Thomas & Friends follows a group of talking steam engines on the Island of Sodor, a fictional island off the coast of north-west England. Each engine has a face, a personality and a job, and most stories are small lessons: Thomas shows off and gets into trouble, Gordon is too proud, James is vain, and everyone learns to be "really useful". The engines answer to the railway's director, Sir Topham Hatt.
The characters began in the Reverend W. Awdry's Railway Series books in 1945 and reached television in 1984. Since then, the show has been told three different ways: in model animation, in CGI, and in the 2D reboot All Engines Go. This guide covers the main engines with their numbers and colours, the diesels and other vehicles, the humans, and what changed between versions.
- Created by
- Rev. W. Awdry (books)
- TV series
- 1984, created by Britt Allcroft
- Setting
- Island of Sodor
- Railway
- The North Western Railway
- Owner
- Mattel (since 2012)
- Current series
- Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go
Thomas and the Steam Team
These are the engines nearly every episode is built around. Their numbers come from the books and stayed the same across every version of the show, which is why fans often call them by number.
Thomas
No. 1 · Blue tank engine
A small, cheeky blue engine with red lining who pulls his two coaches, Annie and Clarabel, along his own branch line. He's friendly and eager but also impatient and a bit of a show-off, and many stories start with him being too sure of himself. He always learns, though, and his good heart is why the others forgive him.
Edward
No. 2 · Blue tender engine
One of the oldest engines on the railway, kind and wise, and the one who most often helps the others when they've made a mess of things. He's slower and creakier than the big engines but takes pride in doing a job well. He's often the first to stand up for a smaller engine.
Henry
No. 3 · Green tender engine
A big green engine who is nervous, a little sickly and fond of the trees along the line. In one of the earliest stories, he refused to come out of a tunnel because he didn't want the rain to spoil his paint, and was bricked in as a punishment. He becomes much stronger once he's rebuilt with better coal.
Gordon
No. 4 · Blue express engine
The biggest and fastest engine on the island, who pulls the express and never lets anyone forget it. He's proud and pompous, and the stories love taking him down a peg. Under the grumbling, he's dependable and protective of the railway.
James
No. 5 · Red mixed-traffic engine
A splendid red engine who is very proud of his paint and dislikes pulling dirty trucks. His vanity regularly gets him into trouble, from runaway trains to being covered in tar. He's fun, dramatic and secretly insecure.
Percy
No. 6 · Green saddle-tank engine
Thomas's best friend, a small green engine who carries the mail. He's cheerful, a little gullible and easily frightened, especially by ghost stories the others tell to wind him up. He and Thomas tease each other constantly, and their friendship is the warmest thread in the series.
Toby
No. 7 · Brown tram engine
An old-fashioned tram engine with side plates and a cowcatcher, who came to Sodor when his own line closed. He's careful, polite and proud of his long working life. His faithful coach is Henrietta.
Emily
Green single-driver engine
A graceful, confident green engine who joined the TV series in the early 2000s as the first female member of the main Steam Team. She's bossy at times but loyal and brave. Emily doesn't carry a number in the show.
Engine numbers and colours
This is the quickest way to answer "which one is number five?" The colours here are the main body colours in the classic and CGI versions; All Engines Go keeps the same colour scheme.
| Engine | Number | Colour | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas | 1 | Blue with red lining | Tank engine |
| Edward | 2 | Blue | Tender engine |
| Henry | 3 | Green | Tender engine |
| Gordon | 4 | Blue | Express tender engine |
| James | 5 | Red | Mixed-traffic tender engine |
| Percy | 6 | Green | Saddle-tank engine |
| Toby | 7 | Brown | Tram engine |
| Duck | 8 | Great Western green | Tank engine |
| Donald | 9 | Black | Scottish tender engine |
| Douglas | 10 | Black | Scottish tender engine |
| Oliver | 11 | Great Western green | Tank engine |
| Emily | — | Green | Single-driver tender engine |
| Rosie | — | Pink (later lilac) | Tank engine |
| Spencer | — | Silver | Express tender engine |
| Hiro | 51 | Black | Japanese tender engine |
| Nia | — | Orange | Kenyan tank engine |
| Diesel | — | Black | Diesel shunter |
| Mavis | — | Black | Quarry diesel |
| Bill and Ben | — | Orange | Twin tank engines |
More steam engines
The island has plenty of other engines who drift in and out of the stories. These are the ones that come up most.
