Emily Clarke

Types of Trains in Thomas and Friends

Thomas and Friends are one of the most beloved children's shows of all time. For almost four decades now, it's captivated young minds and taught valuable lessons about life and friendships. Kids love Thomas and Friends videos, but the extended cast of characters can get confusing.

Want to learn more about the types of trains in this iconic show? We have you covered.

The Standard Gauge Engines

The first group of colorful characters rides on a standard gauge railway 1,435mm wide. Standard gauge tracks are some of the most common in both the real world and the fictional isle of Sodor. For this reason, most of the main characters belong to this classification.

Thomas is the most recognizable standard gauge engine. He works on the North Western Railway and carries the number 1.

Other standard gauge engines include:

• Edward

• Henry

• Gordon

• James

• Percy

• Toby

• Oliver

• Emily

• Diesel

The Narrow Gauge Engines

Narrow gauge engines ride on railways between 600 and 1,067mm. These trains are more agile than their standard gauge counterparts, making them perfect for mountain valleys and rough terrain. Some of the more recognizable narrow-gauge characters ride the fictional Skarloey Railway.

Narrow gauge engines include:

• Skarloey

• Rheneas

• Sir Handel

• Peter Sam

• Rusty

• Duncan

• Duke

Rolling Stock

While the engines are the big stars of Thomas and Friends videos, they're not the only characters around Sodor. Tagging along these engines are rolling stock.

Rolling stock refers to anything on rail wheels. They're the cars, cargo, and storage containers pulled by the engines. Two of Thomas' tagalongs are Annie and Clarabel, two passenger coaches.

However, other rolling stock characters include:

• Henrietta

• The Troublesome Trucks

• Toad

• Rocky

• Hector

Miniature Gauge Engines

Finally, we have miniature gauge engines. These trains ride on tiny rails less than 381mm wide. There are only three trains in the show that ride on these small rails. They are Rex, Mike, and Bert.

Thomas and Friends is a unique show that continues to defy the odds. Its quirky cast of characters is nothing short of iconic, and they've helped millions of kids learn more about the magic of train travel!

Author Resource:-

Emily Clarke writes about educational and entertaining apps for kids. You can find her thoughts at kids streaming app blog.