British Railways (abbreviated as BR; known on Sodor as "The Other Railway" or "The Mainland Railway") is the main standard gauge rail network on the Mainland. The company was created in 1948 when the "Big Four" railway companies (the LMS, LNER, SR and GWR) were nationalised.
History with Sodor[]
Diesel engines from British Railways have arrived on the North Western Railway on trial, with some becoming permanent members and some being sent back. The engines that were sent back were Diesel and Class 40, with the former eventually becoming a permanent member of the North Western Railway. Many steam engines from Sodor have originated from various railways that were later part of British Railways, such as Duck, who used to work on the Great Western Railway.
In the third and fourth series, Vicarstown is managed by British Railways and is the changeover point for the North Western Railway. It was in a yard here that Douglas discovered Oliver and Toad and saved them from scrap.[1] Later, Rusty would revisit the yards and save another engine, Stepney, from the scrap line.[2]
Locomotives[]
Other Media[]
Rolling Stock[]
Other Media[]
Trivia[]
- During the early model series, several elements of British Railways' real-life history were present, such as diesel engines taking over and steam engines being sent for scrap, while in the CGI series, steam engines still work on British Railways, without any mentions of diesel engines taking over. However, it is likely that they work on heritage railways or are at museums and reclassed as railtours.
- The term "the Other Railway" is mentioned twice in Thomas & Friends, with the first being in the fourth series episode Rusty to the Rescue and the second being in the 2016 special The Great Race.
References[]
| Locomotives | Steam | City of Truro | Flying Scotsman | Spencer | Stephen's Competitors | Connor | Caitlin | Samson | Logan | Theo | Lexi | Hurricane | Merlin | Duchess | Flying Thistle | Thirteen |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | Class 40 | The Mainland Diesels | Frankie | |
| Rolling Stock | Connor's Coaches | Caitlin's Coaches | Bradford | |
| Non-Rail Vehicles | 040 BMC | Beresford | Tony | Mitchell | The Hawker Hurricane | |
| People | Elizabeth II | The Duke and Duchess of Boxford | The Thin Clergyman | The Fat Clergyman | Baz and Bernie | |
| Stations | Barrow-in-Furness | Brighton | Crewe | Victoria | |