Duck
No. 8 · Great Western tank engine
His real name is Montague, but everyone calls him Duck because of the way he waddles. He's sensible, proud of the Great Western way of doing things and good at putting troublemakers in their place.
Donald and Douglas
Nos. 9 and 10 · Scottish twins
Two black Scottish engines who arrived on Sodor together when only one was supposed to. They're hard-working, loyal to each other and love to bicker.
Oliver
No. 11 · Great Western tank engine
Rescued from scrap by Douglas and later a fixture of Duck's branch line. He once had a famous run-in with the Troublesome Trucks that he never quite lived down.
Rosie
Tank engine
A bright, energetic engine who adores Thomas and copies him whenever she can. She grew from a fan into a hard worker in her own right.
Spencer
Silver express engine
A sleek, snobbish engine who belongs to a duke and duchess and visits Sodor to show off. He and Gordon have a running rivalry over who's fastest.
Hiro
No. 51 · Japanese engine
The "Master of the Railway", a wise old engine Thomas finds hidden in the woods in the film Hero of the Rails. He's patient and kind and teaches the others about friendship.
Nia
Kenyan tank engine
A cheerful engine from Kenya who meets Thomas during his travels in Big World! Big Adventures! and comes back to Sodor with him. She's optimistic and resourceful.
Bill and Ben
Twin tank engines
Mischievous orange twins who work at the china clay pits. They love pranks and confusing people about which is which.
Diesels and other vehicles
The diesels are the steam engines' rivals in early stories, though many become friends. The non-rail vehicles round out the island.
Diesel
Black diesel shunter
A sly, scheming engine who looks down on steam and spreads gossip to cause trouble. He's the closest the classic show has to a villain, and his clumsiness usually undoes his plans. Later versions soften him into a grumpy rival.
Daisy
Diesel railcar
A fussy diesel railcar who's particular about what she will and won't do, and who originally refused any job she thought was beneath her. She works Thomas's branch line passengers when he's busy.
Mavis
Quarry diesel
A young diesel who works at the quarry and doesn't like being told what to do. She learns the hard way from Toby, and the two become friends.
Salty
Dockyard diesel
A cheerful dockside diesel who talks like an old sailor and loves to tell stories about the sea.
Bertie
Red bus
A friendly red bus who races Thomas and helps out when the trains can't run. Their friendly rivalry is one of the oldest in the series.
Harold
Helicopter
A rescue helicopter who flies above the island and teases the engines about being stuck on rails. Percy once raced him and won.
Terence
Tractor
A caterpillar-tracked tractor who works the fields and once had to help a snowed-in Thomas. He's friendly and practical.
Cranky
Dockyard crane
A tall, grumpy crane at Brendam Docks who complains about everyone. He's very good at his job, which annoys the engines even more.
Annie and Clarabel
Thomas's coaches
Thomas's two faithful coaches, who chatter as they roll along and fuss over him like aunts. Thomas got them along with his branch line, a reward for helping rescue James after an accident.
The Troublesome Trucks
Freight cars
A crowd of rude, giggling freight cars who push and shove engines into accidents. They're a recurring source of chaos.
Sir Topham Hatt and the humans
The engines are the stars, but a handful of humans keep the railway running.
- Sir Topham Hatt — The railway's director, a stout man in a top hat known as the Fat Controller in the books and British versions. He praises engines who are "really useful", punishes vanity and laziness, and is fair even when he's cross.
- Lady Hatt — His wife, who appears on special occasions.
- Stephen and Bridget Hatt — His grandchildren, who often ride the trains.
- Drivers and firemen — Each engine has its own crew, though they're rarely named in the TV series.
The three versions of Thomas
If a child's favourite engine looks or sounds different from the one you remember, this is why.
Classic model series
From 1984 to 2008 the show used real model trains on detailed sets, filmed with a narrator voicing every character. Early series adapted Awdry's books closely. Ringo Starr was the first narrator, followed by Michael Angelis in the UK and George Carlin, Alec Baldwin and Michael Brandon in the US.
