The Railway Series

The Railway Series is a series of children's books on which Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends is based.

The first books were written by the Reverend W. Awdry as a way to cheer up his son Christopher, who was ill with measles. The original series had twenty-six books, since expanded to forty-two by Christopher. After a 10 year hiatus, a new book was published in 2007 and anothe in 2011.

Books written by the Reverend W. Awdry

 * 1) The Three Railway Engines - Edward, Henry and Gordon have several adventures.
 * 2) Thomas the Tank Engine - A station pilot tries to gain respect.
 * 3) James the Red Engine - James gets into trouble and tries to make up for his errors.
 * 4) Tank Engine Thomas Again - Life on Thomas' Branch Line is far from dull.
 * 5) Troublesome Engines - When the big engines go on strike, Percy is added brought in to help.
 * 6) Henry the Green Engine - Henry overcomes illness to prove his might.
 * 7) Toby the Tram Engine - Toby is saved by the Fat Controller after his tramway closes.
 * 8) Gordon the Big Engine - Gordon pulls his act together in time for a royal visit.
 * 9) Edward the Blue Engine - Edward is getting old, but proves he has plenty of life in him yet.
 * 10) Four Little Engines - The story of the Skarloey Railway engines working together to keep their line running.
 * 11) Percy the Small Engine - Percy is fed up of being ordered about and gets a chance to shine when Thomas needs help.
 * 12) The Eight Famous Engines - After becoming famous for their adventures the engines take a trip to England, but Thomas almost puts a damper on the trip.
 * 13) Duck and the Diesel Engine - A malicious diesel creates confusion and blames Duck.
 * 14) The Little Old Engine - Skarloey returns to find that things have changed on his little railway.
 * 15) The Twin Engines - Two well-meaning Scottish goods engines create confusion in the yard.
 * 16) Branch Line Engines - Thomas has an accident and a lazy diesel-railcar named Daisy arrives.
 * 17) Gallant Old Engine - The Skarloey Railway engines prepare for Rheneas' return.
 * 18) Stepney the "Bluebell" Engine - Stepney of the Bluebell Railway pays a visit to Sodor.
 * 19) Mountain Engines - We meet the Culdee Fell Railway engines, and Lord Harry makes up for a silly accident.
 * 20) Very Old Engines - Skarloey and Rheneas recall their early days and celebrate their 100th birthday.
 * 21) Main Line Engines - Gordon and James get into silly mishaps while Edward surprises everyone.
 * 22) Small Railway Engines - Three new engines arrive on Sodor to work a narrow gauge goods line.
 * 23) Enterprising Engines - Diesel power may be triumphing on the mainland, but it's quite the contrary on Sodor.
 * 24) Oliver the Western Engine - A boisterous Great Western engine gets into trouble.
 * 25) Duke the Lost Engine - Peter Sam and Sir Handel recall their old days as a search begins for an old engine.
 * 26) Tramway Engines - Percy and Thomas have adventures while Mavis causes trouble.

These volumes were later compiled into Thomas the Tank Engine: The Complete Collection

Books written by Christopher Awdry

 * 1) Really Useful Engines - The engines may not have appeared in books for years, but that doesn't mean life on Sodor is dull.
 * 2) James and the Diesel Engines - James learns a lesson in acceptance of diesels.
 * 3) Great Little Engines - Sir Handel isn't necessarily the life and soul of the Skarloey Railway, as Peter Sam and Duncan prove.
 * 4) More About Thomas the Tank Engine - Thomas and Percy fall out after an accident.
 * 5) Gordon the High-Speed Engine - Gordon tries to prove he can go fast, and we meet Pip and Emma.
 * 6) Toby, Trucks and Trouble - A series of events leave Percy and Toby running the branchline.
 * 7) Thomas and the Twins - Thomas meets Bill and Ben on Edward's Branch Line.
 * 8) Jock the New Engine - A boastful new engine called Jock starts work on the Arlesdale Railway.
 * 9) Thomas and the Great Railway Show - Thomas travels to the mainland for a grand railway exhibition.
 * 10) Thomas Comes Home - The tale of Percy, Toby and Daisy's adventures while Thomas is in England.
 * 11) Henry and the Express - Henry is ill again and needs repairs.
 * 12) Wilbert the Forest Engine - Donald and Douglas desperately need help, but so do the branchline engines. Wilbert is called in.
 * 13) Thomas and the Fat Controller's Engines - The engines prepare for the fiftieth anniversary of the Railway Series.
 * 14) New Little Engine - A new engine is built for the Skarloey Railway.
 * 15) Thomas and Victoria - The Fat Controller renovates an old coach called Victoria for Toby.
 * 16) Thomas and His Friends - The Reverend W. Awdry's centenary is celebrated.

All except the last volume were later compiled into Thomas the Tank Engine: The New Collection.