The Windmills

There are four known windmills on Sodor: one on Thomas' Branch Line, one on the main line, one near Killaban and Toby's Windmill on Toby's Branch Line. Each of the four windmills grinds wheat grown on Sodor into flour for use in making bread for the residents of nearby villages.

Post Mill
This windmill is located on Thomas' Branch Line, located between Crowe's Farm Crossing and Dryaw station. A railway line runs past this windmill and the marshes beside it. Thomas is most often shown passing by this windmill with Annie and Clarabel, however Toby has also been seen passing it. This windmill appeared frequently throughout the first to seventh seasons and was featured at the start of the opening credits throughout this time, but has not been seen since the start of the eighth season, when the Tower Mill replaced it in the opening credits. In early drafts of Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure, Thomas was meant to pass this windmill, but this was later changed to the Tower Mill for unknown reasons. The Post Mill model has also been seen in three other locations on one-off occasions: on the main line between Lower Tidmouth and Knapford in Time for Trouble, immediately adjacent to Thomas' Branch Line before Crowe's Farm Crossing in Ghost Train and near Ulfstead in Thomas and Percy's Christmas Adventure, a deleted scene from which featured the Post Mill, which was used as the title screen for the sixth season.

Trivia

 * A scene from the first season episode, Thomas and Bertie, featuring the Post Mill, was used for the opening credits for the Classic Series (Seasons 1-7).

Tower Mill
This windmill is located on the main line between Balladrine and Kellaby and its model has been seen in various locations since the fifth season. In the fifth and sixth seasons, it was shown on The Loop Line north of Crosby. Between the fifth and sixth seasons its original sails, more similar to those of the Post Mill, were replaced by the set which it carries today. In the seventh season it was located on Edward's Branch Line between Wellsworth and Suddery. Since the eighth season it has been shown in its current position on the main line and footage of Thomas passing by the windmill with Annie and Clarabel is used for the intro of the New Series, as well the nineteenth season intro. The Tower Mill also once appeared in an unknown location in Stepney Gets Lost.

Trivia

 * The track layout changed in the seventh and eighth season.
 * The bridge next to the windmill was removed in the eighth season.
 * In the ninth season episode, Percy and the Oil Painting, Percy took the famous oil painter to the Tower Mill while looking for "The Spirit of Sodor," but the famous oil painter complained that it was too round.
 * The model of the Tower Mill is currently on display at Drayton Manor.
 * In the tenth season episode, Topped Off Thomas, Sir Topham Hatt's top hat was blown onto one of the sails of the Tower Mill.
 * The ruined Tower Mill was originally going to appear in the aftermath of the storm in the 2005 special, Calling All Engines! but it was changed to the Sodor Suspension Bridge.
 * The model of the Tower Mill is frequently used in promotional photos.

Sodor Grain Windmill
This windmill is located between Killaban and Cabalnoo. Mr. Conductor landed on some sacks lying near the windmill after an encounter with Diesel 10 and it was here that he found a subliminal message about Lady and met up with Junior and Lily. Junior, seeing the windmill as a joyride, decided to ride on the sails on the windmill, but unfortunately this resulted in him being flung up several feet in the air when the wind got too strong and ended up being thrown onto Diesel 10's roof. This windmill only appeared in Thomas and the Magic Railroad.

Toby's Windmill
This windmill is located near the junction for Tidmouth Bay and the Old Mine on Toby's Branch Line and has only been seen in the seventh season episode of the same name. The windmill was once struck by lightning during a fierce storm and was in jeopardy of closing down. After Toby found an old tree that had collapsed during a storm, the wood from the tree was used to rebuild the windmill and it has been in business ever since.

Merchandise

 * ERTL (discontinued)
 * Wind-up
 * Thomas Town (discontinued)
 * Wooden Railway
 * Tomix
 * Motor Road and Rail (discontinued)
 * TrackMaster (discontinued)
 * Brio (discontinued)
 * Hornby (retired)
 * Bachmann
 * Lionel Trains
 * Mega Bloks