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Well, this may be something of a surprising list. Generally, my lists discuss comic book-related mayhem, Wonderland-related madness, or something involving villains. What could possess me to talk about something as innocent as “Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends”?
The fact of the matter is that, before Batman, even before Wonderland, my childhood obsession was “Thomas & Friends.” While I’m nowhere near as crazy about it today (I haven’t seen a single episode since Season 12, and even then, I think I only SAW a single episode from that season...I remember very little of it), the “Classic Series,” as it’s now called, of Thomas & Friends, remains a major part of my childhood, and is still something I look back on with golden nostalgia. I’ve also read all of the Reverend W. Awdry’s “Railway Series” books, as well as a good number from his son, Christopher Awdry, who took over the business, so to speak. Both the television series and the books were simple and charming, yet had a powerful sense of atmosphere, and even had an element of danger and adventure to them. It’s become a cliches for people who know this series to add, “Luckily, no one was hurt” at the end of a story in which a train crashes, or falls off a mountain, or meets some other fate that, in real life, would likely be quite horrifying...and far less easy to walk (or roll) away from.
I’ve recently become involved in a project that, in turn, involves “Thomas,” so the nostalgia is strong with this one. I’m not at liberty to say what this project is, but because of the feelings it has filled me with, I have decided the time has come to pay my sometimes-ignored youth respectable homage. The good thing about the characters of the Island of Sodor is that they are, perhaps fittingly, very simple characters; there’s usually not a lot of complexity to them. They’re still good, fun, colorful characters, but it doesn’t take too much to understand them. Analysis will likely be pretty slim in the descriptions here, too, as a result.
The downside to these characters is...well...frankly, I pretty much love ALL of them! Seriously! Aside from some of the newer characters introduced by the television show (most of whom I haven’t even seen, and, frankly, do not want to see), when it comes to the figures who come from the Awdrys’ original tales, and the classic series, I don’t think there’s a single engine, automobile, etc. that I dislike in any way! It’s really more a matter of who I like the most with this list; a contest of who’s the best of the best. So if your favorite character isn’t on here, don’t worry - chances are I still love them.
With that said, wait for the guard’s whistle, and let’s steam out of the station! Here are my Top 20 Characters from “Thomas & Friends!”

20. Bill & Ben the Tank Engine Twins.
These saddle-tank engines are a mischievous duo who work at the Anopha Quarry for the Sodor China Clay Company. They are very young and very energetic. I like to think of them as a pair of bumblebees on tracks: they are small, round, yellow, and constantly moving about from place to place, busy as could be. The only trouble is they aren’t always busy working; they like to pull pranks and tease other engines...and, ironically, can be very easy to fool or distract, themselves. Still, they try their best to help out with the workload, and though they often get into trouble (and just as often are the cause of it), they have their hearts (...or, whatever constitutes for a “heart” in train anatomy) set in just the right place.

19. Duck & Oliver the Great Western Engines.
Apparently a lot of people find these two - particularly Duck - kind of annoying. I have to be honest, I don’t really get it. Obviously Duck isn’t my favorite engine in the world, but I never had a problem with him...nor Oliver, for that matter! Duck (formerly Montague) is a pannier tank engine who was brought to the Island of Sodor due to workload requirements. At the time, Percy was being saddled with pretty much all the grunt work of the North Western Railway, so a new engine was called in to help out. Duck is very strong, as tank engines go, but has a tendency to get too big for his britches: he is extremely respectful of the Fat Controller, but is also extremely proud of his Great Western heritage, and can ramble a touch when he gets too full of himself. Still, he’s not a bad engine, and does try his best to help out...it’s simply that he doesn’t always know when to hush up, much to other engines’ dismay. Oliver, meanwhile, is a little different: he came into the picture much later, after being saved from scrap. He’s younger than Duck, and his main issue is his temper. He’s a caring soul, but he gets bothered perhaps a little too easily for his own good. This causes him to become rough with the freight trucks, which, in turn, often leads to him getting into trouble of some sort. The two engines now run their own branch line, affectionately titled “the Little Western.”

