Skarloey Railway
The Skarloey Railway is a fictional narrow gauge railway on the Island of Sodor. It appeared in [|8 books] of The Railway Series, by Rev. W. Awdry and Christopher Awdry, and in [|99 episodes] of the Television adaptation of The Railway Series, Thomas & Friends.
In the stories, the railway runs from the main line at Crovan's Gate to the passenger terminus at Skarloey. Beyond Skarloey the line continues to the Skarloey slate quarry. Its is run by the Thin Controller, and its chief engineer is Ivo Hugh. The line was inspired by the Talyllyn Railway in Wales, where Rev. W. Awdry worked as a volunteer guard in the 1950s. The Talyllyn railway was owned by Sir Haydn Jones, who inspired the character of Sir Handel Brown in the books.
(Fictional) History
The Rev. W Awdry based his stories on real incidents on the real railways. To ensure consistency and accuracy, Awdry developed a 'history' for the Island of Sodor and its railways, which was published to accompany the series. The history was set in context, and dates were determined to be consistent with the real world.In the case of the Skarloey Railway, its history closely parallels that of the Talyllyn Railway in Wales. According to the "research" by the Rev. Awdry, the line began as a plateway and was opened in 1806 to collect copper ore and later slate from the local quarries. It was worked by gravity and carried mineral traffic that was shipped from Balladswail. Following the Ffestiniog Railway's lead in 1863, James Spooner was engaged in surveying a line for steam locomotives. It was also planned to develop passenger traffic for tourists to the Springs at Skarloey where there would be hotels and guest houses.
It was later realized that the line could carry visitors to the local landmarks of Skarloey and Rheneas. Like all railways at this time, it was powered by horses, but by 1865 the railway's owners decided they needed steam engines to help out. They ordered two engines from the locomotive builders Fletcher Jennings Ltd in Whitehaven, England. These engines were Skarloey and Rheneas.
Skarloey and Rheneas worked hard for many years, but eventually, the demand for slate decreased due to cheaper slate being imported from Italy. After World War II the railway was in a poor state, and the old mines had become ammunition dumps. The owner, Sir Handel Brown, thought he would have to sell the railway. At this point, the railway was taken over by Mr. Peter Sam, who became the Thin Controller. With the help of Mr. Ivo Hugh and a number of volunteers, they managed to keep the railway going. The railway's main source of income was now tourist traffic.
Eventually, Skarloey failed and Rheneas was left to manage alone, which he did admirably until Peter Sam and Sir Handel were bought from the Mid Sodor Railway to help out. Later they purchased Rusty and Duncan.
It was around this time that the slate quarries were reopened. The slate from these quarries was pure and free from metallic impurities, which meant it was in demand as other slate demand fell.
In 1965 the railway celebrated the 100th birthday of Skarloey and Rheneas with the opening of a new branch line to Lakeside by the Duke of Sodor. A second triumph came in 1969 when Duke was saved and brought to the railway, where he was repaired and now works the passenger trains.
Since the centenary celebrations of 1965, the railway has purchased a new diesel, Fred. It has also built a new steam engine, Ivo Hugh, who was built in New Little Engine.
Characters
Locomotives
Livery
In The Railway Stories books, all of the steam engines are painted the same bright red colour with a simple blue lining except for Duke and Rusty, who is painted charcoal-black. Unusually, the engines did not have nameplates; their names were just painted directly in gold on the side of the saddle tanks or boiler, as to had been the case on the Talyllyn Railway before the Talyllyn Railway Preservation Society took over. The other diesels are painted dark-grey. The steam locomotive livery features lots of polished brass-work and is largely unchanged since the opening of the railway.In the Thomas & Friends TV series, all of the engines, apart from Duke, are painted in completely different colours. This was presumably to assist the show's young fans in identifying the different engines. In the TV series, Skarloey is painted bright red with white and gold lining ; Rheneas was painted vermilion; Sir Handel and Peter Sam retained the colors that they wore when they were named Falcon and Stuart, on the Mid Sodor Railway ; Rusty was painted orange ; Duncan was painted yellow with gold and black lining; and Duke kept his Mid- Railway Series brown..
Carriages
Agnes, Ruth, Lucy, Jemima and Beatrice are based on Talyllyn Railway carriages 1–5. The brake van Cora is based on the Corris Railway brake van that now runs on the Talyllyn.Open coaches Ada, Jane and Mabel were rebuilt to a more conventional outline when funds became available and are based on Talyllyn Railway carriages 11, 12, 13. Gertrude and Millicent, bogie coaches, are based on Talyllyn Railway carriages 9 & 10. There are also longer coaches which are supposedly Talyllyn Railway carriages 16 and 18–23.
