Is "Thomas The Tank Engine" Some Secret Dark Dystopia?

[@waywardwyvrinn1192]

Things are really heating up in the Thomas the Tank Engine fandom.

[@sjbrigante4845]

Wayward Wyvrinn i know it's awesome

[@dannybright8708]

I’m a bit surprised it even has a fandom. You wouldn’t think something like this would.

[@eggheadthedoctor7489]

Oh, so you have seen the deviantart fan art then?

[@thegoodmudkip3652]

@@dannybright8708 yup, it has a fandom. A proud, small, juvenile, and scrappy little fandom that I am a proud member of.

[@thehumanvacuum3413]

Boilers are bubbling!

[@ctk3316]

Who came from “Thomas was only following orders” lmfao

[@Shadow_Witch]

i did, youtube is taking me to strange places.

[@fireheartshadow]

oh god

[@Themarshmallowhobo]

All Hail Thanos me too

[@jamesfoz6400]

Well count me in buddy

[@ruskibot7745]

Same. I'm getting depressed from trains, damn

[@gordonschnick12]

*it was time for Thomas to leave the station, he had seen everything*

[@localworkspace_244]

@Lord Dagger lololollolol

[@jesusiscool15]

It was time for Thomas to become a flamethrower

[@Optimaloptimus]

Caylix Huffman Don’t you mean... a flamenwerfer?! 😎

[@moj6733]

He left sodor in one Episode

[@timmyblox8331]

Step+knee

[@derpmcgerp8062]

Wait... created in 1984? *This is what Orwell warned us about...*

[@strebicux6174]

@Nazi Pepe lol

[@acanadian8337]

Raegan Samuels 1984 is a book about a dystopian earth

[@petarmitkov1056]

@@acanadian8337 exactly

[@Chuked]

8:29

[@ines22LR]

Dewitt McDidditt lol

[@FORCED_REASSEMBLY]

who remembered the thin controller

[@Kevin-lh5lr]

Yep, wasn't he in charge for the narrow gauge engines?

[@FORCED_REASSEMBLY]

Kevin i think so

[@SevconSky]

popin jimbo yeah

[@maninthetrenchcoat5603]

Mr. Percival

[@bogdanserban3792]

@@Kevin-lh5lr yeah

[@beniac_maniac4359]

People don’t understand that the TRS was originated as a family stories that a father (Awdry) used to entertain his sick child. There is no need for any conspiracy anywhere. Until season 6 was over. The beginning of the apocalypse

[@Nephalem2002]

Thomas Died after Hero of The Rails

[@PannierLaw]

Yeah it all went down hill after that

[@arthurthetankengineproduct9610]

PannierTankProductions 1929 have you not seen seasons 17-21 they were good seasons

[@jonathanlouisguyano1520]

I think seasons 7-11 are also very good. They are like seasons 1-6 but with better footage.

[@thefbi9891]

For real man like chill out

[@Fashionique14]

I don't think it's a dark dystopia. The origin was just a story to a child who was sick.

[@isuckatthesegames7119]

Yeah

[@TheLazyFusspot_3428]

I'm glad I've got around to watch the show since I was young. It perfectly introduced me to the wonders of a railway and how it works. But ever since Mattel stepped in, I've only ever strayed further from it because said realism was slowly beginning to fade away over the course of time from bwba to s25. But finding out that there's still hope out there from the fans has got me back to watching it again. The franchise may be dead, but the fandom still lives.

[@davidwhiting1761]

The Rev. W. Awdry explained in an interview that "The Sad Story of Henry" was the third story in his first book "The Three Railway Engines" and he originally intended to leave Henry in the tunnel and end the first book right there and then. The publisher who finally decided to publish the book told Awdry that he would publish the book *only after* he wrote one more story getting Henry out of the tunnel, hence why the story of "Edward, Gordon and Henry", where Henry gets out of the tunnel, exists. The UK's narration is actually word-for-word quoted from the original text. Also in the story "Toad Stands By", story #3 in the book "Oliver the Western Engine", the text never says whether or not S.C.Ruffey is rebuilt after being pulled apart. He's never referred to or heard from again, same as the Spiteful Brakevan from "Break Van", so it's implied that he's gone. Done. Finito. S.C.Ruffey's appearance in the television series was purely to pacify viewers who might have had an issue with S.C.Ruffey's last appearance being a heap of broken boards and metal. About the scene in the scrapyard being a dystopian scene... Audiences outside of the UK need to understand the historic context of that particular section of the book (the illustration comes from the book "Stepney the 'Bluebell' Engine"). Britain was the birthplace of the railway and the steam locomotive and many of the populace had grown accustomed to seeing those old steam locomotives working around the country. The "Modernisation Plan" enacted by British Railways from 1956 was quick and decisive, sending steam locomotives to the scrapyards en masse as diesels and electric locomotives arrived and took over their old jobs. To a sentient steam locomotive and steam enthusiasts like Awdry modernisation was a death sentence. Awdry wasn't necessarily against change as change needed to happen (the railways of Britain were failing and were hanging by a thread - modernisation was doubtless one of the only things that could ensure the survival of Britain's railways), but all the same he lamented the changeover from steam to modern traction in the later part of the books. The escape from Scotland to Sodor by Donald & Douglas and the story of Oliver's escape to Sodor were meant to paint a picture of just how bleak the steam locomotive's situation had become in Britain. In "Enterprising Engines" the Fat Controller tells Gordon about steam being abolished by the diesels and that all but one of his Doncaster brothers (Flying Scotsman) were scrapped. Later he tells the engines that obtaining another steam locomotive from "The Other Railway" (BR) to work on Sodor by that point would be next to impossible so future acquisitions for the fleet would more than likely be diesels. Everyone's saddened by this news, but they make peace with the inevitability of progress. Awdry made his peace with diesels by incorporating diesel engine characters such as Daisy, BoCo, Mavis, and Bear (a diesel-hydraulic engine who didn't make it to the television series). People tend to look too deeply into the humanistic side of the Railway Series and forget the fact that at the end of the day it is still a railway. Thomas' modern message that "Little Engines Can do Big Things" would never have shown up under Awdry because on the railway there is a hierarchy of locomotives. Unlike humans, locomotives are not built equally, so in real life big engines do big things while little engines do little things because that's what they are capable of, and Awdry knew this when assigning roles to his characters. He also could not avoid the topic of scrapping because scrapping is commonplace on the railway. He's not promoting Authoritarianism or craving punishment - he was being true to real railway practices.

