EVERY Railway Series Book Ranked

this video was brought to you by my loyal patrons pledge today and you can participate in choosing what video comes to the channel next Link in the description once upon a time there was a little engine called Edward he lived in a shed with five other engines and just like that a legacy was born [Music] [Applause] hello everyone time for another extraordinarily long video where I rank stuff today we are talking about The Railway Series the classic children's book series that Thomas the Tank Engine was based on written by Reverend Wilbert Audrey and continued by his son Christopher I don't think this famous book series needs much of an introduction we here all know the history behind it Christopher was Ill in bed as a child in the 40s so Wilbert told him stories about anthropomorphic trains to entertain him he loved him so much that Wilbert made a book of them for him his wife Margaret urged him to publish it it was a huge success so he kept writing and writing and writing it eventually led to the TV show in the 80s yada yada yada you all know the story Wilbert wrote 26 books and then retired in 1972. Christopher took up his father's mantle and continued the series 10 years later bringing in the final total to 42 books and that's what we're ranking today folks this is easily the longest ranking video yet with 42 items to talk about there is a lot of content to go through and it's pretty dang hard because I consider most of the books on this list to be pretty dang great how on Earth is it possible to rank all 42 you ask by abiding by a set of rules of course so before we get started allow me to explain them I set three rules and the books placement on this list is decided by how well it hits each of them number one is structure is there an overarching plot to the book is there an overall Arc that connects all four stories or some sort of theme that they all relate to or is it just four random stories that don't really relate to anything number two is World building this refers to anything new the book introduces to the series new locations flashbacks histories or new characters do these new characters add anything to the universe do any of the previously established characters show any significant growth and lastly memorability how memorable are the stories in the book the book could have no overarching theme but of all the stories or bangers then that will help its ranking I also won't lie to you all personal bias will also play a factor here some might just like more than others for personal reasons which I'll explain as we go it's my list I can rank him as I like I should also mention that none of the one-off books like Thomas's Christmas party or Thomas and the evil diesel will be included here we are focusing only on the 42 Main books of the series perhaps we'll cover those one-offs and all those annual Stories the Audrey's wrote another time and lastly this should go without saying but everything said here is just my opinion nothing is fact none of this means anything in the grandch game of things if you love a book that I don't particularly rank highly then there's nothing wrong with that this is all just for fun okay we have a lot to go through today so let's keep this as Snappy as possible let's get started number 42 new little engine yeah this is the worst book I think Christopher's books in general were all pretty Hit or Miss but his later ones are just so forgettable that's the word I would use to describe this book forgettable and that's the worst thing a book in this series can be I legit had to look up what happened in this for this video because I totally forgot what the stories were a story with reneus losing traction Peter salmon some dirty water and whales sir handle salts in a shed and then something regarding scarlowie and a pig which somehow ties into ivahu getting introduced for a book called new little engine the new little engine does not appear until the last two pages of the book and he has no lines why did they build him why is he there what is his personality no one knows another book jock the new engine does a very similar concept and is much more engaging I think none of the stories are connected really and I don't think any of them are memorable while it does World build Tech technically with the introduction of Abu Hugh he barely does anything that it doesn't really matter the definitive NPC of the series Fred is also technically introduced in this book you never see him in an illustration and they don't explain how or why he's there but he exists too I guess this book doesn't feel inspired at all and feels like it was written more out of obligation than anything to tie in with teleklin's new build engine Tom rolt worst of the series number 41. Thomas and the fat controllers engines another forgettable book with no real overarching plot this book was written to celebrate the golden jubilee of the very first Railway Series book in 1945. The Railway Series does exist within the universe because it's metal like that and a celebration for it is to be held at the big station Prince Charles comes and gives a speech Etc sounds like a big event and you'd think this is something that had spanned the whole book but it doesn't it's only in the final story there's an attempt at structure having the event mentioned in the first story but it's completely unrelated to what the plot of that story is the first three stories have nothing to do with each other Gordon nearly kills a bird Edward loses a will and Thomas derails because of rabbits digging holes under the track what do any of these have to do with the golden jubilee celebration for a book called Thomas and the fat controllers engines the book has shockingly little Thomas in it and most of the engines don't do any thing again none of these stories are all that memorable although I will say the visual of Gordon striking a crow is pretty dang funny that this is a pretty good illustration it had the potential to be so much more but like the rest of Chris's later books this felt like it was written out of obligation more than inspiration number 40 great Little Engines man Chris really did not know how to write for the Scarlet engines did he he only wrote two books on them and this one like the other one also feels like it was written out of obligation more so than any sort of actual inspiration from what I understand this book was written in accordance with Prince Charles and Diana visiting the taliklin railway in real life and dressing up one of their engines as their handle for their Thomas days the book plays this off as if the real sir handle actually went to Wales and met the prince and princess and follows his adventures there that in theory sounds like a really fun idea for a book and the last story that does that is the funnest story in it in real life the real quote-unquote sir handle hit a tree near the line and the face on it got damaged so the crew bandaged it up and the book plays a soft like Sir Handel actually got a black eye this is really funny and meta and I'd love it if the book was more of this but it's not the other three stories have no rich relation to it again I had to look up the stories online to remember what even happened here sir handle leaves the guard behind a story we've done a million times in the series already Peter Sam gets stuck in some branches and my all-time favorite story ever pop special the plot of which some boy scouts are thirsty so Duncan brings them soda that's it that's the whole story no conflict why is this Duncan he's not even written as Duncan he's just some NPC Nice Guy character the last story where sir handle has to get an eye patch is the most notable thing about this book but other than that it's all a total dud pretty forgettable number 39 James and the diesel engines now I have gone on record of saying that I think this is Chris's weakest book and yes I do think this is a notably weak one but after revisiting all of them I don't think it is his worst the idea of This Book Is Awesome following up on James's Prejudice with diesels something that was subtly set up by Wilbert in his books James badmouth diesel he encourages Duncan to keep putting down Rusty he's a jerk to Boko and in the time those stories were written James's motives made some sense diesels were new at the time and they did pose a threat to steam engines this book was written in the 80s much later during a time when diesels were a norm on Railways and most of the lasting steam engines had grown to accept them all except James this is a good concept problem is the book is structured horribly the first story is about a visiting diesel that crashes into the shed okay this is fine a nice intro to the callousness of some diesels and gives a starting point for James to complain about them again Second Story James says diesels are weird and then he hits a signal um all right third story absolutely nothing to do with diesels it's a Henry story completely unrelated to everything why is this here last story is the big finale where diesels win James over and it's in the most anticlimactic way possible games breaks down and some random diesel we never learn the name of nor see the face of rescues him what the hell is this who is this why isn't this bear or a diesel we're familiar with or a diesel that the book set up earlier why is it just some NPC really this is the one to change James's mind such a colossal missed opportunity to build the characters of the Diesels we already know the theme of this book is pretty inspired and relevant to the time it was written and the first story with old stuck up is pretty memorable I think but it's a book that is very unfocused the word I would use to describe this book is Half Baked I feel like so much more could have happened here that was wasted number 38 Thomas and his friends I have mixed feelings on this book this is the final installment of the series and as a finale it's terrible it's lacking in any sort of grandeur or spectacle I think we all expected a really nice send-off to the series and credit where credit is due the last page where they unveil a bust of Wilbert Audrey in the big station is very heartwarming but the rest of the book is so unrelated to any of that this is the book where Gordon is famously retired from pulling the express I love this so much and I think it's so fitting that it happens in the final book of the series I love how it's handled the fact controller tells Gordon Pippen Emma have joined the railway and as he talks Gordon slowly understands what he's getting at the words Gordon I'm retiring you from the express are never blatantly said Gordon just understands and as a humbled 90 year old engine at this point he accepts it it's a really nice subtle moment and a nice book into Gordon's overall character journey I also like how there is a story in this book that shows a little of what Gordon's life is like in post-retirement that inclusion is very nice the problem is that this should have been the plot of the whole book leading up to the unveiling of the Audrey bust in The Last Story instead what is an incredibly important moment in the series is shoehorned into the beginning of an unrelated story about Thomas and a freaking