Knapford is a large town and railway station on the west coast of the Island of Sodor. It serves as the junction for Thomas' Branch Line and the western terminus on the Main Line.[1]
History
Knapford Station is the "Big Station" in the television series. It has four large glass canopies spanning over six tracks, four being through tracks and two being terminal tracks. Knapford has a refreshment kiosk, the Engine Drivers locker room, an M.C. Bunn stall, Sir Topham Hatt's Office and a bookstall. At one point, the bookstall was temporarily replaced by a toy shop. In Tale of the Brave, the station is given a new track layout and signal gantries were added above the lines, with a large yard also being added on the western side of the station in The Adventure Begins.
At one point, Sir Topham Hatt decided to upgrade the public announcement system with a new one called the TX-1000, but this caused problems as the sound quality was poor. He decided to switch it back afterwards.[2]
Knapford High Street is located here. A bus leaves from the front of Knapford Station to there every ten minutes.
Thomas was the original station pilot (preceded by Edward in The Adventure Begins), but he left upon gaining his branch line. Sometime after Percy was bought, he became the station pilot, but when he left for Thomas' branch line, he was replaced by Duck, who eventually left upon gaining his own branch line. From the nineteenth series onwards, Philip has been the station pilot.
Occasionally, the engines from the Little Western and the Harwick Branch Line stop here, with Daisy making regular stops at the station after the Fat Controller extended her route from Harwick to Knapford.[3]
Landmarks
- Knapford Main Station - the main railway station for the town of Knapford, located just south of the River Callan.
- Knapford Bus Yard - a bus depot which is home to Bertie and is located nearby the junction for Thomas' Branch Line.
- Knapford Crossing - a level crossing within the town of Knapford on Thomas' Branch Line.
- Knapford Yards - a large shunting yard situated behind Knapford station.
- Knapford Sheds - a large engine shed nearby the yards.
- Knapford Harbour - a harbour at the mouth of the River Callan; formerly Sodor's main harbour, but has since been eclipsed by Brendam Docks.
- Knapford Overpass - a single-track railway bridge between the station and yards.
Shunters
Current
Former
Appearances
Official Description
From the Writer's Bible:
| “ | Knapford Main Line Station: The Grand Central Station of the Island, it is a three-platform, multi-line station with a curved glass roof. Resplendent in its classic Victorian architecture, it is the biggest and busiest station on Sodor -- the pride of the Sodor Railway.
Engines can converse here, and it’s been the setting for several ‘chickens-coming-home-to-roost’ stories because the engines can be seem by the public. If an engine is dirty, trapped in the middle of a line of trucks, or struggling to pull a load, it’s one thing to do it on the privacy of a branch line, quite another in the full glare of the public. It’s also where Sir Topham Hatt has his office - another reason for the engines not to be seen other than at their best. |
” |
Trivia
- To date, Knapford Station has appeared in every series except the fifth (where it was seemingly replaced with Kirk Ronan), and every special except The Great Discovery and Misty Island Rescue, although it was mentioned in the latter special and appeared in a music video in the former.
- Knapford being the terminus for the Main Line may have been inspired by the 1971 edition of Railway Map of the Island of Sodor, which erroneously portrays the Main Line as terminating here rather than at Tidmouth.
- The television series model of Knapford is based on the appearance of Vicarstown between 1915 and 1925 in The Railway Series.
- Posts that have the platform numbers are now owned by Twitter user TomsProps.
- In the French dub, Knapford is not referred to by name, but the station is referred to by epithet: "la gare des quatre vents" (meaning: the station of the four winds).
- The My Thomas Story Library series often refers to Knapford as The Fat Controller's Station.
- Knapford Drive in Columbus, Ohio, is named after the town.
Merchandise
- Wooden Railway (normal, "Sights and Sounds" and Talking versions; discontinued)
- Wood (discontinued)
- Wooden Railway (2022)
- Motor Road and Rail (discontinued outside Asia)
- TrackMaster (discontinued)
- Take Along (discontinued)
- Take-n-Play (discontinued)
- Collectible Railway (discontinued)
- LEGO (discontinued)
- Bachmann
- Capsule Plarail
- Pocket Fantasy (discontinued)
- Thomas Engine Collection Series (with the Breakdown Train; discontinued)
- Departing Now (discontinued)
- Thomas Town (discontinued)
- Choro-Q (as transforming destination; discontinued)
- Motorized Railway
Station Guide
David Mitton Map
| Preceding station |  North Western Railway
|
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crosby | The Main Line | Tidmouth | ||
| Lower Tidmouth | The Headland Line | Terminus | ||
| Terminus | Ffarquhar Branch Line | Dryaw | ||
Sam Wilkinson Map
| Preceding station | North Western Railway
|
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crosby | The Main Line | Lower Tidmouth | ||
| Terminus | Ffarquhar Branch Line | Dryaw | ||
References
- ↑ T&F "Journey Beyond Sodor"
- ↑ T&F S21 #6 "P.A. Problems"
- ↑ T&F S20 #7 "Ryan and Daisy"
| Locomotives | Steam | Thomas | Henry | Gordon | James | Donald and Douglas | Emily | Murdoch | Molly | Nia | Rebecca |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | BoCo | |
| Former | Edward | |
| Rolling Stock | Passenger | Annie and Clarabel | Emily's Coaches | Green Express Coaches | Red Express Coaches |
| Former | The Spiteful Brake Van | Slip Coaches | |
| Trains | Passenger | The Express | The Local | The Great Waterton Special |
| Goods | The Flying Kipper | The Midnight Goods | |
| Infrastructure | Stations | Tidmouth | Lower Tidmouth** | Knapford | Crosby | Wellsworth | Maron | Cronk** | Killdane** | Balladrine** | Kellaby** | Whispering Woods Halt** | Kellsthorpe Road** | Crovan's Gate | Great Waterton** | Vicarstown | Barrow-in-Furness** |
| Sheds | Tidmouth Sheds | Tidmouth Yard Sheds | Knapford Sheds | Crovan's Gate Sheds* | Vicarstown Sheds | |
| Tunnels and Bridges | Tidmouth Tunnel (South) | Henry's Tunnel | Crosby Tunnel** | Crosby Bridge* | The Viaduct | Sodor Suspension Bridge** | Maron Bridge* | Standard Gauge and Narrow Gauge Viaduct | Vicarstown Bridge** |
| Locomotives | Steam | Thomas | Percy | Toby |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | Mavis | |
| Former | Glynn | Coffee Pots | Daisy | |
| Rolling Stock | Passenger | Annie and Clarabel | Henrietta | Hannah |
| Non-Rail Vehicles | Terence | Bertie | Harold | Bulgy | Caroline | Bulstrode | Tiger Moth | Elizabeth | The Hot Air Balloon | Cleo | |
| People | Mrs. Kyndley | Farmer Finney | Farmer McColl | Farmer Trotter | Ruth | |
| Affiliates | Toby's Branch Line | Ffarquhar Quarry Company | |
| Infrastructure | Stations | Knapford | Dryaw | Toryreck** | Sports Field Halt** | Elsbridge | Maithwaite** | Hackenbeck | Ffarquhar | New Harbour* |
| Sheds | Elsbridge Engine Sheds (Carriage Shed) | Hackenbeck Shed | |
| Tunnels and Bridges | The Valley Bridge* | Elsbridge Viaduct | Bulgy's Bridge* | The Watermill | Hackenbeck Tunnel | |