James the Red Engine
Encyclopedia
James the Red Engine is a fiction
al anthropomorphic tender locomotive
from The Railway Series
children's books by the Rev. W. Awdry, and the spin-off TV series Thomas and Friends. James is a mixed-traffic engine, which means he is just as capable of pulling coaches as trucks. He has a 2-6-0
("Mogul") wheel arrangement and is engine number 5 on the North Western Railway
, the Fat Controller's railway on the Island of Sodor
.
James first appeared in the Railway Series in 1946, in the book Thomas the Tank Engine. Two books in the series, no. 3 James the Red Engine and no. 28 James and the Diesel Engines are dedicated to James.
In the stories, James crashed into a field on his first day. The accident was blamed on his wooden brake blocks, which were thereafter replaced with metal ones. James has a reputation for being naughty. Some of his incidents include breaking a coach brake pipe and needing a passenger's bootlace to fix it, crashing into tar wagons, and spinning on the turntable although that was due to the wind rather than him. Despite his behaviour, James is an engine proud of his red paint, hard-working and reliable and is generally considered to be a really useful engine.
He is very proud of his red paint and shining brass
dome, and so likes to stay clean. He hates pulling trucks, and believes that he should only be used to pull coaches. He thinks himself superior to the other engines, and can be shallow, boastful and arrogant – particularly to Edward, and those engines who appear old-fashioned, weak, slow or dirty. However, on a number of occasions he has found himself forced to accept help from those he has insulted, and is ultimately apologetic.
James is one of the few characters to have their own song (James The Really Splendid Engine) in the TV series, the chorus of which is based on his theme music used in the early seasons.
In the Railway Series books, James was for a long time one of the last engines to retain a prejudice
against diesels
. However, he was forced to admit in the book James and the Diesel Engines that there was nothing wrong with diesels as a whole, and this appears to be one of the few lessons that has stuck.
in 1946, in the book Thomas the Tank Engine. He was painted black at this point. At the request of the publishers, Awdry dedicated the next book to the character. It was in this book that James received his red paint and his personality.
"Class 28"
, an 0-6-0
mixed-traffic tender engine of 1912/13, designed by George Hughes
and based on the earlier Class 27
designed by John Aspinall
. According to the Rev Awdry, the Class 28s were powerful goods engines but had a tendency to be nose-heavy, especially when used as relief engines on excursion trains, as they often were, and driven at speed.
In the book The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways, Awdry explained the difference in James's appearance from a Class 28. James was built by Hughes as an experiment to see if the nose-heaviness could be counter-acted. The locomotive was fitted with larger (5' 6") driving wheels and a pony truck
, making it into a 2-6-0
wheel arrangement. (The real Class 28 has 5' 1" wheels .) James is also missing the prominent front sandboxes fitted to the Class 28s. The improvement was not as great as hoped for, and after the grouping, the LMS sold James to the Fat Controller's North Western Railway. As with most of the early Railway Series characters, which were not so closely based on real locomotive classes, Awdry's explanation is a case of retroactive continuity
.
model railway. The first, from the 1950s, was based on a 2-6-0 Glasgow and South Western Railway
locomotive, the "Austrian Goods", designed by Peter Drummond. The Rev Awdry's model was painted red with yellow lining as James was in the books. Despite being professionally made and "a beautiful model", the motor was so unreliable that the loco could not be used for regular services. Awdry later noted that it was sent away in the 1980s for a new motor and chassis and came back "completely transformed".
Awdry's second model of James was based on a 1960s Tri-ang
"Johnson 3F
" 0-6-0; a conversion which Hornby
themselves would use for the production version of their model of James, several decades later.
James and The Top Hat
James has been given a new coat of paint- red, to cheer him up after his accident- and becomes rather conceited. He lets off steam and sprays water on the Fat Controller's top hat. He is ashamed, though, and worries about the consequences. He is not punished on this occasion, but the Fat Controller is very furious, and threatens to have him painted blue if his bad behaviour continues.
