Thomas AU Fact:
In 1094, the Sigrid of Arlesdale put a stop to an invasion led by Godred Crovan. This was done by creating and using underground tunnels. These tunnels can be found all across the Island. In 2017, these tunnels were found and refurbished into underground railroads that connect to various cities on the west side of Sodor.
Thomas AU Fact:
Thomas AU Fact: There is a Nature Reserve in Henryโs Forest that was founded in 1955. There's even a small minimum-gauge railway that starts at Wellsworth and takes passengers through the forest. The engine, named Coedwig, was bought for the railway in 1957 when the railway was complete.
@Ajnoihtna A loaned engine, a Caledonian Railway 812 Class Locomotive, was pulling a passenger train on the night of October 31st. Due to faulty rails, the engine and the train fell off the viaduct and plunged into the ravine. Afterwards, Several sightings of the engine's ghost happened.
Thomas AU Fact:
Founded in 1939, Sodor Island Pictures started out creating war stuff for the Sudrian Government during WWII. This would range from Axis propaganda, animated cartoons talking about the War, to Army enlistment campaigns.
When WWII ended, S.I.P stated making advertisements for various food products. These would be short, 10 second animated cartoons featuring two characters:
- An anthropomorphic dog named Cecil.
- And an anthropomorphic cat named Cindy.
This lasted from 1945-1958.
Things would change in 1958, when S.I.P producer Frank Patterson read about the 1924 Wellsworth Viaduct Incident, where a passenger train fell off the side of the Wellsworth Viaduct, as well as the ghost sightings that went with it.
Infatuated with the idea, he called S.I.P director, Joey Sawyer, and told him about the idea of several ghost hunters trying to capture a ghost engine. Joey loved it, and so, in 1961, the eight episode horror drama, He Who Chuffs At Night, aired on Channel X on the Sodor Network.
The series was critically acclaimed for its fantastic model train work. From then on, Sodor Island Pictures became a flourishing business, being behind such productions like:
__TV SHOWS__
- Sodor At War (1980)
- Eyes Of Starlight (1982)
- Lovely Ritual (1983)
- Cecil 'N Cindy: The Animated Series (1984-1994)
- The New Tales of Cecil 'N Cindy (1996-2006)
- Marcel: A Cecil 'N Cindy Spinoff Series (2008-2010)
__MOVIES__
- Sodor Says No! An Anti-Drug PSA Special (1981)
- He Who Chuffs At Night II: Expressways (1990)
- Cecil 'N Cindy: The Movie (1995)
- Cecil 'N Cindy Meet Thomas The Train! (1998)
- Cecil 'N Cindy Vs Godzilla! (2000)
- Cecil 'N Cindy: The Day The Sun Multiplied: The Movie (2004)
- Cecil 'N Cindy's Final Bow: The Movie (2007)
- The Marcel Movie! (2014)
- The Marcel Movie...Plus Two!! (2015)
- He Who Chuffs At Night (2017)
- The Marcel Movie...Me Three!!! (2019)
- Lockdown! A Cecil 'N Cindy Covid-19 Special...featuring Marcel (2020)
- Robust, Reliable, Really Useful: A Sudric Rail Documentary (2023)
- Of Devils And Dinosaurs (2024)
Possibly one of my top 5 favorite AU moments yet.
(Updated one of my old AU facts)
AU Fact: In 2019, a manga based on the Railway series was published by weekly ShonenJump. The series was titled, "Thomas And Friends: The Railway Chronicles.โ The series follows the lives of the engines of Sodor as they go on various adventures.
The manga has two parts:
- Part One: Sodor Island Saga: Basically just the engines going on silly little adventures.
- Part Two: Mainland War Saga: This Saga followed the tribulations between Sodor and the Mainland after the latter tries to kidnap Oliver due to his hidden powers that could overthrow a nation.
The manga ran from 2019-2026 with a total of 350 chapters and 32 volumes.
The manga was received very well from the people in Japan for getting a proper exposure to Thomas. By 2023, the manga sold over 10.54 million copies, beating out Jujutsu Kaisen at the time.
In 2026, the manga was adapted into an anime by Ufotable directed by JJK Season 3 director Gosso. For the english dub, all the engines got to voice their respective characters. In 2030, a movie adaptating chapters 230-249, Mainland Assassins Arc, was released. On it's opening weekend, it would bring a total of 32.54 billion yen ($200 million) and would overall make $800.9 million (ยฅ129.25 billion), Surpassing the first Infinity Castle movie, being an overall smash hit.
As of now in 2028, the series is on its 5th season, the manga has fully finished up in 2026, with a movie duology covering the Barry Island War arc slated for December of 2031, and a live action adaptation slated for 2032.
All in all, Thomas And Friends: The Railway Chronicles was a runaway smash hit!
Fun Fact: The mangaka, Yasui Sugimoto, actually traveled to Sodor to get inspiration for the series.
__Part 1: Sodor Island Saga__
Opening Prologue Arc - 1-28
Branchline Selection Arc - 29-50
Norramby Branchline Arc - 51-67
Henry's History Arc - 68-79
Wound Of The Pacific Arc - 80-91
Enterprising Egoist Arc - 92-100
Refugee Of The West Arc - 101-120
Railroad Christmas Arc - 121-140
__Part Two: Mainland War Saga__
Mainland Assassins Arc - 141-170
Oliver's Retrieval Arc - 171-185
Barry Island War Arc - 186-210
Lone Tank Engine Arc - 211-234
Sodor Betrayal Arc - 235-271
Mainland Arc - 272-282
Sudrian Training Arc - 283-299
One Last Puff Arc - 300-350
#ttteau #ttte #thomasthetankengine
AU Fact: There are two engines who could identify as 'Emily'
- The first is a GNR Stirling Single from the Sodor And Mainland Railway. She, along with several other engines from the Pre-Sodor Days, was put in a shed for several years before being put on display at the Ulfstead Railway Museum.
- The second was Emilia, a GNR H2 bought in 1962 as the NWR's 19. She was bought to Sodor during the summer to help on the mainline. Edward confused her with the SS Emily.
AU Fact: The Black Wheels Gang is a Sudrian Gang that are found in low income towns on Sodor like Crosby and Elsdale. Founded in 1971 by Luke Regaby, the Black Wheels Gang, whose name is inspired by the 1934 Sodor Strike term of the same name, has become known as the worst and oldest gang in all of Sodor's history, surviving even up to modern day with over 300 members.
__Initiation__
If you wanna enter the BWG, you have three choices:
1. Survive getting jumped by the three railway gangsters (the top three strongest members).
2. Rob a midnight train by yourself.
3. Kill your family
For obvious reasons, Number one is the most popular option. The age range is 14-30.
__Most Notorious Accidents__
- In 1975, three of the BWG members attempted to smuggle 3 lbs of cocaine across the Vicarstown Bridge, only to get stopped and arrested on their third try after Henry and the cops stopped them.
- In 1997, 26 of the members ||Had a shootout at a mall with a rival gang, which ended in the 200 people dying||
- In 2005, the gang derailed the Sudrian and robbed the surviving passengers and crew at Killdane after placing explosives on the tracks.
So overall, these guys are no joke.