I imagine some people on the forums may possibly be like me and originally discovered their love of trains at an extremely young age, thanks to a certain series starring a little blue tank engine. There was a lot of charm to the old series, mostly thanks to the models and the sets. Another element I felt made the show was the original music by Mike O'Donnell and Junior Campbell. I'll admit that some of those themes have stuck with me and even now, I sometimes find myself randomly humming some of those themes from time to time. Anyway, I recently came across this project on YouTube. Thomas Reorchestrated: Sodor Symphony. Someone has gone to the effort of orchestrating the music from the original series of the show and made a soundtrack album that matches the quality of any cinematic film. I felt it was worth sharing on here. Here's my favourite track from the album: Full album playlist on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIvb_i9qUYwumA6b8KmX6TLL986JyuKr0 If anyone else remembers any of the original music and wants to spend some time revelling in some nostalgic goodness, I recommend giving this a listen.
The nostalgia in this for me comes from watching Thomas with my young daughter in the 1980s. But Thomas for me is really the little hardback books which I used to read as a kid in the 1960s. I must have read them all one by one from the local library. That and having a train driver dad got me into trains and eventually, via model railways, TSW.
If DTG ever do the Sodor railway in TSW, I really hope they get the sounds correct. Remember, Thomas goes Peep Peep and Gordon goes Poop Poop.
Rev Awdry was so in depth with Sodor he made seperate book detailing the history of it. You probably could get a decent route out of Sodor! Even better if it includes the Skarloey line too Just a shame the licence would probably cost DTG an arm and a leg!
Personally mine was the episodes with Duck & Diesel, ending with Duck visiting a Barber. There was also an episode I remember in which they actually showed an engine fall off a bridge into a swamp - only for him to haunt the bridge as a ghost, never making it to the other side. It was pretty dark for a kids show back in the day lol.
My favourite episodes are Millie the narrow gauge engine working at the quarry alongside Percy taking a plunge at the port. By the way, you can couple Bill and Ben to a class 43 HST. If you're wondering the GWR Class 43 HST is in the book railway series as Pip and Emma. The coupler doors for class 43 HST in-game is where their mouth is provided DTG wants the HST to be added into a Thomas and Friends DLC pack. Class 08 TVL NTP DLC Class 09 WSR if a Thomas and Friends option were to be added those become Paxton Sidney Diesel. For the hsd twins one can be the Great Western the other being East Midlands Railway from the latest downloadable content Midland main line
This is sooooooo good, brings back so many memories! I loved James´ jazzy theme, reminds me of the episode where a bunch of bees made him their home and then one stung him on the nose.
I really enjoyed watching it in my childhood but this show terminated when they switched to 3D Thomas & Friends has lost its charm
I'd question even bringing it in - I mean who would be the target as the majority of Thomas's fans would be fine with 2 buttons labelled Stop and Go because they are pre-schoolers. Doing a full Steam Simulation Thomas might appeal to a handful of nostalgic cranks but it's going to be a niche market in an already niche product.
Honestly I'd like to see Sodor in Spirit of Steam just for a laugh. I watched this as a kid but strangely it wasn't that that sparked my interest in the railways, it was my constant use of the railways to go places from a young age. The Class 314 was one of my most-used trains in this time as well.
Never seen the CG version but I recall the first showing of the first series (with Ringo narrating) and being immediately unimpressed. Within the first few seconds of the titles starting I was actually shouting at the telly, "Annie and Clarabel aren't four-wheelers!"
I'd be one of those nostalgic cranks! In all seriousness, I don't actually expect DTG to make a Sodor route was just a bit of fun to think about if anything. DTG have got way too many real routes to make to ever even consider doing anything fictional anyway.
I regularly used to borrow that book from the library when I was younger. It really bought the Island to life, it was like an in depth guide book of a real life place. A few years ago I was hunting for some copies of it online but the prices were astronomical. There was one of ebay which was over £100. I think it could work as a route if you could base it on the information in the book as it was based on prototype ideas. However, as said getting the licence would probably cost a fortune. I am pretty certain, from what I have read about him that Rev Awdry would be aghast at the copyright protection in place, the amount of money required and the hurdles put up by the owners of the copyright. I have got three LP's of William Rushton reading some of the Thomas the Tank Engine stories, I found them the other day whilst doing some sorting out.
I agree and that requires the addition of Daisy's face to the WSR NTP Class 101. West Cornwall Local and Western Main line HST requires the addition of Pip and Emma's face to the HST front.
I hadn't realised the Thomas had got so modern as to feature a HST, not sure Pip is the sort of name I would give a HST!
If they want an electric locomotives from France that's Etienne the BB9004 record holder. In 2006 he was brought over to the Schnellfahrstrecke Nürnberg-München as a display next to the new record holder of electric locomotives 1216 050 currently ÖBB1216 025. Voltage for overhead contact system that Etienne BB9004 is 1.5kv DC KVB VACMA like LGV Mediterranean Line Avignon-Marsellie Southern segment. Even his record holder successor ÖBB1216 025 originally 1216 050 can also run on 1.5kv DC. Normal operation 15kv 16.7hz AC to Italian 3kv DC wires.
Thank you for telling me about this so Etienne the BB9004 has Crocodile. For older French locomotives like BB9004 are they equipped with VACMA like the 1970s-present era Nez Cassés locomotive family BB7200 CC6500 1.5kv DC or not?
Yeah, I think they showed up in the last of Christopher Awdry's books. They take over Gordon's express duties after he humbly retires. Only found out myself in recent months from the below video.
What does a Thomas engine do for retirement though? Or, was a preserved steam railway introduced?! I only have ever read the first few Christopher Awdry books.
The only preserved railway I remember being in the books was the Talyllyn, Gordon definitely wouldn't fit in there lol. The National Railway Museum was featured in one of the books - including Mallard, Duchess of Hamilton and Green Arrow. Maybe he would go there? Alternatively, a life of heritage lines and railtours maybe?
I’m old enough to have had my introduction through the books many years (decades) before the TV series although I watched them when my kids were small. My favourite episode was the double one with Thomas and Bertie having a race in the first story and Thomas getting stuck in the snow in the second. The Rev Awdry hated the TV series after they moved away from his original stories as his stories were based on how the railways worked in real life whereas the TV series moved more into the realms of fantasy. Has anyone seen the American version where George Carlin, well known for his very adult humour, acted as the narrator?