| For other uses, see James. |
- "James was a new engine who lived at a station at the other end of the line. He had two small wheels in front and six driving wheels behind. They weren't as big as Gordon's and they weren't as small as Thomas'."
- ― The introduction to James
James the Red Engine is the third book of The Railway Series originally published in the UK in 1948.
History
After a break in writing during 1946 and 1947, while Wilbert Awdry was busy sorting out the post-wartime problems of a new parish, Edmund Ward asked for new stories at Easter 1948. The book James the Red Engine was written quickly and, because of this, was always Awdry's least favourite book, as he had written it to meet a deadline rather than from experience.[1]
Following the sudden death of illustrator Reginald Payne in 1947, Wilbert Awdry decided to illustrate the book himself. He was unable to draw humans and scenery, so he turned to Barbara Bean, the headmistress of the Knapwell Church of England School whose hobby was sketching. Although Bean knew nothing of railways, she agreed to help Awdry. By the time the illustrations were finished, however, Edmund Ward had already hired C. Reginald Dalby as illustrator, who re-drew the pictures for publication.[2]
Blurb
In these stories James, who has been given a shining new coat of red paint to cheer him up after his accident, gets hiccoughs, needs a bootlace, has trouble with his trucks and pulls the express after Gordon loses his way.
Foreword
Dear friends of Edward, Gordon, Henry and Thomas,
Thank you for your kind letters. Here is the new book for which you asked.
James, who crashed in the story of Thomas the Tank Engine, settles down and becomes a Useful Engine.
We are nationalised now, but the same engines still work the Region. I am glad, too, to tell you that the Fat Director, who understands our friends' ways, is still in charge, but is now the Fat Controller.
I hope you will enjoy this book, too.
The Author
Stories
James and the Top-Hat
James has recovered from his accident and now has a new coat of red paint. He starts learning how to pull passenger trains with Edward. At the platform, he accidentally showers water over the Fat Controller's new top-hat and then, afraid of the consequences, starts off suddenly. During the run, he almost forgets to drop off his passengers and to top everything off he disturbs an old lady with his hiccups after hearing about the time Edward had to help Gordon up the hill. That night, James is scared of what the Fat Controller will say.
James and the Bootlace
James was grumpy after being threatened to be painted blue and having to fetch his own coaches. He is further annoyed when no one comes near him at the platform and he becomes so determined to pay everyone out that he does not take care with his coaches, causing a leak in the brake-pipe. The crew decides that they need newspaper and leather bootlaces to fix it until they get home. After much persuasion, a man named Jeremiah Jobling hands his bootlaces over and the train manages to get home.
Troublesome Trucks
James is shut up for several days for his bad behaviour but, when the Fat Controller comes to see him, James apologises and is let out to take a goods train. The trucks play tricks on James and break away on Gordon's Hill but James tries again and with some support from Edward, gets the train to Killdane. The Fat Controller is pleased and allows James to keep his red paint.
James and the Express
Gordon brags that he knows the right line by "instinct" but is proven wrong when he is switched off the Main Line onto the loop. The Fat Controller asks James to take the Express and after a successful run and the promise of being allowed to take the Express, James returns to see Gordon shunting. The two become friends and Gordon refrains from teasing James about the bootlace incident.