Swan I'm sorry what and in the next story Donald and Douglas bumping into buffers are you kidding me what does this have to do with anything why is this unimportant unrelated nothing story in the finale book of the series I do love what Chris does with Gordon in this book and that's why I rank it slightly higher than all the previous ones we'll talk about it later once we get to it but you can tell this lead up to Gordon's retirement with something Chris really wanted to focus on but was probably pushed back by the Publishers in favor of more Thomas focused books as this was the final book he'd ever be writing he probably threw it in just so it could happen but man does it feel anticlimactic also Clive spawn what the hell man why did you use the same illustration twice in the same story this is just a redraw of the picture from the fat controller's engines oh my God this is just lazy you couldn't even be bothered to change the positions of the characters a very unfocused and unsatisfying book what should have been a grand finale to the 66 year old series deals more like a minor footnote in the grand scheme of things number 37 Thomas and Victoria this is a weird one because it does have structure and an overall plot unlike the previous ones in this book an Old Coach turned garden shed called Victoria gets rediscovered near Thomas's Branch line and over the course of the book she gets restored into a working coach again we even get a nice little flashback story to her old days when she worked on the Finesse Railway with her own engine but then the plot just stops dead and we get some unrelated story about Daisy and Eels I'm sorry what what does this have to do with anything this book is about Victorious not even in this story what is this I also have to say why is Thomas in the title of this Thomas barely does anything in this book he barely has any dialogue Edward and Toby were more Central characters to this not him I know I know because marketability but come on if Thomas is in the title I expect to see see some Thomas Focus random side tangent but I think the illustrations are kind of bad in this book not bad as in poorly drawn but bad as in they fail to convey what's being said in the text like here this picture is meant to be Thomas hearing Victoria in the brush near the station but we never see Victoria this one is meant to be Thomas's driver talking to Victoria but again she's not shown or this one in which henrietta's balcony bends because of Toby's sudden stop this could have easily been from a different angle that shows Toby stopping suddenly and Henry's balcony bending behind him the direction of these illustrations is just lazy also another side tangent the story implies Victoria has been beside the station in the brush for many years why only now all of a sudden does she decide to speak up and say hello this book takes place in like 2007 you're telling me she just sat there for 56 60 odd years not saying anything that's so dumb overall a fairly sweet book that does feel somewhat inspired and builds the world a bit more it doesn't feel like it was written out of obligation like the first few books on this list but it's not great I don't even know if I would say that this is good to be honest the stories with the exception of the flashback one with Albert are all pretty dang forgettable number 36 Wilbert the forest engine the structure of this one is similar to Stephanie's book a real engine visits Sodor and the book is about all the stuff that happened during the visit the Second Story even has a flashback to give the real engine some historical context the difference is the Stepney stories are actually fun this book is just boring there's some inspired ideas in here I'll give them that I really like cab over Wheels that's the standout definitely and I like how Wilbert goes to other places on Sodor besides Thomas's Branch we get to see him on the little Western 2 with all those guys but can you remember anything he does in these funny how in a book called Wilbert the forest engine the most memorable story is the one that Wilbert doesn't do anything in this book features a weird loose end that's never touched on again the whole reason Wilbur comes to Sodor is because the fat controller wanted to trial an austerity Tank Engine like him at the end of the book he says an engine like Wilbert is exactly what he needs by the end of his stay the controller knew that an engine light Wilbert was exactly what he needed implying that's going to come into play later but it's just never followed up on that's not at the fault of This Book of course but just a weird loose end I wanted to mention also Percy's porridge what what even is this story Percy has to go to the works cause he ran over a sack of porridge he's a 20 ton steam engine that damaged him really wow that's so stupid okay so apparently the story was written as a creative writing exercise by some children and the book is dedicated to them as a result I don't actually own a physical copy of this book so I didn't know that the story is still dumb though this volume has the structure for a decent book and all the stories do relate but it's just not very memorable I like Wilburton all and I like the idea of making the real steam engine named after Wilbert Audrey himself an actual character in the series but it's a fairly skippable book I'd rather a book with four random memorable stories than a book with four related stories that aren't that interesting number 35 Toby trucks and trouble I find the title of this book funny you can tell this book was basically just Chris wanting to write another toby-centric book but couldn't think of a title that's basically what this is It's Toby the tram engine too more fun times on the branch line with Toby and the characters most relevant to him Chris has said before Toby was his favorite character and that really comes across here I love how there's a whole flashback story that shows us a little of Toby's life priest Sodor we got a glimpse of that in his very first book of course but this one shows us what his brothers looked like the harbor he worked at and even some other engines he came across on his travels pretty neat I think the main problem with this book is that there just is no theme there is no plot nothing connecting any of these stories Mavis said to Lori random flashback story with Toby Percy kills bolstered Toby derails on the crossing Mavis and the Lorry ends implying that Percy and Toby are going to have quite the workload with maviscon I'm afraid it will mean more for you Percy he said and with that they had to be content but like not really it doesn't really come into play again only thing it amounts to is Terence helping out at Farquhar for a page but that's really it I also want to mention bolstered he's introduced here and is weirdly still relevant in the franchise still I think it's so interesting that Chris's biggest impact on the legacy of the Thomas franchise was this random boat character who for some reason keeps showing up in the show and merchandise bolstered was ultimately the franchise's greatest takeaway from Chris's books and I find that really funny Chris loves Toby and you can tell he had some fun ideas in mind for him the inspiration shines through in this book a little bit sort of I think the Toby Centric stories are fun but the other two are pretty whatever the lack of any structure or plot makes this book rather unimportant and kind of random a pretty skippable one in the grand scheme of things but a fine little volume if you just want more of the branch line gang but don't worry there's no shortage of Supply when it comes to those speaking of which number 34 more about Thomas the Tank Engine the book with the most unimaginative title ever so the history of this book is fascinating and I'll definitely go more into this in the next Thomas retrospective video but basically what happened is that this book came out the same year as season 2 of the TV show at this point in time the TV series was not allowed to write its own stories everything in it had to be based on existing Audrey written print material well they kind of wrote themselves into a hole with that for there was a severe lack of thomas-centric stories left in the books to adapt they did most of them in season one a new Thomas season was shockingly little Thomas in it just wouldn't fly so what happened was that Chris Audrey was commissioned to write a book specifically all with thomas-centric stories so they could use them in the show three of the stories in this book Thomas Percy and Nicole The Runaway and better late than ever all became season 2 episodes and aired on TV the same year this book came out in fact the book came came out only two days before the first of the episodes aired is a good chance kids at the time saw the TV adaptations before reading the book isn't that super fascinating that being said and perhaps its TV Nostalgia seeping in here but I do like the stories in this book The Runaway is probably my favorite one better late than ever is kind of bland but it's nice to see birdie is still around and I like the plot Arc with Thomas and Percy it only pertains to the first and last story but it's fun I like that their best Frenemies relationship in the books is still very prominent with Toby as the neutral chaotic in the middle of everything overall it's an okay book not the best of Chris's work or anything but it's fine the stories are all fine but God I wish he had picked a better title than this number 33 Thomas comes home so I put this more about Thomas and Toby trucks in trouble together because they're all kind of the same to me they all follow a similar format three books with random stories each that take place on Thomas's Branch line all of which have no real overall plot this book takes place while Thomas is away in York so it just fills us in on what happened on the branch line while he was away Daisy gets stuck in the snow Percy nearly falls on the river Toby pulls a mega train and then they all come together for Thomas's return again no structure however what I think this has over the previous two is the stories themselves they're all pretty fun ones I think the stories this time around are quite a bit better definitely more memorable Daisy in the snow was fun a setting we've never seen her in Percy chanting the bridge before it collapses is exciting and would definitely have made a fun episode for the TV show and I think pairing Daisy and George the steamroller of all characters in the final story was a novel idea a character pairing I never would have expected to see not a bad book by any means just kind of random doesn't add anything important to the plot of the series it's just some more Branch line Stories the fact Thomas is in the title means nothing number 32 really useful engines Chris's first book and certainly not his worst I actually kind of like this one all the stories are completely unrelated ones about the three major tank engines in the series first story is about Thomas next is about Percy third is about duck then the final story is all three coming together and doing something epic the structure is very reminiscent of the three Railway engines where we had an Edward