View source for James the Red Engine

{{Pp-pc}}{{short description|Fictional steam locomotive}}
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{{Notability|1=General|date=December 2022}}
{{More citations needed|date=December 2022}}
{{Primary sources|date=December 2022}}
{{Original research|date=October 2024}}
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{{merge to|List of Thomas & Friends characters|discuss=Talk:List_of_Thomas_&_Friends_characters#Merging Thomas the Tank Engine and James the Red Engine into list of Thomas and Friends characters|date=June 2025}}
{{Infobox character
| name = James the Red Engine
| franchise = ''[[The Railway Series]]'' and ''[[Thomas & Friends (franchise)|Thomas & Friends]]''
| image = Thomas and Friends James.jpg
| alt = 
| caption = James as seen in [[Thomas & Friends series 8|series 8]]—[[Thomas & Friends series 11|11]]
| first = ''[[List of Railway Series books#Thomas the Tank Engine|Thomas the Tank Engine]]'' (1946)
| creator = [[Wilbert Awdry]]
| designer = [[George Hughes (engineer)|George Hughes]] (in universe)<br />Reginald Payne
| voice = {{collapsible list|title=[[British English|British]]|[[Keith Wickham]] (2009–2017)|[[Rob Rackstraw]] (2017–2021)|Luke Marty (2021–2022)|Tom Dussek (2022–2025)}}
{{collapsible list|title=[[American English|American]]|[[Kerry Shale]] (2009–2015)|Rob Rackstraw (2015–2021)|Luke Marty (2021–2025)}}
{{collapsible list|title=Other|[[Susan Roman]] (''[[Thomas and the Magic Railroad]]'')|[[Michael Angelis]] (original [[workprint]])}}
| lbl1 = Number
| data1 = NWR 5
| species = [[Steam locomotive]]
| gender = Male
| nationality = {{hlist|English|Sudric}}
}}
'''James the Red Engine''' is a [[fiction]]al character from ''[[the Railway Series]]'' children's books created by [[Wilbert Awdry]] and the television adaptation ''[[Thomas & Friends]]''. He is an [[anthropomorphic]] [[tender locomotive]], and is the number 5 engine on the [[North Western Railway (fictional)|North Western Railway]], [[the Fat Controller]]'s railway on the [[Sodor (fictional island)|Island of Sodor]].

James debuted in the 1946 book ''Thomas the Tank Engine''. Two books in the series, ''James the Red Engine'' and ''James and the Diesel Engines'', are dedicated to James.

==Prototype and background==
[[Image:Thornhill geograph-2804211-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg|thumb|left|150px|James' basis, an L&YR Class 28 in 1953]]
James first appeared in ''[[The Railway Series]]'' in the 1946 book ''Thomas the Tank Engine''. He was named after James Furze, a friend of the publisher's son. He was originally painted black. At the request of the publishers, Awdry dedicated ''[[List of Railway Series books#James the Red Engine|James the Red Engine]]'' to the character. James was painted red in this and subsequent books. 
<!--There's plenty more about James' own book in "The Thomas the Tank Engine Man"-->

James is based on the [[L&YR Class 28]], an {{whyte|0-6-0}} mixed-traffic tender engine designed by [[George Hughes (engineer)|George Hughes]] and based on the earlier [[L&YR Class 27]] designed by [[John Aspinall (engineer)|John Aspinall]]. According to Awdry, the Class 28s were powerful engines but had a tendency to be nose-heavy, especially when used as relief engines on excursion trains and driven at speed.<ref name=IoSPHR>{{cite book
 | last = The Rev. W. Awdry
 | author-link = Wilbert Awdry
 | author2 = G. Awdry
 | title = ''[[List of Railway Series Books#The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways|The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways]]''
 | publisher = Kaye & Ward
 | year = 1987
 | pages = 129–30
 | isbn = 0-434-92762-7
 }}</ref> In the book ''[[List of Railway Series Books#The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways|The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways]]'', Awdry gave a fictional history of the engine. James was built by Hughes as an experiment to see if the nose-heaviness could be counteracted. The locomotive was fitted with larger {{convert|5|ft|6|in}} driving wheels and a [[pony truck]], making it into a {{whyte|2-6-0}}.<ref name=IoSPHR /> (The real Class 28 has {{convert|5|ft|1|in}} wheels.<ref>[http://www.railuk.info/steam/getsteamclass.php?item=LYR28 "Steam Loco Class Information"] Rail UK.</ref>) James is also missing the prominent front sandboxes fitted to the Class 28s.<ref name=RLTtTE>{{cite web|title=James|url=http://www.pegnsean.net/~railwayseries/james.htm|publisher="The Real Lives of Thomas the Tank Engine" (The real prototype locomotives that inspired the Rev. W. Awdry)|access-date=27 January 2011|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121220020223/http://www.pegnsean.net/~railwayseries/james.htm|archive-date=20 December 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> The improvement was not as great as hoped for and after the grouping, the LMS sold James to the Fat Controller's [[Sodor (fictional island)#Railways|North Western Railway]].<ref name=IoSPHR />

