefits from being featured on the Fansite as their smaller-time counterparts. I am far less inclined to feature videos by popular YouTube members, because more often than not, they do not need SiFansite's endorsement. They've played the YouTube game and they've done very well out of it in the popularity stakes.

I have featured some particularly well-known videos in the past, and they have attracted very little interest. Fansite visitors fall by the wayside because people have seen it before, or they knew exactly where to go to begin with to see this feature. They're probably already subbed to the channel it's on and knew about it before I did!

However, it's not entirely true of every popular video or video series. The British Railway Series is a SiF supported and endorsed series, and a regular feature on the Fansite, with episodes from the series being 'reheated' and returned to public consciousness on a frequent basis. The videos are very popular already and Simon's YouTube channel is well subscribed, but despite their 5 to 6 figure view-counts, they can still attract another 1,000 hits a week extra easily through being featured on the Fansite. It's a testament to the quality of the episodes both in terms of production values and writing.

Hidden Gems
It's not just fan-made videos that feature on the Fansite either. Quite often, I'll happen upon something that's been uploaded to YouTube from television of years gone by and remember it fondly. Such was the case when I rediscovered Engine No.9, which had featured as part of Rolf's Cartoon Club (Rolf Harris presenting an art / drawing programme for UK children in the 1990s). Throughout the week that the video was featured on the Fansite, it pulled in 654 views on the Fansite's viewing panel alone, and saw the video boosted by additional knock-on attention it received through being favourited by viewers and Fansite visitors.

The men who make Juniper Junction have also become friends of ours through friendly correspondence after we featured their video on the Fansite. The additional views they received brought a fair bit of interest in their product and opened it up to a new audience.

What Does It Do For Us?
Our YouTube Channel only boasts less than 30 videos and none of them boast huge viewer numbers. And previously, SiF didn't enjoy a pleasant reputation among the Thomas Fandom of YouTube.
There are people on YouTube at the moment with significantly more videos, more regular viewers, and better quality content - and need to rely on this to raise awareness of their work, but since we have started running videos on the Fansite, we have seen our subscriber base rise significantly without doing much more than promoting other people's outstanding work.

Nothing is more gratifying than receiving messages of thanks from people whose work you have endorsed, particularly when it has helped boost their views and subs, and helped open them up to the wider audience they want to reach out to. It's equally satisfying when people leave comments on the videos we feature, telling the videomaker that they discovered their work through SiFansite.

At the best of times we only pull in another 1,000 hits per week for the videos we show. There's YouTube channels which pull that in a day, and could be doing a lot more to help other videomakers reach untapped audiences, and grab themselves some more subs where the greatest effort is being kind enough to share your success with those people whose videos could use a real boost. A great example of this was when Thomasfan8 played one of our videos on his channel. He enjoyed it and chose to share it with his subscribers and visitors - which was really kind of him.

Special Features
To keep things a little more interesting, we are now doing 'themes' for the SiFivision as well. Classic Kids Vids was our first attempt at this, and it went relatively well - the initial launch of the idea was run over five weeks with five classic UK television series, which to our knowledge, never aired in the United States. This was our way of giving our international visitors a bit of something different. However, the videos we aired never achieved the huge viewing numbers we had hoped for initially, but it has taught us a valuable lesson, and we will try not to be too over-ambitious with these kinds of ventures in future.

SiF's Hertiage Railway Focus however, seems to have sparked a greater deal of interest. The Mull Railway video and accompanying blog on the E-G Media Blog, attracted several more subscribers and won the video itself a few more viewers than it had had previously. We had hoped to kick off HRF with a video from the Talyllyn Railway, but with the Mull Rail blog in place and an opportunity to support a SiF member's new venture, we feel we got a better deal.

Not Just Video-Makers Who Benefit
To begin with, I used to put up videos and put a boomerang link back to the individual's YouTube channel. But as time went on, I felt it would be better to try and use this as an opportunity to expand the purpose of the SiFivision. Nowadays, videos are often accompanied by links to other websites, blogs, playlists or items of interest which are in some way connected to the video we are showing, or the videomaker's own channel which may benefit from some additional publicity or praise.

