The Television History of Thomas the Train

The character of Thomas the train can be found on nearly any product imaginable. One can buy bedspreads, lunch boxes, clothing, and much more, all of which feature the plucky little tank engine that never quits. The most likely place to see Thomas the train these days, though, is on television. In fact, Thomas draws many young children every week to join him on his adventures.

His recent appearances on television, though, are by no means the first the world has seen of Thomas the train. In fact, the little engine is over half a century old. The character of Thomas is taken from a series of children’s books which were first written by the Reverend W. Awdry in 1945. These books were wildly popular with children across the world long before Thomas made his small-screen debut. In fact, the series remains quite popular.

Thomas the train began his television career in 1984 as a British television show called Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends. These shows, which are still airing, are essentially a series of short segments featuring Thomas as well as a number of other engines (and other various vehicles.) The segments are driven by a narrator, who also performs the voices of the various characters. Through these shorts, children are shown many lessons about life, including a great deal about how to get along with others and cooperate (which seems to be a predominant theme of the character.) The segments are animated by the use of models, which gives them a uniquely storybook quality that classical hand drawn animation can not match.

When Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends was adapted for the children of the United States, it took on quite a few changes. The format was drastically revamped from a series of shorts into a continuous half-hour episode format. The focus was somewhat taken off of Thomas the train, and put on the newly added cast of human characters. And, of course, the name was changed to Shining Time Station.

The new format essentially took the short segments from the British counterpart and set them between segments of the human crew of Shining Time Station, a small railway station run by Stacey Jones (played by Didi Conn.) The cast of characters also included a group of children, who were usually the recipients of whatever lesson was to be learned, as well as an engineer named Harry Cupper (later replaced by Billy Twofeathers) and a crafty arcade owner named Schemer. The lynchpin of the group, though, was Mr. Conductor, who was also the narrator of the Thomas segments. Originally played by Ringo Starr, Mr. Conductor lived in a painting on the station wall. Later, the part was taken on by comedian George Carlin.

Thomas the train can now be found on PBS once more, in Thomas & Friends. Although the days of Shining Time Station are no longer, the model-based animation of the original British productions remain. These short segments remain something to be treasured by children (and adults as well) who have found a love of the cheeky, perky Thomas the train.


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