story a Gordon story a Henry story and then a final one where they all come together kinda appropriate that Chris's first book mirrors Wilbert's first book in that way Chris cleverly sets up his plan for Gordon in this book too showing him as tired and out of breath he is no longer the grand energetic Express engine he once was we are fully dealing with a middle-aged Gordon now I love that implied passage of time I also love the consistency with Thomas and Gordon's Alliance here Thomas does tease Gordon a bit but it's all playful at the end Gordon doesn't make fun of Thomas or say anything to belittle him he instead Winks at him Gordon looked at Thomas and smiled then he took three deep breaths and winked he didn't need to say anything Thomas knew exactly what he meant what a nice moment man this character has grown okay so the illustrations they are just awful I never really cared for Clive spawn as an illustrator but I will admit he does get a lot better as the series goes on but holy cow these are bad illustrations why does Percy look like that why are their pupils so huge it is so so jarring going from the beautiful real-life impressionist illustrations of the previous book to these not a fan at all easily the ugliest book of the whole Railway Series if you ask me but only not the worst book in general number 31. Thomas and the twins yet another thomas-centric Chris book but this one is actually pretty fun it's a pretty inspired idea Thomas is too heavy to cross the bridge on his Branch line while it's being repaired so he goes to help Edward out on his Branch line and thus the first time Thomas meets all the characters on it I like this a lot the world doesn't revolve around Thomas there's quite a lot on Sodor Thomas has never actually seen before which really puts into perspective just how big the world of the island of Sodor is there are characters on this island that even Thomas has never met Thomas meets Bill and Ben in this book and I'm glad Bill and Ben got to appear in another book they're really fun in this one pairing them up with Thomas was a good idea considering all three are pretty much insufferable there's some fun character moments but it's all color Ben and Thomas doesn't think our color is proper for an engine they heard a grinding noise are your joints stiff Bill asked Ben because it wasn't bill those joints it was Thomas laughing his teeth World building is on point here we see a lot more of the clay pits a lot more of Brendan and were introduced to that stretch of line that floods called the drain we didn't get to see these places that much in the previous Bill and Ben book so it's nice that they all get some Focus again we even get to see Trevor again someone we haven't seen since his debut story all those years ago nice to know he's still around far from Chris's worst book I'd say this is the first actual solid good book on this list from this point on every book on this list is good if not great which makes my job of ranking them all the more harder let's keep going number 30. Thomas and the great Railway show so I have a personally fun history with this one so as a kid I only had the complete collection book which featured none of Chris's books those never came out here yet somehow my school library actually had this book and I would check it out constantly and analyze the illustrations so I have a bit of a fondness for it the plot of this is Thomas is asked to go to the National Railway Museum in York to represent the Northwestern Railway like yeah it's another Thomas Focus book and Thomas of course was selected because marketability and whatnot but I still think the idea is rather inspired we follow Thomas on his travels to York under his own steam the first two stories cover his journey there and the last two cover his adventures while he's in York and all the various famous engines he meets this book is like a very realistic version of Big World Big Adventures just you know not stupid I think where this book Falls flat for me though is the lack of famous engines present in the book you'd think for a book made to basically advertise the National Railway Museum more of the famous Museum engines would appear or have roles Green Arrow does which is nice and a couple others speak but they're mostly confined to a single illustration would have loved to see more of them it's a fun book that covers a fun event overall pretty good in my opinion number 29 James the red engine and the first Wilbert book finally makes an appearance on this list this is undoubtedly his worst book being one of the first Wilbur himself has said that this is his least favorite because he was rushed to meet a deadline and the end result kind of shows it's apparent in the illustrations for sure which were all over the place in terms of quality this was Clarence Reginald dalby's first book Is illustrator and ha it shows sometimes the engine's proportions and perspectives are just so out of whack it's definitely the ugliest of the first 26. even plot wise this feels kinda uninspired James's character Arc in this is just Thomas's recycled it's literally the same story main character is cocky and rambunctious and confined to the yard they wish to pull trains like the other big engines their lack of care causes incidents in the first two stories that humiliate them they get a chance to prove themselves again in the third story both of which are about overcoming Troublesome Trucks of course and then a final story where another character fails and they step in and save the day it's virtually the same plot nothing important happens in this book that being said even Wilbert's worst book is far from being a bad book James's character Arc may be a copy of another but at least he has one he has a character in this and a personality totally unique to him there are many Chris books where the featured character has an arc that is almost nothing or just doesn't have one at all this is a focused book with four stories that are all connected and do build upon each other it is an ugly kind of nothing book one that Wilbert himself didn't like but it's still a classic one considering Wilbert's worst book is only number 29 of 42 on this list I think that says a lot about the quality of his writing number 28 jock the new engine this book gets some hate because of some weird continuity screw-ups on Chris's end like how the miniature engines are fitted with radios in a time period where radios weren't a thing on the real life counterpart Railway yet or like how they referred to Bert as a young engine when I think he is canonically a lot older than the others but whatever I can see how that would make some people angry that aside and just looking at the book on its own I think this is one of Chris's more inspired pieces this book particularly the first story is very meta cleverly tying itself onto the original miniature engines book Frank a diesel who apparently came to the railway shortly after the events of small Railway engines did not appear in that original book The first story in this book takes place the year the first book came out and we all know the Railway Series exists within itself so when Frank found out he wasn't in that book he Rebels it's just so funny Chris was definitely having a laugh when he put this one together possibly one of the most unique ways to introduce a new character while you have been around basically this whole time but we just kind of forgot about you and then said character gets upset about it unlike new little engine which failed to have any build up to ivohio this book does have build up to the big reveal of jock jock is in some random newbie that shows up in the last story The book's events build up upon each other to the reveal and then we have two whole stories to get to know the character a bit he has a little Arc too becoming very cocky for his abilities and learning sense in the last story I quite like how each of the other main three all cleverly get roles as well Rex gets the first story Bert gets the second and Mike gets the last no one feels forgotten structure wise and World building wise this is definitely one of Chris's stronger volumes number 27 Tank Engine Thomas again this is where ranking Wilbert's books starts to become difficult I enjoy all of his books so trying to place them in an order is a bit of a struggle Tank Engine Thomas again is a fun thomas-centric book with four stories that I do really like there is no real structure to this one it's just four random stories about what Thomas does on his Branch line and they're all fun and Charming the whole point of this book is to give the audience an idea of what life on Thomas's Branch line is like and show some more of that part of the world nothing too extraordinary or stand out just a simple nice cute book showing Thomas in the next stage of his life it's fun looking back on this one knowing just how much Thomas's Branch line changed over the series it gained so many characters over the years Toby Percy Daisy Mavis Etc it's neat looking back at a time when Thomas was the only engine on it nothing bad about this book at all but since it doesn't really do anything all that exceptional I'm placing it here number 26 Henry and the express here's a crisp book that I really like I like all the stories in this book covering a period in Henry's life when he had to be overhauled and the events that come with that all the stories are very different from each other but all tie into that plot the first is about Henry dealing with bad coal again then the next story is getting him to the works for his overhaul so he double heads the express with James then a story focusing on James taking over Henry's duties while he's gone and then Henry's comeback but not in the way you would expect it is a loose plot but it is all related you'd think something is mundane as getting an overhaul wouldn't make for such a fun premise for a book yet Chris made it work and it is fun I also think it's kind of neat that this book came out towards the end of Chris's tenure in a period where Thomas was obligated by the Publishers to appear in every book and eventually in every title Thomas does not appear in a single story in this book that's pretty cool I love that that restraint I think the one thing I don't fully like about this book is the title Henry and the express is kind of a lame title like yeah the express is kind of a thing in most of the stories but it's not really about Henry pulling the express or anything it should have been called like Henry's overhaul or something or maybe Henry the express engine I don't know it's just kind of bizarre also this book confirms two things that I wish it hadn't one that the engine still have Smoke Box doors despite having faces the firemen cleared away more ashes but when he tried to close Henry's smokebox door it did not make the airtight fit that it should have done so like the faces are the doors apparently also the engine's eyes can get bloodshot which means they have blood now you can't unnotice it you're welcome [Music] number 25 Henry the Green Engine I swear I did not plan on both Henry books being right next to each other it just sort of weirdly worked out that way I've said it before but this book was a