===Models===
Awdry had two models of James on his [[OO gauge]] model railway. The first, from the 1950s, was based on a 2-6-0 [[Glasgow and South Western Railway]] locomotive, the [[Austrian Goods]], designed by [[Peter Drummond (engineer)|Peter Drummond]]; this is the design that Awdry had originally intended to use for James.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gratton |first1=James |title=Model Maker Magazine: March 1953}}</ref> The model was red with yellow lining. Despite being professionally made and "a beautiful model", the motor was unreliable, so it could not be used regularly. Awdry later noted that it was sent away in the 1980s for a new motor and chassis and came back "completely transformed".<ref name=RLTtTE/>

Awdry's second model of James was based on a 1960s [[Tri-ang Railways|Tri-ang]] [[Midland Railway Johnson 0-6-0|Johnson 3F]] 0-6-0; a conversion which [[Hornby Railways|Hornby]] used for the production version of their model of James several decades later.<ref name=RLTtTE/>

==James in ''The Railway Series''==
{{unsourced|section|date=October 2024}}
''James the Red Engine'' was the third book in the Railway Series by Reverend W. Awdry. It picked up where the previous book, ''Thomas The Tank Engine'', left off, as James was introduced in "Thomas & The Breakdown Train" where the Troublesome Trucks pushed him into a field after his wooden brake blocks caught fire. James was rescued by [[Thomas the Tank Engine|Thomas]] and the Breakdown Train and was repainted red.

==James in ''Thomas & Friends''==
Unlike the books, the TV episode "Thomas and the Breakdown Train" had James in his red colour from the beginning. For unknown reasons, James also appeared in all episodes before "Thomas and the Breakdown Train" even though this story established him as being a new engine.

Like in the books, James is very proud of his red paintwork and hates getting dirty,<ref name=S03E11>{{cite episode| title       = [[Thomas & Friends (series 3)|No Joke for James]]| series      = Thomas & Friends| series-link = Thomas & Friends| credits     = Andrew Brenner, [[Britt Allcroft]] (producer), [[David Mitton]] (director)| network     = [[ITV Network|ITV]]| airdate     = 11 November 1991| series-no   = 3| number      = 11}}</ref> which often gets him into trouble.

James is one of only four characters that appears in every ''Thomas & Friends'' film, but only has major roles in four of them.

He is one of the leads of the 2013 film ''[[Thomas & Friends: King of the Railway]]'', in which he, Thomas, and Percy assist in the restoration of Ulfstead Castle and the construction of the Earl of Sodor’s estate.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2641678/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_1|title=Thomas & Friends: King of the Railway|date=September 2, 2013|via=IMDb}}</ref>{{User-generated source|date=May 2025}}

James is the main antagonist of the 2014 film ''[[Thomas & Friends: Tale of the Brave]]''. He pulls a prank on Percy which leads the latter to think there is a monster on the island. They make amends after Percy saves James from a rockslide.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3282174/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_4|title=Thomas & Friends: Tale of the Brave|date=September 1, 2014|via=IMDb}}{{user-generated source|date=December 2022}}</ref>

''[[Thomas & Friends: The Adventure Begins]]'' retells the first seven episodes of the show, with some alterations; most notably, James appears in his original black livery from the second book. In this version, James arrived on Sodor before Thomas and is the engine Annie and Clarabel originally belonged to. Thomas chases after the runaway James but fails to stop him and James crashes into a field. Thomas then gets the breakdown train, has James put back on the tracks, and takes him to the Steamworks. James comes back some time later, now painted in his familiar red, but finds that his two coaches have been assigned to Thomas's newly acquired branch line.