More To Come In Future
We're still spreading the net, looking at everything we can to find great videos to feature and help the people who are making them. Music videos, Trainz remakes, narratives of original episodes, whatever it is - if it's entertaining and it will appeal to our visitors, we'll feature it.

A big thanks to everyone who has allowed us to show their videos, became friends with us because we have helped you reach a wider audience, or simply subscribed to our channel because you've seen something that appeals to you that we've featured. Every little counts, and we're going to keep on going.

Merry Winter Wish - The Christmas Debate Rages On...

2011-10-20T18:41:00.000+01:00

HIT's wishes are not being answered right now!

The recent criticism aimed at HIT Entertainment, over the issue of Christmas, has saw the company pull the upcoming Thomas & Friends release, Merry Winter Wish, due out at the end of October. Realising that the issue will still be fresh in the minds of consumers, this is a damage limitation move, considering that all four episodes on the DVD still largely refer to Christmas as the Winter Holidays.

Whilst there is strong disagreement that this issue is relevant or significant from my friend and colleague, Simon Martin in a previous blog post, clearly it has prompted a rethink of the Christmas / Winter Holiday issue within HIT Entertainment, which could see a shift in upcoming series of Thomas & Friends, regarding how the event is referenced.

But overall, the negative publicity levered against HIT Entertainment has hit them where it hurts the most - their wallet. The DVDs were ready and waiting to be distributed to retailers in time for the release date, and since the change of plan has taken place - this now won't happen for at least another year if at all. However, with the huge plethora of Thomas DVDs available on the market, and the Day of The Diesels special still due to be a popular choice for kiddies, anyone looking for a Thomas & Friends related Christmas gift will not be stuck for choice - if they do not wish to make a seasonal choice.

This would have been the first time in a long time that HIT had released a Thomas & Friends DVD so soon after the release of a Direct-To-DVD special, which are typically their biggest sellers, and grow in terms of sales year-on-year. Given that consumers are likely to be buying up DVDs for Christmas, for many it will more than likely be a choice of one DVD over another, and given that Day of the Diesels is a 'special' release which has not aired on television, whilst the episodes featured on the Merry Winter Wish DVD are repeated regularly on Channel 5, and are available On Demand on Channel 5's website, its attractiveness as a purchase is instantly diminished in the moment of 'choice'.

One cannot help but feel that HIT have made the right decision on this occasion. Given the negative publicity that the company has received, and the fact that the Awdry family have stepped in and given their views as well, it would have added further fuel to the fire in the long run. A defiant stand against public opinion would not have worked, they need consumers to be 'on side' and maintain Thomas's position as a leading children's brand. Ignoring the backlash would have been futile as well, given the fact that the press would have leapt upon this at the first given opportunity. So retreating from it and avoiding further negative press is paramount - particularly given that the company is currently in takeover talks.

However, the issue could never have come to the fore at a worse time for this particular DVD release.

Day Of The Diesels - Poll Results

2011-10-15T15:49:00.000+01:00

There was a definite and clear improvement in the quality of Nitrogen Studios' stunning CGI, and it's clear that people enjoyed seeing how the animation is developing throughout the tenure of Nitrogen's involvement with Thomas and Friends. However, the biggest crowd pleaser has been Percy's push to the forefront as the leading man, which influenced the way the script was written. Percy's naiveity in thinking that the Diesels wished to be his friend, as opposed to using him for their own game, were the driving force for the film, and it's clear that fans approved of seeing someone other than Thomas being at the forefront of a 'special'. It was a gamble for HIT Entertainment, but it appears to have paid off.

However, it's telling that the lowest number of votes went to the 'storyline in general'.

