James

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For other uses, see James (disambiguation).

James the Red Engine

VIVIVIIIIII

VI

Background Information

First appearance

Thomas the Tank Engine (RWS)

Thomas and Gordon (T&F)

Last appearance

Thomas and his Friends (RWS)

Creator(s)

Rev. W. Awdry

Voice Actors

UK voice actor

Keith Wickham (2009-2017)

US voice actor

Kerry Shale (2009-2015)

UK/US voice actor

Rob Rackstraw (UK; 2017-present - US; 2015-present)

Other voice actors

Susan Roman (2000)

Michael Angelis (2000; Workprints)

Stephen Donald (2001; UK; Railway Adventures)

Overview

Name

James

Title

James the Red Engine

James the Really Splendid Engine

James the Funny Engine[1]

Nicknames

Giant Stripy Bee[2]

Little James (by Gordon)

Big Red Monster (by the Troublesome Trucks)

Rusty Red Scrap Iron (by Diesel and Trucks)

The Bees Knees[3]

Squeaky Wheels (by Trucks)

Cowardly Cranky Worn-Out Hunk of Metal (by Diesel 10 along with Thomas)

James the Brains (by Junior)

Little Red Piggy In The Middle (by 'Arry and Bert)

Bossy Boiler (by Thomas, Henry and Percy)

Bossy Buffers (by Percy)[4]

Old Engine (by Spencer along with Edward)

Rail Rocket ("super engine" alter ego)

Mr. James (by Toad)

Busted Boiler (by Thomas)

Young Steam Engine (by The Fat Controller)

Gender

Male

Country

Island of Sodor Island of Sodor

England England (formerly)

Affiliation

North Western Railway

Edward

Toby

Duck

Rosie

The Main Line

Henry

Gordon

Donald and Douglas

BoCo

Bear

Pip and Emma

Steam Team

Thomas

Percy

Emily

Nia

Rebecca

Technical Details

Basis

L&YR Class 28 (modified)

Gauge

4'8½" (1,435 mm; standard gauge)

Power type

Steam

Vehicle

Locomotive

Type

Tender engine

Fuel type

Coal

Configuration

2-6-0

Wheels

14

Top speed

80 mph (129 kph)

Designer(s)

George Hughes

Builder(s)

Horwich Works

Year built

1912

Arrived on Sodor

1924 (1923 according to RBTL)[5]

Number

NWR 5

Railway

North Western Railway

Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (formerly)

Owner(s)

Sir Topham Hatt

James is a mixed-traffic tender engine who works on the North Western Railway, usually working along the Main Line. He can be vain and sometimes boastful, but means well and is a hard worker.

Contents

Biography

The Railway Series

Thomas & Friends

The Adventure Begins

Thomas and the Magic Railroad

Personality

Technical Details

Basis

Livery

Appearances

Songs

Audio Files

Trivia

Quotes

Merchandise

Video

References

Biography

The Railway Series

James was designed by George Hughes and built by Horwich Works at some point in 1912. He was designed as an experimental variation of the Class 28 locomotives, with a front pony truck installed at the front and 5'6" sized driving wheels instead of the class' usual 5'1". These were added in an attempt to cure the "nose-diving" the class experienced when travelling at high speed. The experiment did not entirely produce the results hoped for and after the Grouping, James was sold to the North Western Railway.[6] Shortly after he arrived on the Island of Sodor, James was damaged in a crash when his trucks pushed him down the line and his wooden brake blocks caught on fire. After being recovered from the wreck, James was sent to Crovan's Gate Works, where he was repaired, repainted into a new red livery and gained functional brakes[7]. He presumably gained his Fowler tender around this time.

