Thomas the Tank Engine gets multicultural female trains in equality overhaul

[MGR Hooper!]

These are the characters from India now on "Thomas and Friends"

 

Ashima (based on the Nilgiri Mountain Railway X Class)

 

Rajiv (based on the "Fairy Queen")

 

Shankar (based on the WDS-4)

 

*Noor Jehan* (based on the WDM-2)


*Unknown name* (based on the British Rail Class 08 but carries a livery that's based on the locomotives maintained in Diesel Locomotive Shed, Gooty)

*Google Gooty WDM-2 or GY WDM-2 for pictures*

 

There also seems to be a comic strip by Mattel based on Thomas the Tank Engine. In the coming strip there are 3 other engines - one based on a WDM-2, another on a WP and the third is unknown. Don't really like the comic strip verison.

 

It's really good to see such a diverse lineup of characters. Since I do quite a few Indian Railways kits I think I'll scale up my current ones to 1:76 and and maybe people will be interested in buying them.

Edited September 16, 2018 by MGR Hooper!

[MGR Hooper!]

Anyone know the name of the WDM-2 character?

[luckymucklebackit]

Does the modern Indian Railway still use 7 plank 4 wheel wagons?

[Coppercap]

Does the modern Indian Railway still use 7 plank 4 wheel wagons?

Also, do all the real locomotives these are based on have buffers?

[Zomboid]

Indian railways do use buffers I believe. All the pictures I've seen of the WDM2 do, at least (and being an ALCo fan, I've seen quite a few).

 

Probably our colonial influence preventing them from adopting proper knuckle couplers decades ago...

[MGR Hooper!]

Does the modern Indian Railway still use 7 plank 4 wheel wagons?

No. There is no more 7-plank wagons on the network and hasn't been so for over a three decades now (maybe more)

 

The only 4-wheeled vehicles are railbuses and OHE vans.

Edited September 14, 2018 by MGR Hooper!

[MGR Hooper!]

Also, do all the real locomotives these are based on have buffers?

No, some illustrations are incorrect. Ashima shouldn't have buffers as she is based on the MG loco running on the Nilgiri Mountain Railway. No MG stock has buffers so that it can traverse tighter curves.

 

The other two do have.

Edited September 14, 2018 by MGR Hooper!

[MGR Hooper!]

Indian railways do use buffers I believe. All the pictures I've seen of the WDM2 do, at least (and being an ALCo fan, I've seen quite a few).

 

Probably our colonial influence preventing them from adopting proper knuckle couplers decades ago...

Once again incorrect. All modern Linke Holfsman Busch coaching stock (1999 onwards) and all freight stock don't have buffers.

 

From the freight side only the older 4-wheel oil tankers had buffers. They were scrapped in 2003ish. All modern freight stock has bogies and no buffers.

 

All locomotives have buffers with knuckle couplers and the ability to use a 3-link coupling with the knuckle.

 

All multiple unit stock (DMU, EMU, MEMU and DEMU) also don't have buffers and they use bar type couplings. Buffers are only present on the ends.

 

So to sum up, only the locos and older coaching stock has buffers. Nothing new has buffers. Thanks to Germany! Though we miss the comfortable rides with buffers and journeys now aren't comfortable with all the jerking.

Edited September 14, 2018 by MGR Hooper!

[PatB]

Indian railways do use buffers I believe. All the pictures I've seen of the WDM2 do, at least (and being an ALCo fan, I've seen quite a few).

 

Probably our colonial influence preventing them from adopting proper knuckle couplers decades ago...

I dunno. Most (all?) of the railways in deeply colonial Australia adopted knuckle couplers and continuous brakes on everything very early on.

[Ozexpatriate]

I dunno. Most (all?) of the railways in deeply colonial Australia adopted knuckle couplers and continuous brakes on everything very early on.

Not all. Some had a weird mix.

 

In southeast Queensland stainless steel coaching stock (designated SX from Commonweath Engineering, and had knuckle couplers) were adopted in anticipation of an early 1960s electrification scheme. This scheme never materialized. In the meantime the Edwardian* vintage, wooden slam door coaching stock (BUV with traditional hooks) trundled on for years. The Evans swing door stock lasted until the later electrification scheme of the 1970s and 1980s was completed throughout the network.

 

* They were introduced in 1910 but continued to be manufactured for many years afterwards.

 

It was typical to see diesel electric locomotives equipped with both knuckle couplers and hooks throughout this period.

 

Arguably it was an interesting period from a modelling perspective. You could legitimately see diesel hauled stainless steel, diesel hauled wooden coaches, 2000 class stainless steel DMU railmotors which often ran lightly loaded runs in the middle of the day, first generation QR EMUs and steam specials with locomotives and coaches from the Heritage fleet on the same day. 

Edited September 18, 2018 by Ozexpatriate

[jjb1970]

On the subject of classic children's stories being modernised for a new audience, one of my favourite stories is "Watership Down" (after all these years I still feel moved when Hazel's spirit leaves his body behind to join El Ahrairah) and it really, like really, irritates me when I see people proposing to remake the movie but without the violence because you know, like it's just so violent and will give little Jemima nightmares. Right, lose the entire point of the story and why it is such a profoundly moving and powerful tale.

[Zomboid]

Watership down isn't really a young kids' story. It might be about animals which are kept as pets, and the film might be animated, but it's really not for the under 10s.

 

And life is harsh for wild animals...

