Thomas the Tank Engine (Railway)

Is contained in

Canonical title

Thomas the Tank Engine (Railway) (Railway)

Original publication date

1946-09-14

People/Characters

Edward the Blue Engine; Gordon the Big Engine; Troublesome Trucks; Sir Topham Hatt; Charlie Sand; Henry the Green Engine (show all 11); Sidney Hever; Thomas the Tank Engine; James the Red Engine; Orange-Brown Non-Corridor Coaches; Annie and Clarabel

Important places

Sodor, UK

Dedication

Dear Christopher,
Here is your friend Thomas, the Tank Engine. He wanted to come out of his station-yard and see the world. These stories tell you how he did it.
I hope you will like them because you helped me make them... (show all).
Your Loving Daddy

First words

Thomas was a tank engine who lived at a Big Station.

Quotations

He was a cheeky little engine, too. He thought no engine worked as hard as he did. So he used to play tricks on them. He liked best of all to come quietly beside a big engine dozing on a siding and make him jump.

"Pee... (show all)p, peep, peep, pip, peep! Wake up, lazibones!" he would whistle, "why don't you work hard like me?"

Then he would laugh rudely and run away to find some more coaches.

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"Well, little Thomas," chuckled Gordon as he passed, "now you know what hard work means, don't you?"

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But for a long time afterwards the other engines laughed at Thomas, and said: "Look, there's Thomas, who wanted to pull a train, but forgot about the coaches!"

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He worked hard—he knew now that he wasn't so clever as he had thought.

Last words

(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Gordon is always in a hurry and does not stop; but he never forgets to say "Poop, poop" to little Thomas, and Thomas always whistles "Peep, peep" in return.