This is a bit of a contradiction in terms here. Whilst only 9% voted for the Storyline In General in the previous section of the poll, (20 votes), a rather more sizable 30% (69 votes) voted it the Best One Yet. This really doesn't add up - and we can only assume the majority of people were voting for this option were doing so simply for the animation, the change of lead character or the return of Diesel 10. Simon has pointed out in his review that the storyline was riddled with flaws, and has received some horrendous reviews on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.

However, the greater number in the end agreed that there were flaws which needed to be addressed with 31% (71 votes) agreeing that the Special was good, but could have been better. In my own view, the lack of rhyming and repitition made a world of difference to the initial viewing experience, but the storyline itself and the numerous cuts and changes made outside of Sharon Miller's hands detracted from the replay value, where the faults and flaws of the special are especially apparent.

To begin with, Dart was the runaway success of the special, and the most favourited character. Given the injection of humour, life and believability he was given through voice actor Rupert Degas, he was a pleasure to watch throughout.

However, naturally, being a much anticipated classic character, built up so much by his menacing return in CGI at the end of Misty Island Rescue, Diesel 10 won the day. Given that the character's previous history as a hell-raiser in Thomas and the Magic Railroad in 2000, it stands to reason that fans were hoping for more of the same - instead getting a threatening, deceptive creature who was very far removed from his original personality and a lot more muddled than before...

"The Complete Non-Story about Christmas"

2011-10-12T21:59:00.004+01:00

I cannot help but think that Hilary Fortnam's strangely timed outburst against the supposed misuse of Christmas in the Thomas & Friends television series has been anything but a complete non-story.

Normally I will absolutely defend to the death the right of the Awdry family to have their say in what happens to the good Reverend's creation: but the fact of the matter is this:

1. The complaints are about an episode which is five years old.
2. The word "Christmas" has been used since in newer episodes, and
3. There are far more pressing problems with the current episodes in terms of their themes than the loss of the word Christmas!

I do wonder if this publicity is going to backfire rather sensationally for the members of the Awdry family. Anyone with half a brain can look up the episode guide on Wikipedia and the Thomas Wiki, or indeed, here on the Sodor Island Forums and find at least a half dozen Christmas themed episodes and DVD titles which have been made since Keeping up with James was made in 2006.

Put simply, the accusations made against HiT Entertainment aren't true. Yes, they've tried to have their cake and eat it in some respects by doing wintry episodes featuring Christmas motifs, but it hasn't been written out of the series altogether.

I did complain in a blog earlier this year that I would have liked more of an emphasis on the Christmas theme in an episode which included presents, a Christmas tree, the Fat Controller dressed up as "Santa Claus" (and sadly not "Father Christmas") - but the fact remains that the word was used, the theme was apparent, and the episode ("The Snowman") without a doubt was a Christmas episode.

Overall the rather poorly thought out argument and frankly libellous comments which the Daily Telegraph, the Daily Mail, and various others with regards the series and the involvement of Christmas, have made, astonish me.

It is a complete and total airbrushing of the facts to suit a cause which simply has little going for it. Yes, by all means, complain that the series doesn't concentrate on Christmas enough, given its origins - I would wholeheartedly agree with that - but to put out a story which, in the long and the short of it, is a fabrication, is simply unreal.

Besides, there are much, much worse problems with the series' writing than the supposed writing out of Christmas!

There's the manifestation of anti-Diesel bullying, which is never resolved, there are sincerely poor and dangerous stunts which are imitable, including but not limited to, moving around when workmen are fixing you (Wonky Whistle), running out of water so you can't put fires out (Fiery Flynn), and so on and so forth...

In short: if you are going to have a media frenzy about problems with the writing, do so about the most important problems with the writing which will have significant and detrimental effects to the youngest and most influenced age group!

Echoing Ryan's previous blog post to some extent, I may well be, but it never hurts to have both sides of the argument (which agree with each other!) available to hand.

So on that bombshell and rather disgruntled rant, it's time to say goodnight. Goodnight!