real turning point of the Railway Series from this book onwards Wilbert made the conscious decision that the island of Sodor was a real place and all the engines are based on real existing locomotives we get our first real place name drop in this book which is crew I'm sending you to crew a fine place for sick engines and Henry comes back from the works as a black 5 steam engine the illustrations really start to pick up in this book too we go from the engines still looking really toy-like in the previous book to looking a lot more giant with realistic proportions Henry's Ark in this book is wonderful and he's very sympathetic he suffers so much and you view him in a totally different way than you did in the previous volumes you feel kind of bad for the guy and then feels so Overjoyed for him when he returns home and steals the show as we all know prior to this Wilbert hated Henry and considered writing him out of the series that's why he's ill in the previous books to set up his eventual departure and I'll always appreciate Wilbert for going back on that and instead writing this character into something he could work with a bad writer gets rid of stuff that doesn't work a good writer makes that stuff work while I like this book and every story in it I rank it a bit lower because it is a weirdly unfocused book the first three stories all relate and then it just kind of forgets that the book is about Henry and has this weird short story devoted to Percy what's this doing here then in the last story we return back to Henry I don't understand why this book has five stories instead of four like all the others and I don't know why that random fifth Story with Percy was even in this but whatever makes the book all the more unique I suppose number 24. Toby the tram engine I don't really have much to say about this book other than I think it's good this book of course introduces Toby and is notably the first book to take us off the island of Sodor into real life territory Toby gets a really sweet debut story giving us the history of his Old Railway and how the fat controller initially met him an event with Thomas involving a policeman brings Toby to Sodor and he has some adventures with the other characters including Thomas James and a little old lady named Mrs kindly I think illustrations are all pretty good in this book too considering it's a Dolby book he really started to hit his stride around this time the engine proportions are all pretty consistent and he even throws in some neat details like this one of Toby's boiler it's very clear by this point Audrey was providing Dolby actual photos of real engines to base the illustrations on I like the book and I love Toby of course but other than that I don't think anything super substantial happens in it I wish I had more to say about it but I'm actually finding the words difficult it's good I like it but it's far from the best it's a good middle book in the overall ranking number 23 Troublesome engines so this whole era of the Railway Series all kind of rank the same to me you know that mid Dolby era post early Railway Series era before the stuff started getting really good Troublesome engines is the book that famously introduced Percy a main staple for the franchise moving forward what I love about this book is how well it utilized all the characters introduced at this point with the exception of Thomas who had a book to himself right before this everyone does something significant Gordon leads the strike James and Henry have their own Adventures that give them their motivations to join the strike good guy Edward comes along and steps in for them and Percy of course gets the last two stories to himself it's a fun all the characters together do something book the first of the series to do this I think the structure of this book is a little loose but it's all there two stories of build up to the strike then a story where the strike happens and then a final story that shows some resolution after it's a good book certainly a memorable one number 22. the twin engines so initially I had this book a lot closer to the top 10 but the more I thought about it the more the book sank for me in all honesty I think this is possibly Wilbert's funniest book with some of the best character interactions the concept of these two steam engines just showing up on Sodor with no reason and the fat controller baffingly trying to figure them out is so comic it's not realistic by any means but who cares it's funny I yeah you've lost your numbers he said how did that happen the Mona slightly slip it off sir you can know it is they just somehow lost their numbers which is hilarious considering BR numbers were always painted on hysterical the book has some great build up slowly revealing new information to us like how we slowly find out Donald was the one the fat controller ordered and Douglas was the stowaway and that moment when you realize the fat controller was away in the deputation because he was on the mainland buying Douglas ugh amazing there's some fun neat World building stuff too like with the reveal of Thomas's special coach and Donald Douglas's snow plow train consists where this book falls apart somewhat for me is how unnecessarily complex it is and I'm referring specifically to the story The Missing coach so this story is rather famous in the Thomas world for being the story of a canceled episode in the TV show it was canceled for being too confusing and honestly I get it this story is a mess and I still to this day do not understand what Donald Douglas were trying to accomplish in it okay so Douglas shunted away the coach by mistake and it found out worries he'll be sent Away by the fat controller so instead of having Donald tick the rap the two decide to switch tenders for some God forsaken reason and Donald leaves the yard with Douglas's tender so now Douglas is in the yard pretending to be Donald and plays dumb when the fat controller questions him okay so why did they have to switch tenders to accomplish this why couldn't Donald have just stayed and Douglas went away with the train they don't have name plates they don't need to switch tenders to accomplish their goal of course the fat controller found them out their plan was so brain dead stupid I've gone on record of saying the missing coach is the dumbest story written by Wilbert and I still stand by that it's a crucial story in The Saga of the twins too which makes this book all the more frustrating it's still a very good book though with a very heartfelt ending does this mean that the both of us the fat controller smiled it means but the rest of his speech was drowned in a delighted chorus of chairs and whistles number 21 Stephanie the Bluebell engine I really like this book and I think people might be surprised to see it so low in the ranking the reason I placed Stephanie's book in a lower spot is because I don't think it overall adds that much to The Railway Series this book existed basically to promote the Blue Bell Railway back in its infancy before it became the big famous Heritage Railway it is today and that's kind of it Stephanie comes to Sodor for not any real reason just so the real engine could be promoted the first two stories are basically just Exposition dumps the first one explains basically what was happening in British Railways at the time steam engines were being scrapped across the country and some lucky few were being saved by Heritage lines the second story's majority just talks about the engine saved on the Bluebell until then transitioning into a story about Thomas and Stephanie the really fun stories don't occur until the last two but you know what I'm okay with that many of these books exist to basically advertise real Railways and this book really helped the Blue Bell a lot every kid in the trains knows whose Stepney is now thanks to this book and subsequently his appearance in the TV series and you also know what the two really fun stories in this book are really fun a good Chase story and then an epic finale where Stephanie and duck pull the express I like it this is also notably the first book illustrated by gunver and Peter Edwards and God damn I just love their illustrations the trains and settings feel so real in these the impressionistic style and dynamic lighting give these stories such a new audience perspective it's a real shame that neither were brought back to illustrate Chris's books their Dynamic Flair would have definitely lifted those quite a bit number 20. Gordon the high-speed engine I'll admit I don't know if this book actually deserves to be this high on this list and I think a lot of people will probably disagree with me oh could you put this above Stephanie but I'm a sucker for the series long Gordon character Arc and this one is such a crucial middle step on that Journey this is absolutely undoubtedly without argument Chris Audrey's best book and the most inspired volume of his installments this one has it all structure wise perfect there are no unrelated stories that have nothing to do with anything all of our stories are focused on Gordon and his Arc the first story sets up the idea of an HST replacing Gordon now middle-aged and Gordon makes a fool of himself Second Story he makes a second mistake that wasn't his fault and falls out with the fat controller it feels so bad for Gordon here that fear of replacement is a very real worry now the third chapter Gordon comes through and builds some of his confidence back up but is again left in suspense at the end wondering if the fat controller is still cross with him and The Last Story the HST finally makes its Grand appearance only for it to break down and Gordon steps up to the occasion I just love the ending line and with a swish in a row he was gum pip and Emma watched enviously Douglas chuckled oh he said to himself young Gordon's eye a high speed engine but it's me who's pulling the high-speed train gives me chills man it packs even more of a punch knowing what happens later Gordon wins the battle in this book but not the war his eventual obsolescence is on the horizon a truly great book exceptional work on Chris's part sadly it still Falls victim to the sort of technical dialogue and kind of bland storytelling Chris's books are known for so I unfortunately don't think it's worthy of being placed any higher than this Chris is definitely a mixed bag when it comes to his stories but I think Gordon's overall character Journey was easily his best contribution to the series I'm more than happy to place Gordon the high speed engine a Chris Audrey book in my top 20. number 19. Edward the blue engine well this is probably a shock to you all considering I'm Edward's biggest Fanboy you'd probably think his book would be in the top five at least right nah not particularly let me explain this is a great book with some very sweet stories with great world building as usual for the first time we finally get to see what life on Edwards Branch line is like we also get our very first mention of scrapping in this universe with the story saved from scrap regarding Edward saving Trevor from the Cutter's torch there's a good Gordon and Edwards story with cows a fantastic Edward and James story with old iron and wow even a birdie sequel story