Tank Engine Thomas Again

Tank Engine Thomas Again
	;
Author:	Reverend W. Awdry
Illustrated by	C. Reginald Dalby
Publishers:	Edmund Ward Egmont Publishing
Published:	December 31, 1949 - present
Previous book:	James the Red Engine
Next book:	Troublesome Engines

Tank Engine Thomas Again is the fourth book of the Railway Series.

Foreword[]

Dear Friends,

Here is news from Thomas' branch line. It is clearly no ordinary line, and life on it is far from dull.

Thomas asks me to say that if you are ever in the Region, you must be sure to visit him and travel on his line. "They will have never seen anything like it," he says proudly.

I know I haven't!

The Author

Stories[]

Thomas and the Guard[]

Henry is late at the junction and it is one too many times for Thomas, who retorts "YOU'RE TOO FAT! YOU NEED EXERCISE!". As the guard goes to his van, he trips over a lady's umbrella and, by the time he's gotten up, Thomas has left. Annie and Clarabel try to convince Thomas to stop, but he pays no attention until they reach a signal. The guard doesn't come to tell them what the matter is, but they soon find out why - he's not on the train! Luckily, he runs up a few minutes later and climbs aboard. Thomas pities him remoursefully.

Thomas Goes Fishing[]

Thomas often sees people fishing in the river and wants to go fishing too. He gets his chance when he discovers the water-tower at Elsbridge is out of order, and Thomas' crew fill him up with river-water. However, Thomas experiences pains, and an Inspector soon discovers some fish in Thomas' tank that are blocking his water feed-pipe. They fish them out and have a lunch of fish and chips, and the Fat Controller tells Thomas to never fish again; Thomas heartily agrees.

Thomas, Terence and the Snow[]

Thomas meets Terence the tractor and makes fun of his caterpillar tracks. When winter comes, Thomas treats his snowplough awfully and it has to be repaired. They can't fix it in time for his first train, and Thomas, over-confident, recklessly charges at a snowdrift outside the tunnel and sticks there. He can't get out, so a bus takes his passengers home and Terence pulls him, Annie and Clarabel out. Thomas apologises and returns home.

Thomas and Bertie[]

Bertie, the bus from the previous story, teases Thomas about being slow, so they decide to have a race to see who can get to the end of their route first. Thomas gains the lead at a level crossing, but Bertie then gets in front after Thomas has to stop to collect passengers and only stops to rub it in. Thomas gains the lead again after Bertie stops for a traffic light, and although Bertie creeps in front, Thomas, with a burst of speed, rushes into Ffarquhar in style. Bertie congratulates him when he comes in, and the two become friends.

Character present[]

Trivia[]

In the fourth illustration of "Thomas and the Guard", an advertisement for the book James the Red Engine is visible. There is also a sign reading, "All About Thomas, The Famous Tank Engine!"
The bridge over the River Els is based on a bridge at Maidenhead, built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
According to Sodor: Reading Between the Lines, the story of Thomas and Bertie was originally invented as a board game by the Reverend to amuse his children on a wet holiday in Wales.
This is the first book where Edward and Gordon don't appear.

Worldwide date[]

June 18, 1949 (UK)
July 14, 1949 (USA)
April 1, 1953 (Australia)
May 15, 1953 (Russia)
November 24, 1954 (France)
December 31, 1954 (Germany)
November 5, 1973 (Japan)
December 10, 1981 (Canada)

Goofs[]

In one illustration Henry has a brass funnel, a Fowler tender, and square buffers. The Reverend W. Awdry explained the last goof by saying that Henry needed new buffers and was using some of Gordon's.
In the first illustration of "Thomas Goes Fishing", Annie and Clarabel lengthen dramatically.
The passengers are meant to be at the platform while Thomas is letting off steam painfully, but they are actually standing nearby.
According to the text, the final station on Thomas' branch line should be Ffarquhar.
In The Eight Famous Engines Thomas remembers stopping "an inch from the buffers" after his race with Bertie. Though he may be exaggerating for effect, there are no buffers in the final illustration of Thomas and Bertie.