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70 years of Thomas (the Tank Engine)

Egbert seems to still be around.
Would you like to elaborate on that? I thought I was the only person alive who remembered Egbert the engine!

Speaking of Sammy the Shunter, does anyone remember a smashing old boy called Harold Elliott. He had a magnificent model railway which I had the joy of seeing at Bingley Hall in the early 50s. One of the attractions was that he had a model of Sammy the shunter which caused all kinds of mischief, getting in the way of express trains and the like, and Harold used to punish him by batting him with a rolled up newspaper.

I understand that this superb railway finished up as a permanent exhibit in Scarborough, with Harold operating it in his retirement.
 
I don't remember him but when I searched a book called "Egbert the engine who didn't like tunnels" popped up on Amazon. I didn't post the link (advertising) and wasn't sure about copyright on the image. However, here goes - from Amazon.
61bA7Juow+L._SX258_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg
 
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Would you like to elaborate on that? I thought I was the only person alive who remembered Egbert the engine!

Speaking of Sammy the Shunter, does anyone remember a smashing old boy called Harold Elliott. He had a magnificent model railway which I had the joy of seeing at Bingley Hall in the early 50s. One of the attractions was that he had a model of Sammy the shunter which caused all kinds of mischief, getting in the way of express trains and the like, and Harold used to punish him by batting him with a rolled up newspaper.

I understand that this superb railway finished up as a permanent exhibit in Scarborough, with Harold operating it in his retirement.
I remember that, it was at the Ideal Home Exhibition, I think.
 
What a lovely old boy Wilbert Awdry was. Benign and kindly, he always had an optimistically benevolent view of the world. But what was so perceptive was the way he characterised the different personalities of the engines he envisaged. Gordon was always so bumptiously proud and bossy, Thomas was cheeky and irreverent, Henry was always rather wet and a natural victim and James was over-confident. They all invariably got their come-uppance, whereas Edward was always the steady "elder statesman" who just got on with things quietly and clearly had natural wisdom. I suspect he was Wilbert Awdry's role model.

The lovely thing about him was the way he lived his faith; worldly wealth meant nothing to him, and when he was eventually persuaded to sell the rights to his book series to a media publisher, he finished up such a wealthy man, that he just asked himself "What am I going to do with all this money?" His answer was that after he had paid for some basic comforts, he gave away the bulk of the rest to charitable causes.
 
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Thomas the Tank Engine - Wikipedia

After Hornby produced the E2 tank in the later 1970s, the Rev. gladly adapted one to take the role of Thomas on Ffarquhar. Additionally prior to modelling Thomas as an E2, Awdry created a model from a LMS 3F Jinty. the models are preserved at the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum in Tywyn.​

The Talyllyn Railway has become well known for being the inspiration of the Skarloey Railway featured in the Rev. W. Awdry's Railway Series. Awdry visited the line on a family holiday and became a volunteer soon afterwards, working as a guard. Several of the stories he wrote about the Skarloey Railway were based on incidents he experienced at the Talyllyn, and a few of the line's locomotives have made appearances in the books. Christopher (who later became vice president of the railway) , his wife Diana and their son Richard were also volunteers.​

 
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Sounds like his visit to the railway was later in life, and so after his Thomas books
 
He does not appear to be listed in the 1945 online electoral rolls, but the 1943 Kellys lists his address as 65 West Hill road. there seems to have been some renumbering since then, and it looks likely the house is no longer there, but then it was one of the first few houses on the west side north of wychall lane, probably the 4th from Wychall lane. Wychall lane does not appear to be on the Birmingham electoral roll then,
How might I work out where 65 Westhill Road would have been? I’m trying to ascertain where Awdry would have lived but I’m having no luck!
Thanks,
Ben - new to this parish.
 
Thank you, but I think you’ve misunderstood my request. Earlier in this thread it’s said that Awdry lived at 65 Westhill Road, but that the numbering system had changed since the mid-40s, therefore the current number 65 is not the house he lived in.
I wondered how I could go about working out where his number 65 would have been as I can not find an old map with the house numbers on.
Thanks,

Ben
 
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