This biography explores the life of the Reverend W. Awdry, the man who created Thomas the Tank Engine, revealing the story of how the railway series first came to be written and how the exploits and disasters on the real railways were used to create the escapades of Thomas and his friends on their fictional line. Illustrated with family photos, pictures from the books and railway photos and memorabilia, this 50th-anniversary biography also includes special features on the engines and events that inspired the series.