When James returned from the Works, he became vain and troublesome. While double-heading a passenger train with Edward, he accidentally showered water on the Fat Controller's new top hat, almost forgot to stop at the station and disturbed an elderly lady with his hiccups. After being threatened by the Fat Controller with a coat of blue paint, James became grumpy and started bumping the coaches around aggressively, though this backfired on him when one of the brake pipes began leaking and needed to be mended with a bootlace and some newspapers. Following this incident, James was shut up in the shed until he could learn his lesson. When he was finally let out by the Fat Controller, James was assigned to pulling a goods train to Killdane. Although he had some trouble when some of the trucks broke away, James managed to keep the train under control and deliver it to the station and was allowed to keep his red paint after the Fat Controller had seen everything.

Even though he had proven to be useful, James was still teased by Gordon and Henry for his past mistakes. However, after Gordon got lost and wound up at Tidmouth, James was allowed to take the express in his place. He did so successfully and he and Gordon became firm friends.[8]

When Thomas left Tidmouth to run the Ffarquhar Branch Line, James, Gordon and Henry became irritated, as they now had to fetch their own trains. After an incident on the turntable that left him humiliated, James, along with Gordon and Henry, decided to go on strike, refusing to leave the shed and behaving badly when they had to work. The Fat Controller eventually shut them up in the shed and made Thomas and Edward pull their trains, though he allowed them to come out when they were sorry.[9]

On more than one occasion, James has been forced to accept help from those he insulted. When Toby and Henrietta came to work on Thomas' branch line, James insulted them by calling them "dirty objects" and boasting about how his red paint is never dirty. But later, some trucks pushed him down Gordon's Hill and he crashed into two tar wagons, spoiling his paint. Toby and Percy pulled James away, but not before Toby teased James about never having dirty paint.

Later, James was impatient with Edward for his clanking and being slow and late, comparing him unfavourably to "a lot of old iron". But when two boys played with James' controls and caused him to run away without anyone in his cab, Edward and an engine inspector came to his rescue and caught him. A weary James gratefully apologised to Edward for his insults and Edward forgave him.

When Diesel arrived on trial, James gained the nickname "Rusty Red Scrap-Iron". Believing that Duck was behind the insults, James, along with Gordon and Henry, turned against him. However, when Diesel was exposed and Duck was proven innocent, James and the other engines were sorry and welcomed him back.[10] James later recalled the events of Diesel's visit to Duncan, though he greatly exaggerated certain parts of the tale, making it seem as though he was the one who sent Diesel packing.[11]

James continued to treat diesel engines with hostility, long after the other steam engines had already accepted them. Although he liked BoCo and Bear, James was openly nasty to other diesels, believing them to be inferior in a reverse manner to how other diesels treat steam engines. However, when his injector froze one wintry day and he had to be rescued by the Works Diesel, James decided to give up his prejudiced views, as the diesel had been friendly to him.[12]

In 2011, James was chosen by the Fat Controller to go to the Mainland to collect a bust of the Thin Clergyman and deliver it to Tidmouth. James did so, but on the way back the entrance to Henry's Tunnel collapsed. Thankfully, James had gone through the tunnel before it collapsed and made it to Tidmouth with the bust. He attended its unveiling alongside the other engines.[13]

Thomas & Friends

James' ego can sometimes get him in trouble. When he tried to switch his job of pulling trucks with Gordon's express train, he tricked Thomas to give him the express coaches by telling his that the Fat Controller ordered him to take the coaches. However, the Fat Controller heard about James' tricks from Gordon and his driver, and punished him by leaving him in the shed until he learned his lesson. The following day, he was allowed out to shunt trucks, but also got the chance to redeem himself when an inspector requested to ride with James to the Fat Controller. They arrived on time and the Fat Controller considered James a really useful engine.

James' ego has sometimes stopped him from following advice from others. When Percy and Terence tried to warn him about the dangers of trees getting too close to the line, he did not take any notice until a tree literally too close to the line slid on James' tracks. Luckily, Thomas came to his rescue and pulled James away just before the tree fell on him.

James' teasing has also backfired; after he saw Percy being a "middle engine" and made fun of him because of it, James later ended up being made a middle engine himself for which he was teased by Percy. ​​He's also shown to care a lot about his paintwork, having refused to help Percy at the coaling plant because of his admiration of it and refused to travel across muddy tracks to not get it dirty.