James and The Bootlace
James is furious when no-one dares come near him on the platform, following the mishap with the Fat Controller's hat. He is so furious, that he bumps the coaches very hard , and causes a leak in the brake pipe. The hole has to be mended with newspaper and a passenger's bootlace- and the only passenger with a bootlace needs some coercing before he hands them over!
Troublesome Trucks
James is punished this time- Sir Topham Hatt makes him stay in the shed for a long time. James is so miserable he cries. The Fat Controller eventually decides to let him out, and tells him to pull some trucks. The trucks dislike James, and try to stop him reaching the top of the hill. Eventually, a rusty coupling snaps and some trucks roll downhill. The guard stops them, and Edward offers to help - but James prefers to go it alone. The trucks seem to realise James will keep trying whatever they do, and allow James to reach the top of the hill. The Fat Controller has seen everything from Edward's train, and is so pleased with James he decides to let him keep his red paint.
James and The Express
Gordon boasts to James that he is the only engine able to pull the express. James is resting in the shed the next day, when an very mournful Gordon arrives; he has accidentally been switched to the loop line, and had a long, wasted journey. James teases him about it, but a hoarde of angry passengers arrives and demands refunds. Instead, James pulls the express and is from time to time, allowed to pull the express to allow Gordon a break. James and Gordon are now friends and they now talk about trucks.
(who also voices Edward, Henry, Gordon & Percy) in the UK version and Kerry Shale
in the US version.
voiced James in the film, Thomas and the Magic Railroad
. Originally, he was played by current UK TV Series narrator Michael Angelis
, who was also to voice Percy and perhaps Gordon. Unfortunately, test audiences said he sounded "too old", so Susan Roman replaced him. But she made James sound too feminine, something fans have strongly disliked.
In the film, James was briefly threatened by the evil Diesel 10 and almost pushed back into a smelting pit before being teleport
ed out by Mr Conductor Junior (Michael E. Rodgers
). At the beginning the fly annoying James was a reference to the original Awdry story, Buzz, Buzz.
and Jack) was created by BBC Visual Effects (UK) for a 2003 live stage show tour. This battery powered locomotive is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest model railway engine ever built, at 2.64 x 1.5 x 6.52 metres.
– into the livery of James. The engine retained this colour scheme for many years, and participated in the Railway Series
golden jubilee celebrations at the National Railway Museum
. This engine was the only replica Thomas character to be certified to run on the main line .
On the East Lancashire Railway
, unrestored LMS Ivatt Class 2 Mogul No. 46428 has been painted as James the Red Engine.
It created a certain amount of controversy among railway enthusiasts, who felt that it was inappropriate to paint a historic main line locomotive in such a garish livery. Nonetheless, the locomotive was popular with the railway's younger visitors.
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 anthropomorphic tender locomotive
Tender locomotive
A tender or coal-car is a special rail vehicle hauled by a steam locomotive containing the locomotive's fuel and water. Steam locomotives consume large quantities of water compared to the quantity of fuel, so tenders are necessary to keep the locomotive running over long distances. A locomotive...
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...
children's books by the Rev. W. Awdry, and the spin-off TV series Thomas and Friends. James is a mixed-traffic engine, which means he is just as capable of pulling coaches as trucks. He has a 2-6-0
2-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, usually in a leading truck, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels. This arrangement is commonly called a Mogul...
("Mogul") wheel arrangement and is engine number 5 on the North Western 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 Fat Controller's 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:...
.
James first appeared in the Railway Series in 1946, in the book Thomas the Tank Engine. Two books in the series, no. 3 James the Red Engine and no. 28 James and the Diesel Engines are dedicated to James.
In the stories, James crashed into a field on his first day. The accident was blamed on his wooden brake blocks, which were thereafter replaced with metal ones. James has a reputation for being naughty. Some of his incidents include breaking a coach brake pipe and needing a passenger's bootlace to fix it, crashing into tar wagons, and spinning on the turntable although that was due to the wind rather than him. Despite his behaviour, James is an engine proud of his red paint, hard-working and reliable and is generally considered to be a really useful engine.