these are all great I think where this book Falls flat for me is the shocking lack of Edward present in his own book every story in this book focuses on characters that aren't Edward Gordon is the main in cows Trevor and scrap birdie in Chase and James in Old Iron Edward is just a constant in all of them and doesn't have a particularly strong character Arc however I don't think that means the book is bad all the stories in this book borrowing Birdie's Chase deal with the theme of obsolescence Edward is old and worn in cows Trevor nearly meets his end James calls Edward old iron Edward does have a character Arc in this he proves he's more than a worthless old engine and he does that multiple times notably in Saving Trevor and also pushing himself to rescue a runaway James I just don't think it's particularly well set up or executed well that being said I don't think the lack of a solid Arc takes away from the charm of any of these stories they're all really wonderful Edward constant stories with very sweet endings I particularly love how old iron ends and you'll be glad to know that when Edward came home the other day James and all the other engines gave him a tremendous welcome the fat controller thinks he'll be deaf for weeks number 18. Oliver the Western engine this is another book that I like a lot but no matter how hard I tried I couldn't think of a reason to place it higher it doesn't do anything crazy amazing or anything it's just a nice book that gives us an idea of what life on the little Western is like the first story follows up on the events set up in small Railway engines duck is promoted to work the branch line to arl's bra and ends his life as a station pilot which is great continuity the next two stories are focused on Oliver getting used to his new life on Sodor following his escape to the island in Enterprising Engines again really solid continuity all the stories in this book are fantastic I love them all Donald's duck has great character stuff with Duck and Donald toad stands by beefs toad up a bit and we learn quite a bit more about what Oliver's personality is like in resource and sagacity we're even introduced to bulgy in the last story I guess the reason I don't rank this any higher is because the book doesn't flow that well like it's a duck story that takes place way before everything else then it's an Oliver story then another Oliver story that continues off the second story and then it finishes with an unrelated duck story I know originally Wilbert wanted to call this little Western engines which definitely fits the book more this is much more a duck and Oliver book more so than just an Oliver book there's nothing really wrong with this one but I don't think this is a super outstanding volume either just a bunch of really really fun little Western focused stories number 17. Percy the small engine this is in famously the book that led to the split of Wilbert and illustrator Clarence dalby Wilbert was so upset with the illustrations that he bad-mouthed Dolby and dalby quit on him and you know what I can't say I totally blame Wilbur for being upset because the last few Dolby books before this were actually quite good and then you look at some of the illustrations in this one like this and I just think wow that's a downgrade why is the scaling so wrong here and then ironically dolby's best work in The Railway Series period is also in this book I mean wow look at this one the lighting is so beautiful very atmospheric okay so I started off talking about the illustrations because I think the history with them kind of dampens everyone's opinions on this book because illustrations aside Percy the small engine is fantastic Percy who has been consistently in all the books since his debut finally gets the spotlight to himself and he has a fun little Arc in this when the workload at tidmit gets to be too much for one engine to handle the fat controller brings a new engine in and promotes Percy to help rebuild the old knapford Harbor and eventually becomes a part of Thomas's Branch line and the books follow Percy's Adventures over this time in his life and over the course he grows a bit as a character very cheeky and naive at the beginning getting taken advantage of by the big engines duck arrives who debuts in this book and helps Percy stand up to them Percy gets a bit more confident and stands up on his own to the big engines and also to the stuffy helicopter Herald and then he proves himself at the end in the final story when he Braves a flood to get the Sunday School children home it's a nice little Percy book who is in a very different place at the end than where he started both literally and as a character and as always we get some World building too with the introduction of duck and the old Harbor at knapford being rebuilt what more could you ask for number 16. Branch line engines this was always a favorite of mine as a kid and I actually considered placing this in the top 10 at first the plot of this book is what happens on the branch after Thomas foolishly crashes into the station Master's house and the fat controller has to bring in a new engine to fill in for him this book introduces Daisy and I really like Daisy shockingly a little focus on her and Wilbert's books which is a shame because she is a very strong character she's typical and snooty at first unlikable really but she becomes a character who does really try by the book's end what I think is so clever about this book is how each of the four Central characters get a story to themselves Thomas gets the first one obviously Daisy gets the second Toby steals the show in the third story and Percy gets the finale and in typical Percy fashion he crashes if I were to have any gripes with this book it's that I wish it somehow could have worked in some sort of Thomas and Daisy interactions two characters who weirdly enter act very little with each other in the books even in Chris's stuff it's a solid Slice of Life Book with some great character moments every Central character in it gets some time to shine a delightful installment number 15. the eight famous engines I greatly appreciate this book specifically for the story Gordon goes foreign which might possibly be the most clever in-joke of a story I have ever read it was only in 2017 when me a simpleton American visited London on my own that I finally understood what the hell the story was about the story is about a LMS engine claiming the big Station in London is called Houston and Gordon argues with them claiming it's called King's cross duck chimes in and says it's Paddington only after getting to London Gordon realizes the station is Saint Pancras and he's upset about it little kid me had no got dang idea what any of this meant in 2017 when I realized Houston was the LMS London Terminus King's cross was the lner's ETC did it finally click and adult me finally understood this simple story in a children's book series The Reason Gordon went to Saint Pancras is because as it's the Midland Roots Terminus and coming from Sodor Gordon would have taken the Midland route when I realized this I think my head popped this is such a smart story that only trained people would get Bravo Wilbert Bravo okay that story aside this is a really great Ensemble book all the characters get roles in this except Edward for some reason where's he at none of the stories are related they're all random stories but they do have an overarching theme the theme of venturing into unknown territory Percy wishes to venture past a dangerous sign to see what's past it Gordon travels off to London Toby trucks the mainline and all the engines go to England for a grand gala the theme Here is big are characters that are usually confined to their usual corners of the island going to places unknown venturing Outside The Storybook Island of Sodor to very real world places the new more stylistic illustrations by John Kenny really add to the atmosphere of gigantism and wonder in this book Wilbert had initially thought about ending the series with this book and while it is a good book to end things on I am so glad he didn't he was in the middle of his stride here pumping out a banger book after Banger I really have no issues with this book other than the randomness of the stories make it a bit unfocused some nice build up to the grand gala in England would have made this hit harder I think but still overall a great volume number 14. Tramway engines so the history of this book is kind of fascinating so really this book shouldn't exist Wilbert wanted to end the Railway Series at his big finale book he had built up to Duke the Lost Engine at an even 25 and then retire there but the Publishers urged him to make one more book focused on Thomas so we gave in and wrote us Tramway engines two years later the first two stories are just that two stories with Thomas in them and the other two stories focus on a character that existed on his own model layout for years prior Mavis while I don't think Tramway engines is the grand finale Wilbert's books deserved I still think this is an excellent book with so many fun character interactions between all the characters on Thomas's Branch line ghost train and Woolly Bear is a fun two-parter focusing on Thomas and Percy and Mavis and Toby's tightrope are upon two-parter focused on Toby and Mavis even Daisy makes a brief appearance who hasn't appeared at all since her debut book Toby of course is the star of this book with some of his best moments of the entire series my personal favorite is the realization that he was only a hundred yards from Mavis when she stuck on the crossing and just sat there in the shed and watched her struggle before deciding to help her I love Toby so much even in a book that Wilbur didn't necessarily want to make he still delivered in fine style once again showcasing a new character and a location not really focused on previously this being Mavis and the farquhore Tramway that's something I think goes under appreciate about Wilbert's books every single one introduced something new for the series whether that be a new location a new character or new history of existing characters and everything that is introduced has a purpose The Railway Series was always World building and adding to its Universe it's such a content-rich series number 13. Mountain engines before making this video I tried to get a general consensus on Twitter of what everyone's least favorite Railway Series book is to my surprise a lot of people said Mountain engines the reason being that it's focused on a railway and a selection of characters on Sodor that we never ever see again after this and they are overall pointless I get why people think that but I do not agree with it Mountain engines focuses on a rack Railway that climbs coldie fell the tallest mountain on Sodor and it's true we never ever see this Railway again after this book it is exclusive to this book only and honestly that's why I like it so much out of the blue Here Comes This Book on this whole new selection of characters and a part of Sodor we've never seen before this book was always so mysterious to me as a kid for this reason it felt like something totally separate and Elusive from everything else a true mystery Railway high in the