After Thomas told Percy about footprints he had seen at the quarry, James started teasing Percy about a monster being on Sodor. After James himself ended up in mishaps of his own, he decided to make fun of Percy by making him think there was a monster. James was later forced by Thomas to apologise, but Percy refused to listen to what he thought was more of James' teasing which led to James venturing into the quarry to look for the footprints. This ended up causing a rockslide that Percy had to rescue him from, after which James apologised for everything.

The Adventure Begins

James in his original livery

James arrived on the North Western Railway sometime before Thomas' arrival and was originally painted black and wore wooden brake blocks, which were prone to burning up and emitting smoke when stopping. He originally owned Annie and Clarabel and believed that he would be given his own branch line, although the other engines doubted this.

When Thomas came to Sodor, James teased him on several occasions for making mistakes, often joining in with Gordon to make fun of him. However, one day, James ran out of control with a goods train and was unable to stop due to his brake blocks being on fire. Thomas chased after the train and tried to slow it down, but James flew off a bend and crashed in a field, the crash badly damaging him. Thomas rushed back to Knapford and retrieved Jerome and Judy, who helped to clear away the wreckage and placed James back on the rails. James was sent to the Steamworks to be mended, where he received his new red livery. Upon returning from the Steamworks, James found out that Annie and Clarabel now belonged to Thomas, who had been given the responsibility of running the Ffarquhar Branch Line.[14]

Thomas and the Magic Railroad

Mr. Conductor, Junior and James

In the film, Thomas met James at Tidmouth Sheds until Diesel 10 first arrived and told them his plans to destroy the lost engine named Lady. James and Thomas rebelled against Diesel 10. Later on, Thomas, James and Gordon argued about who should have collected Mr. Conductor. After Mr. Conductor helped to make James' itch go away, James was sad because Diesel 10 said that red is a tiring colour, so Mr. Conductor happily said his red paint is bright and cheerful just like the gold dust and sent him off to work. Later, he and the other engines gathered for the meeting about their individual concerns about Diesel 10 destroying Lady. Some time afterwards, James appeared at the Smelter's Yard when Diesel 10 arrived with Junior. Junior landed onto James' cab and the two almost got thrown into the smelting pit by Diesel 10. Luckily, Junior used his gold dust to teleport them to a spot near the magic buffers, where Mr. Conductor was waiting. James departed and thanked Junior for his help.[15] In the original, he would have helped Junior and George defeat Splatter and Dodge by pushing a boulder in the diesels path, trapping them in a siding. He would have also been present at the well, along with Percy.

Personality

James is very proud of his splendid red paintwork. He dislikes pulling trucks and believes that he should only pull coaches. He is so self-centred that he thinks himself superior to the others and can be shallow, boastful, overconfident, arrogant, prideful, naughty and vain, particularly to those who appear old-fashioned, weak, slow or dirty. This has caused him to have somewhat of a rivalry with Edward, Percy, Toby and Duck, as well as Thomas, Gordon, Henry and even Philip lately on occasion. In most cases, it takes scolding from others to make his penny drop, and even then it is too late to prevent trouble. He has acted like this even before he was repainted red. However, on a number of occasions, he has found himself in need of help from those whom he has insulted and is, in the end, apologetic.

James was the last of the steam engines to retain a prejudice against diesels, insulting them the same way other visiting diesels would insult the steam engines on Sodor, with BoCo and Bear barely being spared from his opinionated view. However, after stalling on a cold day, he was rescued by the Works Diesel and had to admit that nothing was wrong with diesels. This appears to be one of the few lessons that have stuck. Despite this, James can remain highly opinionated on someone's character, refusing to believe Sonny had given up life as a criminal, only to find out the hard way that when Sonny bumped him at the docks, it was to save him from being splattered and dented by watermelons. In similar situations, James often feels remorse and guilt for his actions, often leading to his apologies coming out meekly.

