Could Thomas Have Been A MORE Useful Engine?

I like to think of Thomas as an unwanted prototype explaining why they almost immediately built an E2 that took his number and never wanted him back I’d like to think that his cab was moved forward compared to the standard E2s making a much longer and larger coal bunker removing the limited capacity problem as well as making his boiler appear shorter making him look closer to both the illustrations and the TV show.

Considering the first ever line in Thomas’ first appearance, “Thomas is a tank engine” he could be literally any type of tank engine if you hear that line out of context, one could think he was never an E2, I personally see him as an experimental “shortened” E2X in my own headcanon. (Thomas is technically an E2X, as normal E2s don’t have extended side tanks, as E2X’s were the ones extended side tanks)

One alternative to the E2 I've seen floated around occasionally that I like is the idea of Thomas as a Furness Railway G5. The G5 looks strikingly like the E2, but with splashers & a flat running plate, making it very reminiscent of how Thomas looks (especially in the books).

Idea: A J50 with extended side tanks, for more water capacity, and Jinty's coal bunker. That way, Awdry would be happy, and fans would be happy.

In my head canon, Thomas is still a E2 but a instead an attempt to fix the E2 with a smaller size and larger water tanks and stuff. Some people kinda think the fact the first five engines are experimental engines is weird, I personally don’t think dumb experimental engines would be any more expensive than the real deal. That would explain why Sir Topham Hat would have bought so much because they would have been cheaper.

In my opinion, Thomas is a freelance tank engine design. He has the short body and wheel basis of a Terrier, and the side tanks of an E2. He might've been commissioned by the Fat Director.

I think Thomas is fine as an E2. Yeah, it had faults, but I always assumed they were cured after several rebuilds, similar to Edward. I think that in the 1940's, Thomas was rebuilt with a jinty style bunker to improve fuel capacity for his branch line. But I don't really have a problem with his length. He is still small compared to James Henry and Gordon, and Awdry did state that the illustrations were inaccurate in TIOS:IPHaR, so it does make sense.

I just came home from my first day of highschool and have been bored all day. Thank you for uploading.

I mean, it would’ve been cool if Thomas was a j50 since he would be Gordon’s younger cousin (being built after Gordon instead of being built in 1915) My head canon for the E2 Thomas (the one we are stuck with) is that, unlike his brothers Thomas worked much better for some reason

In my eyes Thomas is'nt an E2, but likely a LBSC A1x or any industrial side tank engine, but i like him more as a A1x because of the references of him being small, unlike the E2's which were massive.

2:40 I remember when I was little that was what the Thomas looked like at day out with Thomas. One time it had broken down so it wasn't running so I made a handmade get well card for the Thomas and I took it too the station the next day then a driver or engineer popped in and agreed to take me too see Thomas he even let me in his cab I was really young at the time and I loved seeing Thomas I even have the photos my parents took of me in the cab. And the driver put the card right above the boiler.

Here goes headcanon No. 536 of the comments. My idea of Thomas is that he’s not an E2, but actually a hodgepodge of many different parts and components of many railways. He was likely sourced from spares of mainly either the LB&SCR or GNR, and a couple other companies . These were then purchased as surplus by an early developing North Western Railway, and assembled into a small shunting tank engine used for the large yards and stations at both ends of the island. The challenge was to build No. 1 out of as little custom parts as possible, with key components such as the boiler and frames being the only exceptions as to cut down costs. After being granted a branch line, however, many faults in the design started to show, and an overhaul was planned. After his breakfast incident, this started father ahead of time than planned, but now at this point Thomas would resemble his Peter & Gunvor Edwards design. Thanks for listening to my Ted Talk, I still haven’t really gone depth into developing this headcanon. Have A day.

I love the intro with Thomas and Earth so much.

I see thomas as the same engine that Awdry saw him. The LNER J50, it is actually a very pretty engine in my opinion.

Honestly, I kinda like Thomas as a short E2. Maybe because that’s just how I’ve always seen him as. I can see a Jinty, but I just can’t see Thomas as a J50.

Personally I always thought he resembled the E1X more than an E2. It also fits better with the rev Awdry's penchant for one off experimental and prototypes as his characters

I don’t know why but that simple pencil design looks like something straight out of those old anti-smoking commercials of the early 2000s.

In my own headcannon Thomas was actually special build made from engines that were partially scrapped due perhaps damages during operation, utilizing the best of all three locomotives Perhaps using modified plans from the Terrier class for the wheelbase to create Thomas literally from leftover locomotives using the engine number from the E2 that was being used as part of this build for Sir Topham for the engines initial registration

I have a friend who calls Thomas an "experimental tank engine" as Thomas is more capable of pulling freight cars and passenger cars while being capable of shunting both types of trains too, unlike the other E2 tank engines, which are the engines who can only shunt and pull wagon cars but are not capable of pulling passenger trains. That would explain why The Fat Controller let him shunt and pull passenger coaches as a station pilot at Knapford before he gave Thomas his own branch line.

The awdry model that was shown was made from a hornby E2, not a Jinty. Awdry did, however, have a Thomas Jinty, made from a triang Jinty, however it was just a spar model