mountains separate from all the men thing goings on so the structure of this book is split into two sections the first two stories are about Coley and him Reminiscing on the old days his first run and what happened to another old engine he knew named godred the last two stories are about what happens when cold he returns home and shifts Focus from him to Lord Harry who has a really nice Redemption Arc kinda similar to Tramway engines in a way two pairs of sort of unrelated stories with a new character introduced in the second half with a Redemption Arc however these pairs are actually tied together with coldy's return to the railway and I really like that you get to see the railway in both forms as a result you get the original railway and the flashbacks of the first two stories and then you get the modern form with its new engines in the last two stories while the coldy fell doesn't exactly add anything to the series as a whole I think the book is still great because it is supreme World building here's a selection of Stories on this new area of the island of Sodor we've never touched before filling in some of those gaps of open space if the concept is novel and the stories are all fun and it introduces something new for the series is the book really all that pointless this humble reader thinks not number 12. the little old engine hi yes finally the really good scarlo ebooks it it's a shame Chris's Scarlet wee books are so forgettable because wilberts are some of the best of the whole series this book covers the return of scarloi from the works and fills us in on everything that's happened since he left we learn of Peter Sam's big incline accident that damaged his funnel and we meet Rusty and Duncan who arrived while he was gone in fact it's the only book where Rusty really gets any sort of focus the last story is very fun where the BBC comes to the Scarlet way to film it I love how all the characters that are presently on the railway get some focus in this book Sir Handel and Peter Sam share the first story scarlowie and Duncan get the second then Rusty and Duncan in the third and they all come together to take it away in The Last Story a pretty loose structure but all the characters are covered what's really notable about this one is the mention of Peter Sam's and Sir Handel's Old Line in little old twins men came and did that on our own line and then sets the handle soon after words it was sold finished Peter Sam Moon Phillip we've gotten a couple mentions of their Old Line in the past in fact Peter Sam mentions it to scarloi in this book but it's still very much a mystery at this point we find out here that the line closed and the engines were picked off little by little over the course of the whole series we keep being fed bits of information that will eventually lead up to something big but we'll get there number 11. Gallant old engine both this and little old engine Place basically the same on the list for me because they both exist to cover basically the same things scarloi and Renaissance returns to the railway respectively and fill us in on what's happened on the railway since we last saw it this time we focus on Renaissance return just like little old engine Gallant structure is pretty loose having three unrelated stories with the final one subtly tied into the previous this being Duncan strike on the viaduct leading into scarloi telling him about renaeus both of these books are equally great to me but I placed Gallant just a tad higher because I think I like the stories in it more I mean come on this one has Steamroller in it which is hilarious you Swank around with State Runner whales protecting you're as good as me actually I'm better goodbye I also really like special funnel for its status quo change for Peter Sam from this book onwards he is always Illustrated with the strange giesel ejector funnel I like that another example of these characters ever-changing Evolutions over the series a wonderful book and just like the previous captures the charm of the scarloy engines and the real-life tally Clinton Railway so well number 10. the three Railway engines this is definitely the least realistic book and the most simple if you had asked me a couple years ago where'd I'd place this on a ranking list I probably would have put it towards the bottom with James I mean come on bricking an engine up in a tunnel and blocking your main line that's just so silly a real working Railway would not do that however I learned to really appreciate this book over the years when you understand that the Railway Series started out as simple Bedtime Stories and evolved into something much bigger later on you kind of learn to love this book just for starting it all everything begins here Gordon's character Arc beautifully Starts Here the young rude boastful Hotshot as does Edwards which sets them up as an old outdated engine ready to prove himself as capable as the others you got Henry II who's set up here as a stuffy self-important curmudgeon and that of course softens as the years go on all three get their own stories and then come together in the final one for a satisfying conclusion these first Railway Series books are such relics of that early period where Sodor wasn't fully figured out yet were all these background engines appear that aren't related to anything and none of the locations are consistent it's fun to look back on them to see just how much things have changed and evolved over time since then the three Railway engines is the one that started it all and is in my opinion an absolute crime not to include it in the top 10. number nine Four Little Engines the book that introduces the scarloy railway the book that came to be because Wilbert was so inspired by the real taliklin Railway in Wales and wanted a version of it in his series I absolutely love this book It's a Wonderful yet simple introduction to this Railway and characters the introduction of a Narrow Gauge Railway opens up the world even more into unexplored territory now Sodor has a mountain range with a railway that climbs the valley the story opportunities are endless Gotta Love Wilbert always World building adding new things to his Universe the structure is great with the first story that exists basically as an exposition dump to explain the railway to the audience and how it works it also cleverly sets up reneus being sent away to the works and Peter Sam and Sir handle arriving which all comes into play in later books the second story is about Sir Handel third is about Peter Sam and scarloy comes back to get the finale all three of the characters are so strong and different from each other The Optimist the recluse and the Wise Old Sage I think the only thing that's a little weird about this book is the title Four Little Engines kinda strange when one of the four is barely present in it but that's my only gripe it's the book that introduced The Scarlet wave the heart and soul of the Railway Series and it definitely deserves a spot in the top ten number eight Thomas the Tank Engine oh come on this one has to be in the top ten while Thomas's book is absolutely the most overplayed overused over publicized and overly referenced book of the franchise it's a damn good book only the second volume of the series and yet it works as a completely standalone book and I think that's why it was such a home run success many people could just buy this single book for their kids and it sufficed it has a clear start middle and end and you don't need to know much about the other characters present in this for this book to work why this book works so well for me is Thomas's character Arc it is structured absolutely perfectly he starts out as a young cheeky prick and experiences real growth over the course of the stories the first story introduces him and shows him at his worst in the second story he has a clear want a clear goal and actively tries to achieve it he gets his chance but blows it and humiliates himself the third story he gets another chance and really tries but he blows it again he's super sympathetic now he's growing the fourth story he comes through and saves the day and finally achieves the goal he wanted to get out of the yard and finally see more of the world perfect perfect structure and Thomas himself here is a wonderful role model for kids I love me a really good character Arc and it's really easy for me to see why this book and Thomas himself was the one that took off it may be overplayed and it may be overused but for good reason it's a damn good book starring a character I think all of us can see a little of ourselves in of really good character arcs number seven Gordon the big engine here's a book I bet a lot of you didn't expect to be ranked so high it's no secret that I love Gordon and I think he is the protagonist of the Railway Series the series follows his entire Journey from start to finish a young newcomer in the first book and then a humbled old man who retires in the final book so it shouldn't be a shock to you all that his book ranks very highly for me this book is the big game changer for Gordon's character up until this one he has always been an ass self-important boastful rude to others thinking he can get away with anything because he's the top link express engine on the railway he is too good for goods work he is too good to shunt his own coaches Little Engines like Thomas and Percy and Edward shouldn't be cheeky to him it all finally comes to a boiling point in the first story here where Gordon finally takes things too far and gets himself in the most trouble he has ever been in so much so that the fat controller flat out takes the express away from him Gordon truly in disgrace the title off the rails is brilliant literally that's what happens to Gordon in this book but also figuratively this book follows Gordon while he's in his disgrace period And this is where his character shift finally starts in the next story he takes pity on a distressed James and helps him out and then in the next story he and Thomas form an alliance and finally put their differences aside and I love that they forever stick to this never again ever throughout the whole series are Thomas or Gordon ever rude to each other again these two have formed a solid friendship all of this comes to a beautiful close in the last story where the two put in a good word for each other and win over the fat controller Gordon's disgrace period ends in the best way possible he escorts the queen herself to the island of Sodor this book hits it out of the park when it comes to structure this is a huge stepping stone in the ongoing story of Gordon's character journey and even as a standalone book his Arc in this is wonderful the characters actually grow and change in this volume Gordon still has a lot of growing up to do over the series of course but this is the book that turns him a Despicable character into a sympathetic one one we want to see continue to achieve a fantastic very overlooked volume one of my favorites number six uh hmm I wish I could say I did this intentionally okay anyways number six small Railway engines never Overlook a little Railway Series book because boy oh boy does this one pack a punch what small Railway engines does extremely well is