James has also been portrayed as a prankster, often tricking or scaring the other engines for fun or to get out of jobs he dislikes doing. However, following a particularly mean-spirited prank he played on Percy in the time he scared with a monster made of scrap, this gimmick seems to have died down. As of the meeting videos, he has been labelled as the "Joker" of the Steam Team by Thomas.

Despite all of that, James has shown a caring side to him. He has a heart of gold and wants to help anyone in a time of need. He is normally hard-working and, like everyone else, wants to be responsible, reliable and really useful on Sir Topham Hatt's railway. Although his vanity usually hides it, James actually is capable of realising when he crosses the line.

Technical Details

Basis

James is based on a L&YR Class 28, a class of 0-6-0 mixed-traffic tender locomotive designed by George Hughes for the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway and built by Horwich Works between 1909 and 1912. It was a rebuild of Aspinall's Class 27, with the addition of a Belpaire firebox, a Schmidt/"twin-plug" superheater and the extension of the footplate and front sandboxes.

According to The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways, James is an experimental member of the Class 28s; he is fitted with a front pony truck (thus making him a 2-6-0 instead of an 0-6-0), 5'6" driving wheels instead of the class' original 5'1" ones and a Fowler tender. His front sandboxes also appear to be mounted underneath his footplate rather than joined to his leading splashers.

The Rev. W. Awdry's original model of James was modified from that of a G&SWR 403 Class 2-6-0 and materials related to Awdry's model layout indicate this was originally considered to be James' prototype.[16]

One of the red tender engines are also based on this design.

James'basis

James' basis

FowlerTender

LMS Fowler tender

G&SWR403Class

G&SWR 403 Class, the engine Wilbert used as James' model

Livery

James is painted in NWR scarlet with black lining and gold boiler bands. His dome is brass and his number 5 is painted on the sides of his tender in yellow with black lining. In the Railway Series, James' black lining became blue after Main Line Engines. Between James the Red Engine and Oliver the Western Engine his cab rooftop colour was inconsistently illustrated as either black or red; however, since Clive Spong became illustrator, James has been consistently illustrated with a red cab rooftop. In some illustrations of the Railway Series, James has a golden builder's plate on the side of his cab.

James has also been seen in several other liveries aside from his red one:

In the Railway Series, James would have originally been painted in L&YR passenger black, but any white has never been depicted making his appearance akin to their goods livery instead. In the television series, James was originally depicted as having always been red, even when he was a new engine, the only exception being his appearance in his black livery in The Adventure Begins. He also had a red lining on the back of his tender, which was removed after his repaint. This livery also appears in Meet James as part of a reference to the special. Unlike the television series, James sported an L&YR tender in the Railway Series when he carried this livery, whereas in the television series, he had a Fowler tender throughout his appearances.

In The Green Controller, James was mistakenly painted in yellow and black stripes on Percy's orders. He was quickly repainted back into his original livery when the problem was noticed.

In Tickled Pink, James was painted in a pink undercoat before his standard red coat could be applied. Although he was said to be in an undercoat, James still retained his lining, number and black wheels and smokebox. This livery also appears in Meet James as part of a reference to the episode.

In The Great Race, James was painted in golden floral patterns for the Great Railway Show. He was repainted back into his original livery when he returned to Sodor.

In the twenty-second series episode, An Engine of Many Colours, after hearing Kevin mention the Steamworks did not have any red paint, James dreamed he was painted in many different colours including blue, green and silver and many more on a turntable near the last dream's final scenes. By the end of the episode, he was repainted in his standard red livery.

