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James (T&F)/Behind the Scenes

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This is a behind the scenes subpage for James (T&F).
 This subpage contains all behind the scenes material relating to said article.

Background Information[]

James is a fictional standard gauge tender locomotive created by the Rev. W. Awdry. He is the No. 5 engine on the North Western Railway.

James first appeared in the first series episode Thomas and Gordon, which first aired in 1984. His last appearance was in the twenty-fourth series episode Thomas' Animal Friends, which was released in 2021.

Unlike The Railway Series, James made many background cameos, always with red livery, before his introduction in Thomas and the Breakdown Train. However, in the special The Adventure Begins, which re-tells the events of the book Thomas the Tank Engine, James was painted black as he was in the book.

Voice[]

Originally to be voiced by Michael Angelis in Thomas and the Magic Railroad, American test audiences claimed that he made James sound 'too old'. Susan Roman voiced him in the final cut, giving James a faint British accent. Keith Wickham would later take over as James in the UK and Kerry Shale in the US, the former giving James a British accent and the latter American. Rob Rackstraw would later take over from Shale in 2015, before taking the role from Wickham in 2017. Uniquely, Rackstraw maintains both British and American accents in the show's respective English dubs.

Behind the Scenes[]

Gauge 1 models[]

MainJamesModel
JamesModelRear

James' original model was custom built with a plastic body shell. It was coloured with automotive paint and lined with black and gold automotive pinstripe tape, while the numbers were custom cut vinyl stickers. James' main chassis and tender wheels were taken from a gauge 1 locomotive made by Märklin, the BR 55 and the front pony truck from a bogie of the BR 78. The front buffer beam came from the BR 78 and the rear buffer beam came from the BR 55. The handrail stanchions were also sourced from Märklin locomotives.

Like its Märklin predecessor, James' plastic model was originally AC powered. During a refurbishment, his AC motor was replaced by a DC motor to allow for easier running and maintenance.

Sometime during production of the third series, James' funnel was severely damaged and was haphazardly repaired with black-tac. This can be visible in the episodes, Buzz, Buzz, Escape, Oliver Owns Up and Percy, James and the Fruitful Day. This was rectified after the production of the said series when the damaged funnel made out of plastic was replaced with a new one made out of brass.

During the filming of Thomas and the Magic Railroad, James' model fell off the Smelter's Yard set, resulting in major damage to the model's cab roof. While most of the damage was quickly repaired before filming resumed, several cracks were still visible on the model.[1] Shortly after production of Series 6 started, the damaged cab roof on James' plastic model was replaced with a new one made out of brass.

During production of the tenth series, two new models of James were built. This was due to the original model being 22 years old at this point, and a tight filming schedule meant that there was very little time for emergency repairs.[2]

The new models were made of brass and equipped with a CNC machined aluminium chassis powered by a DC motor. From this point onwards the plastic model would only appear in scenes that would damage the brass models, until it was retired completely after the episode, James the Second Best.[2]

When James was repainted yellow and black in the tenth series episode The Green Controller, his original plastic model was used to not ruin a freshly painted brass model, but the original plastic tender was not repainted and was instead paired with a brass front half. This can just about be seen in episodes of the tenth series and some behind the scenes photos confirm that the bee-style painted tender was a brass one. After production of said episode ended, the plastic model was repainted back to its original livery.

The eye mechanism had two servos, one for up and down movement and one for left and right movement. The up/down servo was attached to the body. The left/right servo had a rod attached to the arm, which connected to a bracket. The eyeballs were coupled to the bracket and locked in by the faceplate, so whenever the servos were powered, the eyeballs would move however the crew member desired. In the tenth series episode, Percy and the Funfair, it showed that James' tender no longer carried the wires that help connect them to the body shell.

Reference Sheets[]

Series 1[]
Series 2[]
Series 3[]
Series 8[]
Calling All Engines! (Dream Sequence)[]
Series 10 (Bee Livery)[]

Faces[]

Nineteen different facial expressions were sculpted for James and used on-screen. The faces were first sculpted in clay and from that resin casts were made of a silicone mould. Some of James' faces were duplicated in case the crew needed a face to look dirty and clean on the same day of shooting.

Reference Sheets[]
Usage and Evolution[]

In a promotional image for the first series and the episode Edward and Gordon, Edward was mistakenly given two of James' faces.

Present Day[]

After production of the model series ended in 2008, most of James' faces (bar his content, smiling, and wincing faces) were put into storage, they were paired into two groups with one group being listed as "TF00159".

James' smiling, wincing, and content faces are owned by Twitter and Instagram user ThomasTankMerch. The rest of James' faces are currently still in storage, however his red nosed angry face would be displayed at the "History of Thomas Exhibition" at the Midland Railway Centre in May 2019, his current smug face would be displayed at the first Clearwater Event in 2021 and his grinning face would be displayed at the second Clearwater Event in 2022.

