RWS #1: The Three Railway Engines

In 1945, two remarkable things happened - World War II ended with an Allied victory and a children's book was published. The book in question is The Three Railway Engines. I'm going to review the book, and compare it to its TV adaptations.

THE OPINIONS, THOUGHTS AND MUSINGS IN THIS BLOG POST ARE SOLELY THOSE OF ZACK WANZER, NOT THE THOMAS FANDOM IN GENERAL

(special thanks to the Thomas the Tank Engine Wikia for the images)

The Railway Series Book #1

The Three Railway Engines

Written by The Rev. W. Awdry

Illustrated by William Middleton, later C. Reginald Dalby

Published May 12, 1945

In 1938, Wilbert Vere Awdry married Margaret Wale. The following year on September 1, 1939, World War II began with the Nazi-Germans invading Poland, and the United Kingdom was at war with Germany. For the Awdrys, happiness came in the form of their first-born son Christopher in 1940. At the age of two and a half, poor little Christopher was ill in bed with measles. To entertain his son, Wilbert invented three characters, Edward, Gordon and Henry, and told his son a story about each of them, and here is the first of them...

"Why is this engine sad, Daddy?"

"Because he's old and tired, and he hasn't been out in a long time."

"What's his name, Daddy?"

"Edward."

-Christopher and Wilbert Awdry, 1943

Edward's Day Out

Season 1, Episode 2A

It was those words above that led to this tale. We're introduced to Edward who is sad because he hasn't come out of the shed in ages. The driver and fireman take pity on him, and they bring Edward out to pick up coaches. At the station, the guard is late, but when he finally shows up, Edward has a lovely day. In the fourth illustration, Awdry explained that the front coach did not have a coupling because one of the big engines had pulled them so roughly that the coupling broke off. Upon Edward's arrival, it took time to refit a new coupling and hook, and the guard went home to have his elevenses (kind of like afternoon tea, but in the morning at 11:00).

It was a great way to introduce Edward and it brought a lot of emotion in such a short story. It's a case of small moments making for big storytelling, and this proves it very well. For TV, it was mashed with Edward and Gordon below, and I'll get to why I like this move...

RWS Rating: 8 out of 10

Edward and Gordon

Season 1, Episode 2B

Now we're introduced to the North Western Railway's main express engine, Gordon. He brags to Edward about pulling the express, whilst the latter heads off to shunt trucks. Gordon has been made to pull a goods train, and he isn't pleased about this. Soon, Edward is sent to help bank Gordon up the hill, and after pushing hard, Gordon reaches the top, leaving Edward out of breath, but his crew is proud of him.

With Gordon's behavior in the story for bragging, I'd say he was appropriately punished for that by being made to pull trucks and not coaches. As for the adaptation, I say it was a smart move to merge two short stories together to make a four and a half minute episode, as the adaptation helps to tell the story more easily, whereas with a book, you let your imagination do the visualizing. It's the same case for James and the Coaches and Whistles and Sneezes, but I'll get to them when I get to them.

RWS Rating: 8 out of 10

TV Series Rating: 8.5 out of 10

The Sad Story of Henry

Season 1, Episode 3

Once an engine attached to a train

Was afraid of a few drops of rain.

It went into a tunnel

And squeaked through its funnel

And wouldn't come out again.

In the books, Sodor was never known for needless rhyming, alliteration, and special specials - it was to bring passengers and goods to their destinations on time. That rhyme above was one of few in the Railway Series, and it helps us to remember the events of the story. As for the story, Henry refuses to come out of the tunnel out of fear that his paint will be spoiled by the rain. The passengers try pulling him out, pushing him out, and getting another engine to push him out, all without success. Henry is then bricked up in the tunnel as punishment.

You noticed something about the passengers and the Fat Director trying to get Henry out of the tunnel? Yep, it was a three-strikes formula, and it actually makes sense! In S13-16, all it did was annoy the hell out of many people, but here, it showed their increasing frustration and Henry's stubbornness, and it led to him being bricked up for being selfish. Those are some very good morals; don't be selfish, vanity comes last, and respect your superiors.

One thing worth noting is that Thomas appeared in the TV adaptation in place of the unnamed red engine, which looked like James with red wheels, and I feel they could've used James' model with repainted wheels and no number. As for the tunnel illustration; why would they say they cut a new tunnel when there were already two tunnel bores? It wasn't Awdry's fault, but still...

RWS Rating: 8.5 out of 10

TV Series Rating: 8 out of 10

Edward, Gordon and Henry

Season 1, Episode 4

Here's an interesting backstory; Awdry meant to have Henry bricked up in the tunnel forever and he never intended for him, Edward, and Gordon to be on the same railway. However, the publishers insisted on bringing the three together to create a happy ending, and this story was the result. With Henry still in the tunnel, Edward and Gordon manage the mainline without him, but one day, Gordon's safety valve bursts outside of Henry's tunnel, and he can't pull the express, nor can Edward, who isn't strong enough. So Henry is let outside of the tunnel and helps Edward to bring the passengers to their destination. The Fat Director is pleased with Henry, who gets a repaint of blue with red stripes.

What a great way to end the book, and it was a nice conclusion to Henry's story, although the start of his many troubles, which I'll get to later. Gordon, once again, was appropriately punished for teasing Henry, although to be fair, he did have a reason to do so, and it had truth in it. I can understand the Fat Director's frustration with Gordon (and Henry) saying big engines always give him trouble. I exclude Edward, since he's technically middle-sized. When I first read the original story, I had no idea Henry was blue, and it's strange given the troubles to come. Still, it's a great story, and I think both the original and the adaptation deserve the same rating.

RWS/TV Series Rating: 9 out of 10

Stray Observations

This was the only appearance of 98462 and 87546 in the books. Awdry explained that they had been sent away for being rude and nasty. Their classes are unknown, but many have seen 98462 as an LNER B12. While some see 87546 as a B17, I see him as a B16, since they were built before 1922, and B17s wouldn't come for another six years.

In the Middleton illustrations, the red engine that tried to push Henry out of the tunnel was a 4-6-2, the same engine that teased Edward. In the Dalby illustrations, there are TWO red engines; the 4-6-2 in Edward's Day Out, and the 2-6-0 in The Sad Story of Henry.

Have you noticed that Gordon's steampipes appear and disappear? In one illustration, they're here, and the next, they aren't. And people criticize Arc Productions for their animation errors. Same thing with Henry flip-flopping between being a 4-6-0 and 4-6-2. Also, why is Gordon in his 1939-onwards shape?

Overall

For the Railway Series' Genesis, this was a good way to begin what would become a popular franchise for the next seventy years. The stories are simple, but they teach children good morals and they show entertainment. I wouldn't say it's my most favorite, but it is still a good read.

Overall Book Rating: 8.4 out of 10

Thomas and Friends Season 1 Scorecard

2. Edward and Gordon: 8.5

3. The Sad Story of Henry: 8

4. Edward, Gordon and Henry: 9