TheGreenController52

James in his busy bee livery

TheAdventureBegins345

James in his black livery in The Adventure Begins

TickledPink73

James in his pink undercoat

TheGreatRace551

James in his Best Decorated Engine livery

AnEngineofManyColours26

James dreams he is painted blue

AnEngineofManyColours50

James dreams he is painted green

BeingRepainted4

James' green undercoat in a learning segment

AnEngineofManyColours75

James dreams he is painted silver

BeingRepainted1

James' cream undercoat in a learning segment

Appearances

Railway SeriesTelevision SeriesOther Media

The Railway Series

Thomas the Tank Engine - Thomas and the Breakdown Train

James the Red Engine - James and the Top-Hat, James and the Bootlace, Troublesome Trucks and James and the Express

Tank Engine Thomas Again - Thomas and Bertie (mentioned)

Troublesome Engines - Henry and the Elephant, Tenders and Turntables, Trouble in the Shed (does not speak) and Percy Runs Away

Henry the Green Engine - Coal and Gordon's Whistle (cameo)

Toby the Tram Engine - Dirty Objects

Gordon the Big Engine - Off the Rails (does not speak), Leaves and Paint Pots and Queens

Edward the Blue Engine - Old Iron

Four Little Engines - Old Faithful (mentioned)

Percy the Small Engine - Percy and the Signal and Duck Takes Charge

The Eight Famous Engines - Gordon Goes Foreign, Double Header and The Fat Controller's Engines

Duck and the Diesel Engine - Domeless Engines (cameo), Pop Goes the Diesel, Dirty Work and A Close Shave (mentioned)

The Little Old Engine - Rock 'n' Roll

The Twin Engines - Hullo Twins!, The Missing Coach (mentioned), Break Van and The Deputation

Stepney the "Bluebell" Engine - Bowled Out

Main Line Engines - Buzz, Buzz and Edward's Exploit

Small Railway Engines - Ballast (not seen; does not speak)

Enterprising Engines - Tenders for Henry, Super Rescue (cameo) and Little Western

Oliver the Western Engine - Resource and Sagacity

Duke the Lost Engine - Sleeping Beauty (cameo)

James and the Diesel Engines - Old Stuck-Up, Crossed Lines, Fire-Engine and Deep Freeze

Great Little Engines - Peter Sam and the Prickly Problem (mentioned)

More About Thomas the Tank Engine - Better Late Than Never

Gordon the High-Speed Engine - High Speed Gordon (cameo), Fire Escape and Gordon Proves His Point

Thomas and the Twins - Trevor Helps Out (cameo)

Thomas and the Great Railway Show - Museum-Piece and Not the Ticket (does not speak)

Henry and the Express - Out of Puff, Overhaul, Sliding Scales and Henry Sees Red (cameo)

Wilbert the Forest Engine - Foaming at the Funnel

Thomas and the Fat Controller's Engines - Birdstrike, Edward and the Cabbages (mentioned) and Golden Jubilee

Thomas and his Friends - Buffer Bashing and Centenary

Companion Volumes

1970 - Twelve Happy Engines (mentioned)

1972 - The Railway Series: Surprise Packet

1976 - Famous Engines and Railway Map of the Island of Sodor

1983 - Bertie the Bus and Thomas the Tank Engine (mentioned)

1984 - Henry the Green Engine and the Elephant, Thomas's Christmas Party (does not speak) and James the Red Engine and the Troublesome Trucks

1986 - Thomas and the Missing Christmas Tree and Thomas the Tank Engine: The Complete Collection

1987 - The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways

1992 - Thomas and the Hurricane

1994 - James the Red Engine and the Signal

1995 - Percy the Small Engine and the Scarf

2005 - Sodor: Reading Between the Lines

2007 - Thomas the Tank Engine: The New Collection

Thomas & Friends

Series 1 - Thomas and Gordon (cameo), Edward and Gordon (not named; does not speak), The Sad Story of Henry (cameo), Edward, Gordon and Henry (cameo), Thomas' Train (cameo), Thomas and the Trucks (cameo), Thomas and the Breakdown Train, James and the Coaches, Troublesome Trucks, James and the Express, Thomas Goes Fishing, Tenders and Turntables, Trouble in the Shed (does not speak), Percy Runs Away, Coal, The Flying Kipper (cameo), Whistles and Sneezes (cameo), Thomas in Trouble (cameo), Dirty Objects, Off the Rails (does not speak) and Thomas' Christmas Party