18. Stepney the Bluebell Engine.
The Bluebell Railway is a real-life railway heritage organization that seeks to preserve engines, lines, and so forth from the golden age of steam locomotion, and save them from scrap whenever possible. In the television series, Stepney was saved from scrap for the Bluebell Railway by Rusty; in the books, when we first meet Stepney, he has been free for some time. In both cases, Stepney is one of the first, if not the first tank engine the Bluebells have succeeded in rescuing. He is the pride of the heritage railway, and he knows it. Stepney is cheerful, confident, and optimistic: he never complains about work, or about getting dirty, and is always eager to help out. He’s quick to make friends wherever he goes, and tries to be cordial, if nothing else, with all the engines, even when he doesn’t especially like them. He likes to explore and enjoys visiting new places, and wherever he goes, he proves that steam power is still alive and strong.

17. Bertie the Bus.
If we’re talking about all the characters, we should also give kudos to the characters who don’t run on rails. Bertie the Bus is a friendly rival of Thomas: when they first met, the bus helped save Thomas’ passengers after the little engine got stuck in the snow. They later met again, and the two challenged each other to a race after Bertie claimed to be better and faster than Thomas. The famous race these two had remains one of the most popular stories in the Railway Series, and its television adaptation is equally popular. Since then, the two have been good friends, but they still tend to be a bit competitive. In recent years on television, they even had a rematch! But whether they are racing along the line or the road , or just chatting at a station, the two get along all the same.

16. Harold the Helicopter.
This rescue helicopter constantly patrols Sodor for emergencies that require his airborne assistance. (He also occasionally helps with the mail.) In some ways, he’s similar to Bertie, although his relationship is with Percy: the two met and had a race, and still share a competitive bond. Harold, however, has always been a bit harder for the engines to get along with, for two reasons: first of all, he can be a bit cheeky, and his jokes and teases can bug the railway engines. Second of all, he can fly, and go places neither the trains nor buses can. Still, he’s not a bad sort, always helpful and eager to fly, and even though he likes to annoy Percy and the others, he never seriously considers himself better, or tries to cause trouble.

15. Edward the Blue Engine.
Kind little Edward was the first major protagonist of the Railway Series; before Thomas even came into the picture, it was Edward’s story we had to follow. Edward is a relatively small tender engine, and older than most, if not all, of the other engines on the North Western Railway. His age and size are constant challenges for him on Sodor, as, time and time again, Edward finds himself having to prove to the younger, stronger, bigger engines that he’s just as useful as any other steam train on the Island. He often acts as a sort of grandfatherly figure for many of the other engines, particularly Bill & Ben, since he’s one of the few characters who can keep the twins in order. He’s patient to a fault, and rarely allows the jabs from the other engines who mock him get to him. He knows he’s truly a splendid engine, so he just does what he wants and needs to do, minds his own business, tries his hardest, and lets the world make up their minds about him. It’s always a joy to see Edward come out on top, and prove his worth, and his sage advice is always welcomed.

14. Duke the Lost Engine.
Another sagely character, Duke is...quite surprisingly one of only THREE characters from the Narrow Gauge Railway to make it onto this list. (I, myself, find this surprising, since I like to think that I love the Little Railway as much as the North Western...but I digress.) Anyway: Duke, to be perfectly honest, is probably the single oldest engine on the Island of Sodor, or at least on the Narrow Gauge line. The prize of the Duke of Sodor (hence his title/name), Duke, affectionately nicknamed “Granpuff” by his former “apprentices,” Stuart & Falcon (later renamed Peter Sam and Sir Handel), was a wise but somewhat crotchety engine who ran the Mid Sodor Railway. Duke outlasted virtually every engine who came to work on the line, and tried to teach them all the ways of “His Grace,” and the proper way to work on a railroad. His work became legendary, but over time, the old line began to lose business, and while Stuart and Falcon were sold off to another railway on the Island, Duke was shut up in a shed, where he fell asleep...and slept, like Rip Van Winkle, for years and years, forever locked in a shed, as the world changed around him. In time, the old line practically faded from existence, and the memory of Duke began to fade. Finally, a team decided to seek out this “Sleeping Beauty,” found him (quite by accident), and sold him to the same line where his old aids were found. Duke still runs and works as hard as ever, and shows no sign of running out of steam.