| No. | Skarloey carriage | Notes |
| 1 | Agnes | First class coach, is something of a snob. |
| 2 | Ruth | Third class coach. |
| 3 | Jemima | Third class coach. Jemima appears to be hard of hearing in the book Four Little Engines. |
| 4 | Lucy | Third class coach. |
| 5 | Beatrice | Guard's Van, also has a ticket office from which the guard may sell tickets. |
| 6 | Cora | Guard's Van, these days used for maintenance duties. Rescued from the Mid Sodor Railway. |
| 7 | Ada | Rescued from the Mid Sodor Railway. |
| 8 | Jane | Rescued from the Mid Sodor Railway. |
| 9 | Mabel | Mabel actually does not appear along with Ada and Jane. She appears two stories later, in Little Old Twins. Rescued from the Mid Sodor Railway. |
| 10 | Gertrude | Bogie coach. Rescued with Millicent from the Mid Sodor Railway. |
| 11 | Millicent | Bogie coach with a guard. Rescued with Gertrude from the Mid Sodor Railway. |
Livery
In The Railway Stories books, the open carriages and guard's vans are painted blue. The enclosed carriages are painted off-white and blue.Human characters
There have been a number of people associated with the railway who have appeared in the stories and TV Series.Thin Controller
Known properly as Mr. Peter Sam, the Thin Controller is the manager of the Skarloey Railway. A year before the arrival of Sir Handel and Peter Sam, he had to serve as guard for all the trains.The Thin Controller was introduced in Four Little Engines, the tenth volume of the Railway Series and has now been introduced into the Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends TV series as Mr. Percival, the narrow-gauge controller. He is based upon Edward Thomas general manager of the Talyllyn Railway.
According to , there are two thin controllers.
- Mr. Peter Sam – The Thin Controller I
- Mr. Roger Sam – The Thin Controller II
Sir Handel Brown
- Sir Handel Brown I
- Sir Handel Brown II
Ivo Hugh
Hugh had retired by the time of New Little Engine and had the honour of having the railway's new No. 7 named after him.
His son succeeded him as the new CME.
Other characters
- Mrs. Last – first appears in the book Four Little Engines. She is a passenger who arrives late for her train.
- The Refreshment Lady – Although she never receives a name in the stories, she is very popular with the passengers, selling drinks and ices on hot days. She was once left behind by Peter Sam by mistake, an incident inspired by Reverend Awdry's own experience working as a guard on the Talyllyn Railway – albeit on that occasion, he admitted that the mistake was his fault rather than that of the engine!
- Nancy the Guard's Daughter – A young girl who used to polish the engines. She was a friend to the engines, and Skarloey told her the story of his early life in the book Very Old Engines. She is now grown up, and lives with her husband on the Isle of Man.
- Mr. Mack – former controller of the railway.
- Mr. Bobbie – An engineer from Fletcher Jennings & Company, who had worked on the construction of Skarloey. He was brought over when Skarloey misbehaved on his first arrival.
- The Duke of Sodor – A British peer, and, jointly with the British monarch, the island's hereditary "monarch". He succeeded as a minor after his father was killed in the Second World War, and, as a young man in his twenties, appears only in the book Very Old Engines, where he formally opens the loop line extension around the lake in 1965. He was introduced into the TV series with his correct original title of Earl of Sodor; he is only called "Duke" by some of the people of Sodor.
- Lizzie and Kathy – These girls worked on the Skarloey Railway during the 1990s, again polishing the engines. Their parents worked on the Talyllyn Railway and came to the Island of Sodor on holiday.
- Mr. Percival – The Thin Controller as portrayed in the Thomas and Friends TV series. He first appeared in Season 9.
- Mrs. Percival – Mr. Percival's wife who first appears in season 10.
- Percival Twins – Mr. and Mrs. Percival's children who appear in season 12.
Stations
In The Railway Series (in the books)
The names of the stations are not actually ever mentioned in the books, and were referred to as "the station by the lake", "the main station", "the first station", "the middle station", "the station by the waterfalls", "the top station", etc.; thus, all their names are derived from complementary publications about Sodor, such as The Thomas the Tank Engine Man.The railway runs from Crovan's Gate, to Cros-ny-Cuirn, then stopping at Glennock, calling at Rheneas before starting the Lakeside loop line, which stops at Lakeside and finally the line ended at Skarloey.
Another line branches off near Lakeside and goes to Ulfstead Castle.
A further halt, called 'Quarry Siding' is mentioned in The Little Old Engine. This halt is based on Quarry Siding halt on the Talyllyn Railway.
Crovan's Gate
This is the main station and southern terminus of the railway. The station complex is a compilation of all the stations at Tywyn, which is the primary location and western terminus of the Talyllyn Railway.The passenger station at Crovan's Gate has a very typical layout for an interchange station. It has no specific real-life base, but could have been inspired by a proposed interchange station at Tywyn mainline station, which was the planned passenger terminus of the Talyllyn Railway, however the railway between Tywyn Wharf Station and the mainline station was never built – for unknown reasons.
The workshops, locomotive sheds, and carriage shed, at Crovan's Gate, portrayed in all of the books involving the Skarloey Railway, are based on the workshops, locomotive sheds, and original carriage shed, at on the Talyllyn Railway.