Series 2 - Cows (cameo), Saved from Scrap (cameo), Old Iron, Percy and the Signal, Duck Takes Charge, The Runaway (stock footage cameo, cab only), Gordon Goes Foreign (episode cancelled), Pop Goes the Diesel, Dirty Work, A Close Shave (does not speak), Better Late Than Never, The Missing Coach (episode cancelled), Break Van, The Deputation, Edward's Exploit and Thomas and the Missing Christmas Tree (cameo)

Series 3 - A Scarf for Percy, Percy's Promise (cameo), Time for Trouble, Gordon and the Famous Visitor (cameo), Donald's Duck (cameo), Thomas Gets Bumped (does not speak), Thomas, Percy and the Dragon, Diesel Does it Again (cameo), Henry's Forest, The Trouble with Mud, No Joke for James, Trust Thomas, Buzz, Buzz, Tender Engines, Escape, Oliver Owns Up, Bulgy (cameo), Percy, James and the Fruitful Day and Thomas and Percy's Christmas Adventure (cameo)

Series 4 - Sleeping Beauty, Bulldog, Four Little Engines (does not speak), Rock 'n' Roll, Steam Roller (cameo), Gallant Old Engine (cameo), Thomas and Stepney (cameo), Train Stops Play (cameo), Bowled Out, Henry and the Elephant, Toad Stands By (cameo), Bulls Eyes (cameo), Thomas and the Special Letter, Paint Pots and Queens, Fish (cameo) and Mind that Bike (cameo)

Series 5 - Cranky Bugs, Horrid Lorry, A Better View for Gordon, Lady Hatt's Birthday Party (cameo), James and the Trouble with Trees, Gordon and the Gremlin, Baa! (cameo), Put Upon Percy (cameo), Haunted Henry (cameo), Something in the Air (cameo), Thomas, Percy and Old Slow Coach, Thomas and the Rumours, Oliver's Find (cameo), Happy Ever After (cameo), Make Someone Happy and Busy Going Backwards

Series 6 - Salty's Secret (cameo), Harvey to the Rescue, No Sleep for Cranky (cameo), A Bad Day for Harold the Helicopter (cameo), Elizabeth the Vintage Lorry (cameo), The Fogman, It's Only Snow, Twin Trouble (cameo), The World's Strongest Engine (cameo), Scaredy Engines, Percy and the Haunted Mine (cameo), Middle Engine, James and the Red Balloon, Jack Frost, Gordon Takes a Tumble, Percy's Chocolate Crunch, Thomas, Percy and the Squeak, Thomas the Jet Engine and Edward the Very Useful Engine (does not speak)

Series 7 - Emily's New Coaches (cameo), Percy Gets it Right, Edward's Brass Band (stock footage cameo), What's the Matter with Henry? (cameo), James and the Queen of Sodor, The Spotless Record (cameo), Bulgy Rides Again, Harold and the Flying Horse (cameo), Best Dressed Engine, Gordon and Spencer, Not So Hasty Puddings (cameo) and Three Cheers for Thomas (stock footage cameo)

Jack and the Sodor Construction Company - A Tale for Thomas (cameo) and Mud, Glorious Mud (cameo)

Series 8 - Thomas and the Tuba (does not speak), Percy's New Whistle (cameo), Thomas to the Rescue (cameo), James Gets a New Coat, Thomas Saves the Day, Percy's Big Mistake (cameo), Thomas, Emily and the Snowplough (cameo), Don't Tell Thomas, Emily's New Route, Thomas and the Firework Display, Gordon Takes Charge (does not speak), Spic and Span, Edward the Great, Thomas and the Circus, Thomas Gets it Right, As Good as Gordon, Halloween (cameo), James Goes Too Far, Chickens to School (cameo), Too Hot for Thomas and Percy and the Magic Carpet