Thomas and the Missing Christmas

2011-10-10T20:22:00.001+01:00

Thomas and his friends celebrate Christmas (circa 1984)

Over the last couple of weeks, a storm of controversy has opened up over the ommission of Christmas from a Thomas & Friends DVD from 2006 - Little Engines, Big Days Out - and centres firmly on the episode, Keeping Up With James from Series 9. The debate has intensified further given the Rev Awdry's daughter, Hilary Fortnam has now entered the fray and given her views on the situation.

HIT Entertainment issued this statement on the Telegraph's comments section:

OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM HIT ENTERTAINMENT

Any reports that HIT Entertainment, rights owner of 'Thomas & Friends', has been “writing Christmas out of a new series” are completely inaccurate. Nothing could be further from the truth. The episode that is being referenced is six years old and was contained in a four episode DVD that was not sold as either a “Christmas” or a “Holiday” themed release.

Thomas has a great deal of Christmas themed content and does not shy away from celebrating the occasion, as last year’s DVD ‘Thomas & Friends: Christmas Express’ makes clear. Currently we are working on another DVD 'Merry Christmas, Thomas'.

We take the legacy of The Rev. Awdry’s work very seriously in the creation of all of our new content and work closely with his family to best manage Thomas for future generations of children. Christmas was, and continues to be, celebrated on the island of Sodor, the home of 'Thomas & Friends'.

However, Hilary's view was markedly different, stating that her father always impressed on reporters and publishers that he was "a priest first, and a children's author second". She went on to say that the religious meaning of Christmas, the birth of Christ, was very important to her father; that he would have very strong views on this politically correct age we now live in, and would likely implore that those who now write stories for his characters should not write Christ out of Christmas.

I was contacted by ITN earlier today to help provide some clarity over the situation, and give my own views. Under Britt Allcroft, the issue of Christmas was never skirted over - the first three series of Thomas each had a specially written Christmas episode - with the 3rd Series' Christmas episode retconned for the US market as a Thanksgiving episode instead. Should this stop being referenced on television as well?

Personally, I think the above statement on behalf of HIT Entertainment does not stand up under easy referencing from episode content from across the last ten years. To any further media bodies who wish to investigate the claims made above, please look no further than the Thomas and Friends episodes available from across the last ten years on Channel 5 On Demand. True, the episode would have been on a DVD being sold all year round, but at the same time, the themes throughout the storyline strongly reinforced the implication that the event being celebrated was Christmas.

However, the releases listed above are equally as guilty of being devoid of referencing 'Christmas' in anywhere bar the DVD's own title. The episodes contained on the DVDs still reference Winter Holidays throughout the course of the series' narrative and dialogue, despite the series continuing to have Christmas Trees, Fairy Lights, Carol Concerts and in the more recent CGI series, having the Fat Controller dressing as Santa Claus. All that is missing is the actual definitive referencing to Christmas as a whole!

Whilst it would be somewhat unfair to say that 'Christmas' has been airbrushed out of Thomas completely, it has been carefully pushed to one side in terms of how the series is written, but not how it is animated / produced visually. However, 'Winter Holidays' has been the reference point for 'Christmas' since Gullane produced Series 6 - independent of HIT Entertainment - in 2002. The opening line of It's Only Snow mentions the fact that "It's Winter Holiday time on the Island of Sodor!", albeit, David Mitton and the Script Editor of the time, Abi Grant, go to greater lengths to play down the Christmas themes throughout the course of the episode...

Other Channel 5 programming such as Chorion's Olivia, does not shy away from directly referencing Christmas throughout the course of their episode content. Quite simply, it's a time children look forward to, and it should not be conveniently written out to avoid offending non-Christian people.

Hilary concluded her letter to the Telegraph by stating: Political correctness against Christian beliefs offends.

However, there are far more pressing issues within the series right now, such as the ideas of Racism and Seperatism on Sodor:

http://thesifblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/essay-of-diesels-dandy-diesels-stupid.html

http://thesifblog.blogspot.com/2011/09/day-of-diesels-simons-view.html

http://copleyhillworks-simierski.blogspot.com/2010/10/misty-island-rescue-review.html