Thomas & Friends (series 1) facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Thomas & Friends
DVD cover art
Country of origin	United Kingdom
No. of episodes	26
Release
Original network	ITV
Original release	9 October 1984 (1984-10-09) – 8 January 1985 (1985-01-08)
List of Thomas & Friends episodes

Thomas The Tank Engine & Friends is a popular children's television series. It's all about the engines and other characters who work on the railways of the Island of Sodor. The show is based on The Railway Series books, which were written by Reverend W. Awdry.

This article tells you about the episodes from the very first series of the show. It first aired in 1984. For viewers in the United Kingdom, the famous musician Ringo Starr narrated the episodes. He also narrated 25 episodes for the United States, which were shown on Shining Time Station in 1989. Later, starting in 1991, George Carlin narrated all the episodes for US audiences.

You can find all the episodes from this series on the DVD called Thomas: The Early Years. This DVD was released in 2004 by Anchor Bay Entertainment and HIT Entertainment. The show was made by Clearwater Features Ltd. for Britt Allcroft (Thomas The Tank Engine) Ltd.

Making the Show

All the stories in the first series were originally written by Reverend W. Awdry. This includes a special story called Thomas' Christmas Party, which was asked for by the show's team.

Seven main engines were introduced in this series. They became the most important characters in later episodes. A crew member, Steve Asquith, even called them the "Magnificent Seven." Many places from this first series stayed in the show for many years. This was true even when the show changed to CGI (computer-made pictures) in 2009. Some of these famous places include Knapford Station, Wellsworth, Gordon's Hill, Henry's Tunnel, and Tidmouth Sheds.

