Arlesdale Railway
Encyclopedia
The Arlesdale Railway, more commonly known as the Small Railway, is a fiction
al railway on the Island of Sodor
from the Railway Series
books by the Rev. W. Awdry and Christopher Awdry
.
It is a miniature railway based on the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway
in Cumbria
. In the stories, it was originally built to bring waste from the lead
mines
in the hills to Arlesburgh at the end of Duck's
branch line, where it would be distributed to the other railways on Sodor for use as ballast
. The line also carries tourists
.
The railway's controller is Mr Fergus Duncan, a dedicated man known as the Small Controller. This nickname is a joke, as he is a very tall man.
The Arlesdale Railway made its first appearance in the book Small Railway Engines, and was the main focus of the book Jock the New Engine. It has also made cameo appearances in Oliver the Western Engine, Duke the Lost Engine and Wilbert the Forest Engine. However, to date the railway has not appeared in the TV series.
Road, Marthwaite and Arlesdale Green along the way. It follows part of the route of the old Mid Sodor Railway
(aka Duke's old line). At Arlesdale Green it leaves this route and takes a new, southerly course to Arlesdale.
. None of the locomotives in the books are identified by a number.
The three original engines of the Arlesdale Railway – Mike, Rex and Bert – were brought to Sodor from an unspecified railway in England which closed in 1967. Each is identified by nameplates mounted each side of its smokebox and 'Arlesdale' written on its tender sides.
After his old line in England closed down in 1967, he, Mike and Bert were brought by Sir Topham Hatt and the 'consortium' that owned the Arlesdale Railway. He and his two companions were placed on mining and tourist traffic. After the railway secured a deal to transport wool to Arlesburgh, Rex was chosen to pull the first train, but after a negligent farmer spilt some wool bales on the rails he was derailed. His train was rescued, but Rex had to remain there until the end of the same day until being lifted out.
Rex is based on the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway's "River Esk", built in 1923 in Colchester by Davey, Paxman and Co.
Bert is based on the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway
's "River Irt", rebuilt from a Heywood locomotive first built for Duffield Bank
, Derbyshire, in 1894. He is painted blue with red stripes.
Mike is based on the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway
's "River Mite", owned by the R&ERPS and built in 1966 by Clarkson's. He is painted red with blue stripes.
Frank is based on the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway's "Perkins", which was constructed in 1984 at Ravenglass, a rebuild of a 1929 Muir-Hill tractor. He is light grey with a red stripe.
Jock was very cocky when he was first built, but soon learned the value of teamwork. His name comes from the fact that he is painted to resemble the locomotives of the Highland Railway in Scotland – a yellow-green colour with red lining. The name was suggested by Douglas, who remembered the Highland Railway from his youth.
Jock is based on the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway's Northern Rock, built at Ravenglass in 1976.
Both are painted black with black and yellow stripes around their faces. Both are based on the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway's Lister diesel "Cyril".
working on the Arlesdale Railway. She has not appeared in the Railway Series, but was mentioned in "The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways". She is painted a two-tone blue livery, and is the only female locomotive character who is not standard gauge
.
She has also been seen on the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway: her real-life counterpart, Shelagh of Eskdale, has been dressed-up with a face to represent her at Day out with Thomas
events, whereas formerly they named her "BoCoBo", after the locomotive's wheel arrangement.
Sigrid of Arlesdale is named after the Sudrian heroine of the same name, who lived in the Dark Ages and helped sack the invading Normans
.
For ballast traffic, the railway has a fleet of smooth-running bogie hopper wagons. These can be unloaded via a chute into waiting (standard gauge
) trucks on the Fat Controller's Railway
. The hopper wagons and unloading chute are based on similar designs once used on the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway, who have provided much co-operation to the line.
characters in the ranges, and hence are made to a completely different scale
.
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
al railway on the Island of Sodor
Sodor (fictional island)
Sodor is a fictional island in the Irish Sea used as the setting for The Railway Series books by the Rev. W. Awdry, and later used in the Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends television series.-Inspiration and creation:...
from the Railway Series
The Railway Series
The Railway Series is a set of story books about a railway system located on the fictional Island of Sodor. There are 42 books in the series, the first being published in 1945. Twenty-six were written by the Rev. W. Awdry, up to 1972. A further 16 were written by his son, Christopher Awdry; 14...
books by the Rev. W. Awdry and Christopher Awdry
Christopher Awdry
Christopher Awdry is an English author best known for his contributions to The Railway Series of books featuring Thomas the Tank Engine, which was started by his father, the Rev. W. Awdry. He has also produced children's books based on a number of other railways, as well as non-fiction articles...
.