established characters three all new characters are introduced in this book as well as a whole Railway and some humans and all three of those Engine characters are extraordinarily strong and different from each other again structure is key the first story is All Exposition sets up why this new Railway was built who these three little engines are that run it Bert Mike and Rex and each of them get a story afterwards to really establish who they are Bert gets Tit for Tat Mike gets Mike's whistle and Rex gets useful Railway Bert is very vengeful and naive Mike is always grouchy about something and Rex is the more chipper but overzealous this is a really funny book all three of these engines are so hot tempered and snappy all the time and as a result none of them ever win in their respective stories Burke gets splashed with mud Mike loses his whistle Rex derails hilariously they're all equal to each other on the same playing field and come to realize at the end of the book that only when they work together as a team they are prosperous a typical moral sure but one that is realized well World building wise oh boy do we get a lot of stuff in this one we learned there's an old standard gauge line up the coast to where this new small Railway is which of course comes into play in a later book and becomes the little Western we're introduced to the thin and fat clergyman which are of course Wilbert Audrey and Teddy Boston I just love that Wilbur actually put himself in the series as a character The Railway Series is Just So Meta I also love this running gag of Wilbert always writing teddy as a buffoon every time Teddy is in a story he gets humiliated in some way in this book he gets drenched with steam water you can tell that these two had a very funny friendship Wilbur and Teddy are so well established in this book too almost as if they're characters that will reappear in a later book hmm one of the funnest books of the series love all the World building and meta references in this one [Music] number five duck and the diesel engine this is such a heavy book so much happens in this one this is the big book that introduces Diesel and diesels in general into the series which becomes a main ongoing plot Point as the series goes on this book also focuses on Duck the first one to and he has a really awesome character Arc in this the first story which is sort of unrelated to the diesel debacle sets everything up the real-life steam engine celebrity city of Truro visits Sodor and kickstarts Duck's beheadedness when diesel arrives big-headed duck plays a trick on him then diesel devilish Lee gets back at him by spreading rumors and The Story Goes On from there there's some really nice continuity here with duck's previous appearances the big engine still hold a grudge against him for standing up to him a few books ago yes they said he did it to us we'll do it for him and see how he likes it you can tell this big standoff between them has been something building up for a while now while domeless engines is sort of unrelated to the diesel plot I just love how much of an in-joke that entire story is in real life there is an ongoing debacle to this day of which engine was the first to go 100 miles per hour city of Truro or Flying Scotsman of course Gordon the A1 is going to stick his nose up at churro kind of a boast but a hundred miles an hour would be easier for me he tries to outdo him and fails miserably you can definitely tell which side of the argument Audrey landed on I've seen people say this book is kind of bad because it glosses over Diesel's comeuppance it's just a line of dialogue spoken by the fat controller effect controller smiled I never believed diesel after you went into lies about Henry so why isn't impacting it would have been satisfying to see diesel get the boot from the railway sure but the fact we don't see it is the point this is Duck's book not diesels I think it actually plays better not seeing it why because diesel by Design is symbolically meant to be the most insignificant engine ever just one of a million of his type unspecial not unique just a clone of many nameless diesel shunters across England plain black no special paint unnumbered hell he doesn't even have a name he's just diesel the fact we don't see his comeuppance just reinforces how insignificant he is in the big picture of things the TV series plays diesel off in a different way more of the main antagonist of the show but in the books diesel was just a symbol of the next upcoming thing in rail traction and nothing more he's an insignificant little cockroach you kill him it doesn't matter because there's a million others just like him I like to think diesel was eventually scrapped on the mainland and lived a very uninteresting life the only significant thing he ever did was cause some drama on Sodor once and then he got kicked out of train Haven island because of his own stupid hubris how diesel got found out and sent away doesn't really matter this is Duck's book what matters is that he proved himself a valuable asset to the railway at the end and as the book devoted to duck he of course has a really great character Arc he gets a big head from City of truro's visit so big that he thought he could make a fool of the new guy and get away with it only to have his friends turn on him and get sent away that's why this book is so brilliant in this story you hate diesel but if you zoom out a little duck kinda deserved it both of these guys suck duck is just as bad as diesel kind of like a twisted mirror reflection of each other in a weird way I also think the fact Audrey chose duck instead of someone more unique in design like Percy or someone to Catalyst the diesel plot was brilliant as I just described diesel as duck is also kind of a nameless one in a million type of engine he's a pannier tank a which over 800 were built in real life diesel is more or less just a more modern version of duck the next in line of a numerous nameless Clone Army again a twisted mere reflection of each other there is a lot more here going on symbolically with this book than many of the others but the difference between the two is duck comes through at the end unlike diesel he proves himself a hero in the last story and wins everyone over the fat controller included duck may be very similar to diesel in a lot of ways but he isn't a bad guy despite getting a big head and playing pranks he shouldn't have he is indeed a crucial member of the fleet this book served to purpose two things flush duck out some and introduce diesels into the universe in a meaningful way and it ticked both of those items on that checklist beautifully a rather heavy book of the series with a lot of complex themes and symbolism the deeper you dig the more you uncover one of Wilbert's finest volumes [Music] number four Mainline engines this has always been one of my favorite books of the series for a number of reasons first off I just really love the illustrations in this particularly the ones focused on the humans in the stations there's an unusually large number of these focusing on the Frantic humans reactions to various situations and they're hysterical with so much character and detail this guy looks hilarious this guy looks hilarious I love how Derpy this guy looks I love how pissed James's driver is here I love this old woman who is so oblivious to what's happening second I love all the new stuff introduced in this book there's a surprisingly lot of World building in this we see Brendan docks for the first time and the China clay pits were introduced to Bill and Ben and Boko and we learn more of how the express and Edward Services work this book is kind of a sequel to Edward the blue engine showing us more of his Branch line and the engines and services on it there isn't much of a structure to this book look it's really just a bunch of unrelated stories that tie in with things on Edwards Branch we get a story about Bill and Ben a story about Boko meeting James a story where Gordon gets sent down the branch by accident all of these things related to Edwards branch and then ends with a story focused on the man of the hour himself a lot of important Milestones occur in this book too this is the final ever book with a story where Gordon is boastful and self-important humbled by Boko and putting an end to that chapter of his life the younger bolstville Gordon ends here the next time we see him he's an older jaded Gordon this book also establishes Boko and what he represents in this series diesels in common use on the island of Sodor the engines don't care for him at first but do learn to respect him even Donald and Douglas give him some kind words and the other day they were hurt to remark but a diesel young Booker with me such a bad sort of engine that from the Caledonian twins his High Praise indeed the series two longest plot arcs Gordon's character journey and the phenomenon of dieselization have significant steps in this book why this book is so special to me though is because it's a beautiful bookend to Edward's character Arc my all-time favorite story in The Railway Series is in this book you all knew this already Edward's exploit the story where Edward is put in the worst situation he's ever been in with all the odds against him and he still manages to pull through after an entire series of engines putting him down disrespecting him saying he's out of date Colin empathetic here he comes one final time to prove everyone wrong and put those insults to rest and never again do any of the engines call Edward old or clapped out this is the final ever story to feature Edward in Wilbert's books and wow what a grand way to send him off why this is called Mainline engines is weird to me considering the majority of the book takes place on Edwards branch and those characters I know Branch line engines was already used so Wilbur couldn't use that title so maybe the book should have been called like Edward's Branch line or something or maybe like indispensable engines I don't know Mainline engines is an unfitting title especially considering Bill and Ben of all characters are on the cover Mainline engines while it doesn't have a super solid structure makes up for it with its heart its World building and its crucial steps in the series plots a book that absolutely cannot be missed number three very old engines this is the best scholarly book of them all hands down for several books we've gotten to know the Charming little scarloy Railway engines with so much implied history to them and finally here's the book that gets into it the scarloy and Renaissance origin story this is one of Audrey's heaviest lore books not only in just information on scarlowie and reneus themselves but the entirety of Sodor this is the only book that fully takes place in the 19th century giving us a glimpse of what Soto was like before the other Scarlet engines were there before the fat controller before Thomas before Edward it's a totally different world with so many historical trivial reveals such as Neil and the Box tank engines that worked the original standard gauge Railway or how the engines had to arrive via ship to the island because a bridge wasn't built yet structure wise this book is excellent in this book scarloi and