- “Allo James. Come to learn a thing or two from those who know?”
- ― Arry, "Middle Engine", sixth season
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James is a vain mixed-traffic engine.
James's Brother
Bio
James was built by George Hughes at Horwich Works in 1915 and arrived on Sodor in 1946. He was unable to stop due to his wooden brake blocks. After his first accident, and he was rescued by Thomas, he was rebuilt into a 2-6-0 with a proper brake, besides the removal of the front sandboxes, and repainted red with gold stripes, black lining and brass dome. He was troublesome when he returned, ruining Sir Topham Hatt's new top-hat with his steam and jarring his coaches so much a brake pipe leaks. He was threatened to be painted blue (which James detests), but later made the line's worst trucks behave after being given a second chance.
Persona
James is very proud of his red paint, gold stripes, blue lining and shining brass dome and likes to stay clean. He hates pulling trucks, and believes that he should only pull coaches. He thinks himself superior to the others, and can be shallow, boastful and vain, particularly to those who appear old-fashioned, weak, slow or dirty. However, on a number of occasions he has found himself in need of help from those he has insulted, and is, in the end, apologetic.
James was the last engine to retain a prejudice against diesels. However, after stalling on a cold day he was rescued by The Works Diesel, and James had to admit that nothing was wrong with diesels. This appears to be one of the few lessons that has stuck.James always knows that there is a lesson to be learned, whenever he gets into a situation. It is hinted by fans that James and Molly secretly like each other.
Appearances
James' Railway Series appearances are listed below:
- "Thomas the Tank Engine"
- "James the Red Engine"
- "Tank Engine Thomas Again" (not seen)
- "Troublesome Engines"
- "Henry the Green Engine"
- "Toby the Tram Engine"
- "Gordon the Big Engine"
- "Edward the Blue Engine"
- "Four Little Engines" (not seen)
- "Percy the Small Engine"
- "The Eight Famous Engines"
- "Duck and the Diesel Engine"
- "The Little Old Engine"
- "The Twin Engines"
- "Stepney the "Bluebell" Engine"
- "Main Line Engines"
- "Small Railway Engines" (mentioned)
- "Enterprising Engines"
- "Oliver the Western Engine"
- "Duke the Lost Engine" (cameo)
- "James and the Diesel Engines"
- "Great Little Engines" (mentioned)
- "More About Thomas the Tank Engine"
- "Gordon the High-Speed Engine"
- "Thomas and the Twins" (cameo)
- "Thomas and the Great Railway Show"
- "Henry and the Express"
- "Wilbert the Forest Engine"
- "Thomas and the Fat Controller's Engines"
Contary to popular opinion, James did not appear in "The Three Railway Engines". The red engine that appeared was another engine who is unnamed but un-officially known as The Red Engine or Eagle.
James has appeared in every season of the television series as the protagonist. In Season 12 however, his large scale model didn't appear for the narrow gauge engines.
Basis
In "The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways" it is claimed that James is based on a rebuild of a L&YR Class 27 locomotive from the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway and designed by George Hughes. However, as with most of the early Railway Series characters, this information was purely retcon.
Sodor "historian" Martin Clutterbuck has pointed out that James strongly resembles an G&SWR "Austrian Goods" 2-6-0 from the Glasgow and South Western Railway. At any rate, the Reverend W. Awdry used an engine of this class to represent James on his model railway. It is possible that he rejected this prototype for James' official "biography" on the grounds that an English locomotive would be more likely to end up on Sodor. In addition to this information, There are also engines which are very similar to james in ireland and even india.
Model engine
According to the Reverend W. Awdry, James is a Class 28 Hughes rebuild of the Lancashire and Yorkshire's Class 27, designed by Aspinall. Hughes added a Belpaire firebox and extended the footplate and sandbox. The resulting engine, the first of the series from the Horwich works, was fitted with a Schmidt superheater. The obvious changes in James' design are the new front pony truck added "experimentally" and thus converting an 0-6-0 into a 2-6-0, besides the removal of the front sandboxes.
James on the silver screen
Susan Roman voiced James in "Thomas and the Magic Railroad" In the movie, he was briefly threatened by Diesel 10 before being teleported away by Junior. James was also annoyed by a fly at the beginning of the movie, a reference to "Buzz Buzz".
How to tame a boastful James
Ever since the bootlace incident, and any incident after that, James has often been brought down to earth by those wanting to keep his arrogance in check:
- At last, Toby lost patience.
- "James," he asked, "why are you red?"