[@David-nw5zd]

I agree with your analysis, but the lively hood of the trains added some darkness to them as we can all recall when Douglas smashed the spiteful brake van, in the TV series, and you can see its face in that shot, which is haunting, and there was never an explanation or pacification, maybe it was to lead the viewer into thinking if you are rude, you will die or accidents happen, keep in mind it's an Audrey book as well.

[@Taggart00]

Well written although you missed out about Stepney the 'Bluebell' Engine being written to help highlight the preservation movement.

[@cmiller1515]

how the fuck do you know so much about thomas the tank engine

[@davidwhiting1761]

Listen Buddy, I grew up with the TV series, managed to grab a copy of the original RWS as written by Awdry, listened to the additions made by his son Christopher, read interviews and looked around at various fan sites and forums about the Railway Series and looked into the history of Britain's railways. It's really helped me appreciate the Series so much more.

[@cmiller1515]

ah, okie lol

[@thomaslucas3730]

I'm beginning to think that some historical context is required here surrounding the one aforementioned illustration mentioned as "nightmare fuel". In 1945, when the first book of the Railway Series (RWS for short was published) and the second world war had finally ended, leaving the UK battered and broken as a result of the war and continuous bombings from over the channel. The "Big Four" companies, which had been formed from the grouping act of 1923, had been rather worn out, leaving infrastructure and motive power in a dire state due to lack of funding and proper maintenance. The UK's then Labour government took action in 1947 and passed the "Transportation Act" where the Big Four and remaining smaller straddling railway companies would merge into one state-owned operator, British Railways, and came into effect on January 1st, 1948. In the late 50's, BR was in dire shape, despite the funding of new stock and motive power standardisation. This is where the "Modernisation Plan" comes into play, where the ultimate goal was to eradicate steam power, which was by then seen as old, outdated, dirty and expensive, from the national network and fill the gap with diesel and electric power. It was because of this grand and, mind you, expensive scheme that resulted in dozens of steam locomotives arriving in scrapyards up and down the United Kingdom daily for cutting up and selling off as scrap, some of which only having been built just a few years prior. Some yards would cut up engines that arrived on the spot with no chance of retribution while others, like Barry Island (look it up), let locos linger for years, instead opting to cut up the redundant rolling stock like wagons and coaches that had also arrived for scrapping instead of engines as they saw the potential of them being sold in current condition for more money to preservation societies who realised the massive hole in history this Plan would leave and make attempts to at least save some of it. This is often regarded as the "Preservation Movement", of which Awdry, the original writer of the RWS and thus Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends, was part of as he volunteered for the then infant Talyllyn Railway Preservation Society; the world's first heritage railway. The illustration was never intended to give children nightmares as some might say, but it was a wakeup call the world desperately needed to help people realise, man, woman or child, that their history was being swept away by the ideals of change and modernism which were prevalent at the time. The image is of a typical scrap yard in 50's-60's Britain and was a message to say "This is what's happening, just a stone's throw from your home, right there, right now. Something must be done". By humanising the engines in the picture, it gave those who saw it a will to save them from the grim future they were about to bare, an attempt to bring to light the ugly side of this long-awaited "Modernisation Plan". It was obvious not every single engine could be saved from the scrapper's torch, but at least some essence of their history rather than let it all go to waste. In light of some of the fandom calling Sodor a "post-apocalyptic stronghold" or whatever, there is most certainly an element of truth behind it, despite the faces and fiction. In later books, for the steam engines at least, it certainly was a place of salvation as most of their kind by that point had been long swept off the face of the earth for good, quickly being melted down to be used as tin cans or razor blades. It shows the bleak reality of that era for steam traction and only raises the goals of what people like Awdry have done to preserve our mechanical past even higher in terms of achievement, to go from rusted, empty husks to fully working steam machines of such complexity requires tremendous effort. The illustration was as if to say "This is where we are today and Sodor is what we are aiming for, else there is no future for these engines. Go out there and do something about it"

[@amogud471]

TV show: "The Train is blue" . . English Teachers: "tHIs iS a dYSToPIAn soCIeTY"

[@SteamLance]

The scrapyard is set in England in the 1960s, when steam locos were getting cut up!! That's where the preservation movement stepped in to save locos from being scrapped!! These people need to learn about the end of steam and Barry scrapyard, there are hundreds, maybe thousands of books about it.

