Prince Harry to read Thomas

[whole diary]

[ellendune]

A bit pedantic.  If he was watching trains at Box why is Thomas remarkably similar to a LBSC E2 0-6-0T.

As for James has anyone worked out the prototype? Wikipedia gives: 

James the Red Engine is a mixed-traffic L&YR Class 28 'Mogul' 2-6-0 tender engine. But the 28s were 0-6-0s.

Hmmm ... from my limited reading of the Rev Awdry's books, I've drawn an impression of a whole load of engines, each of different design and with different foibles, and as such I would draw a closer parallel with a heritage railway than any main line prototype.  The timeline is probably wrong, but perhaps holidays were taken at Horsted Keynes, or near to one of the Col. Stevens lines.

He went to school in Hawkhust in Kent and later in Wiltshire.  He then lived in Birmingham, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk, before retiring to Gloucestershire. So quite apart form holidays he would have seen plenty of different engines.

[Merthyr Imp]

A bit pedantic.  If he was watching trains at Box why is Thomas remarkably similar to a LBSC E2 0-6-0T.

As for James has anyone worked out the prototype? Wikipedia gives: 

James the Red Engine is a mixed-traffic L&YR Class 28 'Mogul' 2-6-0 tender engine. But the 28s were 0-6-0s.

It was the artist who illustrated the Railway Series books who drew Thomas as an E2 0-6-0T. The author only gives a very general description of him in the text.

According to the book 'The Island of Sodor, Its people, history and railways' by The Rev W. Awdry and G. Awdry' (and they ought to know), James is a L&YR Class 28 0-6-0, but as this class 'had a tendency to be nose-heavy especially when...driven at speed the designer George Hughes, in an effort to counteract this defect, built the engine we now know as James with 5' 6" coupled wheels, and a pony truck in front. The design did not entirely produce the improvement hoped for, and after the Grouping the LMS^▸ (London Midland Scottish - 1923 to 1948) sold this engine to the North Western Railway [i.e. the main line railway of Sodor] who have now corrected most of the faults in the design, including the wooden brake blocks'.

[eightf48544]

According to the book 'The Island of Sodor, Its people, history and railways' by The Rev W. Awdry and G. Awdry' (and they ought to know), James is a L&YR Class 28 0-6-0, but as this class 'had a tendency to be nose-heavy especially when...driven at speed the designer George Hughes, in an effort to counteract this defect, built the engine we now know as James with 5' 6" coupled wheels, and a pony truck in front. The design did not entirely produce the improvement hoped for, and after the Grouping the LMS^▸ (London Midland Scottish - 1923 to 1948) sold this engine to the North Western Railway [i.e. the main line railway of Sodor] who have now corrected most of the faults in the design, including the wooden brake blocks'.

Sounds a bit Irish to me.

[Oxonhutch]

Sounds a bit Irish to me.

More like the Morecambe Bay gas field has come onshore. Didn't see that in the books.

[grahame]

12th May 1945 - First "Thomas the Tank Engine" book published - (link)

[Red Squirrel]

I had lunch at the Rattlebone, in Sherston, today. Just sayin’!