Timeline

This is a timeline chronicling major events of the Railway Series.

1806

 * Plateway from Ward Fell to Balladwail built.

1810

 * Plateway from Ward Fell to Balladwail is closed and torn up.

1853

 * The Sodor and Mainland Railway is built.

1864

 * Skarloey is built.
 * Talyllyn is built.

1865

 * Skarloey arrives on Sodor.

1866

 * Rheneas is built and arrives on Sodor.
 * Dolgoch is built.
 * Skarloey has trailing wheels added to improve stability, and has a cab installed.

1870

 * The Wellsworth-Suddery Railway is opened.

1875

 * Stepney is built.

1879

 * Duke is built, and shipped to Sodor.

1880

 * The Mid Sodor Railway is opened.
 * Sir Topham Hatt I is born.
 * Boxhill is built.

1883

 * The Tidmouth, Knapford and Elsbridge Light Railway is opened.

1896

 * Godred arrives on Sodor.
 * Ernest arrives on Sodor.
 * Culdee arrives on Sodor.
 * Shane Dooiney arrives on Sodor.

1897

 * Construction on the Culdee Fell Railway begins.
 * Wilfred arrives on Sodor.

1900

 * The Culdee Fell Railway is opened.
 * Godred is scrapped after a fall.

1901

 * The Culdee Fell Railway is re-opened after receiving further maintenance following the events of Godred's death.

1903

 * City of Truro is built.

1904

 * City of Truro becomes the first engine to reach 100mph.

1911

 * The Reverend W. Awdry is born.

1912

 * Stepney is rebuilt.

1914

 * The North Western Railway is formed from the Sodor and Mainland, the Tidmouth, Knapford and Elsbridge Light and the Wellsworth and Suddery railways.
 * Sir Topham Hatt II is born.

1915

 * Thomas arrives on Sodor.
 * Edward arrives on Sodor.
 * The Ballahoo tunnel is built.
 * The workshops at Crovan's Gate are established.
 * The bridge over the Walney Channel is built.

1916

 * The Tidmouth-Arlesburgh branch is built.

1917

 * The Peel Godred electric engines arrive on Sodor.

1921

 * Edward is rebuilt.

1922

 * Gordon arrives on Sodor.
 * Henry arrives on Sodor.
 * 98462 and 87546 arrive on Sodor and are shortly sent packing.
 * A second bore is cut for the Ballahoo tunnel after Henry stops in the original.

1923

 * James arrives on Sodor, and is overhauled.
 * Flying Scotsman is built.

1924

 * The Reverend Teddy Boston is born.

1936

 * Green Arrow is built.

1939

 * Gordon is rebuilt.

1940

 * Christopher Awdry is born.

1941

 * Stephen Topham Hatt is born.

1943

 * Bridget Amanda Hatt is born.

1947

 * The Mid Sodor Railway and the Tidmouth-Arlesburgh branches are closed.
 * Duke is sheeted and abandoned in a shed.
 * Falcon and Stuart are purchased by the aluminium works at Peel Godred for an expansion project.
 * Thomas is given his own Branch Line.

1948

 * The North Western Railway becomes officially known as the "North Western Region of British Railways".
 * Bertie arrives on Sodor.
 * Terence arrives on Sodor.
 * The Railway Series Book Number 3 - James the Red Engine was published today.

1949

 * Henry, Gordon, and James go on strike.
 * Percy arrives on Sodor.
 * The Railway Series Book Number 4 - Tank Engine Thomas Again was published today.

1950

 * Henry is overhauled.
 * Rheneas is overhauled.
 * Falcon and Stuart are sheeted.
 * Henry is rebuilt into an LMS Stanier Class 5 following his crash.
 * The Railway Series Book Number 5 - Troublesome Engines was published today.

1951

 * Toby's tramway closes down.
 * Toby arrives on Sodor.
 * Stuart and Falcon are purchased by the Skarloey Railway and renamed "Peter Sam" and "Sir Handel" respectively.
 * Skarloey is overhauled.
 * Cora is purchased for the Skarloey Railway.
 * The Railway Series Book Number 6 - Henry the Green Engine was published today.

1952

 * Trevor is sent to be scrapped.
 * Queen Elizabeth II visits Sodor.
 * The Railway Series Book Number 7 - Toby the Tram Engine (Railway Series) was published today.