[@packr72]

SteamLance Yes many were saved, but the majority were scrapped.

[@gact111]

SteamLance I feel your pain

[@highpath4776]

Donald and Douglas of course were probably due to be scrapped in one of the Glasgow area scrapyards that had a much faster turnround of cutting engines up than Barry ever did.

[@Hulk2k6]

That's what they were panicking about in The Deputation after the Signal Box and Brakevan accidents.

[@gact111]

SteamLance thanks bro

[@railbaron1]

About S.C.Ruffy, I've read the book version and he got scrapped in the book. But just the same he brought it on himself and Oliver never meant to pull him apart but because of rotten wood and a rusty frame he came apart. Its just bad judgment and unforeseen consequences on his part. Also Thomas was set in the 60's for the most part. Its not Dystopian Future, its Alternate Past.

[@tobysummers471]

railbaron1 It seems to be set far earlier than that. I watched this many many years ago. I had all the VHS tapes. It seems to be set in the early British Railways era. It is implied judging by the stories and locomotives it seemed to be set during the BR modernisation plan era. The 50s. Daisy in real life is a class 111 or 101 diesel multiple unit. I don’t think it’s set in a specific time but it make sense

[@MachRacer4]

The Rev. W. Awdry era stories take place from about 1922 (The Sad Story of Henry) and 1923 (the other three stories in the first book) to the not so distant past (the 1980's) if you go into the books written by Christopher Awdry. With the book "Enterprising Engines" where Oliver the Great Western Engine is introduced happening sometime in the late 1967 when British Railways was at the end of using steam engines all together as Flying Scotsman appears as he did before he left for the US in 1969 with his twin tenders. And as far as the British narration for the last couple lines for "The Sad Story of Henry", The reason the story mentioned Henry's punishment being to stay in the tunnel for always, was simply because the Reverend hadn't written the fourth story as it was the publishers suggestion that he write a fourth story.

[@highpath4776]

Private Owner Wagons had, particulary after WW2 had become under-maintained and certainly the woodwork of coal wagons had become unusable. BR as it became invested in new wagons (some did not have long lives owing to changes in the traffic and it was then found to have larger capacity wagon fleet particulary with diesel traction. It was more complex than that as BR workshops also switched bearings and axle boxes around to try things like tapered roller bearings rather than white metal or plain greased boxes - this has made it difficult to date some wagons now in preservation. Most W. Awdry stories were based on true incidents somewhere on a rail system in the world.

[@McMalarky]

Oliver: i'm sorry 😢

[@railbaron1]

@@whossean I said "for the most part"

[@karenmasangya2553]

Its not thomas thats dystopian future,its the TELE TUBBIES

[@fatalequinox6553]

Jason Wilton they’re 7 foot tall aliens

[@HaloisTight]

"For the Sun!!!"

[@seannychicken]

teletubbies but with actually interesting stories

[@tikimillie]

“Was everybody’s friend” *highly disagrees in childhood trauma*

[@akidwiththomastoysandaphon9615]

Hm?, What Happened...

[@West_Coast_Mainline]

The heck happened

[@phantomtrak6007]

I don't think the show is set in a dystopian future, but I do like reading articles that suggest they are, because I love twisted shit like that. People's imaginations running wild, you know?

[@West_Coast_Mainline]

It is infact earlier than the BR era then into the BR era

[@Soundwave3591]

A lot of people don't know the context around which the original books were written, particularly the Stepney book with the Scrapyard picture: the Reverend Awdry was, to be blunt, a "steam engine buff" and this book was written at the height of the conversion from steam to Diesel on British Railways, where many engines, some of them not even ten years old, were being scrapped en masse to be replaced by the "soulless" Diesel engines. the Directors took any excuse to "withdraw" steam engines from service, even an issue as small as a broken valve. The Reverend Awdry was a preservationist (he was a notable figure on the Talyllyn Railway, the first preserved Railway in the world and the basis for the Skarloey railway in the books) and as such he was opposed to the Dieselization. this "opposition to progress" was nothing more than the angry writings of a fan who was seeing his main interest being erased. and in many ways his writings helped the preservation movements that saved many steam engines (I mean, the Stepney Book is free advertising for the Bluebell railway) Today, when the Steam engines are well and truly gone, we only remember them as Museum pieces, and as such don't have the connection the Reverend had, as he grew up with them.

[@Conordavefoster]

Am I the only one that loved Toad Stands By. In a previous episode trucks push Olive down the well and in Toad Stands By, they are mocking him with Scruffy as their ringleader, so Oliver takes out the ringleader in the most savage way and the truck no longer mock Oliver in fear. I think it’s class and Oliver was and still is my favourite train and it’s great to see him get his own back on essentially his bully

[@TheCoomer]

Conor Foster the show actually gave useful messages. Children would be able to question the motives on why he did it. With the answer being like you say stand up to bullies.