CGI Face[]

The twelfth series marked the beginning of the show's transition into CGI and the characters' faces were animated through CGI with the aid of motion-capture animation. The physical models' moulded faces were replaced by white targets with triangles to fix a computer-animated face in post-production. James' resin faces were only used in background shots.

Model Changes[]

James' gauge 1 models underwent several aesthetic changes throughout the series:

  • Series 3:
    • His front and rear brake pipes both faced downwards.
    • His pupils became smaller.
    • Halfway through the series in certain scenes, black tack was used to piece the broken funnel back together.
      • Additionally, a gold lining was added to the rear of his firebox near his cab.
    • His lining pinstripe on the mid-top of his cab is out of sync.
  • Series 4:
    • His funnel was properly fixed and is slightly wider (brass replacement funnel).
    • His window frame lining became thinner.
    • His whistle sound changed to Duck's at seven steps higher pitched.
    • His lining pinstripe on the mid-top of his cab is redone to be in sync with rest of the lining.
  • Series 5:
  • Thomas and the Magic Railroad:
    • His paint was given a matte finish.
    • His front and rear brake pipes both face downwards again.
    • The curve on James' cab lining underneath his window became shallower.
    • His pupils returned to their original size.
  • Series 6:
    • His safety valve disappeared.
    • His coupling rod bolts became black.
  • Series 7:
    • His rear brake pipe faces upwards again.
  • Series 8:
    • His eyebrows became longer.
  • Calling All Engines!:
    • His eyebrows became thicker.
  • Series 10:
    • His boiler sits slightly lower. (brass model)
    • His buffers were moved down slightly. (brass model)
    • His front cab windows became smaller. (brass model)
    • His funnel became slightly shorter in height. (brass model)
    • The rivet detail and brake pipe extrusion on his front buffer beam disappeared. (brass model)
    • His whistle became lower to the cab. (brass model)

Present Day[]

After production of the model series wrapped in 2008, most of the models and sets would be put into storage, with some being put on display at Drayton Manor Theme Park. All other models would be logged and referenced from 2010 till early 2011 by HiT Entertainment, from this HiT would decide on which models were to enter storage once again, which would be given to crew members and which to be disposed off. Due to it's old age, James' plastic model would be disposed off, as it was no longer needed by the company since they had the brass models, additionally, one of the brass models would be given away by the company, with a custom built display track to mount it on. The other brass model however would stay under HiT and later Mattel's ownership. Briefly, one of James' brass models would also be exhibited on the Tidmouth Sheds set alongside the rest of the Steam Team at Drayton Manor for a special event during the same year.

One of James' brass models is currently on display in Japan at the Hara Model Railway Museum. It had previously been on display at Nitrogen Studios.

In May 2014, the other brass model[3] was put up for sale on the Prop Store with the display track it came with when given away by HiT Entertainment in 2009. A fundraising was started[4], but the model was sold to an unknown buyer.[5]

In December 2019, James' original plastic model, used from the first to tenth series, is now owned and preserved by Twitter and Instagram user ThomasTankMerch, after it was sold from a private sale from the Prop Store of London.[6] However, the model was received with a tenth series brass tender.[7] In late 2021, James' plastic model was put on display at the Edison train show alongside various other props from ThomasTankMerch's collection.

Additionally a spare unused number decal for James was sold by The Prop Gallery in 2024, this was sourced from a spare unused larger decal sheet which was cut up and sold individually. Duplicate copies of this sheet are also currently owned by Twitter user TomsProps, a spare unused lining sheet for James' cab windows are also owned by TomsProps.

G scale model[]

The Britt Allcroft Company commissioned puppet-maker Paul Jomain to create a G scale models of James and Trevor. James' model was custom built from a G scale LGB mogul locomotive and based on the specifications of the Gauge 1 prop. These were used for a Christmas display in a shop window some time in the late 90s. According to Jomain, the display was so popular though that it lasted well after Christmas[8].

Gauge 3 model[]

A gauge 3 model of James was built in the tenth series to be used alongside the large-scale models of Skarloey Railway engines, which had been used since the fifth series for ease of filming and reliability. This model specifically was made so James did not appear out of scale with the large scale models, as they were nearly the same size of regular Gauge 1 models.

The model was made from brass. The wheels and chassis were custom machined (CNC). The model was track powered, so pickup contacts were attached to the metal wheels, which ran into the motor to power it. The electricity ran from the track to the wheels/pickup contacts and went into the motor to power him. The model was also fitted with a smoke unit.

The eye mechanism had two servos, one for up and down movement and one for left and right movement. The up/down servo was attached to the body. The left/right servo had a rod attached to the arm, which connected to a bracket. The eyeballs were coupled to the bracket and locked in by the faceplate, so whenever the servos were powered, the eyeballs would move however the crew member desired.

Six different facial expressions were created for the model and used on-screen. The faces were first sculpted in clay and from that resin casts were made of a silicone mould.

The gauge 3 model was used in the tenth and eleventh series, as well as The Great Discovery.

