The Island of Sodor is home to several windmills.
Notable Windmills
The following windmill has its own separate page:
The Marshland Windmill
The Marshland Windmill is a windmill south-west of Lower Arlesburgh on Toby's Branch Line. A marsh is situated nearby. It was featured in the opening credits used from the first to seventh series.
Appearances
Thomas & Friends
Specials
Music Videos
Video Games
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Magazine Stories
- 1988 - Toby and the Stout Gentleman
- 1989 - Edward and the Miller, Thomas and the Campers and Thomas and the Old Man
- 1991 - Harold's Cousin
- 2003 - Henry's Dizzy Day
Trivia
- This windmill is similar to Brill windmill in Brill, Buckinghamshire.
- In the sixth series opening only, a deleted scene of the windmill from the third series episode Thomas and Percy's Christmas Adventure was used instead of the usual scene from the first series episode Thomas and Bertie.
- Despite being on Toby's Branch Line, the windmill's usage in the opening credits made it an iconic part of the franchise, particularly with Japanese audiences, and thus the iconic imagery was encouraged.[1] As a result, there have been one-off occasions where the model appears in places other than Toby's Branch Line. These include:
- The windmill being reused for a location along the harbour line before Crowe's Farm Crossing in the second series episode Ghost Train.
- The windmill being in a field along the Headland Line near Lower Tidmouth in the third series episode Time for Trouble.
- The 2014 television series map of the Island of Sodor incorrectly notes the windmill as being on Thomas' Branch Line between Crowe's Farm Crossing and Dryaw, likely based on the usage of the model in Ghost Train.
- From Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure onwards, the windmill's place on Thomas' Branch Line is instead taken by the Tower Windmill.
- The base of the windmill is owned by Twitter user, TomsProps.[2]
- In the magazine story, Harold's Cousin, Thomas jokingly refers to the windmill as "Harold's Cousin".
Merchandise
- ERTL (discontinued)
- Brio (discontinued)
- Wooden Railway (discontinued)
- Plarail (discontinued)
- Motor Road and Rail (discontinued)
- Capsule Plarail
- Tomix Trains
- Lionel Trains (discontinued)
- Mini Mini Plarail (discontinued)
- Thomas Town (discontinued)
- Pocket Fantasy (discontinued)
- Waku Waku (discontinued)
- Diablock
The Harbour Line Windmill
The Harbour Line Windmill is a windmill west of Hackenbeck on Harbour Line of the Ffarquhar Branch Line.
Appearances
Trivia
- The windmill's model is reused from the Post Windmill on Toby's Branch Line.
The Main Line Post Windmill
The Main Line Post Windmill is a windmill located in a lineside field. It was here where Toby ran out of water whilst travelling to the Works.
Appearance
Trivia
- The windmill's model is reused from the Post Windmill on Toby's Branch Line.
The Hillside Post Windmill
The Hillside Post Windmill is a windmill which overlooks a railway line.
Appearances
Thomas & Friends
Music Videos |
Trivia
- In the third series, the ladder leading into the back of the windmill prop was replaced by steps with handrails.
- In the sixth series opening only, footage of The Hillside Post Windmill from the third series was used instead of the usual shot of the Marshland Windmill from the first series.
Tower Windmill
The Tower Windmill was featured in the opening credits from the eighth to the eighteenth series.
Upon being introduced, the Tower Mill's placement was not specified in the show, but almost every depiction of the Island of Sodor featuring it between the eighth and sixteenth series specifies it to be on the Main Line in the open space between Balladrine and Kellaby.
From Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure onwards, the Tower Mill is depicted as being near Farmer Trotter's Pig Farm and Maithwaite on Thomas' Branch Line for the remainder of its appearances in the series.
Appearances
Trivia
- This Windmill is similar to Stembridge Tower Mill in High Ham.
- The Tower Windmill has undergone several aesthetic changes throughout the years:
- Series 6:
- Its original sails - more similar to those of the Post Mill - were replaced by the set which it carries today.
- Series 7:
- The cliffs are replaced by hills.
- The position of the road bridge and the curve around the windmill is mirrored.
- A small farm is added opposite the windmill.
- Series 8:
- The track reverts to its original layout.
- The road bridge and farm near the windmill are removed.
- Series 6:
- 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 currently on display at Drayton Manor.
- It is possible that there could be two windmills such as this one on the island: one with the bridge (that debuted in the fifth series) and the one without it (the one that debuted in the seventh one). If it is true then it could be possible that the windmill with the bridge is located on the loop line as shown on the 2014 map and the one without it is on the Ffarquhar Branch Line between Elsbridge and Ffarquhar as revealed in some episodes.
Merchandise
- Wooden Railway (discontinued)
- Plarail
- TrackMaster (discontinued)
- Hornby (discontinued)
- Bachmann (discontinued)
- Lionel Trains
Sodor Grain Windmill
The Sodor Grain Windmill is located south of Maron.
History
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 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.
Appearances
Trivia
- On an earlier version of Sam Wilkinson's map from 2014, the windmill is located south of Killaban. This was retconned to its current location by the time of the Mark 11 version of the map.
Merchandise
- Thomas Town (discontinued)
Toby's Windmill
| This article is about the landmark. You may be looking for the episode. |
Toby's Windmill is a wooden-bodied windmill is located near the junction for the Old Castle and Bertram's Old Mine on Toby's Branch Line.
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 the storm, the wood from the tree was used to rebuild the windmill and it has been in business ever since.
Appearance
Merchandise
- Wooden Railway (discontinued)
- TrackMaster (discontinued)
- Mega Bloks (discontinued)
- Motorized Railway
- Push Along
The Main Line Tower Windmill
The Main Line Tower Windmill is a windmill adjacent to the Main Line between Knapford and Gordon's Hill.
Appearances
Trivia
- The windmill is an edited version of the Tower Windmill with the side building removed.
See also
References
| 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** | Lower Kellsthorpe** | Kellsthorpe Road** | The Workmen's Halt** | 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 | Bulgy | Caroline | Elizabeth | Cleo | Harold | Tiger Moth | The Hot Air Balloon | Bulstrode | |
| People | Mrs. Kyndley | Farmer Finney | Farmer McColl | Farmer Trotter | Ruth | |
| Affiliates | Toby's Branch Line | Ffarquhar Quarry Company | Sodor Slate Quarry** | |
| Infrastructure | Stations | Knapford | Dryaw | Toryreck** | Upper Toryreck** | Sports Field Halt** | Elsbridge | Maithwaite** | Hackenbeck | Ffarquhar | New Harbour* | Arlesdale End |
| Sheds | Elsbridge Engine Sheds (Carriage Shed) | Hackenbeck Shed | |
| Tunnels and Bridges | The Valley Bridge* | Elsbridge Viaduct | Callan Viaduct** | Bulgy's Bridge* | The Watermill | Hackenbeck Tunnel | Ffarquhar River Bridge | |
| Locomotives | Toby |
|---|---|
| Rolling Stock | Henrietta |
| Affiliates | Ffarquhar Branch Line | Ffarquhar Quarry Company (Mavis) |
| Stations | Tidmouth* | Bluffs Cove** | Tidmouth Bay** | Bertram's Old Mine** | Lower Arlesburgh | Arlesburgh* | Upper Arlesburgh* | Marthwaite* | Arlesdale End | Ulfstead** |
| Non-Rail Vehicles | Jeremy |
|---|---|
| Affiliates | Sodor Search and Rescue Centre |
| Stations | Maron | Sodor Airport |