13. Sir Topham Hatt, a.k.a. The Fat Controller.
Formerly The Fat Director. Sir Topham Hatt is the only human character to make it onto this list...mostly because he’s the only human character we really get to know well. He acts as something of a father figure to the engines of the North Western Railway (in fact, in the classic series of the television show, he ran the entire Island), and is the man who organizes the line and the trains, making sure everything runs like clockwork. He can be a sweet and understanding figure, as he’s willing to listen to his beloved engines, and seems to look at all of them as something like his children (...well...his OTHER children; he is a family man). He shows appreciation for all locomotives, but does seem to have a preference for steam engines...although no shortage of diesel and even electric engines can be found on the Island. However, while he can be kind and considerate, he IS the man who gives the orders, and has to suffer the consequences of the accidents and antics his engines get up to, so he’s quick to scold and berate them when things go wrong. He’s sympathetic, yes, but he’s also very, very strict. He can also be a bit bumbling and jokey, as he does have a sort of not-so-secret mischievous side to him, and despite his stern and imposing personality, likes to have a good laugh. Whether he’s bellowing for “SILENCE!” or congratulating the engines for a job well done, the amusing-yet-stoic Fat Controller, Sir Topham Hatt, is the undisputed master of the railway, and deserves due credit.

12. Diesel 10.
Not all the characters in Thomas’ world have special titles. And not all of them are good. Diesel 10 is the only character on this list who is original to the television series canon. He first appeared as the main villain in the film “Thomas & the Magic Railroad.” This movie is...an odd little duck, to say the least. People who know nothing about the show seem to universally hate it, and it was a box office and critical flop; people who are huge fans of the show, meanwhile, seem to be rather split about it. Some think it’s amazing, some think it’s a sin, and then there are people like me who don’t really know what to think: the movie has PLENTY of flaws, don’t get me wrong, but there’s also a lot I genuinely admire about it. It’s a guilty pleasure for me, I have to say; I know that, as a movie, it really isn’t that great, but as a Thomas fan, I’m glad I saw it, and I still look at it with fond feelings. One of the things I loved about the movie was its villain: there have been many evil diesel engines to bedevil Thomas & Friends over the years, but none were more implausibly dangerous than Diesel 10. A large, fast, powerful diesel with a crane-like hydraulic claw built into him (presumably to help out at the scrapyards, even though the mere existence of such a claw violates God-Knows-How-Many railway regulations), he was a maniacal bully, cackling and raving his way through the film as he sought to make the steam engines miserable, and find the mysterious Golden Engine known as “Lady,” whose magic gave Sodor its power. He was defeated and sent promptly packing. Years later, the television canon brought him back, but changed him drastically: he was still a villain, but no longer the psychotic thug of the original film; he was really just sort of a grouch who disliked “steamies” because he felt underappreciated. I have to say, as ludicrous as this guy often is, I really did enjoy him in the movie, and still do. He’s so ridiculously over-the-top and utterly INSANE that it’s kind of hard not to enjoy him. In contrast, his recent returns in the television series - in films like “Calling All Engines” and “Day of the Diesels” - have disappointed me to no end, and are just one of the many reasons I refuse to watch so much of the newer stuff the show has put out…“but,” as the narrator so often put it, “that’s another story.”

11. Rusty the Little Diesel.
Most of the diesels who have come to Sodor tend to be troublemakers. They aren’t always EVIL, mind you, but diesel engines tend to be rather arrogant and feel superiority over the steam engines (and the way the real world has gone, railway-wise, they may not be ENTIRELY wrong). As a result, they frequently try to show the steam engines up, and proverbially “cause confusion and delay.” Rusty is different. Right from the moment he arrives on the island, this Narrow Gauge diesel locomotive is humble and helpful to a tea. He doesn’t try to be better than anybody; much like Edward, he simply tries his hardest to help people out. Heck, he even goes against other diesels at times, such as the aforementioned help he gave Stepney in the T.V. show. Rusty is, however, perhaps a little more proactive than Edward; he DOES have his limits, and can get upset. He’s younger, and less experienced, but he constantly holds out hope and optimism when he can, and will always put people’s (and engines’) safety first. He often helps to repair sections of the line and with freight jobs, but he never complains; in fact, he really seems to enjoy it! But its the youthful vivacity he has while doing it that makes him fun to ride along with.