CGI series
The 2009 film Hero of the Rails moved to computer animation, and the series followed. Engines got individual voice actors, the cast expanded, and later seasons like Big World! Big Adventures! (2018) took Thomas around the world and added Nia and Rebecca to the Steam Team.
All Engines Go
The 2021 reboot uses bright 2D animation and redesigns the engines as younger, smaller and more cartoonish. The focus is on a core group of friends, including Thomas, Percy, Nia, Kana and Diesel, with shorter episodes and a lot of songs. It added Bruno the brake car, an autistic character, in 2023.
For parents: why it still works
Thomas has stayed popular for decades because the stories are simple and fair: engines who are kind and honest are rewarded, and engines who show off or cut corners face consequences. Children also love sorting the engines by number and colour, which is why the table above is so often asked for. The classic model episodes are slower and calmer; All Engines Go is faster and noisier, aimed at preschoolers.
If your child likes vehicle shows with a clear team of friends, PAW Patrol follows a similar pattern. For gentler family stories, try Bluey or Peppa Pig, and for songs and early learning, CoComelon and Sesame Street. If you're working through a long-running series with several eras, our watch order guide has tips that apply here too.
Thomas & Friends character names A–Z
A–B
- Annie — Coach
- Bertie — Bus
- Bill — Twin engine
- Ben — Twin engine
- Bruno — Brake car (AEG)
C–D
- Clarabel — Coach
- Cranky — Crane
- Daisy — Diesel railcar
- Diesel — Diesel shunter
- Donald — No. 9
- Douglas — No. 10
- Duck — No. 8
E–H
- Edward — No. 2
- Emily — Steam Team
- Gordon — No. 4
- Harold — Helicopter
- Henrietta — Toby's coach
- Henry — No. 3
- Hiro — No. 51
J–N
- James — No. 5
- Kana — Electric engine (AEG)
- Lady Hatt — Human
- Mavis — Quarry diesel
- Nia — Kenyan engine
O–R
- Oliver — No. 11
- Percy — No. 6
- Rebecca — Steam Team (CGI)
- Rosie — Tank engine
S–Z
- Salty — Dockyard diesel
- Sir Topham Hatt — Railway director
- Spencer — Express engine
- Terence — Tractor
- Thomas — No. 1
- Toby — No. 7
- Troublesome Trucks — Freight cars
Frequently asked questions
What are the names of Thomas's friends?
The core group, often called the Steam Team, is Thomas (1), Edward (2), Henry (3), Gordon (4), James (5) and Percy (6), with Toby (7) and Emily joining later. Around them are the diesels, including Diesel, Daisy and Mavis, and non-rail friends such as Bertie the bus, Harold the helicopter, Terence the tractor and Cranky the crane.
What number is Percy?
Percy is number 6. He's the small green saddle-tank engine who works alongside Thomas, carries the mail and is Thomas's best friend. Thomas is number 1, Edward 2, Henry 3, Gordon 4 and James 5.
Who is the Fat Controller?
Sir Topham Hatt, the director of the railway on the Island of Sodor. In the original books and the British versions of the TV series he's called the Fat Controller; American versions have long used his real name instead. He's strict, fair and the engines all want his approval.
Who wrote Thomas the Tank Engine?
The Reverend Wilbert Awdry created the characters in The Railway Series, a set of small books that began in 1945. Thomas got his own book in 1946. Awdry's son Christopher later continued the series. The TV show, created by Britt Allcroft, began in 1984.
Who narrated Thomas & Friends?
Ringo Starr narrated the first two series in both Britain and America. Michael Angelis took over in the UK for many years, while the US versions were narrated by George Carlin, then Alec Baldwin, then Michael Brandon. Later CGI series used Mark Moraghan as narrator.
Why does Thomas look different in All Engines Go?
All Engines Go, which started in 2021, rebooted the show in 2D animation for a younger audience. Thomas and his friends are drawn as smaller, younger and more energetic, with a stronger focus on friendship and simple problem-solving. The older model and CGI episodes are still widely available.