[Zen]

I am set in my ways, I am actually in the midst of obtaining parts to build a copy of Rev W Awdry's original Thomas the little blue faceless E2.

 

While on the subject has anyone got any pictures of the original Thomas please???

Edited October 18, 2018 by Zen

[Ozexpatriate]

I am set in my ways, I am actually in the midst of obtaining parts to build a copy of Rev W Awdry's original Thomas the little blue faceless E2.

 

While on the subject has anyone got any pictures of the original Thomas please???

Try this as a starting point.

 

You could get a back issue of The Ffarquhar I Branch as featured in Railway Modeller,December 1959.

 

You will get relevant hits if you search for "rev w awdrey model railway" or similar

Edited October 18, 2018 by Ozexpatriate

[brianusa]

This topic is descending into PC territory and a long way from the original tales the reverend had in mind.  Most schemes seem to be interested in making more money; sell more trains in the more unlikeliest places.  Has Thomas really reached Ulan Bator?

 

Brian.

[Lancaster622]

My only question to the creators is why at the expense of Henry and Edward?

 

Now it is CGI they are but 0's & 1's so why can't they steam past in the background (saving on voice overs for them)  

 

I think that the point really is that children don't actually care about something until they are told they should do so, for example I during my teen years I started watching became obsessed with Red Dwarf it was only in recent years when someone mentioned it realised that half the cast of 4 (not including computers) aren't white.

 

Now this didn't and still doesn't bother me but the point I am trying to make is that the target audience probably doesn't care, reading through this thread I see someones daughter liked the new characters but because one of them was in her favourite colour which further supports my point, any virtuous message about being inclusive will pass over the average demographics head as hopefully no one has pointed it out to them that they should view others differently.

 

Another example is I was very lucky in meeting 4 former Tuskegee Airmen at a Duxford Airshow, again to my young it hasn't been pointed out mind I didn't see any reason to think of them any differently to any other veteran and surely it is that type of mind we should be striving for in this world rather than one that is obsessing over our differences?

[boxbrownie]

By the way, are LGB now rueing their acronym?

You say that......but when we first got into LGB for the garden I had to be very careful searching on the interwebby

[boxbrownie]

These are the characters from India now on "Thomas and Friends"

 

Ashima (based on the Nilgiri Mountain Railway X Class)

TTTEUK Ashima NMR X Class.jpg

 

 

Well...........I would

[eldomtom2]

On the subject of classic children's stories being modernised for a new audience, one of my favourite stories is "Watership Down" (after all these years I still feel moved when Hazel's spirit leaves his body behind to join El Ahrairah) and it really, like really, irritates me when I see people proposing to remake the movie but without the violence because you know, like it's just so violent and will give little Jemima nightmares. Right, lose the entire point of the story and why it is such a profoundly moving and powerful tale.

I believe the new BBC/Netfilx miniseries is to be toned down a bit visually compared to the film, but not lose any of the actual events - the makers have stated it is "never going to be for young children" and that they "won’t shy away from the darkness in the book".

 

(On a side note, the film (and I believe the original book) of Richard Adams' other animal novel The Plague Dogs features both Eskdale and Ravenglass stations heavily (including River Irt)).

My only question to the creators is why at the expense of Henry and Edward?

 

Now it is CGI they are but 0's & 1's so why can't they steam past in the background (saving on voice overs for them) 

They've been reduced from main characters to supporting characters. They still appear and speak.

[Il Grifone]

omis

 

(Another interesting story in the biography is that the BBC attempted to make a TV version of the books using a model railway well before Britt Alcroft, back in the days when TV went out live. It wasn't a success.)

 

I remember that! I watched in eager anticipation and was very disappointed that it didn't work properly. I think it ran for all of five minutes (or less?) before going off air, never to return. It must have been the early fifties.

IIRC (it was a long time ago) we had Gordon and Henry going in fits and starts... (405 line in glorious monochrome of course).

 

Childhood trauma....

Edited October 20, 2018 by Il Grifone

[Il Grifone]

I always find it particularly silly when she/her is used for locos that are given male names e.g. Flying ScotsMAN or named after real (male) people e.g. Sir Nigel Gresley. Since Hornby are pulling out of the Thomas market a more low budget solution to gender balance might be to issue a run of Caley Pugs lettered 'Smokey Jo' (with no e).

 

They are given 'she' because  deleted for political correctness. Like ships, locomotives, cars etc. are always 'she' irrespective of name.

 

I always had this dilemma....  As a child it irked me to see Thomas and co. as  'he'.

[OnTheBranchline]

They are given 'she' because  deleted for political correctness. Like ships, locomotives, cars etc. are always 'she' irrespective of name.

 

I always had this dilemma....  As a child it irked me to see Thomas and co. as  'he'.

 

I thought ships were named 'she' because they keep men out of the deep stuff?

[APOLLO]

Ahh - Political correctness !!

 

 

Brit15

[MarkC]

Ahh - Political correctness !!

 

 

Brit15

That picture has caused a bit of a stir amongst a few snowflake groups on the Book of Face

[E3109]

I was 12 in 1981, thus in the second year of secondary school.

Anyway a project we were given by the English teacher was, "produce a children's book, with illustrations."

 

I blatantly plagiarised the (proper!) Awdry series and based it on the then-imminent MSW closure.

The characters in my 'series' were of course Tommy, Jason, Prometheus, Diana and co.

 

I doubt if it was particularly accurate but my, how I wish I'd kept that stuff!