1953

 * Trevor is purchased by the Vicar.
 * Edward is overhauled.
 * The Railway Series Book Number 8 - Gordon the Big Engine was published today.

1955

 * Duck arrives on Sodor.
 * Mark V arrives on Sodor.
 * Gertrude and Millicent arrive on Sodor.
 * The Railway Series Book Number 10 - Four Little Engines (book) was published today.

1956

 * Sir Topham Hatt I dies.
 * The Railway Series Book Number 11 - Percy the Small Engine was published today.
 * This is also the very last The Railway Series book to have C. Reginald Dalby to be written before he died in 1983.

1957

 * City of Truro visits Sodor.
 * Diesel visits Sodor.
 * Ada, Jane and Mabel arrive on Sodor.

1958

 * Rusty arrives on Sodor.
 * Duncan arrives on Sodor.
 * Skarloey returns from being mended.
 * BBC producers make a documentary about the Skarloey Railway.

1959

 * Donald and Douglas arrive on Sodor.
 * The Spiteful Brakevan is crushed by Douglas.

1961

 * Daisy arrives on Sodor.
 * The Peel Godred EMUs arrive on Sodor.

1962

 * Mavis arrives on Sodor.
 * Rheneas returns to the Skarloey Railway.
 * Lord Harry arrives on Sodor.
 * Alaric arrives on Sodor.
 * Eric arrives on Sodor.

1963

 * Stepney visits Sodor.
 * The Diesel visits Sodor.

1964

 * The Tidmouth-Arlesburgh branch is re-opened, to be serviced by Duck.
 * Culdee returns to the Culdee Fell Railway.
 * Lord Harry is renamed "Patrick".

1965

 * Shane Dooiney returns to the Culdee Fell Railway.
 * The one-hundredth anniversary of the Skarloey Railway is celebrated.
 * BoCo arrives on Sodor.

1966

 * Bill and Ben arrive on Sodor.

1967

 * Bert, Mike and Rex arrive on Sodor to service the Arlesdale Railway.
 * Reverend W. Awdry and Reverend Teddy Boston visit Sodor.

1968

 * 7101 arrives on Sodor.
 * Flying Scotsman visits Sodor.
 * 199 arrives on Sodor along with 7101, and is sent back after he fails on the level crossing.
 * 7101 is renamed "Bear" and renumbered D3.
 * Oliver, Isabel and Toad are rescued by Douglas and arrive on Sodor.
 * Dulcie, Alice and Mirabel are saved from scrap for service with Oliver and Duck.
 * S. C. Ruffey is scrapped.

1969

 * Bulgy arrives on Sodor.
 * Duke is discovered by Fergus Duncan, the Reverend W. Awdry and the Reverend Teddy Boston.

1976

 * Jock is built.
 * Bert is rebuilt with a larger boiler.

1980

 * Thomas is overhauled.

1983

 * Old Stuck-Up visits Sodor.
 * Duke is fully restored.
 * Sir Handel visits the Talyllyn Railway.

1984

 * Annie and Clarabel are rebuilt.

1985

 * Blister I and Blister II arrive on Sodor.

1986

 * Sir Handel is rebuilt.
 * The Reverend Teddy Boston dies.
 * Sigrid of Arlesdale arrives on Sodor.

1987

 * Mavis is involved in a collision with a lorry.
 * Bulstrode is turned into a children's playground on a beach.

1990

 * After Privatisation, the name "North Western Railway" becomes official.
 * Thomas is invited to a railway show in York.
 * Frank is re-engined.

1993

 * Henry is overhauled.

1994

 * Wilbert visits Sodor.
 * Barry is rescued and arrives on Sodor.

1995

 * The Golden Jubilee of the Railway Series is celebrated.

1996

 * Ivo Hugh is built.

1997

 * The Reverend W. Awdry dies.
 * Sir Topham Hatt II dies.

2006

 * The manager of Anopha Quarry is visited by the police after Henrietta is booked for allowing workmen to ride on her balconies.

2007

 * Victoria is returned to service.

2010

 * Stepney, Bluebell, and Captain Baxter's overhauls are completed, and the Bluebell Railway celebrates its 50th anniversary.
 * The Railway Series celebrates its sixty-fifth anniversary.
 * Wilbert is scheduled to be back in service after a major overhaul.

2011

 * Pip and Emma are purchased by the North Western Railway.
 * The North Western Railway celebrates the Reverend W. Awdry's 100th birthday.