[@dabluepittoo-aqua4213]

I totally agree with you, besides the image. That one isn't technically canon to the TV Series as it has its own continuity. The TV Show generally takes place when the episodes do air and don't really go into real life too much. The books on the other hand take place when each one is published and it has its own continuity; separate from the TV Series. Due to how old the series is, Stepney The _Bluebell_ Engine was published a couple years before steam was finally abandoned in 1968. The picture depicts our own society destroying the engines, while the Island Of Sodor serves as a sanctuary for steam. However, it promotes The Bluebell Railway; an actual real railway still in service today. Railways like that one are real life steam locomotive sanctuaries! Stepney, the book's star, was the first one saved from scrap by their railway and visits the fictional Island Of Sodor in the books. It's pretty touching, especially since the author hated steam's demise. After Enterprising Engines, a book made on the exact year as the final year of steam locomotive action. Sir Topham Hatt firmly announced that the island would forever be a safe home for all steam and diesel engines to live on.

[@Optimaloptimus]

Wait what about Smudger? He was turned into a generator for being a troublesome engine.

[@bondankai13]

its a train engine.

[@thestormisempty0796]

We don't even know if smudger was real he was just a story told by duke

[@canadianprincipality8987]

I got flash backs to project g-1

[@Optimaloptimus]

Canadian Principality Why did you have to Vietnam flashback the fuck out of me now man.

[@Optimaloptimus]

Thestormisempty 07 Maybe, but the possibilities are endless...

[@IvailoStoychev]

Fun Fact: Steam trains were still in operation in England when the show first aired. Granted all passenger related steam locomotives were retired back in the late 60s, but some cargo steam engines were still operating.

[@Cmdrbzrd]

No

[@TheOldGuardsVan]

"Is Thomas the Tank Engine some secret, dark Dystopia?"... No...

[@paladinboyd1228]

The Old Guard's Van, Yes.

[@joelol5006]

@@paladinboyd1228 no

[@paladinboyd1228]

trucky 86, Oh okay.

[@TycoonTitian01]

Oh crap a hard take everyone is gonna salt now!

[@kepoexpresssurabaya162]

Trucks

[@diothethotslayer1451]

Well look at the train that was made a generator and was abandoned forever and never mentioned again

[@concept5631]

kingdoge lord *Smudger*

[@maxvaughn5717]

6dig-S 61 or Stanley if you read the books

[@concept5631]

@@maxvaughn5717 *Weren't they both turned into engines??*

[@maxvaughn5717]

6dig-S 61 Smudger replaced the role of Stanley in the tv show

[@concept5631]

@@maxvaughn5717 *Oh, I see.*

[@valentinodaspi4350]

Unpopular opinion: Although the original models are clearly superior, I actually enjoyed the CGI episodes as a kid

[@joeypincombe8384]

I've dealt with horrible people around here that work at the scrap yard. And even worse if they have no respect for there relics. Like snide remarks like look on the bright side. The highschool needs a new boiler just as the engineer visit the day he retired with the locomotive

[@P0nyB3h0ldr]

It’s really quite simple actually. Engines are generally seen by their crews and onlookers as having personalities and being alive. Thomas is just on a more literal level. That’s why the whole idea of scrapping is in there, it’s just a fact of life in the railroading world.

[@maxalstar]

Alex: leave dystopian narratives out of children content Adventure Time: am about to end this man career

[@rylanclarkson3296]

The thing is children back then could handle this crap and didn't care

[@Armidillodude]

This is an overreaction to an overreaction, I think everyone is bored and just likes to have fun and look at old shows critically. It’s fun to try and find something sinister in things meant for kids even if it’s a huge stretch. Video was alright dude but I think you’d benefit from a couple of takes, it sounds like you did this all in one go and at the start of the video it can be hard to tell what your side was in the argument. Also there were some pauses like you forgot what you were going to say next and then the inconsistent tone where you randomly burst out in “anger”. Lastly there was a static sound throughout the entire video, some things to work on. Cheers

[@tylerf5929]

Exactly right dude,I encourage you to buy the book Thomas the tank engine man

[@nickvliet4614]

Yeah I was considering subscribing in the first half but that sudden outburst reallly ruined an otherwise good video

[@jamesfoz6400]

Actually I didn't notice what was the cause of the static/fan for a while which considering it's 1AM while watching this and the volume real up, actually started to make me paranoid till I figured it out after pausing it to take a breather and watch something else.

[@thetruthexperiment]

Mr. Spiff it’s a joke about a joke

[@jamesfoz6400]

@@thetruthexperiment Dunno, doesn't feel all that humorous to me, it feels more like a simple rant he made to vent his feelings. If it was satire he done a very poor job at it.

[@rewrew897]

Original looks better than the CG

[@Lislio]

Poor Henry, that was so sad, i cried

[@marcuslee1927]

Henry deserved his punishment

[@StumpyFunnel]

He got out and got a new shape and a bigger firebox

[@West_Coast_Mainline]

@@StumpyFunnel well he got the new shape because he crashed in “The Flying Kipper”

[@the4tierbridge]

He got out ya know,

[@StumpyFunnel]

@@West_Coast_Mainline I know I’m just saying henry is ok

[@mistertree553]

What drugs are people taking to think that Thomas and Friends is dystopian, authoritarian, and repressive?!?!? Come on people!

[@engineerskalinera]

Kg 2005 the drug is called "S.J.W."

[@engineerskalinera]

Mighty Raccoon it has everything to do with that

[@engineerskalinera]

Mighty Raccoon no, me

[@savagetv6460]

@Mighty Raccoon it actually does since the people complaining are leftists. they think the show is harmful to children

[@davidantoniocamposbarros7528]

It's called "shed 17"

[@inkywright]

As a person trying to make a spot in the fandom, I find it hilarious how those outside of it write clickbait articles without doing much research before they actually talk about the subject.