Continued Here: jjhatter.deviantart.com/art/To…

Description

Well, this may be something of a surprising list. Generally, my lists discuss comic book-related mayhem, Wonderland-related madness, or something involving villains. What could possess me to talk about something as innocent as “Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends”?
The fact of the matter is that, before Batman, even before Wonderland, my childhood obsession was “Thomas & Friends.” While I’m nowhere near as crazy about it today (I haven’t seen a single episode since Season 12, and even then, I think I only SAW a single episode from that season...I remember very little of it), the “Classic Series,” as it’s now called, of Thomas & Friends, remains a major part of my childhood, and is still something I look back on with golden nostalgia. I’ve also read all of the Reverend W. Awdry’s “Railway Series” books, as well as a good number from his son, Christopher Awdry, who took over the business, so to speak. Both the television series and the books were simple and charming, yet had a powerful sense of atmosphere, and even had an element of danger and adventure to them. It’s become a cliches for people who know this series to add, “Luckily, no one was hurt” at the end of a story in which a train crashes, or falls off a mountain, or meets some other fate that, in real life, would likely be quite horrifying...and far less easy to walk (or roll) away from.
I’ve recently become involved in a project that, in turn, involves “Thomas,” so the nostalgia is strong with this one. I’m not at liberty to say what this project is, but because of the feelings it has filled me with, I have decided the time has come to pay my sometimes-ignored youth respectable homage. The good thing about the characters of the Island of Sodor is that they are, perhaps fittingly, very simple characters; there’s usually not a lot of complexity to them. They’re still good, fun, colorful characters, but it doesn’t take too much to understand them. Analysis will likely be pretty slim in the descriptions here, too, as a result.
The downside to these characters is...well...frankly, I pretty much love ALL of them! Seriously! Aside from some of the newer characters introduced by the television show (most of whom I haven’t even seen, and, frankly, do not want to see), when it comes to the figures who come from the Awdrys’ original tales, and the classic series, I don’t think there’s a single engine, automobile, etc. that I dislike in any way! It’s really more a matter of who I like the most with this list; a contest of who’s the best of the best. So if your favorite character isn’t on here, don’t worry - chances are I still love them.
With that said, wait for the guard’s whistle, and let’s steam out of the station! Here are my Top 20 Characters from “Thomas & Friends!”

20. Bill & Ben the Tank Engine Twins.
These saddle-tank engines are a mischievous duo who work at the Anopha Quarry for the Sodor China Clay Company. They are very young and very energetic. I like to think of them as a pair of bumblebees on tracks: they are small, round, yellow, and constantly moving about from place to place, busy as could be. The only trouble is they aren’t always busy working; they like to pull pranks and tease other engines...and, ironically, can be very easy to fool or distract, themselves. Still, they try their best to help out with the workload, and though they often get into trouble (and just as often are the cause of it), they have their hearts (...or, whatever constitutes for a “heart” in train anatomy) set in just the right place.

19. Duck & Oliver the Great Western Engines.
Apparently a lot of people find these two - particularly Duck - kind of annoying. I have to be honest, I don’t really get it. Obviously Duck isn’t my favorite engine in the world, but I never had a problem with him...nor Oliver, for that matter! Duck (formerly Montague) is a pannier tank engine who was brought to the Island of Sodor due to workload requirements. At the time, Percy was being saddled with pretty much all the grunt work of the North Western Railway, so a new engine was called in to help out. Duck is very strong, as tank engines go, but has a tendency to get too big for his britches: he is extremely respectful of the Fat Controller, but is also extremely proud of his Great Western heritage, and can ramble a touch when he gets too full of himself. Still, he’s not a bad engine, and does try his best to help out...it’s simply that he doesn’t always know when to hush up, much to other engines’ dismay. Oliver, meanwhile, is a little different: he came into the picture much later, after being saved from scrap. He’s younger than Duck, and his main issue is his temper. He’s a caring soul, but he gets bothered perhaps a little too easily for his own good. This causes him to become rough with the freight trucks, which, in turn, often leads to him getting into trouble of some sort. The two engines now run their own branch line, affectionately titled “the Little Western.”