It is a miniature railway based on the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway
Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway
The Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway is a minimum gauge heritage railway in Cumbria, England. The line runs from Ravenglass to Dalegarth Station near Boot in the valley of Eskdale, in the Lake District...
in Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
. In the stories, it was originally built to bring waste from the lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
mines
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
in the hills to Arlesburgh at the end of Duck's
Duck the Great Western Engine
Duck the Great Western Engine is a fictional steam engine from The Railway Series by the Rev. W. Awdry and the spin-off television series Thomas and Friends. He is a green 0-6-0 pannier tank locomotive and lives and works on the Island of Sodor....
branch line, where it would be distributed to the other railways on Sodor for use as ballast
Track ballast
Track ballast forms the trackbed upon which railway sleepers or railroad ties are laid. It is packed between, below, and around the ties. It is used to facilitate drainage of water, to distribute the load from the railroad ties, and also to keep down vegetation that might interfere with the track...
. The line also carries tourists
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
.
The railway's controller is Mr Fergus Duncan, a dedicated man known as the Small Controller. This nickname is a joke, as he is a very tall man.
The Arlesdale Railway made its first appearance in the book Small Railway Engines, and was the main focus of the book Jock the New Engine. It has also made cameo appearances in Oliver the Western Engine, Duke the Lost Engine and Wilbert the Forest Engine. However, to date the railway has not appeared in the TV series.
Route
The line runs from Arlesburgh West (where it meets Duck's branch line) to Arlesdale village, stopping at Arlesburgh Bridge Street, FfarquharFfarquhar
Ffarquhar is a fictional town or village on the equally fictional Island of Sodor in the Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends children's TV series and in Reverend W. Awdry's The Railway Series books on which the TV series was based....
Road, Marthwaite and Arlesdale Green along the way. It follows part of the route of the old Mid Sodor Railway
Mid Sodor Railway
The Mid Sodor Railway is a fictional narrow gauge railway on the Island of Sodor in The Railway Series of children's books by the Rev.W.Awdry and Christopher Awdry. The railway was closed in 1947, but three of its engines survive on the Skarloey Railway...
(aka Duke's old line). At Arlesdale Green it leaves this route and takes a new, southerly course to Arlesdale.
Locomotives
All of the locomotives on the Arlesdale Railway are based on real locomotives at the Ravenglass and Eskdale RailwayRavenglass and Eskdale Railway
The Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway is a minimum gauge heritage railway in Cumbria, England. The line runs from Ravenglass to Dalegarth Station near Boot in the valley of Eskdale, in the Lake District...
. None of the locomotives in the books are identified by a number.
The three original engines of the Arlesdale Railway – Mike, Rex and Bert – were brought to Sodor from an unspecified railway in England which closed in 1967. Each is identified by nameplates mounted each side of its smokebox and 'Arlesdale' written on its tender sides.
Rex
Rex is a green engine on the Arlesdale Railway who enjoys nothing more than teasing Mike. He is a hard worker, but sometimes has problems with traction.After his old line in England closed down in 1967, he, Mike and Bert were brought by Sir Topham Hatt and the 'consortium' that owned the Arlesdale Railway. He and his two companions were placed on mining and tourist traffic. After the railway secured a deal to transport wool to Arlesburgh, Rex was chosen to pull the first train, but after a negligent farmer spilt some wool bales on the rails he was derailed. His train was rescued, but Rex had to remain there until the end of the same day until being lifted out.
Rex is based on the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway's "River Esk", built in 1923 in Colchester by Davey, Paxman and Co.
Bert
Bert is smaller but older than Mike and Rex, and is the quietest of the first three Small Railway engines. For a long time he had trouble with steaming, but has been rebuilt with a taller chimney and cab which mean that he no longer suffers from shortness of breath. This modification has not appeared in the book illustrations, but is mentioned in "The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways".Bert is based on the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway
Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway
The Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway is a minimum gauge heritage railway in Cumbria, England. The line runs from Ravenglass to Dalegarth Station near Boot in the valley of Eskdale, in the Lake District...
's "River Irt", rebuilt from a Heywood locomotive first built for Duffield Bank
Duffield Bank Railway
The Duffield Bank Railway was built by Sir Arthur Percival Heywood in the grounds of his house on the hillside overlooking Duffield, Derbyshire in 1874. Although the Ordnance Survey map circa 1880 does not show the railway itself, it does show two tunnels and two signal posts.-Overview:It was more...
, Derbyshire, in 1894. He is painted blue with red stripes.