[@whatdoyouexactlymeanbyhandle]

Same here.

[@jamesm6638]

by any chance are you using an MSI laptop?

[@tomp.2371]

I know, you can hear his fans in the background

[@engineerskalinera]

Is Thomas the Tank Engine a dark dystopia? Rev. Avdry: . . . *_NO._*

[@martianmanfrommars8428]

I don't know about it being a bad show for you kids, but it is undoubtedly dark at certain times. And the "they're not humans, they're trains" argument holds no water because they trains have feelings and emotions in the show. Hell, dehumanizing is one of the steps towards genocide.

[@troywright359]

Understood, but why are you unsure about it being a bad show or not? Do you think that in some ways it actually is inappropiate for kids and these particular episodes should not be shown?

[@evanclarke5561]

Nice video! Liked and subscribed, Alex. Some points I would like to raise: -In the RWS version of Toad Stands By, Scruffey was scrapped. -Douglas killed the Spiteful Brakevan in Donald & Douglas. -Did Smudger from Granpuff rust to death? -Since I was born and raised in Australia but listened to the UK version of Thomas when I was younger, am I officially British? Regards, Evan

[@davidantoniocamposbarros7528]

Ok so about S.C Ruffey and the break van:we don't know honestly,so it's ambiguous. Smudger is also ambiguous,or he didn't even existed in the first place

[@parkerproductions4546]

That NewYorker article got me so pissed off, as everyone was taking its ill-researched crap and took it as gospel. People confuse the engines with humans when they are two very different things. Also, The Sad Story of Henry was published *seventy-three* *years* ago so why people started having a hissy fit over it is baffling and pointless.

[@Svettanka]

I thought Thomas the tank engine came out in 1984. Did it?

[@polrealfake]

Svettanka That was the TV show.

[@parkerproductions4546]

Svettanka The Thomas books (The Railway Series) were published during 1945-2011. The TV Series (Thomas & Friends) first aired in 1984 which was when the Sad Story of Henry was televised. Hope that clears things properly :)

[@totallytidmouth]

Hobbescat 007, Agreed.

[@reeal8359]

It's funny you say people are having hissy fits when you're the one screaming over people simply having fun over a kid's show? Hypocritical and laughable, I'd say.

[@LinkEX]

3:06 Okay, so watching that sad train's face as the others happily drove past, I was waiting for the punchline. Expecting the narrator to end on a high note. The townpeople's forgiveness. But no, instead the narrator incentivizes the audience against empathy. Something about this was both eerie as well as immensely funny. I just burst out laughing after the scene change.

[@yeeman7593]

Fun fact: s.c.ruffey was never put back together again in the railway series.

[@davidantoniocamposbarros7528]

Who said that? It was just left ambiguous

[@tre-engines]

Thomas isn’t apocalypse or a normal kids show, it’s a show created for all ages set in the 1960s on the island of Sodor next to England with sunsets and character development and even episodes based off of real life railway events

[@sonicnerd9569]

When you're done watching Shed 17

[@engineerskalinera]

a retarded salesman n a n i ? !

[@epitaphboi4816]

Wtf is that lol

[@aleg2429]

@@epitaphboi4816 you haven't seen Shed 17?

[@bussesandtrains1218]

that ilustration of the scrapyard con nod be classed as evil because it demonstrates the end of steam spotlessly in the eyes of rail enthusiasts

[@lastgenrictofen2525]

Thomas the thermonuclear bomb was my favorite episode

[@erical6338]

Shining Time Station was one of my favorite shows when I was a young child. I spent hours of childhood with Thomas videos and even got some books based on STS. As somebody who loved TTTE, like you did, I feel my childhood is ruined with AEG now out.

[@tracksidefilms5416]

Totally agree with you! It’s just trains with faces don’t overthink it

[@supermariof0521]

Yet the Thomas community is okay with throwing a fucking tantrum over trains having simple body movements. They think that everything in Thomas HAS to be realistic, and will boycott it over the slightest bit of unrealism.

[@leosally7883]

Fire Dust And the MLP fandom (you) is worse.

[@supermariof0521]

How?

[@shivamkamil1581]

Okay, I am also a fan of MLP, but come on. Take a look at how insecure its fandom is. Someone refers to it as a kids show, and be met with screeching about "it's a family show" (there's literally no difference???), there's like this massive insecurity and internalized sexism when someone says "you call this for GIRLS?! don't you know how DARK and SUPER DEEP this show is?!?!?" Say what you will about bouncing, it's at least a thing that will affect the visuals and be a constant plague. On the other hand, bronies throw tantrums over every character that has both horn and wings. Cadance? The fandom pretends that she and Shining Armor are just an old school Disney couple with nothing else going on (meanwhile, Applejack's parents have even less of a story told and it's lauded as the best episode ever). Twilight gets wings. Get the hell over it. The baby is an Alicorn. Who fucking cares? Sunset Shimmer is unequivocally better than Starlight Glimmer, which is something that many fans are not willing to acknowledge thanks to the sheer, unadulterated rage over Equestria Girls. Meanwhile, all this manufactroversy over Thomas's "SECRET HIDDEN DARKNESS" is literally just reading between lines that don't exist. For a show about talking trains. Come on. It's really easy to look at this with derision. It's massively overthinking a show about _talking trains_

[@leosally7883]

Shivam Kamil Oof you wasted a tone of time lmao

[@TTF1996]

Season 1 - 5: Perfect Season 6 - 8 Good/Okay Season 9 - 16 COMPLETE TRASH Season 17 - 20 Good Season 21 - Present | Great

[@venumbra1177]

Alright so I want to preface this by saying while I used to watch Thomas on occasion as a child, I would not call myself a fan. I do, however, find dark conspiracies very intriguing, and stumbled across this as I thought it would be interesting. However, I do have a bit of criticism in regards to your arguments against dark kids show theories. Keep in mind this isn't meant to be an attack on you or anyone, rather me expressing my disagreement and explaining why. I think you're overlooking the main reason people make these dark conspiracy theories in the first place. Why do people do it? Simply because it can be fun and interesting. They aren't trying to ruin your love for the show, rather they are expressing their ideas and seeing what people think. Some of them may be pushy and act like it's fact, which I do not condone. But the main purpose of dark conspiracies is to entertain others and get them to think about it. There are dark theories out there that have very little weight to them, but only because they provide little to no actual evidence. The "it's just a kids show" argument does not properly counter it. It's the same argument used by people to deflect criticism of movies and shows. Now, let me put this into the perspective of someone who might hold this theory: While there are cases in the show where the engines ended up alright, some of them were never seen again afterward, like Smudger when he was locked behind the shed to be used as a generator and was just left there, never to be seen again. Even if the engines weren't behaving, none of their behavior was worth the cruel implications of their punishments. Discipline is important, but the punishments seemed far too extreme. Imagine if a child was simply being naughty and a parent used one of these punishments on them, most would consider it abuse. The argument "they're trains, not people" holds no weight when the trains in this universe are sentient, thinking and feeling things just like humans. In the real world, trains cannot think or feel like we do, so there is no debate as to whether or not doing these things would be cruel to them, because it's not. But what if they were alive? What if they could talk or express emotions? Would that not be at least a little cruel? It's something to think about. Lastly, I'm not saying you should agree with or even like this theory. However, while discussing a theory's validity is something I encourage, you telling people to stop making these theories just because you believe they're trying to ruin the show for you is not going to help in the slightest. That's not evidence. People will still make theories because they enjoy it. Think about it like this: if you don't want people ruining the show for you, why would you try to ruin other people's fun with making theories? It's one thing to discuss a theory's validity, or call out those who are claiming their theories a fact and are attacking those who disagree with them. But if a theory is going to ruin a show for you, then just don't believe it. Simple as that. You can express your dislike, but don't blame others because you got worked up over it. But, again, these are just my thoughts. You don't have to agree with anything I said, I just thought I'd express my views on this. I apologize if this came across as harsh, that was not my intent. I'm not the best with words. If anyone read this long-ass comment I greatly appreciate. If not I understand. Feel free to discuss this. All I ask is to try to keep it civil, but if you don't want to then I guess I can't stop you lol. Take care:)

[@troywright359]

I guess the fear is that the shows creators will now try to rectify that horrible dark image by putting in only happy happy nice scenes. I mean, the more people say "Thomas is actually a horrific show", will get a response, whether they mean it or not. That episode of Tom and Jerry where they sit on the railway tracks? Banned now, because "they were committing suicide and that's not good for a fun and happy kids cartoon". I know it's fun to deconstruct the show as an adult and discuss the implications, but they can get out of hand. And to argue the point of "these trains are sentient beings....it's cruel and unusual torture" is one step away from "and should NOT be in a kids show....just make Thomas win a race or drive through a unicorn buttercup field"......I mean, that's what gives the show it's flavour. If we took all that out of the original series, took it all out and replaced it with only smiley happy faces, it would not be as well remembered. So while I agree it's fun to have these theories as an adult, it's also clear to remember that the show has a slight edge that should not be softened.

[@MisterBones2910]

It's the type of narrative that kids like. They crave order and instinctively desire misbehaviour to be punished, often harshly. I see no problem with this; children have to be conditioned into it in order to believe in hippy-dippy modern morality.

[@jackhromadka6842]

*_It was time for Thomas to leave, he had seen everything._*

[@eggballo4490]

About that picture. The thing is that the Railway Series and TV show are supposed to tie in with real world history. After world war 2, the price of coal skyrocketed, diesel and electric engines were cheaper and less labor intensive, which mean that steam locomotives all over the world were being phased out in the 1950's and 60's.

[@DSRmario]

I remember the cart getting pulled apart and being devastated, I was like 5 or so. My mom bought be scruffy to make me feel better lmao

[@davidantoniocamposbarros7528]

What type of Scruffey?

[@carlmatthews8338]

K I'm gonna try to say this in a good way instead of being an angry nerd. This isn't really directed at you but still. The fat controller is actually one of the kindest controller's. On the mainland, Engines get brutally scrapped and have lost their family and friends. The fat controller publicly announced that he wouldn't ever do that. The engines like to work. An engine is happiest when it's wheels are moving and doing jobs. Hell, Oliver escaped from Scrap so he could start a new life and work longer. Btw the original book series has a timeline that starts in 1850 and ends in 2011. The stories with the engines getting scrapped on the mainland takes place in the 1960s which was when Steam engines were being phased out and scrapped because of the new diesel engines taking over the railway. I'm glad that you shown this and didn't just agree with everyone out there saying all this stuff. I'm subscribing to you:) keep up the great work.