Episode Guide

No. overall	No. in series	UK title (top) US title (bottom)	Directed by	Source	Original air date
1	1	"Thomas & Gordon" "Thomas Gets Tricked"	David Mitton	Thomas the Tank Engine by Rev. W. Awdry	9 October 1984 (1984-10-09)
Thomas, a small blue tank engine, loves to tease the other engines, especially Gordon. Gordon is the biggest and proudest engine. One day, Gordon decides to teach Thomas a lesson for his teasing.
2	2	"Edward & Gordon" "Edward Helps Out"	David Mitton	The Three Railway Engines by Rev. W. Awdry Based on Edward's Day Out and the story of the same name (Edward & Gordon)	9 October 1984 (1984-10-09)
Edward is an old engine who hasn't worked in a while. His driver feels bad and takes him out. The next day, Edward helps Gordon when the big engine gets stuck on a hill.
3	3	"The Sad Story of Henry" "Come Out, Henry!"	David Mitton	The Three Railway Engines by Rev. W. Awdry	16 October 1984 (1984-10-16)
Henry, a green engine, is afraid of the rain. He thinks it will ruin his paint. One day, he hides in a tunnel and won't come out. Sir Topham Hatt has to wall him up inside.
4	4	"Edward, Gordon & Henry" "Henry to the Rescue"	David Mitton	The Three Railway Engines by Rev. W. Awdry	16 October 1984 (1984-10-16)
Henry is still stuck in the tunnel and feels bad. Gordon goes too fast and breaks down near Henry's tunnel. Edward needs Henry's help to push the heavy train.
5	5	"Thomas' Train" "A Big Day for Thomas"	David Mitton	Thomas the Tank Engine by Rev. W. Awdry	23 October 1984 (1984-10-23)
Thomas is tired of moving coaches around. He wants to pull them himself. When Henry is sick, Thomas gets his chance. But he accidentally starts before being connected to the train.
6	6	"Thomas & the Trucks" "Trouble for Thomas"	David Mitton	Thomas the Tank Engine by Rev. W. Awdry	23 October 1984 (1984-10-23)
Thomas wants to see the world. Edward lets him take a goods train. Thomas is too excited to listen to Edward's advice. The troublesome trucks push him down Gordon's hill.
7	7	"Thomas & the Breakdown Train" "Thomas Saves the Day"	David Mitton	Thomas the Tank Engine by Rev. W. Awdry	30 October 1984 (1984-10-30)
James, a red engine, gets pushed out of control by trucks. His brakes catch fire. Thomas quickly gets the breakdown train and helps. Sir Topham Hatt rewards Thomas with his own branch line.
8	8	"James & the Coaches" "James Learns a Lesson"	David Mitton	James the Red Engine by Rev. W. Awdry Based on James and the Top Hat and James and the Bootlace	30 October 1984 (1984-10-30)
James is enjoying his new life but still has much to learn. He accidentally ruins Sir Topham Hatt's new hat. He also breaks a coach's brake pipe.
9	9	"Troublesome Trucks" "Foolish Freight Cars"	David Mitton	James the Red Engine by Rev. W. Awdry	6 November 1984 (1984-11-06)
James is stuck in the sheds after the coach incident. He is let out to pull trucks. The trucks try to make him give up, but James pulls them to the station.
10	10	"James & the Express" "A Proud Day for James"	David Mitton	James the Red Engine by Rev. W. Awdry	6 November 1984 (1984-11-06)
Gordon boasts he knows the right line, but ends up on the wrong track. James takes Gordon's place for the day. Sir Topham Hatt lets James pull the Express sometimes.
11	11	"Thomas & the Guard" "Thomas and the Conductor"	David Mitton	Tank Engine Thomas Again by Rev. W. Awdry	13 November 1984 (1984-11-13)
Thomas does well on his branch line. But he gets impatient with Henry being late. He accidentally leaves his guard behind on a platform.
12	12	"Thomas Goes Fishing"	David Mitton	Tank Engine Thomas Again by Rev. W. Awdry	13 November 1984 (1984-11-13)
Thomas wants to go fishing. He is told engines don't fish. The next day, the water tower is broken. Thomas's crew gets water from the river, but fish end up in his boiler!
13	13	"Thomas, Terence & the Snow" "Terence the Tractor"	David Mitton	Tank Engine Thomas Again by Rev. W. Awdry	20 November 1984 (1984-11-20)
Thomas meets Terence the tractor and makes fun of his wheels. Terence explains his "caterpillar" wheels can go anywhere. This helps when Thomas gets stuck in snow.
14	14	"Thomas & Bertie" "Thomas and Bertie's Great Race"	David Mitton	Tank Engine Thomas Again by Rev. W. Awdry	20 November 1984 (1984-11-20)
Thomas meets Bertie the bus. Bertie reminds Thomas of when he helped with passengers. Bertie then challenges Thomas to a race to the next station.
15	15	"Tenders & Turntables"	David Mitton	Troublesome Engines by Rev. W. Awdry	27 November 1984 (1984-11-27)
Henry, Gordon, and James are angry they have to move their own coaches. Gordon and James have trouble with the turntable. The three engines decide to go on strike.
16	16	"Trouble in the Shed"	David Mitton	Troublesome Engines by Rev. W. Awdry	27 November 1984 (1984-11-27)
Sir Topham Hatt sees Gordon, James, and Henry are on strike. He shuts them in the sheds. He buys a new tank engine named Percy to help.
17	17	"Percy Runs Away"	David Mitton	Troublesome Engines by Rev. W. Awdry	4 December 1984 (1984-12-04)
The Fat Controller lets the three engines go back to work. Percy is cheeky and forgets Edward's advice. He gets scared by Gordon and reverses into a bank of earth.
18	18	"Coal" "Henry's Special Coal"	David Mitton	Henry the Green Engine by Rev. W. Awdry	4 December 1984 (1984-12-04)
Henry has been sick. His small firebox can't handle the Island's coal. He needs expensive, special Welsh coal. With it, Henry works much better.
19	19	"The Flying Kipper"	David Mitton	Henry the Green Engine by Rev. W. Awdry	11 December 1984 (1984-12-11)
Henry is chosen to pull an early morning fish train. Ice freezes the tracks, and a signal is down. Henry crashes into another goods train. He gets a new shape and firebox.
20	20	"Whistles & Sneezes"	David Mitton	Henry the Green Engine by Rev. W. Awdry Based on Gordon's Whistle and Henry's Sneeze	11 December 1984 (1984-12-11)
Gordon is jealous of Henry's new look. He complains Henry whistles too much. Later, Gordon's whistle gets stuck. Boys throw stones at Henry, so his crew makes him "sneeze" at them.
21	21	"Toby & the Stout Gentleman" "Toby the Tram Engine"	David Mitton	Toby the Tram Engine by Rev. W. Awdry	18 December 1984 (1984-12-18)
Toby is a tram engine with his coach, Henrietta. His line is losing work to cars and buses. He is running out of jobs. His line is about to close when a letter arrives.
22	22	"Thomas in Trouble" "Thomas Breaks the Rules"	David Mitton	Toby the Tram Engine by Rev. W. Awdry	18 December 1984 (1984-12-18)
Thomas gets in trouble for not having a cowcatcher or sideplates. Sir Topham Hatt hears about it. He buys Toby, who has both, and brings Henrietta with him.
23	23	"Dirty Objects" "James in a Mess"	David Mitton	Toby the Tram Engine by Rev. W. Awdry	25 December 1984 (1984-12-25)
Toby and Henrietta enjoy Sodor. James calls them "dirty objects" because they look old. James later crashes into tar wagons. Toby says James looks like a "dirty object" now.
24	24	"Off the Rails" "Gordon Takes a Dip"	David Mitton	Gordon the Big Engine by Rev. W. Awdry	8 January 1985 (1985-01-08)
Gordon is difficult and refuses to pull a goods train. His plan to jam the turntable fails, and he slides into a ditch. Sir Topham Hatt leaves him there. James and Henry pull him out.
25	25	"Down the Mine"	David Mitton	Gordon the Big Engine by Rev. W. Awdry	8 January 1985 (1985-01-08)
Gordon must pull trucks as punishment. Thomas teases him. While working at the mines, Thomas ignores a "Danger" sign and falls into a pit. Gordon pulls him out.
26	26	"Thomas' Christmas Party"	David Mitton	Thomas' Christmas Party by Rev. W. Awdry	25 December 1984 (1984-12-25)
It's Christmas on Sodor. Thomas and Toby are busy. Thomas wants to thank Mrs. Kyndley for saving them from an accident. The engines plan a Christmas party for her.

Characters You Meet

Thomas the Tank Engine ("Thomas & Gordon")
Edward the Blue Engine ("Edward & Gordon")
Henry the Green Engine ("The Sad Story of Henry")
Gordon the Big Engine ("Thomas & Gordon")
James the Red Engine ("Thomas & the Breakdown Train")
Percy the Small Engine ("Trouble in the Shed")
Toby the Tram Engine ("Toby & the Stout Gentleman")
Annie and Clarabel ("Thomas & the Breakdown Train")
Henrietta ("Toby & the Stout Gentleman")
Troublesome Trucks ("Edward & Gordon")
Terence the Tractor ("Thomas, Terence & the Snow")
Bertie the Bus ("Thomas, Terence & the Snow" (not named) / "Thomas & Bertie")
Sir Topham Hatt/The Fat Controller ("The Sad Story of Henry")
Lady Hatt ("Toby & the Stout Gentleman")
Stephen Hatt ("Toby & the Stout Gentleman")
Bridget Hatt ("Toby & the Stout Gentleman")
Mrs. Kyndley ("Thomas' Christmas Party")