In the 2017 film ''[[Thomas & Friends: Journey Beyond Sodor|Journey Beyond Sodor]]'', Henry is prevented from taking a freight train to [[Great Britain|the mainland]], so James is assigned to take his place. James has been teasing Thomas for being stuck on his branch line, so Thomas takes the train to spite him. James volunteers to go find the missing Thomas in the hope of being praised as a hero. After some investigation, he uncovers and is imprisoned in a large steelworks that Thomas had escaped from earlier and is forced to work there. He is eventually rescued by Thomas and a group of misfit experimental engines.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6145612/|title=Thomas & Friends: Journey Beyond Sodor|date=August 22, 2017|via=IMDb}}{{user-generated source|date=December 2022}}</ref>

===James in ''Thomas and the Magic Railroad''===
In the 2000 film, ''[[Thomas and the Magic Railroad]]'', James was threatened by [[Diesel 10]] and almost got pushed back into a smelting pit before being [[Teleportation|teleport]]ed out by Mr. Conductor Jr. (portrayed by [[Michael E. Rodgers]]). In the beginning, the [[fly]] annoying James was a reference to the original Awdry story "Buzz, Buzz".

[[Susan Roman]] voiced James in the film. [[Michael Angelis]] provided James's voice in the [[workprint]], along with Percy before he was replaced.<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0205461/fullcredits "Full Cast and Crew for Thomas and the Magic Railroad (2000)"] ''imdb.com''. Retrieved May 22, 2005 {{user-generated source|date=December 2022}}</ref>

===James in ''All Engines Go''===
{{unsourced|section|date=October 2024}}
In the [[Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go|2021 reboot]], James was brought back as a supporting character, rather than as part of the main cast as with the original series. Much like many of the other characters in the reboot, many of James' design elements and personality were altered to a more engaging dynamic towards the young engines. He does exhibit carelessness with his often-dropped cargo.

===Voice actors===
====English====
* [[Susan Roman]] (''[[Thomas and the Magic Railroad]]'')
* [[Michael Angelis]] (''Thomas and the Magic Railroad'', original workprint only)
* [[Keith Wickham]] (UK, ''[[Hero of the Rails]]'' – [[Thomas & Friends series 20|series 20]])
* [[Kerry Shale]] (US, ''Hero of the Rails'' – [[Thomas & Friends series 18|series 18]])
* [[Rob Rackstraw]] (US, ''[[Thomas & Friends: The Adventure Begins|The Adventure Begins]]'' – [[Thomas & Friends series 24|series 24]], UK; "Tit for Tat" – series 24)
* Luke Marty (US, ''[[Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go]]'')
* Tom Dussek (UK, ''Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go'')

====Others====
* [[Katsuji Mori]] (Japan, [[Thomas & Friends series 1|series 1]] – [[Thomas & Friends series 8|series 8]])
* [[Masashi Ebara]] (Japan, ''Calling All Engines!'' onwards)
* [[Um Sang-hyun]] (Korea, Series 18 – [[Thomas & Friends series 19|series 19]])

==Legacy==
===Awards===
A large-scale working replica of James, along with Thomas, Percy, Gordon, Harold and Jack, was created by BBC Visual Effects for ''Thomas & Friends: The All Aboard Live Tour''. This 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.<ref>{{cite book |editor= Claire Folkard |title=Guinness World Records 2004 |year=2003 |publisher=Guinness World Records Limited |isbn=0-85112-180-2 |page=107}}</ref>

===Real-life replicas===
[[File:Oigawa Railway C56 44 James.jpg|thumb|Oigawa Railway C56 44 as James]]
The [[Mid-Hants Railway]] repainted one of its engines – 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]]. On the [[East Lancashire Railway]], unrestored [[LMS Ivatt Class 2 Mogul]] No. 46428 has been painted as James the Red Engine.

The Japanese [[Ōigawa Railway]]'s locomotives include five characters from the ''[[Thomas & Friends (franchise)|Thomas & Friends]]'' series: [[Thomas the Tank Engine]], Hiro, Percy, James, and Rusty. The locomotives are based at [[Shin-Kanaya Station]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Imada |first1=Kaila |title=You can now ride a real Thomas the Tank Engine train in Japan |url=https://www.timeout.com/tokyo/news/you-can-now-ride-a-real-thomas-the-tank-engine-train-in-japan-101322 |website=Time Out Tokyo |access-date=9 May 2024 |date=1 May 2023}}</ref>

==References==
{{commonscat|James (Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends)}}
{{Reflist}}
{{Thomas & Friends}}
{{portal bar|Books|Children's literature|Television|Trains}}
[[Category:2-6-0 locomotives]]
[[Category:Anthropomorphic vehicles]]
[[Category:Fictional locomotives]]
[[Category:Literary characters introduced in 1946]]
[[Category:The Railway Series characters]]
[[Category:Thomas & Friends characters]]