[@GlabongobobYoppers]

Dude, that episode where Henry was walled in by bricks reminds me when montresor had entombed fortunado in the cask of amontillado. It was an Edgar Allen Poe story. Spooky stuff man.

[@stupidflips]

Henry getting blocked up in a tunnel is like a kid getting grounded.

[@XleeHS]

FINALLY SOMEONE WITH COMMON SENCE!! THE SHOWS ABOUT TALKING TRAINS!!!

[@XleeHS]

ik bud

[@Daldi564]

Totally agree with you. A lot of children's shows have been butchered by CGI and bad writing. Look at Fireman Sam. It's not what it was.

[@viperzx4157]

This man is complaining, *About people who are making theories on Thomas The Tank Engine*

[@ZstackZip]

Okay, you realize the engines getting scrapped is based on REAL LIFE EVENTS

[@JoshProductions07]

0:21 you hate Michael Angelis?

[@classiicarchive]

"Gordon would say poop poop serves you right" Poop poop........... What

[@troywright359]

poop poop, peep peep, train noises

[@gabrielcuneta7256]

Sooooo Those trains have *SOULS?!?!!*

[@SteelPanda220]

Soul train.

[@yanski-sc6vc]

nooooo

[@xxxmcnuggwtsxxx9859]

No

[@proxygray4072]

5:34 Sure, Henry was net out, but does anyone remember Smudger? He was just left under a landslide and forgotten...

[@kool_aid2344]

Tristan Regan the Watermelon Him being forgotten about wasn’t intentional. The episode pretty much eclairs his story fine and ends it. He got his consequences and finally got his punishment. However even if the crew did remember him it would be pointless because what place would he have in the series after that? Once again **you** are looking way to into this. Duke told the little engines that story so they don’t end up like him being a generator. The landslide and area where they lived falling apart was out of their hands what were they supposed to do?

[@SevconSky]

Tristan Regan the Watermelon yeah

[@Bacony_Cakes]

And Bulstrode was left on the shore to rust.

[@ARMusicOfficial2004]

Even though the books were first published, the author had a young ill son so he made up the story of James, Gordon and Henry (I think)

[@wiibrockster]

They do realise that The original Author was being true to the railway pecking order???

[@0501marcos]

What i felt about Thomas & Friends, every scene of the scrap yard reminds me that on how engine’s lost there face’s is that like each engine’s face is cut 🤔

[@hippsthehippo9804]

Same dude I got scared when the scrap yard came up

[@heatstroke2008]

Thomas the Tank Engine will forever be my all-time favorite childhood icon. The original model series was incredible with some amazing narration and stories, the music was always catchy and usually upbeat, the technical prowess behind the model sets and trains are still groundbreaking and mindblowing, just about everything about it I love.

[@gideonthangcin8179]

Triggered

[@anthonychoy181]

iz da French Pillsbury dough boy same

[@culdeefell1960]

I know this is old, but I agree completely with you Alex. It's just sad that people spend time looking WAY to far into a show MEANT FOR CHILDREN. You, my friend, are 100% correct.

[@TheCoomer]

Gordon saying service you right. Hilarious

[@leophyte9663]

5:05 "Anthropomorphic talking _fucking_ trains!" that is some bad wording ( ͡• ͜ʖ ͡• )

[@the_steam_modeller9810]

Is it me or do a lot of people make innocent things into "oh it is actually really dark and demons!" crap.

[@Scrinwaipwr]

5:51 I had no idea the American version was wimpified compared to the original. Guess that explains why a US dub even exists in the first place (being the same language it always seemed pointless until now. It's not like the UK bothers to make its own dubs of US shows.)

[@johndeeregaming4653]

For the comment section, we get it, everyone liked Shed 17. But just because you watched it, it doesn't make you a genius. Note: I didn't see to many people say much about it, but I know some people will. This is for future commenters.

[@Snow_Cloud]

they hated Jesus because he told the truth

[@KeyanCarlile]

Why'd they even bother building a wall? All they really had to do was remove the rails in front of him.

[@PannierLaw]

You do realize this whole franchise was created by a Rev telling a bedtime story to his sick son No need for conspiracy theories

[@elementalgamingpro0141]

Thank you! I saw a dorkly video about this and it almost ruined my childhood. This argument is very well centered. Also, I kinda hate the new cgi Thomas!

[@MK-rr7cg]

The most shocking thing about this is we learnt that Gordon is a Tory. Edit: Only UK viewers will understand

[@Bacony_Cakes]

I'm UK and id on't understand, please explain.

[@troywright359]

@@Bacony_Cakes Gordon Brown the former UK prime minister

[@milkvanman104]

I agree, people just need to keep kid shows PG and good, and not downgrading it.

[@cerenath-thinks7795]

Alright, tell me one thing, what is it about the CGI do you not like? I can tell you lots of things that I do love about the CGI, outside of the nuances in the facial expressions, the fact they don't need a fucking narrator all the time dictating what they are saying or even expressing, the wide variety of expressions the engines can finally pull off. And I've seen better models in a Godzilla film. I'm glad they moved to the CGI. You're using the stills for the CGI. Yeah, the promotional stills look awful. But the CGI used in the show...it's just beautiful. And I love Jame's twitchy eye as he slowly has a mental breakdown. It's a gem to watch.

