Stories about Thomas were requested by Christopher, and 1946 saw the publication of Thomas the Tank Engine. Awdry constructed a toy tank engine for Christopher, which gained the name Thomas. The four stories were published in 1945 as a single volume, The Three Railway Engines, illustrated by William Middleton.Ĭhristmas 1942 saw the genesis of the character that grew to become the most famous fictional locomotive in the world. Although Wilbert had not intended that the three engines live on the same railway, he complied with the request in the story Edward, Gordon and Henry. The head of the children's books division requested a fourth story to bring the three engines together and redeem Henry, who had been bricked up in a tunnel in the previous story. Encouraged by Margaret, his wife, Awdry submitted the three stories to Edmund Ward for publication in 1943. This story introduced the popular characters Henry the Green Engine and the Fat Director. Audio adaptations of The Railway Series have been recorded at various times under the title The Railway Stories. The engine characters were almost all based upon real classes of locomotive, and some of the railways themselves were directly based upon real lines in the British Isles.Ĭharacters and stories from the books formed the basis of the children's television series Thomas & Friends. As a lifelong railway enthusiast, Awdry was keen that his stories should be as realistic as possible. Nearly all of The Railway Series stories were based upon real-life events. A further 16 were written by his son, Christopher Awdry 14 between 19, and two more in 20. There are 42 books in the series, the first being published in 1945. The Railway Series is a set of British story books about a railway system located on the fictional Island of Sodor.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |