EVERY Railway Series Book Ranked

[@marty6779]

I only now realize how Wilbert wrote a "send off" story for each of "three Railway engines" - Edward proves one final time what he is capable of. So does Henry. Gordon's send off is much more bitter sweet, learning about the loss of his brothers, but reconnecting with Flying Scotsman.

[@TheLazyFusspot_3428]

Utterly poetic... if Chris hadn't continued.

[@racheljackson4428]

i feel like Gordon learning about the truth about what happened to his brothers is where the tone of Gordon's arc starts.

[@TankEngine97]

Lore, character growth, ties to real life events, appealing to all ages, the railway series has it all.

[@TheAutisticCapricorn811]

And it is remarkable all the way to the very last detail (in Wilbert's tenure of the series anyway) 💯💯💯💯

[@theJamesexpress]

🅱️🆙

[@jpraise6771]

LISTEN HERE GRUNTS. I GOT A MESSAGE FOR YA SO YOU LISTEN AND YOU LISTEN GOOD, JESUS CHRIST OUR MOTHA FO'CKIN SAVIOUR HAS SENT ME TO TELL YOU HE RETURNS SOON, SO GIVE YOUR IVES TO CHRIST!

[@TheLazyFusspot_3428]

From simple bedtime stories to an actual in-depth loveletter to trains as a whole.

[@Globgoglabgalab]

How the heck do my friends say Thomas is for little kids!

[@MarvelMTs]

Unlucky Tug: “The world doesn’t revolve around Thomas” MATTEL: *How dare you question the truth!*

[@KraylebStudios]

They hated him for telling the truth

[@emersoninfinitystone5785]

37:27 *"A bad writer gets rid of stuff that doesn't work, a good writer makes that stuff work."* ~ The Unlucky Tug 2022 Enterprising Engines & Thomas And The Great Railway Show will always be my favourite RWS books, one from both Wilbert & Christopher's sets respectively. 📖❤ 1:12:24 Priceless. 😂

[@bladegriggs4090]

I thought that priceless part is hilarious.

[@dylanlyles9453]

Masterpiece! I think about that quote and tear up on a daily basis. 🤣

[@jamesbell5739]

Sorry guys. I don’t get it. What does it mean? 😂🤦‍♂️

[@emersoninfinitystone5785]

@@jamesbell5739 The remaining books resemble a gentlemen's sausage.

[@akintolashekoni4600]

​@@jamesbell5739 look at it sideways

[@ZAV1944]

I feel as if Christopher had been given very little creative freedom largely due to the international success of the TV show, because of this he then had the publishers and Brit Alcroft breathing down his neck to crank out more stories about Thomas and tie in with the TV show.

[@firewolf950tfwgaming7]

Britt and Co probably was breathing down his neck when they developing season 2 as they were still contractually obligated to use the books as source material, but I think after that it was primarily just the publishers that really demanded it as season 3 did let the TV show write original stories.

[@niallstewart2383]

I kinda feel sorry for Christopher Awdry he had big plans for The Railway Series books and as The Unlucky Tug stated that the publishers and children wanted him to write more books on Thomas the Tank Engine due to his popularity or some of the new characters that they hoped could work.

[@TheAutisticCapricorn811]

Reason being why I'm not a fan of journalism. Most things from those organizations are denounced out of obligation than inspiration, and they're demanding written news articles, stories, and other genres striving to be publicized out there just to make all-for-nothing money from the general public in spite of self-gratification and shit. The Railway Series was something in contrast to that. It was a international treasure of real-life inspiration more so than everyday obligations.

[@theJamesexpress]

🅱️🆙

[@e-122psi3]

At the same time however, I don't think it's the actual story ideas that bring down Christopher's books, even if they lack as much ongoing as Wilbert's. It's more how damn bland and technical he writes them, it sometimes feels like he forgets the engines are actually alive. It says something that nearly every adapted story of Christopher's in the show made tweaks to make it flow better or be more character driven. Christopher is also pretty bad at tying together arcs, even within the same book, I don't think it's just the mandates that ground a lot of ideas to halt. Truthfully I think Christopher was kinda clever getting around the Thomas mandate anyway, a lot of the books he only had one story or barely even appeared. We still got plenty of Toby and Percy, James, Gordon and Henry all got books, the Narrow Gauge and Small engines continued to get installments and we even get a couple ones about newcomers. Chris' run could have on paper been the Season Five of the books, a bunch of mostly standalone but enjoyable stories with the main cast, just it wasn't as memorable as Wilbert's most of the time.

[@DanGamingFan2406]

_Duck and the Diesel Engine_ was the first _Railway Series_ book my parents and I read, and it's still my favorite. As a kid, I loved seeing the model series episodes I saw on paper, and as an adult, I love the set up for the dieselization plot and that twisted mirror symbolism you mentioned. But I understand why it's only 5th place here.

[@bladegriggs4090]

When did you first get the book?

[@theJamesexpress]

🅱️🆙

[@giulianodervelociraptorder734]

Nic's movie ranking video: Starts with a Miller movie and ends with a Miller movie Nic's book ranking: Starts with a Narrow gauge book and end with a Narrow gauge book.

[@TheAutisticCapricorn811]

How cliché, yet consistent at best.

[@NitroIndigo]

And the movie ranking ended with the only narrow-gauge movie. It all comes together.

[@BH-98]

It’s like poetry it rhymes with

[@SparklingJam]

And I have a feeling his Thomas season ranking is gonna start with a cgi season and end with a cgi season

[@Ryder-a-Blaze]

Ivo Hugh was the first ever character in the entire franchise to get wasted by only appearing once and never again

[@ryhi5]

Not to mention never even getting to speak, so we don’t even know his personality The book should have been about HIM and his adjustment to life as a newly built engine. Introduce him in the first story and flesh out his character.

[@joshuaW5621]

Same happened to Thumper in Season 5.

[@lukeslocomotives]

[HiT era noises]

[@bungieman2810]

@@lukeslocomotives "I'M BILLY."

[@akintolashekoni4600]

Hell we can still go earlier theres that diesel from James and the diesel engines who should've been d261 or bear who didn't really get a lot of attention or even a story to himself same with boco of course there's also the works diesel and some unused characters for example Barry Elsie that austerity engine and I think there might be a few more that may be a stretch like big city engine or duke who never even got a story after his own book and let's not forget the engines from book 1 like seriously this wasted trope goes from the start and we all blame hit for it

[@Bento_AUS_3059]

First time rewatching this since it's reupload. So glad all these videos weren't gone for too long, Tug is a master of analysing things and helping others understand and appreciate just how good they are.

[@ThomastheCameraHog]

About the title of Main Line Engines, I feel like it should have been called "Boco the Diesel Engine". Like Edward's book, he's not the focus of any of the stories but is instead a constant figure with each story showing him earning the acceptance of the other Sodor engines and becoming a part of the railway.

[@EternityKingdomsHeadHoncho]

Agreed.

[@David_Mattox]

So I said this before, but very pleased that Chris gave Gordon a character arc that ended full circle. Retirement kinda hits harder than family reunion. Enterprising Engines is my favorite, glad it’s #2.

[@theJamesexpress]

🅱️🆙

[@Abbojnr]

10:25 As I said on the OG video, I think the diesel that rescues James being a nobody works in the story's favour, If it was Bear or Boco, we know they're nice and the good sort, But since it's a random diesel it shows that there are good ones all over the place and having James meet this one means he gets to come to grips with this,

[@blox_39]

This is one of my favorite videos you made, glad to see it back

[@FamilyEntertainmentStudios]

So I Made A Similar Comment On Tug’s Original Upload So Here Is The Timestamps 4:06 New Little Engine (42) 5:39 Thomas & The Fat Controllers Engines (41) 6:59 Great Little Engines (40) 8:47 James & The Diesel Engines (39) 10:58 Thomas & Friends (38) 13:41 Thomas & Victoria (37) 16:04 Wilbert The Forest Engine (36) 18:22 Toby, Trucks & Trouble (35) 20:34 More About Thomas The Tank Engine (34) 22:20 Thomas Comes Home (33) 23:40 Really Useful Engines (32) 25:44 Thomas & The Twins (31) 27:38 Thomas & The Great Railway Show (30) 29:04 James The Red Engine (29) 31:04 Jock The New Engine (28) 32:57 Tank Engine Thomas Again (27) 34:08 Henry & The Express (26) 36:09 Henry The Green Engine (25) 38:08 Toby The Tram Engine (24) 39:18 Troublesome Engines (23) 40:24 The Twin Engines (22) 43:19 Stepney The Bluebell Engine (21) 45:13 Gordon The High Speed Engine (20) 47:38 Edward The Blue Engine (19) 49:43 Oliver The Western Engine (18) 51:22 Percy The Small Engine (17) 53:31 Branchline Engines (16) 54:46 The Eight Famous Engines (15) 57:23 Tramway Engines (14) 59:24 Mountain Engines (13) 1:01:46 The Little Old Engine (12) 1:03:25 Gallant Old Engine (11) 1:04:46 The Three Railway Engines (10) 1:06:23 Four Little Engines (9) 1:07:53 Thomas The Tank Engine (8) 1:09:46 Gordon The Big Engine (7) 1:12:24 Small Railway Engines (6) (I Saw What Ya Did There Tug) 1:14:50 Duck & The Diesel Engine (5) 1:19:57 Mainline Engines (4) 1:23:39 Very Old Engines (3) 1:27:01 Enterprising Engines (2) 1:30:32 Duke The Lost Engine (1)

[@123redrules]

Thanks so much for this. You’re a life saver

[@TheAutisticCapricorn811]

I personally think 8 of Christopher Awdry's books oughta be classified as one-offs instead of having to be main published parts of the series. You're not gonna feel any bit parts of inspiration reading those later ones coz there is no depiction of real life events in those stories, although that one story where Sir Handel gets a eye patch after getting hit by a tree limb seems visual. Set aside from some of them stories, reading those one-offs stories by Chris Awdry and this other author, whose name is David Birch, also felt like they're written in obligation instead of real life inspiration. Lastly, to make noticing compliments about the page illustrations in every Chris Awdry & David Birch book story of the series, I am just personally not a fan of Clive Spong's artistry. The only 3 artists of making realistic, impeccable, world-building portraitry are John T. Kenney, Gunvor Edwards, and Peter Edwards.

[@CelestinaakaClonaClox9999]

Thanks for that

[@Benson...1]

​@@123redrulesand you could have read the vids description instead

[@Gregory_ferrandis]

@@Benson...1 that was for the music

[@olivermensinger6022]

Fun fact: this was the last video of yours that I watched before your channel was terminated. Great video, glad it’s back up. Very Old Engines is my favorite book for sure. Duke the Lost Engine is the best book, but Very Old Engines is my personal favorite.

[@mrdoctorgilmore]

Would love the Railway series to make a comeback someday, whether it's Christopher's unreleased book ideas or new content from a trusted author.

[@Soundwave3591]

I think Bulstrode persisted so much in merchandise because, well, he's a boat. I'm pretty sure he's the only named boat character in the RWS OR TVS before the CGI era. Any toy featuring a dockside setting would therefore be motivated to feature a named character than some random faceless cargo ship. also 21:10 IM DEAD XDDDDDDD

[@mr.penguindrewmateo8146]

And to reference the commenter from the original upload of this video, Bulstrode and Mattel have a thing with sinking ships. (I know that’s not the reason why Bulstrode is still used but it’s funny to think about that metaphor)

[@s.p.d.magentaranger1822]

Also memorability. Why? Because every kid who watched his episode wanted to dump a load of trucks on him XD

[@jeremyshafer6720]

I remember having a Bultrode toy that came with a track master set when I was young. I used to fill up his hold with salt from the cabinet. Good times.

[@mikelinge7728]

We all know if Duke’s book would have been the finale,the series would end with a story about three railway engines,the same way it started

[@TheAutisticCapricorn811]

Only difference is that the series started with three standard gauge railway engines, and it ended beautifully with three narrow gauge railway engines.

[@mikelinge7728]

True

[@janmelantu7490]

Tramway Engines is the perfect *epilogue* to Wilbert’s books. Personally I like Enterprising Engines the most, as it’s the last book about the Main Line engines, who are my favorite group of engines.

[@Augment_Failure]

I think it's downright criminal that neither Enterprising Engines or Mountain Engines were adapted to the TV series. The part where Godred had his accident and was used for spare parts "getting smaller and smaller, till nothing was left" was just haunting the first time I read it. The 'Duncan Gets Spooked' of the book series, imo and easily a worse fate then Smudger.

[@cdangelo1843]

Uh, half of Enterprising Engines was adapted.

[@Augment_Failure]

@@cdangelo1843 my bad, I meant Super Rescue. That story would of been a classic if it had been adapted.

[@becdoesyoutube]

@@cdangelo1843Tenders for Henry was never adapted properly sadly.

[@TheLazyFusspot_3428]

​@@becdoesyoutubeThe Henry bit was kinda done well though, I gotta admit

[@becdoesyoutube]

@@TheLazyFusspot_3428 yes but that's one half of the story.

[@dadocta5168]

One of my favourite videos from TUG. Very happy it is back!

[@ShiningTimeStudios475]

I just can't get enough of Willie Rushton. He belonged to the Railway Series. The voice of the Railway Series. 😂❤❤❤😊

[@theJamesexpress]

🅱️🆙

[@samuelfarris1949]

In evaluating the general nature of Christopher's books against Wilbert's, you kind of see that Chris struggled to ascertain his priorities with following up his father's legacy, buffered by the fairly restrained nature of the publishers' demands tying with the TV Series' growing popularity. Wilbert's books became so symbolic because he anchored the weight of his stories around the strength of his inspirations that coincided with them at the time they were written. This was the ultimate secret weapon to their success. That was not to say Wilbert's efforts weren't all perfect; 'The Missing Coach' is the most telling sign of course. I am left to wonder if Wilbert could have taken advantage of a plot point he made in the first story of the origin book, explaining that coaches come out again as fresh trains as soon as they arrive in; this plot point ultimately goes nowhere as Wilbert decides instead to avert reader expectations with a plot twist that does not really have a bearing on the remainder of the book. It also would have been interesting with Stepney's book that the incredible history of his real-life basis was brought up, showcasing the full extent of Stepney's unlikely endurance and providing the ultimate irony in terms of replacement perspective expressed in the final story. It's interesting Wilbert instead deviates from mentioning it; I guess Stepney's focus was not as pivotal to him as other aspects. Stepney's book also underlies something else; Wilbert's reservation of outright emphasising steam engines with feminine names as female. Indeed Mavis's intro in the very final pair of stories Wilbert wrote discreetly presents a symbolic triumph; Wilbert introducing a female engine character, which you can kind of tell was something Wilbert had a personal rule of not bringing up in his stories. (Note Daisy is essentially a motorised coach more so than a legit engine.) Indeed the general nature of the role of females being to essentially anchor prominently male-oriented storylines was typical of the time; they would pop up in the way that the housewife comes in to the family man's dynamic basically, just because it was easier for most writers to account them on paper that way. All that aside, I have no doubt why The Railway Series remains so popular. Regards, Samuel Farris.

[@e-122psi3]

Really I think most of the time, the actual subject matter isn't the issue with Christopher's books, but more they aren't very character driven. A lot of the time he overfocuses on the technical stuff, while Wilbert was better at taking that and characterising it into some sort of funny personality that could even have a whole arc around them. Now obviously Wilbert sometimes had issues remembering the engines were meant to be characters too, most infamously the whole 'engines get blamed for workmen errors' formula or having to be reigned in from KILLING OFF HENRY simply because he wasn't a locomotive accurate to his demands, but his writing style was in general quirky and witty with lots of colourful characters, while with Christopher, the lack thereof is often the most recurrent complaint. Even Clive Spong's illustrations kinda emote the same way, competent but dry, while even Wilbert's worst illustrators were more quirky and expressive to reflect the funny personality to them. This is telling more so with the TV show rewrites of Christopher's stories (and some of Wilbert's dryer ones), which often add more character moments to make them more entertaining, showing the stories and premises themselves aren't exactly the problem. Heck, two Skarloey Railway books, one Small Railway book, several new characters, Gordon's arc, James, Toby, and Henry sequel books, and even the Thomas centric books often giving plenty focus to other characters and situations. Other than the lack of new railways (and even then some cameo), the Christopher series on paper could have been pretty rounded.

[@samuelfarris1949]

@@e-122psi3 Very good point, and actually I think your point had more to do with what I stated about Chris Awdry's books when this video was first uploaded on Tug's old channel. In that, I said that Chris did not try to make a major impact with his books the way his father did, and that he was mainly taking advantage of things that had been established prior by his father. Toby's prominence very much reflected his childhood experience that inspired Toby's introduction in the first place. The reason he wrote a whole book about Jock was because Wilbert Awdry had established the character in his 1987-published analysis of the Island of Sodor's history. Wilbert the Forest Engine was a thing because of his father naming the real-life engine more than anything else, and he wanted to acknowledge it. The reason Gordon's arc was continued with the threat of being replaced by a modern high-speed train was because Gordon's arc was technically defined in the books to begin with. In sum-up, Chris's books are a 50/50 matter; they came from the right place and there are fine stories in them when they have a solid base, but they don't do too much to advance the scope of the premise either. Regards, Samuel Farris.

[@TheAutisticCapricorn811]

A rare common example of why journalism isn't my course of a study field.

[@ShiningTimeStudios475]

Instead of Mysterious, I think it's appropriate that the Culdee Fell Railway is indeed a "Magic Railroad!" 😂😂😂❤😅😅

[@LosViajeros8173]

Hi Unlucky Tug. Love watching your content. Idk if anyone has brought this up yet, but I personally think "Main Line Engines" is actually about BoCo and his gradual acceptance to the Sodor family. Here's my reasoning: Each story features BoCo in some way and in every story, he meets one of the already established characters and breaks down their wall of distrust towards diesels. 1. The Diseasel - We meet him for the first time and he gets established with Bill, Ben, and Edward. 2. Buzz Buzz - He meets Duck and wins him over which was probably very difficult after the whole Diesel fiasco. 3. Wrong Road - BoCo "saves" Gordon from Bill and Ben and wins him over as well. 4. Edward's Exploit - BoCo wins over the Caledonian twins, works on Edward's branch line, and is now welcome anywhere as he is now one of the family. With that in mind, maybe an alternative title would be "BoCo the Diesel Engine" or something like that? It's just something I thought about after re-reading the book and watching your video.

[@goldenheart3887]

55:01- It took me a wikidive on train lore to finally understand this joke. I had to look up what a terminus was (it’s the station at the end of a railway route) and then had to look up everyone’s designation and what-not. The TL;DL for the non-train people watching this: That LMS engine says the London terminus is Euston. It is. Gordon is a GNR /LNER engine. King’s Cross is the GNR/LNER terminus and is owned and operated by the GNR/LNER. Duck is a GWR engine. Paddington Station is the GWR terminus and is owned and operated by the GWR. St. Pancras is the MR terminus. Guess which railway you leave Sodor from to get to London.

[@djdrago9712]

21:11 Thomas: AAAHHHHH *fades away* *Toby and Percy look at each other* Both: HOORAY!!!! 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@RatelHBadger]

59:40 Mountain Engines is one of my favourite books in the whole series. I grew up in Wellington New Zealand, where we had our own Fell engine powered incline railway. This inspired great fascination in this book in particular, wondering if Awdry had ever visited it prior to writing the book. I always hoped Christopher would revisit the characters, maybe even have some of the humans visiting H199 in its museum. Im glad you featured the book so highly in your rankings, despite it being so random and unrelated to the wider canon of the series.

[@kevin-2.1]

I love how you describe each book, and you play each characters soundtrack. 🤩🤩

[@mitchellwhittington2507]

The Railway Series deserves to be known as one of the best book series of all time. Let's make sure future generations are aware of these stories, and that they stay away from the garbage Mattel is dumping out.

[@niallstewart2383]

I absolutely agree that The Railway Series books are to be one of the best book series of all time. I should also think that the publishers should re-publish all of Christopher Awdry’s book since they are very hard to find in bookshops.

[@theJamesexpress]

🅱️🆙

[@TheRocketbabydoll]

We’ve been doing our part, I’ve definitely read them to my nephew

[@mitchellwhittington2507]

I buy the books for my little cousins for birthdays and Christmas presents, as well as classic series DVDS, and Wooden Railway toys.

[@TheLazyFusspot_3428]

Agreed. To make some comparisons, I would go as far to say as it is on par with the works of the Harry Potter books, as well as Tolkien's books in terms of worldbuilding. Absolutely astonishing.

[@ryanfuller912]

Hey Nick, if AWDRY saw that The Adventure Begins end credits feature the pictures from his books, I bet he would have cried out tears of joy.

[@CerberiRedWolf]

YES! This is one of my favs from you. My parents used to read the railway series to me when I was growing up, and I got the anniversary edition with all the Wilbert books in one recently.

[@bladegriggs4090]

When did you first read the books?

[@CerberiRedWolf]

@@bladegriggs4090 late 1990's-early 2000's.

[@joeyhilliard5323]

This is my favorite video of yours; an emotional rewatch to say the least.

[@fooandsebcomics]

Ivo Hugh is definitely the character of all time . He has a design , an introductory book , a single appearance and a personality.

[@TheAutisticCapricorn811]

And yet the most forgettable character ever in the Railway Series; possibly as much forgettable he'll probably be if he ever appeared in the TV show. The book "New Little Engine" itself should've been published as a one-off and not be included as an inspirational part of the main book stories of the series.

[@ek9509]

The only thing missing is the dialogue.

[@TheLazyFusspot_3428]

No, the top 6 book placements at 1:12:26 is Awdry's character ever. The shape just speaks volumes of unfathomable peak.

[@ek9509]

@@TheLazyFusspot_3428 What are you, a mathematical genius?

[@joshuaW5621]

He sort of feels like a season 5 newbie.

[@ryhi5]

It always frustrates me that Duke got zero focus in Chris books. I wanted to see him adjust to his new home. Maybe Sir Handel would finally change his ways now that his Granpuff is back. So much wasted potential.

[@LegendaryCaptain]

One interaction that NEEDED to happen would be Duke talking to Skarloey and personally thanking him for filling in as their father figure while Duke was asleep that would've been incredibly heartwarming

[@NitroIndigo]

It's like that in the show too. The first four episodes of season 4 hype up how amazing Duke is, then he becomes a background character and disappears forever. Also, now I'm imagining Sir Handel and Peter Sam calling Skarloey "Granpuff" when they think he's out of earshot.

[@LegendaryCaptain]

@NitroIndigo literally Duke's last speaking role was before Skarloey, Rheneas, Rusty and Duncan said anything also Duke completely disappearing after Season 4 worked out in the long run considering how messed up the treatment was towards the old wise characters down the line just look at Skarloey

[@crimsondynamo615]

@@LegendaryCaptainand for some reason they made Sir Handel the oldest

[@BlackNovember_94]

My favourite Wilbert books are “Henry the Green Engine”, “The Twin Engines” & “Enterprising Engines” (both excellent stories about my 2 favourite characters Henry & Douglas)

[@AxelWedstar411]

I love the Edwards' art. Easily my favourite era of the books visuals-wise.

[@NitroIndigo]

"All the engines are based on real, existing locomotives." Percy: And I took that personally.

[@P6prodss]

😂

[@Kahran042]

Part of what I like about Mountain Engines is that it has arguably the two coolest chapter titles in any RWS book - Danger Points and Devil's Back.

[@thesudriana016]

21:11 In an AU, Percy and Toby celebrate Thomas' misfortune of never making more appearances and overshadowing the other characters.

[@robertrowley4929]

I’d join in too.

[@callum110597]

I didn't watch the video right away because I honestly didn't read the books in ages and had not read most of Christopher Awdry's books, but now on 28th August 2023, I have finally watched it, though I skipped plenty of Christopher's books... The chapters of your thoughts on them, I mean, because I still haven't read most of them. And it's a pain that they're not published ever again! But anyway, what an incredible ranking! While I haven't read books so often in my adult years, since I'm more glued to computers and televisions, though watching screens all the time isn't ideal for anyone's health, I do think The Railway Series is such an incredible book series. Wilbert's books are all incredibly awesome, even Mountain Engines despite what fans said on your Twitter. And I heard Christopher's books aren't as great, particularly because publishers forced Christopher to include Thomas in a lot of them, but they're still nice, most of them anyway. And without this whole book series, we never would've gotten our love for trains or the TV show that everyone knows fairly well. May it be remembered for years to come!

[@StanleyV64]

This is one of those >1 hour long videos that I just keep coming back to when I need to relax. It's such a calming watch, on such a fabulous topic.

[@tugsfan1617]

The railway series is great and this is your best video on your channel

[@yeetboiwhatyesplease2095]

I’m really sad that Triple Header wasn’t adapted for TV. I mean, they would’ve had everything they needed to film it. The duck, Percy, Thomas, Gordon, and coaches props were all there, as well as the stations and hills.

[@e-122psi3]

In hindsight, it is odd that one didn't get picked for adaptation, especially compared to something like Percy Takes The Plunge getting chosen before Percy's Promise. It was a pretty simplistic plot that didn't use any new characters and was arguably one of Christopher Awdry's more light hearted stories, not being as dry in narrative. It actually might have made a better Season Four finale than Mind That Bike, a fun little 'epic' to round off the model series' RWS era.

[@yeetboiwhatyesplease2095]

Yeah I agree with that @@e-122psi3

[@e-122psi3]

@@_MyNameIsAJ_ Really, three tank engines pulling the express shouldn't have been much harder to pull off on their sets than Gordon, especially since the express' length varied from episode to episode.

[@bungieman2810]

For some reason, I would always ask my mom to read me either "The Missing Coach" or "Saved From Scrap". I have no idea why I liked that first one considering the plot is incoprehensable.

[@Imjustasimpleman5310]

Maybe it was because it never got an episode, so the only time you could get the story was when mom was reading.

[@cloudracer07]

I bet your mom wondered why you loved a story where it basically discusses about death.

[@bungieman2810]

@@cloudracer07 I just really liked Trevor as a kid.

[@LePenguin]

19:12 "Percy kills Bulstrode" LMAO

[@nikerailfanningttm9046]

5:01 32:35 hold on, I forgot about this book entirely and I’m just realizing the “building” behind Jock is a damn SEMI TRAILER. And Jock is illustrated “pulling” it over the miniature railway tracks. A Standard Gauge British Goods Trailer, behind a miniature engine, THIS ILLUSTRATION MAKES NO SENSE! 🤣🤣🤣

[@funnyhappystudios]

My favorite has always been Mountain Engines simply because of its mystery. As a kid, I collected a lot of Thomas and Friends Take Along, and when I got Culdee, I was like, “who the fuck is this character, and why do they have two faces? Is Culdee a girl since purple is a girly color?” I kept wondering about Culdee because I had never heard of him, mainly because he was never in the TV show, and I didn’t own all the books. I felt the same with Mike, but I wasn’t obsessed with him like I was with Culdee because he didn’t have an odd color, a weird shape, and two faces. When I learned how to use the computer, I looked him up on KZbin and found a video of someone reading “Bad Lookout.” I was surprised. There were not one, but eight other engines like him who had their own secluded railway on the highest mountain in the island. And Godred’s fate was so kickass to me at that age. Mountain Engines, and especially Culdee, is probably my favorite in the entire series simply because of history.

[@s.p.d.magentaranger1822]

It was SUCH a missed opportunity to bring him into the show like the Smallies. It really stings me. Why? There was concept art for CGI Culdee. But Mattel are idiots.

[@bartzacky9639]

“Why does Percy look like that? Why are his pupils huge?”

[@David_Mattox]

So if I were to give some of these books new titles… T&V > Victoria and the Old Engines: She has more interaction with Edward and Toby than Thomas BLE > Farquhar Engines: The book is pretty focused on Thomas’ branch line, and it frees the former title for something else… MLE > Branchline Engines: It’s focused on Edward’s branch, but the book could also be called Suddery Engines or something. Just not Main Line with Bill/Ben on the cover MATTTE > Quarreling/Feuding Engines: The Thomas/Percy feud is supposed to be the focus of this book . Title may not fit, but it’s more imaginative H&TE > Henry the Overhauled Engine: Need I say more? TCH > Daisy Takes Charge: Daisy does have a bit more focus than Thomas’s return, plus it sounds more fun. And I don’t think I need to say anything about Oliver’s book.

[@pranavrao6370]

T&HF - The End of the Line

[@juliealgh]

Its because of you that I am in to the railway series. And I can't thank you enough for that.💖

[@PCMan8922]

Both Wilbert and Chris Made Gordon The Star of The Book Series.

[@e-122psi3]

One thing I think might have better tied James and the Diesel Engines was if the engine that unwittingly caused his accident in Crossed Lines was the diesel that rescues him, making a bad first impression on James but proving in the end they're alright.

[@TheLazyFusspot_3428]

If only Chris utilised Bear instead of some random npc works diesel in which we don't know the name of.

[@CTTE06]

1:12:24 *P I N G A S*

[@Scotsmansreign]

Bruh the intro, it’s amazing I love the intro and I love everything in this video well done

[@monster56619]

This was the last video I saw in full on the main channel before it was wiped away. Glad to see it back!

[@Sonic_fan_2005]

I just realized that the AEG Bulstrode footage changed

[@tsguy-h3q]

I've watched this video on the main channel before, but I love this so much I watched it again the whole way

[@garrerrrerry8023]

The last UT video that I watched before the old channel got deleted. Glad to see it back!

[@olivermensinger6022]

Same

[@lukewolsey]

Your best video, with the map analysis ones a close second. Glad it's back.

[@randomstufliker2]

To be fair to Pop Special, there is at least some reason for Duncan to be the character featured. In Passengers and Polish, he complained about being overworked and under appreciated. So much so that he purposefully stalled on the viaduct. Clearly, he learned nothing from Henry. :P He learned more through Rheneas' example told by Skarloey in Gallant Old Engine about what it means to work on a railway that, at least in part, is meant to carry passengers as opposed to a factory and he took it heart. He must have because look at him in Pop Special. Although it doesn't sound like a holiday to him, when he learns that the scouts are helping, Duncan shuts up. He also sacrifices his rest in order to help them. Remember, he and his crew only have just enough time to deliver the pop then get back to their train. I'll be the first to admit that Chris didn't make it clear; it certainly took a long time for me to put it together. There's subtlety then there's... whatever-this-is. Still, I do appreciate what was attempted there

[@thethomasthetankenginechan4055]

For some reason, When I first discovered The Railway Series, I really didn’t like the illustrations in the Christopher Awdry books. But I loved the Reginald Payne’s Illustraions. I still like Reginald Payne’s Illustrations, but I’ve learned to tollerate the Christopher Awdry ones.

[@OneArmLivingLife]

The thing With Gordon, pip, and Emma is an example of dramatic irony for the people who read the books already

[@Arakal421]

Excellent video! Side note I really love the music you use for your videos.

[@lnerengine2644]

I remember my school library had a copy of Enterprising Engines when I was a kid. I found Super Rescue a fascinating story due to the illustrations of D199 and Bear, they were never in the show and I found the yellow faces interesting. My Mum got me a wooden railway D199 when she came back from Holidays.

[@kodabear2856]

You know, something I realized recently is that Thomas and the Fat Controllers Engines is Thomas and his Friends simplified. Meaning Christopher used the same titled twice but worded them differently 🤯

[@freidabrazeau8822]

Has anyone noticed that if Christopher never got sick, we would not have this series, the show, and all the merchandise.

[@loanedengineproductions]

"Percy kills Bulstrode" 😂😂

[@ItsCarlos563]

YES!!! My favourite video of yours has returned :)

[@Angel-Pictures]

Very glad to see this video is back, its great!

[@Globgoglabgalab]

I get all quivery and I almost cry when I remember and see how Gordon has grown.A cheeky mean young braggart to a kind old lesson learned engine😢😢😢

[@ryleeculla5570]

Funny thing is, is that the CGI era adds Audrey and his friend a few times in the series as back ground characters

[@katgore17]

In new little engine, Rhenas was incorrectly illustrated as an 0-4-2 i’m sorry if I spelled his name incorrectly

[@HenryFan1911]

Keep going, Tug! We'll get you your second silver play button and past everyone else!!! I'll sub on all my alts for you!

[@racheljackson4428]

Unlucky Tug: i Love me a good character arc. Neville Longbottom: Hold my wand.

[@YourAverageRailwayFan]

This is the best unlucky tug video ever, no question

[@Kahran042]

I love how book #16 is at #16 in the rankings.

[@EternityKingdomsHeadHoncho]

How “James and the Diesel Engines” is handled in my personal canon: “Old Stuck-Up” changes its subject from the reckless diesel who smashed through a wall to James, making this a story about his inability to accept diesels even after many of them have proven themselves credits to the Fat Controller’s railway. The arrival of new Class 08s Paxton and Sidney brings out his prejudice, but while he’s busy ranting about how worthless diesels are, his flatbed ends up on two separate points and ends up knocking a signal over… making this also a partial adaptation of “Crossed Lines”. “Mixed Signals” is an original Sidney story, exploring his forgetfulness, something only compounded by his driver’s naïveté regarding Sodor’s lines. Chaos ensues. It’s “Sidney Sings” minus the singing and given some added layers thanks to Sidney and his driver being equally clueless. James oversees Sidney fumbling about and makes a cruel remark, earning him a rebuke from Edward- or better yet, BoCo. “Paxton’s Little Friends” is an original Paxton story focused on establishing his friendship with the Skarloey engines. Thanks to some rumors spread by James, Sir Handel and Peter Sam expect the worst out of Paxton. Duncan, in a rare moment of being the sensible one, encourages his friends to give the little diesel a chance (he’s learned not to judge a diesel by its radiator in the past, just ask Rusty). It’s a story about how much Duncan has grown contrasting that against James’s refusal to grow past “diesels are bad go brrr”. Also, this would introduce the Blue Mountain Quarry as an expansion of the Skarloey connected to the Culdee Fell. “James Runs Dry” is the “Deep Freeze” of this version of the book and a rewrite of “Gordon Runs Dry” with James in place of Gordon. This is what finally ends James’s prejudice against diesels, with one he once regarded as a nuisance being the one who saves him in a dire moment.

[@joshuaW5621]

Thanks for giving me the idea for a potential tv adaptation of the stories.

[@EternityKingdomsHeadHoncho]

@@joshuaW5621 You've got my blessing, good sir. Go forth and adapt as you please!

[@klebdapleb3928]

4:28 Why is Rheneas an 0-4-2T here? Just noticed and now I can't unsee it

[@Athant0s]

Might be continuity error could be an idea since rheneas was overhauled

[@clayton_rose]

I did post this on the previous video but I thought this was important to mention. I think that it was supposed to be a random diesel to show that kindness can come from anywhere.

[@Xalerdane]

There’s also the fact that the diesel that helped James was a BR Class 47, which was one of the few designs that not only worked, but worked so well that they’re still in use today. Both BoCo and Bear were examples of failed designs (the BR Class 28 CoBos were a complete disaster, and the BR Class 35 Hymeks were diesel-hydraulic locomotives and thus not BR standard), it’s not impossible that James figured that the only reason the two diesel locomotives he was in regular contact with weren’t arrogant and boastful was because they had nothing to be arrogant and boastful about. When he was helped by a successful diesel locomotive, he had nothing he could use to excuse his kindness.

[@joshuaW5621]

I would like to see a Class 47 in the show seeing how common they are. Same with the Class 37.

[@nikerailfanningttm9046]

RIP FRANK. He never made it to the CGI era.

[@Athant0s]

Same with jock

[@nicholasstanton9575]

I wonder who the voice actors would be? Maybe Donald’s voice actor for Jock? And maybe Rusty’s voice actor for Frank?

[@CaptainOlimarFan1]

Mavis is underrated I love her

[@The_Spectre_Gamer]

1:12:24 What we all REALLY remember from the video.

[@jamesthebluecat1263]

DIC

[@E2ForLife]

I don't get it

[@amandastill5124]

​@@E2ForLifeThe books shape out a pp

[@ReallyUsefulPinkEngine29]

1:08:17 - Thomas the Tank Engine - my favourite RWS book!

[@thethomasthetankenginechan4055]

That was my favourite when I first discovered The Railway Series. But I have a new favourite book, Duke the lost engine.

[@nicholasstanton9575]

And friends… sort of…

[@nicholasstanton9575]

I mean there’s Edward…

[@person1232]

Though it may not have been the intention, here's my head canon for The Missing Coach: Donald and Douglas are both new engines to the North Western Railway and are essentially on trial. This is why they start by shunting trains with Duck in the yard. After the entire missing coach incident, Donald is scheduled to take a goods train. This is likely because he now knows the line well enough to know where to take his first goods train, Douglas does not at this point. However, Douglas now doesn't want to be confronted for his mistake out of fear of being sent away. So their plan is to basically make it seem as if Donald can't take the train for a valid reason, and that Douglas has taken his train for him. This would hopefully keep Douglas in the fat controller's good books (for taking the train) and Donald can't be faulted for breaking down. The only problem is that Douglas does not know the line well enough to take Donald's train and Donald has no time to explain it to him as the fat controller would appear soon. The solution would then be to swap tenders. Donald, masquerading as Douglas, takes the goods train to its destination whereas Douglas, masquerading as Donald, appears to be having maintenance done on him. They, however, underestimated just how much the fat controller has been kept up to date with their progress. He is fully aware that Douglas does not know the line well enough to take Donald's train. Nothing gets past him on his railway. He therefore swings around and calls Douglas out for masquerading around with Donald's tender because Douglas wouldn't have been able to take the goods. Again, this is simply just my head canon. Most of this is not emphasised in the story, and the story as published is very confusing, but I do think it makes some more sense when thinking about it in the context of the twins being new to the railway.

[@Ryder-a-Blaze]

The railway series is so rich in lore

[@becdoesyoutube]

1:12:25 This STILL has me in stitches.

[@GiraffeConductor]

What was the joke?

[@olivermensinger6022]

@@GiraffeConductor what do those 6 books later out that way look like?

[@jamesthebluecat1263]

It’s hilarious!

[@GiraffeConductor]

@@olivermensinger6022 oh shit lmao didnt notice till you mentioned it

[@legorogue]

I've always had a soft spot for Mountain Engines since I got to ride the Pike's Peak Cog Railway as a little kid.

[@Scutt_le]

Only super bad thing that’s notable about Tank Engine Thomas Again,is that it has…possibly the most INFAMOUS illustration mistake in Thomas History

[@theholygamer969]

Which one?

[@SparklingJam]

Which one

[@SalmonJonesTheMagnificent]

My middle of nowhere american public library, somehow, had a copy of Wilbert The Forest Engine, so that's my equivilent of Thomas & The Great Railway Show for you. It's not a great book reading it as an adult, but as a kid I was just blown away to read a railway series book I hadn't read yet so I absolutely loved it.

[@savagegardenfan9680]

I wonder if you thought about doing Sir Handel as a Sodor Finest?

[@awesomeraf7851]

Fun fact: Henry's book caused some big controversy because of a racist slur that was said when Henry blew steam at the boys, and it's pretty obvious what it was

[@chase1913]

I don't comment much, but this is the video that got me back into Thomas. Glad to see its back wooo

[@piercebricks3480]

Been waiting for this one to rerelease! My go to comfort video :) time to rack up some views!

[@ek9509]

56:15: At the far left corner of the last illustration, next to Duck, Mr. Tug.

[@liamcarey560]

Enterprising engines is my all time favorite railway series book

[@liamcarey1332]

enterprising engines is my all time favorite railway series book

[@thepartridgesings]

I feel like Chris could've done some great stuff but was forced to weite other things, especially with Thomas installed somewhere. Like with the Barry book. Wilbert had time and passion. Chris....yeah publishers. . There were defintiely missed opportunities though. Like that diesel you mentioned in James and Diesel. I wish Wilbert the engine got to do more for sure. And the twins got a better last story then the buffers. I'm happy Gordon got an ending but I wish the later books got some better stories tbh but I suppose it could be worse..... My favourite is personally the Scottish Twins. Good times.

[@gkingGabe72]

42:45 I agree. My main issue with this story is the inclusion of the coach and the service it runs. Wilbert did not introduce the special coach or it's service properly. And the irony is that the special coach and the service it's tied to doesn't appear in the series ever again. The idea of twins taking the fall or covering for the other is pretty neat, but it hilariously back fired for Donald and Douglas.

[@Toysonicandfriends2]

City of Truro was actually the first engine that went 100 miles per hour