He is very proud of his red paint and shining brass
Brass
Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties.In comparison, bronze is principally an alloy of copper and tin...
dome, and so likes to stay clean. He hates pulling trucks, and believes that he should only be used to pull coaches. He thinks himself superior to the other engines, and can be shallow, boastful and arrogant – particularly to Edward, and those engines who appear old-fashioned, weak, slow or dirty. However, on a number of occasions he has found himself forced to accept help from those he has insulted, and is ultimately apologetic.
James is one of the few characters to have their own song (James The Really Splendid Engine) in the TV series, the chorus of which is based on his theme music used in the early seasons.
In the Railway Series books, James was for a long time one of the last engines to retain a prejudice
Prejudice
Prejudice is making a judgment or assumption about someone or something before having enough knowledge to be able to do so with guaranteed accuracy, or "judging a book by its cover"...
against diesels
Diesel 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...
. However, he was forced to admit in the book James and the Diesel Engines that there was nothing wrong with diesels as a whole, and this appears to be one of the few lessons that has stuck.
Behind the scenes
James first appeared in the Railway SeriesThe 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...
in 1946, in the book Thomas the Tank Engine. He was painted black at this point. At the request of the publishers, Awdry dedicated the next book to the character. It was in this book that James received his red paint and his personality.
James's prototype
James is based on the Lancashire and Yorkshire RailwayLancashire and Yorkshire Railway
The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway was a major British railway company before the 1923 Grouping. It was incorporated in 1847 from an amalgamation of several existing railways...
"Class 28"
L&YR Class 28
The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Class 28 is a class of 0-6-0 steam locomotive, designed by George Hughes. It is the rebuild of Aspinall's Class 27, due to the addition of a Belpaire firebox and the extension of the footplate and front sandboxes. It is similar, but superheated...
, an 0-6-0
0-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels...
mixed-traffic tender engine of 1912/13, designed by George Hughes
George Hughes (engineer)
George Hughes was a locomotive engineer, and Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway and the London, Midland and Scottish Railway.-L&YR:...
and based on the earlier Class 27
L&YR Class 27
The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Class 27 is a class of 0-6-0 steam locomotive designed for freight work.-Construction and operation:...
designed by John Aspinall
John Aspinall (engineer)
Sir John Audley Frederick Aspinall was a British mechanical engineer who served as Locomotive Superintendent of the Great Southern and Western and Lancashire and Yorkshire Railways. He introduced vacuum brakes to his locomotives in Ireland, a trend which was followed in Britain, and designed...
. According to the Rev Awdry, the Class 28s were powerful goods engines but had a tendency to be nose-heavy, especially when used as relief engines on excursion trains, as they often were, and driven at speed.
In the book The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways, Awdry explained the difference in James's appearance from a Class 28. James was built by Hughes as an experiment to see if the nose-heaviness could be counter-acted. The locomotive was fitted with larger (5' 6") driving wheels and a pony truck
Pony truck
A pony truck, in railway terminology, is a leading truck with only two wheels.Its invention is generally credited to Levi Bissell, who devised one in 1857 and patented it the following year. Hence the term Bissel bogie or axle is used in continental Europe...
, making it into a 2-6-0
2-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, usually in a leading truck, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels. This arrangement is commonly called a Mogul...
wheel arrangement. (The real Class 28 has 5' 1" wheels .) James is also missing the prominent front sandboxes fitted to the Class 28s. The improvement was not as great as hoped for, and after the grouping, the LMS sold James to the Fat Controller's North Western Railway. As with most of the early Railway Series characters, which were not so closely based on real locomotive classes, Awdry's explanation is a case of retroactive continuity
Retcon
Retroactive continuity is the alteration of previously established facts in a fictional work. Retcons are done for many reasons, including the accommodation of sequels or further derivative works in a series, wherein newer authors or creators want to revise the in-story history to allow a course...
.
