Thomas the Tank Engine
| Thomas the Tank Engine | |
|---|---|
| The Railway Series and Thomas & Friends character | |
Illustration by C. Reginald Dalby | |
| First appearance | Thomas the Tank Engine (1946) |
| Created by | Wilbert Awdry Christopher Awdry |
| Designed by | L. B. Billinton (in-universe) Reginald Payne |
| Voiced by |
Other
|
| In-universe information | |
| Species | Tank locomotive |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Station pilot Passenger train |
| Affiliation | Sir Topham Hatt |
| Home | Island of Sodor |
| Nationality | English |
Thomas the Tank Engine is a fictional, anthropomorphised tank locomotive who originated from the British children's books The Railway Series, created and written by Wilbert Awdry with his son Christopher, first published in 1945. Thomas runs on the Fat Controller's North Western Railway on the Island of Sodor. He became the most popular character in the series, and is the titular protagonist in the accompanying television series adaptation Thomas & Friends and its reboot Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go.
Based on the LB&SCR E2 class, Thomas debuted in the 1946 book Thomas the Tank Engine—the second book in The Railway Series—and was the focus of the four short stories featured within.
In 1979, British writer and producer Britt Allcroft came across the books, and arranged a deal to make the television series Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends (later rebranded as Thomas & Friends). The programme became an award-winning hit around the world, with a range of spin-off commercial products. Since then, Thomas has become commonly-known in popular culture.