18. Stepney the Bluebell Engine.
The Bluebell Railway is a real-life railway heritage organization that seeks to preserve engines, lines, and so forth from the golden age of steam locomotion, and save them from scrap whenever possible. In the television series, Stepney was saved from scrap for the Bluebell Railway by Rusty; in the books, when we first meet Stepney, he has been free for some time. In both cases, Stepney is one of the first, if not the first tank engine the Bluebells have succeeded in rescuing. He is the pride of the heritage railway, and he knows it. Stepney is cheerful, confident, and optimistic: he never complains about work, or about getting dirty, and is always eager to help out. He’s quick to make friends wherever he goes, and tries to be cordial, if nothing else, with all the engines, even when he doesn’t especially like them. He likes to explore and enjoys visiting new places, and wherever he goes, he proves that steam power is still alive and strong.

17. Bertie the Bus.
If we’re talking about all the characters, we should also give kudos to the characters who don’t run on rails. Bertie the Bus is a friendly rival of Thomas: when they first met, the bus helped save Thomas’ passengers after the little engine got stuck in the snow. They later met again, and the two challenged each other to a race after Bertie claimed to be better and faster than Thomas. The famous race these two had remains one of the most popular stories in the Railway Series, and its television adaptation is equally popular. Since then, the two have been good friends, but they still tend to be a bit competitive. In recent years on television, they even had a rematch! But whether they are racing along the line or the road , or just chatting at a station, the two get along all the same.

16. Harold the Helicopter.
This rescue helicopter constantly patrols Sodor for emergencies that require his airborne assistance. (He also occasionally helps with the mail.) In some ways, he’s similar to Bertie, although his relationship is with Percy: the two met and had a race, and still share a competitive bond. Harold, however, has always been a bit harder for the engines to get along with, for two reasons: first of all, he can be a bit cheeky, and his jokes and teases can bug the railway engines. Second of all, he can fly, and go places neither the trains nor buses can. Still, he’s not a bad sort, always helpful and eager to fly, and even though he likes to annoy Percy and the others, he never seriously considers himself better, or tries to cause trouble.

15. Edward the Blue Engine.
Kind little Edward was the first major protagonist of the Railway Series; before Thomas even came into the picture, it was Edward’s story we had to follow. Edward is a relatively small tender engine, and older than most, if not all, of the other engines on the North Western Railway. His age and size are constant challenges for him on Sodor, as, time and time again, Edward finds himself having to prove to the younger, stronger, bigger engines that he’s just as useful as any other steam train on the Island. He often acts as a sort of grandfatherly figure for many of the other engines, particularly Bill & Ben, since he’s one of the few characters who can keep the twins in order. He’s patient to a fault, and rarely allows the jabs from the other engines who mock him get to him. He knows he’s truly a splendid engine, so he just does what he wants and needs to do, minds his own business, tries his hardest, and lets the world make up their minds about him. It’s always a joy to see Edward come out on top, and prove his worth, and his sage advice is always welcomed.

14. Duke the Lost Engine.
Another sagely character, Duke is...quite surprisingly one of only THREE characters from the Narrow Gauge Railway to make it onto this list. (I, myself, find this surprising, since I like to think that I love the Little Railway as much as the North Western...but I digress.) Anyway: Duke, to be perfectly honest, is probably the single oldest engine on the Island of Sodor, or at least on the Narrow Gauge line. The prize of the Duke of Sodor (hence his title/name), Duke, affectionately nicknamed “Granpuff” by his former “apprentices,” Stuart & Falcon (later renamed Peter Sam and Sir Handel), was a wise but somewhat crotchety engine who ran the Mid Sodor Railway. Duke outlasted virtually every engine who came to work on the line, and tried to teach them all the ways of “His Grace,” and the proper way to work on a railroad. His work became legendary, but over time, the old line began to lose business, and while Stuart and Falcon were sold off to another railway on the Island, Duke was shut up in a shed, where he fell asleep...and slept, like Rip Van Winkle, for years and years, forever locked in a shed, as the world changed around him. In time, the old line practically faded from existence, and the memory of Duke began to fade. Finally, a team decided to seek out this “Sleeping Beauty,” found him (quite by accident), and sold him to the same line where his old aids were found. Duke still runs and works as hard as ever, and shows no sign of running out of steam.