Present Day[]

In 2015, James' gauge 3 model was put on display at the British Museum during the 70th anniversary of The Railway Series. Following that, the model returned to Mattel's storage unit in Southampton, England.

Close-up model[]

A close-up model of James was built to be used for scenes where he had to interact with the close-up scale figures. It was also used for close-up whistle shots; smoke would emit from the whistle when required.

Many close-up models were not complete models, James' original close-up model was built with only the cab and tender.

James' original close-up model also had an interchangeable cab that was shared with Edward. The cab is now owned by Twitter user TomsProps.

In the second series episode, Old Iron, the cab side boards of Edward are misused and can be seen in a rare promo photo. This is not present in the final episode.

In the same episode, James' close-up model lacked a front buffer beam at the time, so Thomas' close-up model was used to represent James, but the lamp was removed to make the identity less obvious.

In the third series episode, Buzz, Buzz, the cab roof seems to have been misplaced as a sheet of white card was used instead of the bent sheet metal roof as seen in the ruler photo of the large scale cab. They likely made one with what they had nearby so filming would not have to be delayed trying to find the original.

Around the tenth series, James received a new close-up model. It now had a front buffer beam, boiler, funnel, and smokebox, making James a practically complete model, minus the wheels, and a visible face.

Reference Sheets[]

Present Day[]

James' current close-up model, alongside various other props, is currently stored in Mattel's storage facility in Southampton, England.

Life-size model[]

During pre-production of Thomas and the Magic Railroad, a large facsimile of James' cab and boiler were built for scenes where Junior rides them. The scenes were shot with chroma key, so the background for filming were green, along with an additional model constructed out of foam for certain wide shots. Because Junior's landing was right on top of his roof, James' whistle was absent to avoid damage to it and Michael E. Rodgers' back.

CGI models[]

CGI Model (2004-2008)[]

In several Learning Segments, a CGI model of James was used. This model was created and animated by Gizmo Animation Limited.

Face variants[]

Texture variants[]

CGI model (2009-2020)[]

MainJamesCGI
JamesCGIRear

In 2009, the series introduced Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI) as a replacement for the show's long-standing live-action models. James was recreated from scratch in CGI by Nitrogen Studios. His model was "hand-sculpted" in Maya, a 3D animation and modelling software.

According to Greg Tiernan, every detail of the original television series models for each character is carefully reproduced in the CGI model. The models are subjected to many rounds of review before they are submitted to HiT Entertainment for final input and approval. These CGI models have rigs specifically designed for there facial features, wheels, and to power the lights on them. The coal bunkers are made seperate from the model, and are only used for close-up shots, similar to the model series.

James' CGI model underwent numerous changes throughout the series:

  • Hero of the Rails:
    • He increased in size, making his funnel and cab the same height as Henry's.
    • The curve on James' cab lining became shallower.
    • His eyes increased in size.
    • An echo effect was given to his whistle sound.
    • The brake pipe extrusion on his front buffer beam returned.
  • Series 17:
    • He gained permanent lamps on his front and tender.
  • The Adventure Begins:
    • He was painted in his black livery from The Railway Series and received external brake shoes with wooden blocks added on his rear driving wheels. Following his accident, he still had his brake shoes, but the woodblocks were replaced and he was repainted into his current livery. This change only appeared in this special and briefly in the twenty-first series episode, The Fastest Red Engine on Sodor.
    • His front brake pipe now faces upwards again.
    • His side rods became silver.
    • In his black livery, he gains lining on the rear of his tender. This disappears when he is repainted red (however the back lining briefly appears again when he dreams of being different colours in the twenty-second series episode, An Engine of Many Colours).
  • Series 23:
    • He gained brass handrails on his cab and tender and rivets on his buffer beams, cab, roof, tender, smokebox, smokebox saddle and boiler saddles, as well as the centre of his boiler. He also gained black lining on the rear of his tender permanently.

Fonts[]

  • Fox Pro Sans Bold (number)

Texture variants[]

In addition to his standard livery, several other texture variants exist of James' main CGI model. Many only appear once, however a few are reused mutliple times. These texture variants include:

Pantone colours[]

The following pantone colours are used on James' CGI model:

  • ■ PMS 116 (yellow)
  • ■ PMS 428 (white)
  • ■ PMS 485 (red)
  • ■ PMS 871 C (light gold)
  • ■ PMS 873 C (dark gold)
  • ■ PMS 877 C (silver)

Reference Sheets[]

Voice Actors[]

References[]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Dave Axford's interview on SiF
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Plastic or Brass? on ThomasTankMerch's blogspot
  3. ↑ "ThomasTankMerch on Twitter"
  4. ↑ Help us preserve James the Red Engine! on Indiegogo
  5. ↑ An Unfortunate Situation on ThomasTankMerch's blogspot
  6. ↑ 'ThomasTankMerch on Twitter'
  7. ↑ 'ThomasTankMerch on Twitter'
  8. ↑ James the Red Engine and Trevor the Traction Engine - Christmas display
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