James as a model
The Rev Awdry had two models of James on his OO gaugeOO gauge
OO gauge or OO scale model railways are the most popular standard-gauge model railway tracks in the U.K. This track gauge is one of several 4mm-scale standards used, but it is the only one to be served by the major manufacturers...
model railway. The first, from the 1950s, was based on a 2-6-0 Glasgow and South Western Railway
Glasgow and South Western Railway
The Glasgow and South Western Railway , one of the pre-grouping railway companies, served a triangular area of south-west Scotland, between Glasgow, Stranraer and Carlisle...
locomotive, the "Austrian Goods", designed by Peter Drummond. The Rev Awdry's model was painted red with yellow lining as James was in the books. Despite being professionally made and "a beautiful model", the motor was so unreliable that the loco could not be used for regular services. Awdry later noted that it was sent away in the 1980s for a new motor and chassis and came back "completely transformed".
Awdry's second model of James was based on a 1960s Tri-ang
Tri-ang Railways
Tri-ang Railways was a British manufacturer of toy trains, one of the elements of the Lines Bros Ltd company who traded using the Tri-ang brand name...
"Johnson 3F
Midland Railway Class 3F 0-6-0
The Midland Railway 3F was a class of 0-6-0 steam tender locomotive designed for freight work.-Overview:Several different batches were built and many of them passed into LMS ownership in 1923 and into British Railways ownership in 1948....
" 0-6-0; a conversion which Hornby
Hornby Railways
Hornby Railways is the leading brand of model railway in the United Kingdom. Its roots date back to 1901, when founder Frank Hornby received a patent for his Meccano construction toy. The first clockwork train was produced in 1920. In 1938, Hornby launched its first 00 gauge train...
themselves would use for the production version of their model of James, several decades later.
James The Red Engine in The Railway Series
James The Red Engine, was the third book in the Railway Series by Reverend W. Awdrey. It picked up where the previous book ("Thomas The Tank Engine"), left off- James was introduced in the last story of that book ("Thomas & The Breakdown Train"), when, new to the island, James (then painted black), was pushed off the rails by some silly trucks.James and The Top Hat
James has been given a new coat of paint- red, to cheer him up after his accident- and becomes rather conceited. He lets off steam and sprays water on the Fat Controller's top hat. He is ashamed, though, and worries about the consequences. He is not punished on this occasion, but the Fat Controller is very furious, and threatens to have him painted blue if his bad behaviour continues.
James and The Bootlace
James is furious when no-one dares come near him on the platform, following the mishap with the Fat Controller's hat. He is so furious, that he bumps the coaches very hard , and causes a leak in the brake pipe. The hole has to be mended with newspaper and a passenger's bootlace- and the only passenger with a bootlace needs some coercing before he hands them over!
Troublesome Trucks
James is punished this time- Sir Topham Hatt makes him stay in the shed for a long time. James is so miserable he cries. The Fat Controller eventually decides to let him out, and tells him to pull some trucks. The trucks dislike James, and try to stop him reaching the top of the hill. Eventually, a rusty coupling snaps and some trucks roll downhill. The guard stops them, and Edward offers to help - but James prefers to go it alone. The trucks seem to realise James will keep trying whatever they do, and allow James to reach the top of the hill. The Fat Controller has seen everything from Edward's train, and is so pleased with James he decides to let him keep his red paint.
James and The Express
Gordon boasts to James that he is the only engine able to pull the express. James is resting in the shed the next day, when an very mournful Gordon arrives; he has accidentally been switched to the loop line, and had a long, wasted journey. James teases him about it, but a hoarde of angry passengers arrives and demands refunds. Instead, James pulls the express and is from time to time, allowed to pull the express to allow Gordon a break. James and Gordon are now friends and they now talk about trucks.
James the Red Engine in the TV series
From the CGI series version onward, James is voiced by Keith WickhamKeith Wickham
Keith Wickham is a British actor, comedian and voice actor.He is well known for voicing Changed Daily in The Secret Show, Mr. Small, and Mr. Tall in The Mr. Men Show , Corneil in Corneil & Bernie , Mr...