- "I am a splendid engine," answered James loftily, "ready for anything. You never see my paint dirty."
- "Oh!" said Toby innocently, "that's why you once needed bootlaces; to be ready, I suppose."
- A conversation between Toby and James, "Toby the Tram Engine"
- "Sometimes Gordon and Henry would sleep in James' shed, and they would talk of nothing but bootlaces!"
- The beginning of "James and the Express" from "James the Red Engine"
- "Ony wan wad think," said Douglas, "that Donal' had his accident on purrpose. I heard tell," he went on, "aboot an engine an' some tar wagons."
- Gordon and Henry chuckled.
- "Shut up!" said James. "It's not funny."
- Douglas ribbing James, "The Twin Engines"
Whenever a taunt like this happens, James usually gets into a foul mood, which makes him get into even more awkward predicaments.James sometimes boasts about anything he does.
Don't tell him this, it'll make him worse...
A large-scale working replica of James, along with replicas of Thomas, Percy, Harold and Jack, was created by BBC Visual Effects for a tour in 2003. The battery powered locomotive is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest model railway engine ever built, at 2.64 x 1.5 x 6.52 metres.
James' twins
The Mid Hants Railway repainted a Southern Railway N Class into the livery of James. The engine retained this colour scheme for many years, and participated in the Railway Series Golden Jubilee celebrations at the National Railway Museum.
The repainting of the engine, however, created a stir among railway enthusiasts who felt that it was wrong to paint a historic main line locomotive in such a garish livery. Nevertheless, the locomotive was popular with the railway's younger visitors.
On the East Lancashire Railway, unrestored LMS 2MT 2-6-0 No. 46428 has been painted as James, although his face only appears during Thomas events.
Livery
In the Railway Series, James was painted navy black with red lining before his accident and was given his red coat with yellow stripes and black lining to cheer him up. Sometime during the 1960s, James' black and yellow lining was repainted blue and gold. James has his name painted in gold on his boiler, a number 5 painted in bright yellow with a blue border on his cab sides and "North Western Railway" painted in gold on his tender sides.
In the television series, James has always been red with gold stripes and black lining, except in the tenth season episode "The Green Controller", when he was painted yellow and black, like a bumblebee, on Percy's orders.
James is currently painted NWR red with gold stripes, NWR blue and yellow lining, brass dome, black-topped cab roof (red-topped cab roof before 1950s and in the Railway Series), black wheels and a number 5 painted on his tender sides in bright yellow with a blue (prevously black) border. He carries a plaque on his cab that reads "NWR No. 5 Rebuilt 1946 Crovans Gate Works". He was originally painted navy black with red lining and black yellow stripes before his accident and was given his red coat with yellow stripes and black lining to cheer him up. In 1966, James' black and yellow lining was repainted blue and gold.
Trivia
- In the Railway Series and before 1984, James' whistle valve is in front of his cab on his boiler. In the TV show and since 1984, the valve is turned on its side and attached to a brass pipe, which in turn is connected to the cab roof.
- Like Edward, James usually has the length of his Railway Series counterpart but with his television series counterpart's boiler pillars and sides. James has the inside cylinder (i.e. not external cylinders of valve gear), a completely flat footplate, and splashers for all three pairs of driving wheels. He also has a square Belpaire firebox and a Fowler tender (replacing the old L&YR tender).
- James is inspired by a specific real-life class of engine, or to which a specific inspiration was later assigned (like Henry).
- In the Railway Series Story, Paint Pots and Queens, In the first picture it seems that James has 4 front wheels, instead of his usual 2 front wheels.
- According to sources, James is a modified Class 27/28 steam locomotive. He first had a 0-6-0 wheel arrangement, but was modified into a 2-6-0 when he joined Sodor. Since his rebuild in 1946-8, James has 5ft 6 inch driving wheels. When he was first built, he had 5ft 1 inch driving wheels.
- James is the first steam engine to have the whistle mounted on the cab roof.
Before Number
- Gordon is Number 4.
After Number
- Percy is Number 6.
Merchandising
- ERTL model (discontinued)
- LC Wooden model (available as normal, limited edition 'Buzz Buzz', and in adventure 2 Pack, which included the Football Team James, and the "Busy as a bee" James with his trademark angry face)
- Take-Along model (available as normal and in metallic)
- TOMY/Trackmaster model (available as normal and in 'Busy Bee' livery)
- 'My First' model (available in normal and talking)
- Hornby model
- Bachmann model
- My Thomas Story Library 'James'
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