[@kool_aid2344]

Cerenath-Thinks many people don’t like the cgi series in general. Just let people be

[@ssjgolia4286]

"oh my God that's like a death sentence for trains" I can't even 😂😂😂

[@bungwater1052]

Loved these episode even watched them in China when I was growing up

[@hankhammer869]

It is a Dystopian haven for STEAM trains. There are diesel engines & electric trains on the island as well, though fewer, & while they heavily imply that they are 'taking over', the fat-controller tells the other trains that he will never let that happen. So while the island is set in the present, where more advanced trains exist, Sir Topam hat is keeping them alive & maintaining them instead of melting them down & replacing them w/more advanced locomotives... as long as they remain useful however. Hence the pat on the back rewards when they do a good job vs. severely strict punishment if they mess up in the slightest, slack, or simply refuse to work: Ex.: Henry who is left to the elements w/out maintenance to rot whilst walled up in the face-high tunnel as a visible example to the other engines to work harder. (Gordan even remarks that he deserves this.) Their reward is life.

[@rustyshackleford4370]

I was expecting a funny video overanalyzing Thomas lore ... ... ... .. Honestly I'm kind of disappointed.

[@derherold8325]

I also like the model Thomas more than CGI,but now the CGI Series is very good i think

[@RKidd-ex3rh]

SPARKLE SPARKLE SPARKLE!!!

[@Hariesh]

this isnt distopia, this is britain

[@lordpop4312]

I think you're looking too far into theories. This is like being mad at Mario being called a psychopath

[@mdctt9021]

I realised thomas and friends is technicaly speaking older than my country.

[@thetruthexperiment]

I just heard Ringo Starr tell children a sentient train deserves to be bricked up and eternally mocked by other trains for not wanting to get dirty. Wow.

[@Jade2781]

People think that Thomas takes place in a dystopian future clearly forgot that Steam Engines stopped being used during the 1960s.

[@driveasandwich6734]

I think this guy was the one who brought up "future" the article's title just said "dystopia".

[@nerdicwarrior]

Ugh, why is it people even try to read way to much into Thomas the Tank Engine? Do these people not have anything better to do?

[@MrKenichi22]

That picture was from 1963, In britain in the 60’s they were cutting up steam engines and replacing them with Diesels as the British Government was doing Dieselfication of British Railways. Of course Sodor was immune to this and was a sanctuary for Steam Engines. If you are curious The Reverend may have been in the minority as most in Britain actually supported Dieselfication. It meant that old technology would be replaced with new technologies to make trains run more efficiently. These articles were written by Americans whom do not understand the context of when they were written.

[@luigifan1295]

I don't think you have much of an intetesting or good counter. The fans are using evidence they find to make these theories relevant and provable. That being said, theories have to be disprovable in order to be good theories. I personally love the theories and I am a Thomas fan, but these theories seem too perfect. I don't think that they are disprovable, thus I don't think they are good theories. However, as I see many people do, they call the theories bs and claim it is people overthinking, and that is very limiting in the conversation that people could be having. They're not bad because people are overthinking about possible undertones, but they're bad because they are not disprovable. I could be wrong though.

[@jjbackon]

But Michael Angelis

[@goddam2263]

It's nothing serious dude it's just something to give us something to do and a excuse to watch the show

[@Gonzzzoo]

Crazy that Thomas and friends is still going on to this day.

[@SoniaJbrt]

Its a wonderful kids show with a lot of fun stories and every episode has a lesson to learn, not subliminal messages!

[@FlyingFoxProductions8995]

There were books about them. Engine not trains. Trains what they fucking pull

[@kaletheshy9789]

I disliked because you said they're just trains. Trains that are living and have feeling just like us are equate to us.

[@slicedbread5568]

Kale, The Shy even though they seem to not have any type of organ or nervous system It's a tv show, grow up

[@johnsullivan186]

Kale, The Shy they’re just trains

[@vulcanarchdemon5373]

No no, The island of Sodor is similar to the Bluebell and S&DJR [Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway] all of the locomotives on Sir. Topham Hatt's railway, were saved from the scrapers torch. The North Western Railway, is a Steam [and diesel] Heritage Railway. Thomas is the only remaining locomotive of his Class [The LBSC E2 Class] now, if he hadn't 've brought to Sodor during the war, he'd had been scrapped. Same for Edward. Now Henry is a completely different story, yes I know he was originally a hybrid of the C1 & A1 class of locomotives. As seen in the books and the T.V. series, Henry failed multiple steam tests, and running over long distances, if he was never brought to Sodor, he would have DEFINITELY been scrapped. Yes, The Fat Controller bought him by mistake, but STILL. And of course, the show was Written during the 60's, which was about 14 years or so after the Big 4 Railway Companies were nationalized, and the Modernization Plan was put into effect by British Railways. So....Awdry had written his book series around the events that where happening around that time period. Yeah the show can have some strange moments, and what the hell, it's a shoe with talking trains with faces where the Smokeboxes should be. IT'S AIMED TO ENTERTAIN SMALL CHILDERN, SO STOP OVERANALYZING IT AND DO SOMETHING PRODUCTIVE.

[@daniellloyd180]

Very interesting... Fascinating!