The wharf at Crovans Gate, as portrayed in The Little Old Engine and Gallant Old Engine, is based on the slate wharf at on the Talyllyn Railway.
Cros-ny-Curin
Cros-ny-Curin Station is a minor station about 3 miles away from Crovan's Gate. It is situated at the point where the Skarloey Railway's current route starts deviating from the route of the 1806 horse-drawn plateway, and is where the first incline was on the plateway.The station, as portrayed in Four Little Engines, is based on Rhyd-yr-onen station on the Talyllyn Railway.
Cros-ny-Curin's etymology is that it was derived from 'Crossag-ny-cuirn', which means 'Little-Crossing-of-the-Mountain-Ash' in Sudric. This is a reflection of the meaning of 'Rhyd-yr-onnen' in Welsh, which is 'Ash-ford'.
Glennock
Glennock Station, often called 'the middle station', is a station approximately 11 miles from Crovan's Gate.The station's name is derived from 'Gleigh-knock', which means 'Blue-hill' in Sudric. This is the same as the Welsh meaning of Bryn-Glas station on the Talyllyn Railway, which the station was partly based on.
Glennock station's positioning is based on Brynglas station on the Talyllyn Railway, but the station itself, as portrayed in Four Little Engines, is based on Aberllefenni station on the Corris Railway.
Rheneas
Rheneas, often called 'The station by the waterfalls', is a station built for tourists traffic to the nearby waterfalls. It is approximately 21 miles away from Crovan's Gate.Rheneas station, as portrayed in Gallant Old Engine, is based on Dolgoch station on the Talyllyn Railway. 'Rheneas' means 'Divided Waterfall' in Sudric, and the station is so-named because of the nearby waterfalls, which themselves are based on the waterfalls near Dolgoch station on the Talyllyn Railway.
Lakeside
Lakeside station is a station which is halfway round the Lakeside Loop. It is approximately 23 miles away from Crovan's Gate.The station, and the associated Lakeside Loop Line which the station is on, was opened in Very Old Engines, by the Duke of Sodor
Skarloey
Skarloey station is the northern passenger terminus of the Skarloey Railway, although the railway continues to quarries further west. The station was built for tourists for the lake, and is approximately 22 miles from Crovan's Gate.The location of Skarloey station is based on a proposed station serving the hamlet of Dolffanog, a small hamlet north-east of Talyllyn lake, which featured in various 1970s proposals for an extension of the Talyllyn Railway to Talyllyn lake, Corris, and Machynlleth. However, most of the station layout itself, as portrayed in Four Little Engines, is based on Abergynolwyn railway station, the eastern terminus of the Talyllyn Railway, in its pre-1976 layout.
Skarloey's eytymology is that the word came from 'Scacaloey', which itself was a corruption of 'Skogarloey', which means 'Lake-in-the-Woods' in Sudric. This is based on the meaning of 'Talyllyn' in Welsh.
In Thomas and Friends (in the television series)
The railway in the television series also calls at Middle, Elephant Park, Tea Room, Bluebell Valley, Mountain Village, and Rumblin Bridge.In the television series the railway runs from The Wharf, to west to Crovan's Gate, then north south of Rheneas where a line branches off and goes to Vicarstown, The main line continues the same path it does in the Railway Series.
Appearances
The Skarloey Railway first appeared in Four Little Engines, the 10th book in The Railway Series, in October 1955. It has also featured in every season of the Thomas and Friends TV Show since season 4In The Railway Series (in the books)
The railway appeared in six books in The Railway Series – four in which it was the primary railway, and two in which it was not the primary focus, but played a significant supporting role.Books where the Skarloey Railway is the primary focus
Books in which the Skarloey Raiway plays a supporting role
In Thomas and Friends (on television)
The railway first appeared in the fourth season of Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends. At this time it closely followed the layout as portrayed in The Railway Series books, but from Season 5 it differed significantly, deviating further from the books at the same time as the route of the North Western Railway was significantly altered.It appears to be part of the North Western Railway rather than an independent line. It was run by the Fat Controller, but from the ninth season onwards was under the control of "Mr Percival", a man strongly resembling the Thin Controller. Mr Hugh does not appear at all.
The railway has many more carriages in this version. Ada, Jane, Mabel, Gertrude and Millicent are entirely absent. Coaches resembling Agnes, Ruth, Lucy, Jemima, Beatrice and Cora do appear along with red coaches and coaches which are green upper half and cream lower half, but are unnamed and rarely speak. Ivo Hugh has not appeared either, as the book in which he appeared has not been televised. However, the line has four new engines in this version named Bertram, Mighty Mac, "Fearless" Freddie, who acquired the number of Ivo Hugh, and Luke. Proteus was another engine originated from the TV series. He was never seen with the other engines, but Peter Sam once tried to find him and his magic lamp. He never succeeded. Years later, Peter Sam discovered a statue of Proteus that was put on display at the Showgrounds.
The Owner also does not appear.