(who also voices Edward, Henry, Gordon & Percy) in the UK version and Kerry Shale
Kerry Shale
Kerry Shale is a UK-based actor, writer and voice-over artist. He is married to Suzanne Shale, a former Oxford University law don, now a specialist in the field of medical ethics.-Theatre:...
in the US version.
James in Thomas and the Magic Railroad
Susan RomanSusan Roman
Susan Roman is a Canadian voice actress best known for voice acting the role of Lita/Sailor Jupiter in the North American DiC dub of the anime, Sailor Moon. She is one of the few voice actors to remain throughout the entire run of the series...
voiced James in the film, Thomas and the Magic Railroad
Thomas and the Magic Railroad
Thomas and the Magic Railroad is a 2000 British/American film based on the well-known TV series Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends and the United States TV series Shining Time Station. The film was co-produced by Gullane Entertainment and the Isle of Man Film Commission. It was written, produced...
. Originally, he was played by current UK TV Series narrator Michael Angelis
Michael Angelis
Michael Angelis is an English actor and voice actor.Michael Angelis was one of the stars of the famous 1982 BBC drama serial Boys from the Black Stuff and another Alan Bleasedale drama G.B.H.. He also starred in comedies such as Luv and The Liver Birds, in which he appeared between series 5 and 9...
, who was also to voice Percy and perhaps Gordon. Unfortunately, test audiences said he sounded "too old", so Susan Roman replaced him. But she made James sound too feminine, something fans have strongly disliked.
In the film, James was briefly threatened by the evil Diesel 10 and almost pushed back into a smelting pit before being teleport
Teleportation
Teleportation is the fictional or imagined process by which matter is instantaneously transferred from one place to another.Teleportation may also refer to:*Quantum teleportation, a method of transmitting quantum data...
ed out by Mr Conductor Junior (Michael E. Rodgers
Michael E. Rodgers
Michael E. Rodgers is a Scottish film, television and theater actor.He began his film career with a role in Gia with Angelina Jolie. Shortly thereafter, he went to work with Sir Nigel Hawthorne and Minnie Driver in feature film Uncorked and renowned director Allison Anders in Sugar Town...
). At the beginning the fly annoying James was a reference to the original Awdry story, Buzz, Buzz.
James in the Guinness Book of Records
A large scale working replica of James (along with Thomas, Percy, Gordon, HaroldHarold the Helicopter
Harold the Helicopter is a character in the Railway Series books by the Rev. W. Awdry and Christopher Awdry and the television series Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends....
and Jack) was created by BBC Visual Effects (UK) for a 2003 live stage show tour. This battery powered locomotive is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest model railway engine ever built, at 2.64 x 1.5 x 6.52 metres.
"Real Life" James
The Mid Hants Railway repainted one of its engines – a Southern Railway N classSouthern Railway N Class
The SECR N class was a type of 2-6-0 steam locomotive designed in 1914 by Richard Maunsell for mixed-traffic duties on the South Eastern and Chatham Railway . Built between 1917 and 1934, it was the first non-Great Western Railway type to use and improve upon the basic design principles...
– into the livery of James. The engine retained this colour scheme for many years, and participated in 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...
golden jubilee celebrations at the National Railway Museum
National Railway Museum
The National Railway Museum is a museum in York forming part of the British National Museum of Science and Industry and telling the story of rail transport in Britain and its impact on society. It has won many awards, including the European Museum of the Year Award in 2001...
. This engine was the only replica Thomas character to be certified to run on the main line .
On the East Lancashire Railway
East Lancashire Railway
The East Lancashire Railway is a heritage railway in Lancashire and Greater Manchester, England.-Overview:After formal closure by British Rail in 1982, the line was reopened on 25 July 1987. The initial service operated between Bury and Ramsbottom, via Summerseat. In 1991 the service was extended...
, unrestored LMS Ivatt Class 2 Mogul No. 46428 has been painted as James the Red Engine.
It created a certain amount of controversy among railway enthusiasts, who felt that it was inappropriate to paint a historic main line locomotive in such a garish livery. Nonetheless, the locomotive was popular with the railway's younger visitors.