13. Sir Topham Hatt, a.k.a. The Fat Controller.
Formerly The Fat Director. Sir Topham Hatt is the only human character to make it onto this list...mostly because he’s the only human character we really get to know well. He acts as something of a father figure to the engines of the North Western Railway (in fact, in the classic series of the television show, he ran the entire Island), and is the man who organizes the line and the trains, making sure everything runs like clockwork. He can be a sweet and understanding figure, as he’s willing to listen to his beloved engines, and seems to look at all of them as something like his children (...well...his OTHER children; he is a family man). He shows appreciation for all locomotives, but does seem to have a preference for steam engines...although no shortage of diesel and even electric engines can be found on the Island. However, while he can be kind and considerate, he IS the man who gives the orders, and has to suffer the consequences of the accidents and antics his engines get up to, so he’s quick to scold and berate them when things go wrong. He’s sympathetic, yes, but he’s also very, very strict. He can also be a bit bumbling and jokey, as he does have a sort of not-so-secret mischievous side to him, and despite his stern and imposing personality, likes to have a good laugh. Whether he’s bellowing for “SILENCE!” or congratulating the engines for a job well done, the amusing-yet-stoic Fat Controller, Sir Topham Hatt, is the undisputed master of the railway, and deserves due credit.

12. Diesel 10.
Not all the characters in Thomas’ world have special titles. And not all of them are good. Diesel 10 is the only character on this list who is original to the television series canon. He first appeared as the main villain in the film “Thomas & the Magic Railroad.” This movie is...an odd little duck, to say the least. People who know nothing about the show seem to universally hate it, and it was a box office and critical flop; people who are huge fans of the show, meanwhile, seem to be rather split about it. Some think it’s amazing, some think it’s a sin, and then there are people like me who don’t really know what to think: the movie has PLENTY of flaws, don’t get me wrong, but there’s also a lot I genuinely admire about it. It’s a guilty pleasure for me, I have to say; I know that, as a movie, it really isn’t that great, but as a Thomas fan, I’m glad I saw it, and I still look at it with fond feelings. One of the things I loved about the movie was its villain: there have been many evil diesel engines to bedevil Thomas & Friends over the years, but none were more implausibly dangerous than Diesel 10. A large, fast, powerful diesel with a crane-like hydraulic claw built into him (presumably to help out at the scrapyards, even though the mere existence of such a claw violates God-Knows-How-Many railway regulations), he was a maniacal bully, cackling and raving his way through the film as he sought to make the steam engines miserable, and find the mysterious Golden Engine known as “Lady,” whose magic gave Sodor its power. He was defeated and sent promptly packing. Years later, the television canon brought him back, but changed him drastically: he was still a villain, but no longer the psychotic thug of the original film; he was really just sort of a grouch who disliked “steamies” because he felt underappreciated. I have to say, as ludicrous as this guy often is, I really did enjoy him in the movie, and still do. He’s so ridiculously over-the-top and utterly INSANE that it’s kind of hard not to enjoy him. In contrast, his recent returns in the television series - in films like “Calling All Engines” and “Day of the Diesels” - have disappointed me to no end, and are just one of the many reasons I refuse to watch so much of the newer stuff the show has put out…“but,” as the narrator so often put it, “that’s another story.”

11. Rusty the Little Diesel.
Most of the diesels who have come to Sodor tend to be troublemakers. They aren’t always EVIL, mind you, but diesel engines tend to be rather arrogant and feel superiority over the steam engines (and the way the real world has gone, railway-wise, they may not be ENTIRELY wrong). As a result, they frequently try to show the steam engines up, and proverbially “cause confusion and delay.” Rusty is different. Right from the moment he arrives on the island, this Narrow Gauge diesel locomotive is humble and helpful to a tea. He doesn’t try to be better than anybody; much like Edward, he simply tries his hardest to help people out. Heck, he even goes against other diesels at times, such as the aforementioned help he gave Stepney in the T.V. show. Rusty is, however, perhaps a little more proactive than Edward; he DOES have his limits, and can get upset. He’s younger, and less experienced, but he constantly holds out hope and optimism when he can, and will always put people’s (and engines’) safety first. He often helps to repair sections of the line and with freight jobs, but he never complains; in fact, he really seems to enjoy it! But its the youthful vivacity he has while doing it that makes him fun to ride along with.

Continued Here: jjhatter.deviantart.com/art/To…