Characters
- Thomas
- Edward
- Gordon
- James
- Orange-Brown Non-Corridor Coaches
- Troublesome Trucks
- Troublesome Vans
- Sir Topham Hatt I
- Henry (does not speak)
- Annie and Clarabel (not named; do not speak)
- Charlie Sand (cameo)
- Sidney Hever (cameo)
Characters Introduced
- The Blue Tank Engine
- Jeremiah Jobling
- The Lady with the Black Bonnet (does not speak)
James and the Top-Hat
- Thomas
- Edward
- James
- Orange-Brown Non-Corridor Coaches
- Sir Topham Hatt I
- The Lady with the Black Bonnet (does not speak)
- Annie and Clarabel (not named; do not speak)
- Gordon (mentioned)
James and the Bootlace
- James
- Orange-Brown Non-Corridor Coaches
- Sir Topham Hatt I
- Jeremiah Jobling
- Gordon (mentioned)
Troublesome Trucks
- Edward
- James
- The Blue Tank Engine
- Troublesome Trucks
- Troublesome Vans
- Sir Topham Hatt I
- Orange-Brown Non-Corridor Coaches (do not speak)
- Gordon (mentioned)
James and the Express
- Gordon
- James
- Orange-Brown Non-Corridor Coaches
- Sir Topham Hatt I
- Henry (does not speak)
Locations
Full Book
- Island of Sodor
- Tidmouth
- Tidmouth Sheds
- Tidmouth Yards
- The Loop (mentioned)
- The First Station
- Knapford
- Gordon's Hill
- Cronk
- Killdane (illustrated as Wellsworth)
- Wellsworth (mentioned)
- The Cow Field (mentioned)
- Tidmouth
- Barrow-in-Furness (mentioned)
James and the Top-Hat
- Tidmouth
- The First Station
- Knapford
- Gordon's Hill
- Cronk
- Wellsworth (mentioned)
- The Cow Field (mentioned)
James and the Bootlace
- Tidmouth
Troublesome Trucks
- Tidmouth
- Tidmouth Sheds
- Tidmouth Yards
- Gordon's Hill
- Killdane (illustrated as Wellsworth)
James and the Express
- Island of Sodor
- Tidmouth
- Tidmouth Sheds
- The Loop (mentioned)
- Tidmouth
- Barrow-in-Furness (mentioned)
Trivia
- In this book, the Fat Director is renamed the Fat Controller, which he would be known as from this book onwards.
- While the foreword originally placed it in 1948 (note the mention of nationalisation), the events of this book were later established as taking place in 1925 to accommodate Henry being rebuilt in 1935.
- This is the first book of The Railway Series in which James appears in all four stories.
- James and the Top-Hat is based on an event that occurred at Ghent, Belgium that was witnessed by the Rev. W. Awdry.
- James and the Bootlace is based off a snippet in The Railway Gazette.
- The book was released digitally for Apple products on 11 May 2012.
- A 70th anniversary print was released on 16 April 2015.
- In page 48 of the Onion book called "Our Dumb Century," one of the front-page blurbs reads, "Do you have yesterday's newspaper, an extra bootlace and some grass?", a possible reference to James' bootlace incident.
- James' smiling expression in the first illustration of the book would later be used as reference for his happy face in the television series.
- According to Letters from Edmund Ward, The book was originally going to be titled The Adventures of James.
Goofs
- In the fifth illustration of James and the Top-Hat, Thomas' number is missing, his siderods are blue, the red lining on his splasher is missing and the smaller window on the side of his cab is missing, similar to some of Reginald Payne's illustrations of Thomas.
- In the sixth illustration of James and the Top-Hat, James is missing his rear buffers.
- Throughout James and the Bootlace the number of coaches changes.
- In the third illustration of Troublesome Trucks, a sad van is at the front of James' train. For the remainder of the story, its face disappears. In the same illustration, the little blue tank engine is missing his front wheel arches.
- Between the fifth and sixth illustrations of Troublesome Trucks, the grass on the sides of Gordon's Hill becomes lighter.
- In The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways, it was mentioned that in Troublesome Trucks James took his trucks to Killdane but the illustration shows Wellsworth instead.
- In the fourth illustration of James and the Express, James does not have any cab windows. However, pencil outlines for them can be seen. Also, Gordon's front steps aren't painted blue.
- In the sixth illustration of James and the Express, Gordon's front coupler is missing.
- In the final illustration, Gordon is missing his steam-pipes and the curve at the bottom of his valance.
- In illustrations three through seven of James and the Top-Hat, illustration three of James and the Bootlace and the eighth illustration of Troublesome Trucks, James, Edward and Thomas do not have head codes/lamps on them for their passenger trains.
- In the third, fourth and sixth illustrations of James and the Top-Hat and the eighth illustration of Troublesome Trucks, James appears to be smaller than Edward.
In Other Languages
| Language | Title |
|---|---|
| German (Switzerland) | James mit dem roten Kleid |
| Hungarian | James, a piros mozdony |
| Japanese | 赤い機関車ジェームズ (1973-2004) 赤い機関車ジェームス (2005) |
| Korean | 빨간 기관차, 제임스 |
| Mandarin (China) | 亮闪闪的詹姆士 |
| Welsh | James Yr Injian Coch |
Merchandise
Plate
References
- ↑ "Sodor: Reading Between the Lines" p. 35
- ↑ The Thomas the Tank Engine Man p.145
