thumb|link=James the Red Engine is a fictional anthropomorphic tender locomotive from The Railway Series children's books by the Rev. W. Awdry. James is a mixed-traffic engine, which means he is just as capable of pulling coaches as trucks. He has a 2-6-0 ("Mogul") wheel arrangement and is engine number 5 on the North Western Railway, the Fat Controller's railway on the Island of Sodor.
James first appeared in the Railway Series in 1946, in the book Thomas the Tank Engine. Two books in the series, no. 3 James the Red Engine and no. 28 James and the Diesel Engines are dedicated to James.
In the stories, James crashed into a field on his first day. The accident was blamed on his wooden brake blocks, which were thereafter replaced with metal ones. James has a reputation for being naughty. Some of his incidents include breaking a coach brake pipe and needing a passenger's bootlace to fix it, crashing into tar wagons, and spinning on the turntable although that was due to the wind rather than him. Despite his behaviour, James is an engine proud of his red paint, hard-working and reliable and is generally considered to be a really useful engine.
He is very proud of his red paint and shining brass dome, and so likes to stay clean. He hates pulling trucks, and believes that he should only be used to pull coaches. He thinks himself superior to the other engines, and can be shallow, boastful and arrogant – particularly to Edward, and those engines who appear old-fashioned, weak, slow or dirty. However, on a number of occasions he has found himself forced to accept help from those he has insulted, and is ultimately apologetic.
In the Railway Series books, James was for a long time one of the last engines to retain a prejudice against diesels. However, he was forced to admit in the book James and the Diesel Engines that there was nothing wrong with diesels as a whole, and this appears to be one of the few lessons that has stuck.
Character Profile
James is very proud of his paintwork. He hates pulling trucks, and believes that he should only pull coaches. He thinks himself superior to the others, and can be shallow, boastful, and vain, particularly to those who appear old-fashioned, weak, slow, or dirty. These traits have caused somewhat of a friendship/conflict relationship between him and Toby and also Edward.
In most adaptations, James has a bad reputation for his behavior; most notably crashing on his first day at Sodor. The most humiliating scenario James ever entered in was when he broke a coach brake pipe and needed a passenger's bootlace to fix it. This particular incident made James an unpopular figure and a short-time target of insults from Toby, Gordon and Thomas. However, he later befriended Gordon after he struggled with a particular task, and today both engines get along with each other.
In James and the Bootlace, James is being threatened by Edward's blue paint.
Behind the scenes
James first appeared in the Railway Series in 1946, in the book Thomas the Tank Engine. He was painted black at this point. At the request of the publishers, Awdry dedicated the next book to the character. It was in this book that James received his red paint and his personality.
James in the Railway Series
James The Red Engine, was the third book in the Railway Series by Reverend W. Awdrey. It picked up where the previous book ("Thomas The Tank Engine"), left off- James was introduced in the last story of that book ("Thomas & The Breakdown Train"), when, new to the island, James (then painted black), was pushed off the rails by some silly trucks when his wooden brake blocks caught fire. After being rescued, he was given new brakes and repainted red.
- James and The Top Hat
James has been given a new coat of paint-red, to cheer him up after his accident-and becomes rather conceited. He lets off steam and sprays water on the Fat Controller's top hat. He is ashamed, though, and worries about the consequences. He is not punished on this occasion, but the Fat Controller is very furious, and threatens to have him painted blue if his bad behaviour continues.
- James and The Bootlace
James is furious when no one dares come near him on the platform, following the mishap with the Fat Controller's hat. He is so furious, that he bumps the coaches very hard , and causes a leak in the brake pipe. The hole has to be mended with newspaper and a passenger's bootlace- and the only passenger with a bootlace needs some coercing before he hands them over!
- Troublesome Trucks
James is punished this time-Sir Topham Hatt makes him stay in the shed for a long time. James is so miserable he cries. The Fat Controller eventually decides to let him out, and tells him to pull some trucks. The trucks dislike James, and try to stop him reaching the top of the hill. Eventually, a rusty coupling snaps and some trucks roll downhill. The guard stops them, and Edward offers to help - but James prefers to go it alone. The trucks seem to realise James will keep trying whatever they do, and allow James to reach the top of the hill. The Fat Controller has seen everything from Edward's train, and is so pleased with James he decides to let him keep his red paint.
- James and The Express
Gordon boasts to James that he is the only engine able to pull the express. James is resting in the shed the next day, when an very mournful Gordon arrives; he has accidentally been switched to the loop line, and had a long, wasted journey. James teases him about it, but a hoarde of angry passengers arrives and demands refunds. Instead, James pulls the express and is from time to time, allowed to pull the express to allow Gordon a break. James and Gordon are now friends and they now talk about trucks.
James's prototype
James is based on the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway "Class 28", an 0-6-0 mixed-traffic tender engine of 1912/13, designed by George Hughes and based on the earlier Class 27 designed by John Aspinall. According to the Rev Awdry, the Class 28s were powerful goods engines but had a tendency to be nose-heavy, especially when used as relief engines on excursion trains, as they often were, and driven at speed.[1]
In the book The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways, Awdry explained the difference in James's appearance from a Class 28. James was built by Hughes as an experiment to see if the nose-heaviness could be counter-acted. The locomotive was fitted with larger (5' 6") driving wheels and a pony truck, making it into a 2-6-0 wheel arrangement.[1] (The real Class 28 has 5' 1" wheels.) James is also missing the prominent front sandboxes fitted to the Class 28s.[2] The improvement was not as great as hoped for, and after the grouping, the LMS sold James to the Fat Controller's North Western Railway.[1] As with most of the early Railway Series characters, which were not so closely based on real locomotive classes, Awdry's explanation is a case of retroactive continuity.
James as a model
The Rev Awdry had two models of James on his OO gauge model railway. The first, from the 1950s, was based on a 2-6-0 Glasgow and South Western Railway locomotive, the "Austrian Goods", designed by Peter Drummond. The Rev Awdry's model was painted red with yellow lining as James was in the books. Despite being professionally made and "a beautiful model", the motor was so unreliable that the loco could not be used for regular services. Awdry later noted that it was sent away in the 1980s for a new motor and chassis and came back "completely transformed".[2]
Awdry's second model of James was based on a 1960s Tri-ang "Johnson 3F" 0-6-0; a conversion which Hornby themselves would use for the production version of their model of James, several decades later.[2]
"Real Life" James
The Mid Hants Railway repainted one of its engines – a Southern Railway N class – into the livery of James. The engine retained this colour scheme for many years, and participated in the Railway Series golden jubilee celebrations at the National Railway Museum. This engine was the only replica Thomas character to be certified to run on the main line. On the East Lancashire Railway, unrestored LMS Ivatt Class 2 Mogul No. 46428 has been painted as James the Red Engine.
It created a certain amount of controversy among railway enthusiasts, who felt that it was inappropriate to paint a historic main line locomotive in such a garish livery. Nonetheless, the locomotive was popular with the railway's younger visitors.