renaeus reminisce on their early days to the others in the lead-up to their 100th birthday the first story is about scarlowie's initial arrival the second story is about Renaissance and their first working days and the third is basically about how the two became friends all build up to the final story where they celebrate their 100th birthday in present day however the story doesn't end there a big Cliffhanger occurs in this story that isn't followed up on right away Peter Sam goggled in horror the thin controller said the owner said the Duke said he was coming to our Centenary to open our extension around the lake and now he's scrapped oh dear oh dear we learn of a character called Duke that Peter Sam is very distressed about he's looking forward to this Duke coming to the Celebration only to be disappointed that the Duke that did arrive was a man Peter Sam's Duke has never been mentioned before the audience has no idea who this is who is this mysterious Duke well that's an answer that will not be given to us until a much later volume very clever setup Wilbert well done I also think the illustrations in this book are some of the best of the whole series not only are they just really well drawn pretty pictures they are packed with references and in jokes I really love this one of Neil pulling scarlowie in the foreground are a man and a woman scared beyond belief this could be them screaming because of how ugly Neil is or it could be them shocked in Terror at the sight of a big scary steam train because remember back in this time period steam engines were new tech and the general public were scared of them in real life I love how while they're trying to steam scarlowie Mr Mack is reading a book literally called how engines work very funny I love the passage of time implied with the construction of the engine shed throughout the illustrations and I love this look of utter disappointment and bewilderment on Peter Sam's face when the Duke is revealed you can just tell he's lost for words one of the Railway Series finest volumes packed to the brim with good stories fantastic illustrations lore and humor all right we're down to two folks which is going to be number two which one am I going to choose for best and second best I believe number two rightfully goes to Enterprising Engines what this book is is a grand finale to so many of the main characters in Wilbert's books Gordon Henry Douglas and really the Northwestern Railway as a whole the amount of love and passion that shines through this book is immeasurable there isn't a solid plot to this book it's basically three random stories that take place during flying scotsman's visit to Sodor but man all three of these stories are absolute bangers which all come together at the end in the final Story the first story tenders for Henry is a Gordon story this is our first Glimpse at a grown-up mature adult Gordon learning the harsh truths of real life he is no longer boastful in Brash he is now a jaded depressed character who learns the fates of his brothers on the mainland here out of the kindness of his heart that you're Gordon up the fat controller brings Flying Scotsman to Sodor and the two brothers reunite we've learned so much about Gordon's history and his family in the story had Chris not continue the Gordon character Arc in his books this really would have made a nice happy end for the character same can be said for Henry in the next story super rescue where a dejected Henry pulls through and heroically rescues two broken down diesels really showing how far he has come since the beginning Henry the one who was in famously pathetic and always needing repairs ends up being the biggest chat of the series and one of the most beloved stories of the entire Railway Series again this was a spiritual finale for the character and would have been his last story if Chris hadn't continued the series bear is also introduced in this story and I really like what he represents too a young innocent wide-eyed do-gooder with a heavy respect to his steam ancestors they're like Gods to him and he's in total disbelief that one could fail in the same way he could you failed and yet his voice trailed away in admiration an all-new perspective on diesels in this series Douglas gets his moment as well in again another well-beloved story Escape when he saves Oliver from British Railways and stows them away to Sodor Escape is epic already for its bold story and cool visuals but it's poetically a brilliant piece being a nice cap end on Douglas's story arc remember Douglas was also a stowaway to Sodor Donald brought him there so here he gets to return the favor and save someone else so poetically satisfying young is an enterprising engine he thought I'll run away here with Donald but I'd have been feared to do it on my own and everything comes to a close in The Last Story blind Scotsman leaves Henry puts in a good word for bear who joins the railway and the fat controller agrees to save Oliver it's such a feel-good book and had this been the finale to the whole series I think it would have sufficed most fans it's a no-brainer why Enterprising Engines is so beloved and rightfully so ever since scholarian rhinius had their 100th birthday Peter's salmon being worried he kept on saying the real Duke never came ah Duke he's an engine Once Upon a Time Three Little Engines lived in her own little shed on their own little Railway Duke was brown Falcon blue and Stuart green Duke was the oldest he had been the first engine on the line and named after the Duke of Sodor he was proud of this and wanted everything just so Duke the Lost Engine is Wilbert Audrey's magnum opus the big payoff to years and years of World building and clever setups and Cliffhangers the payoff to the introduction of the thin and fat clergyman and small Railway engines the old track bed the ausdale railway was built upon the explanation for the abandoned Harbor rebuilt on the little Western and the final answer to every question posed in The Scarlet books where did Sir Handel and Peter Sam come from what's the deal with their Old Line they've mentioned numerous times and who is this mysterious Duke this starts as a flashback book based back in the old days when Peter salmon Sir Handel called Stewart and Falcon respectively back then worked on a line called the mid-sodor railway alongside their Mentor figure Duke in this book we learn everything the railway ran from the lead mines in the Hills to The Harbor at arlesborough and when hard times came the line closed Falcon and Stuart were sold off and Duke was left in a shed which was buried over time the book later transitions to modern day Wilbert and Teddy learn of Duke and they set out to find him a beautiful payoff to their introductions and small Railway engines Duke is found quite by accident Naturally by Teddy being a buffoon and falling through the roof of the shed well done Wilbert glad to see you're keeping the gag going Duke is rescued brought to the little Western and then taken to the scarloi railway where the whole engine family reunites so many elements from previous books come together for this Grand Finale payoff the small Railway engines the little Western the clergyman the Scarlet engines Wilbert initially wrote this book as the finale to The Railway Series at an even 25 books providing answers to all the questions he posed in the series leading up to this and you know what I think this is a very satisfying finale book Enterprising Engines was a wonderful send-off to the main standard gauge engines in this one book ends the Narrow Gauge characters beautifully it of course didn't work out that way and the series continued on because the Publishers wanted more but rereading this with the mindset that Wilbur wrote it as a finale it definitely hits differently Duke was the final boss of the whole series subtly mentioned or inferred numerous times prior an engine that survived for over 20 years in the most unlikely of ways reborn A Relic from old Sodor made new again in a series that was a love letter to steam engines I don't think you could have picked a more unique and special engine to end the series with I wholeheartedly think Duke the Lost Engine is the best Railway Series book Wilbert Audrey's magnum opus it is the most emotional and conclusive installment of the entire series for his old eyes twinkled and for the first time in years he smiled as he dozed in the Sun and that my friends was the entire Railway Series what a ride I hope you all enjoyed listening to me ramble about these books for an hour and a half as much as I enjoyed revisiting them all for this video I really really do recommend picking up yourselves copies of them if you don't have them already Wilbur's books are easily available in a book set or in a collection book from any online retailer they usually get re-released every few years while Chris's are a bit harder to find thankfully fellow Thomas tuber sidekick Jason has uploaded a PDF of all of Chris's books on to drive and I want to give him a huge thank you for doing that revisiting the actual text of the books really helped me a lot for this video link to that PDF is in the description before you go I want to promote one more thing we talked a lot about Wilbert Audrey in this video today well how would you like to be a part of a celebration dedicated to the man himself that's right the teleclin railway is holding another of its annual Audrey extravaganzas this year after the huge record-breaking success of last year's an event celebrating all things Wilbert Audrey and his creations at this event at the taliklin railway itself in Wales you'll see the actual original artwork from The Railway Series on display historical lectures of Sodor hosted by Tim Dunn himself you'll be able to drive the actual Duncan see Audrey's own model Farquhar layout in action and much much more tickets on sale now Link in the description Wilbert's stories have touched my life in a way that forever changed it and I want to do everything I can to promote this event for the Railway that inspired him the most if you live in the UK or plan on visiting this summer be sure to come on down thank you all as always for your continued support this whole ranking video was brought to you by my loyal patrons who all voted for this to be the next video if you choose to become a patron of mine you'll get to participate in the voting of the next big video as well as get two-day Early Access to all new videos and you'll get your name in the end credits just like you see now link to my patreon is also in the description have a nice day everyone and I'll see y'all in the next one long live the Railway Series [Music] thank you [Music]

Channel: The Unlucky Tug

Views: 98,469

Keywords: thomas, thomas friends, thomas the tank engine, thomas the train, trains, the railway series, railway series, books, every book, three railway engines, edward the blue engine, gordon the big engine, henry the green engine, james the red engine, percy the small engine, toby the tram engine, four little engines, small railway engines, thomas and his friends, rev w awdry, wilbert awdry, christopher awdry, talyllyn railway

Id: 2UU548vn9tg

Length: 97min 31sec (5851 seconds)

Published: Mon Apr 10 2023