Mike
Mike is a strong engine who prefers goods trains to passengers. His temper matches his paint, and he can often be hot-headed. He is proud of his shrill whistle, which he once lost trying to shoo a cow.Mike is based on the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway
Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway
The Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway is a minimum gauge heritage railway in Cumbria, England. The line runs from Ravenglass to Dalegarth Station near Boot in the valley of Eskdale, in the Lake District...
's "River Mite", owned by the R&ERPS and built in 1966 by Clarkson's. He is painted red with blue stripes.
Frank
Frank is a diesel with a tendency to be grumpy. He sometimes loses his temper, which once caused him to crash into the back wall of the shed. Despite this, he is a hard worker and is sometimes called upon to rescue engines who have broken down.Frank is based on the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway's "Perkins", which was constructed in 1984 at Ravenglass, a rebuild of a 1929 Muir-Hill tractor. He is light grey with a red stripe.
Jock
Jock is the newest steam engine on the Arlesdale Railway, and also the strongest. He was almost entirely built at the Arlesdale Railway's works. He was mentioned in "The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways", but first really appeared in the eponymous book "Jock the New Engine".Jock was very cocky when he was first built, but soon learned the value of teamwork. His name comes from the fact that he is painted to resemble the locomotives of the Highland Railway in Scotland – a yellow-green colour with red lining. The name was suggested by Douglas, who remembered the Highland Railway from his youth.
Jock is based on the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway's Northern Rock, built at Ravenglass in 1976.
Blister I & Blister II
Blister I and Blister II are small twin diesels that were only mentioned in "The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways". Not much is known about them, apart from the fact they have regular engine troubles and are particularly difficult to start - which is how they got their names. This is based on the trouble experienced with the Muir-Hill Fordson granite tractors that worked at Ravenglass with stone traffic until 1953.Both are painted black with black and yellow stripes around their faces. Both are based on the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway's Lister diesel "Cyril".
Sigrid of Arlesdale
Sigrid of Arlesdale is a diesel locomotiveDiesel locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...
working on the Arlesdale Railway. She has not appeared in the Railway Series, but was mentioned in "The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways". She is painted a two-tone blue livery, and is the only female locomotive character who is not standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
.
She has also been seen on the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway: her real-life counterpart, Shelagh of Eskdale, has been dressed-up with a face to represent her at Day out with Thomas
Day out with Thomas
Day Out With Thomas is a trade name, licensed by HiT Entertainment, for tourist events that take place on heritage railways and feature one or more trains decorated to look like characters from the children's TV series, Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends....
events, whereas formerly they named her "BoCoBo", after the locomotive's wheel arrangement.
Sigrid of Arlesdale is named after the Sudrian heroine of the same name, who lived in the Dark Ages and helped sack the invading Normans
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
.
Rolling stock
The railway has a number of passenger carriages for tourist traffic. The original coaches, which were a mixture of open (roofless) and "semi-open" (roofed, but doorless) types, were obtained from the same railway in England as the locomotives. The semi-open coaches have since been replaced with closed saloon carriages built at Arlesburgh Works. All the coaches are painted a deep pink colour.For ballast traffic, the railway has a fleet of smooth-running bogie hopper wagons. These can be unloaded via a chute into waiting (standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
) trucks on the Fat Controller's Railway
North Western Railway (fictional)
The North Western Railway is the main railway company featured in The Railway Series of children's books by the Rev. W. Awdry. Although the company's name has never been specifically stated in the books, it was mentioned as such in tie-in books such as The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and...
. The hopper wagons and unloading chute are based on similar designs once used on the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway, who have provided much co-operation to the line.
Merchandising
Despite having never appeared in the Thomas and Friends television series, certain Arlesdale Railway characters have nevertheless been included in commercial merchandising lines based on the series. The models have been made the same size as the standard gaugeStandard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
characters in the ranges, and hence are made to a completely different scale
Scale model
A scale model is a physical model, a representation or copy of an object that is larger or smaller than the actual size of the object, which seeks to maintain the relative proportions of the physical size of the original object. Very often the scale model is used as a guide to making the object in...
.
| Model range | Type | Characters |
|---|---|---|
| Ertl | die-cast metal | Jock, Frank |
| Take Along Thomas | plastic | Mike |
| Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway | wood | Mike, Frank |
Sources
- Awdry, Rev. W., Small Railway Engines
- Awdry, Rev. W., Oliver the Western Engine
- Awdry, Rev. W., Duke the Lost Engine
- Awdry, Christopher, Jock the New Engine
- Awdry, Christopher, Wilbert the Forest Engine
- Awdry, Rev. W. and G., The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways
- Awdry, Christopher, Sodor: Reading Between the Lines
- Clutterbuck, Martin, The Real Lives of Thomas the Tank Engine
- Sibley, Brian, The Thomas the Tank Engine Man