James the Red Engine facts for kids

Quick facts for kids James the Red Engine
Thomas & Friends character
First appearance	Thomas the Tank Engine (1946)
Created by	Rev. W. Awdry
Designed by	George Hughes
Voiced by	UK: Keith Wickham (2009–2017) US: Kerry Shale (2009–2015) UK and US: Rob Rackstraw (UK: 2017–2020; US: 2015–2020) Other: Susan Roman (Thomas and the Magic Railroad)
Number	5
Information
Gender	Male

James the Red Engine is a famous fictional train from The Railway Series books by the Reverend Awdry and the TV show Thomas & Friends. He is a tender locomotive, which means he has a separate car for coal and water. James is a mixed-traffic engine, meaning he can pull both passenger coaches and freight cars (trucks). He is engine number 5 on the North Western Railway on the Island of Sodor.

James first appeared in The Railway Series in 1946, in the book Thomas the Tank Engine. Two books are all about James: James the Red Engine and James and the Diesel Engines.

On his very first day, James crashed into a field. This happened because his brake blocks were made of wood, which didn't work well. After that, they were replaced with metal ones. James is known for being a bit cheeky and sometimes causes trouble. For example, he once sprayed steam on the Fat Controller's new top hat! He also broke a coach brake pipe and had to fix it with a passenger's bootlace and a newspaper. Another time, he crashed into tar wagons.

Despite his naughty moments, James is very proud of his bright red paint and shiny brass dome. He is also a hard-working and reliable engine. Most of the time, he is considered a "really useful engine."

James's Personality

James loves to stay clean and hates getting dirty. He thinks he is better than other engines and believes he should only pull coaches, not freight trucks. He can be boastful and a bit vain, especially towards engines he sees as old-fashioned, weak, slow, or dirty. This often leads to playful arguments with Edward and Toby.

James also wants to be as important as Gordon. Even though he sometimes insults other engines, he usually apologizes later. He even has his own song in the TV series called "James the Really Splendid Engine."

For a long time, James didn't like diesels. But in the book James and the Diesel Engines, he learned that diesels can be useful too. This was one of the few lessons that really stuck with him!

James's History

James was first seen in The Railway Series in 1946. He was named after James Furze, a friend of the publisher's son. When he first appeared, James was actually painted black. The publishers asked Reverend Awdry to write a whole book about James. In this next book, James the Red Engine, he finally got his famous red paint and his well-known personality.

What Kind of Engine is James?

James is based on a real train called the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway ""Class 28"." This was a mixed-traffic engine built in 1912/13. Reverend Awdry explained that James was an experimental version of this engine. He was built with bigger driving wheels and a pony truck to try and fix a problem with the original design. This made him a 2-6-0 wheel arrangement. After the railway companies merged, James was sold to the Fat Controller's North Western Railway.

James in the Books

The book James the Red Engine was the third book in The Railway Series. It continued the story from the previous book, Thomas The Tank Engine. James was first introduced when the Troublesome Trucks pushed him into a field.

James and the Top Hat

After his accident, the Fat Controller gave James a new coat of red paint. James became very proud. One day, he accidentally sprayed steam on the Fat Controller's new top hat. James felt very bad and worried about what would happen. The Fat Controller was angry and even threatened to paint James blue!

James and the Bootlace

Even after the warning, James bumped the coaches too hard. This caused a leak in the brake pipe. His driver, fireman, and conductor had to fix it with newspaper and a passenger's bootlace. James felt very silly after this and was careful not to bump coaches again.

Troublesome Trucks

After being shut in the shed for a few days, James was allowed out to pull a goods train. The trucks tried to make him give up when they reached Gordon's Hill. But James kept going! A coupling broke, and some trucks rolled downhill. Edward the Blue Engine offered to help, but James wanted to do it himself. The trucks finally realized James wouldn't give up, and he reached the top of the hill. The Fat Controller was so impressed that he let James keep his red paint.

James and the Express

Gordon the Big Engine often boasted that he was the only engine who could pull the Express train. One day, Gordon accidentally went the wrong way and had a long, wasted journey. James teased him about it. But then, many angry passengers arrived, demanding their money back. James stepped in and pulled the Express train himself! He did such a good job that the Fat Controller allowed him to pull the Express whenever Gordon needed a rest. After this, James and Gordon became good friends.

James in the TV Series

In the Thomas & Friends TV show, James was red from the very beginning. He also appeared in episodes that happened before his first story, even though that story showed him as a new engine.

Just like in the books, James is very proud of his red paint and hates getting dirty. This often gets him into trouble.

James is one of only four characters (the others are Thomas, Henry, and Gordon) who appear in every Thomas & Friends movie. He has big roles in four of them.

• In the 2013 movie King of the Railway, James, Thomas, and Percy help fix Ulfstead Castle.
• In the 2014 film Tale of the Brave, James plays a trick on Percy, making Percy think there's a monster. They become friends again after Percy saves James from a rockslide.
• The film The Adventure Begins tells the early stories of the show. In this version, James arrived on Sodor before Thomas and was originally black. He crashed into a field, and Thomas helped get him back on the tracks. Later, James returned, painted in his familiar red.
• In the 2017 movie Journey Beyond Sodor, James teases Thomas. When Henry has an accident, James is asked to take a freight train, but Thomas takes it instead to get back at James. When Thomas goes missing, James tries to find him to be a hero. But he gets trapped in a steelworks and is rescued by Thomas and some experimental engines.

James is one of the eight main engines in the "Steam Team" on the show.

James in Thomas and the Magic Railroad

In the 2000 movie, Thomas and the Magic Railroad, James was threatened by Diesel 10. He almost got pushed into a hot smelting pit but was saved by Mr. Conductor Jr. At the start of the movie, a fly bothers James, which is a nod to an old Awdry story called "Buzz, Buzz."

Voice Actors

• Susan Roman (Thomas and the Magic Railroad)
• Keith Wickham (UK; "Hero of the Rails" – series 20)
• Kerry Shale (US, "Hero of the Rails" – series 18)
• Rob Rackstraw (US; "The Adventure Begins" onwards, UK; "Tit for Tat" onwards)

"Real Life" James

The Mid-Hants Railway once painted one of its real engines, a Southern Railway N Class, to look like James. This engine kept the red paint for many years and was part of the 50th-anniversary celebrations for The Railway Series. It was the only replica Thomas character allowed to run on the main railway lines.

On the East Lancashire Railway, another engine, LMS Ivatt Class 2 Mogul No. 46428, has also been painted as James the Red Engine. Some train fans didn't like this, as they felt it wasn't right to paint a historic engine in such a bright color. However, many younger visitors loved seeing it!