Series 9 - Percy and the Oil Painting (cameo), Thomas and the Rainbow (does not speak), Thomas' Milkshake Muddle (cameo), Molly's Special Special (cameo), Respect for Gordon, Thomas and the Birthday Picnic (cameo), Thomas and the Toy Shop (cameo), Thomas and the New Engine, Toby Feels Left Out, Thomas Tries His Best, Thomas and the Statue (cameo), Thomas' Day Off (cameo), Thomas' New Trucks, Saving Edward (cameo), Thomas and the Golden Eagle (cameo), Keeping Up with James and Flour Power (cameo)

Series 10 - Follow that Flour, Thomas and the Jet Plane (cameo), Percy and the Funfair, The Green Controller, Thomas' Tricky Tree (cameo), It's Good to be Gordon (cameo), Seeing the Sights (cameo), Toby's New Shed (cameo), Big Strong Henry (cameo), Thomas and the Shooting Star, Topped Off Thomas (cameo), Wharf and Peace, Thomas' Frosty Friend, Thomas and the Colours, Duncan's Bluff, Thomas and the Treasure and James the Second Best

Series 11 - Thomas and the Storyteller, Emily's Rubbish, Dream On (cameo), Dirty Work, Hector the Horrid!, Gordon and the Engineer (not named; only speaks in the Sprout Airings and Japanese version), Thomas and the Spaceship (cameo), Henry's Lucky Day, Thomas and the Lighthouse, Thomas and the Big Bang (does not speak), Thomas Sets Sail, Don't be Silly, Billy (cameo), Edward and the Mail (cameo), Hide and Peep (cameo), Toby's Triumph (cameo), Thomas and the Runaway Car (cameo), Thomas in Trouble, Thomas and the Stinky Cheese, Sir Handel in Charge and Ding-a-Ling

Series 12 - Thomas and the Billboard, Heave Ho Thomas! (cameo), James Works it Out, Tram Trouble (cameo) and Percy and the Bandstand (stock footage cameo)

Series 13 - Creaky Cranky, The Lion of Sodor, Tickled Pink, Double Trouble (cameo), Slippy Sodor, The Early Bird, Play Time (does not speak), Thomas and the Pigs, Percy's Parcel, Toby's New Whistle, A Blooming Mess, Thomas and the Runaway Kite (does not speak), Steamy Sodor, Splish Splash Splosh, The Biggest Present of All (does not speak), Snow Tracks (cameo), Henry's Good Deeds (cameo), Buzzy Bees (cameo) and Hiro Helps Out (cameo)

Series 14 - Thomas' Tall Friend (cameo), James in the Dark, Pingy Pongy Pick Up, Charlie and Eddie (cameo), Toby and the Whistling Woods, Henry's Health and Safety (cameo), Diesel's Special Delivery, Pop Goes Thomas, Being Percy, Merry Winter Wish, Thomas and the Snowman Party, Thomas' Crazy Day (cameo), Jumping Jobi Wood!, Thomas and Scruff (cameo), O the Indignity, Jitters and Japes (cameo) and Henry's Magic Box

Series 15 - Gordon and Ferdinand (cameo), Percy's New Friends (cameo), Edward the Hero (cameo), James to the Rescue, Happy Hiro (cameo), Up, Up and Away! (cameo), Henry's Happy Coal (cameo), Let it Snow (cameo), Surprise, Surprise (cameo), Spencer the Grand (cameo), Stuck on You, Kevin the Steamie (cameo), Wonky Whistle (cameo), Percy the Snowman (cameo), Tree Trouble (cameo) and Fiery Flynn (cameo)

Series 16 - Race to the Rescue (cameo), Express Coming Through (cameo), Percy and the Monster of Brendam (cameo), Flash Bang Wallop!, Thomas and the Rubbish Train (cameo), Thomas Toots the Crows (cameo), Bust My Buffers! (cameo), Percy and the Calliope (cameo), Thomas and the Sounds of Sodor, Salty's Surprise (cameo), Sodor Surprise Day (cameo), Muddy Matters, Whiff's Wish (does not speak) and Happy Birthday Sir! (cameo)

Series 17 - Kevin's Cranky Friend (cameo), Scruff's Makeover, Wayward Winston (cameo), Gordon Runs Dry, Calm Down Caitlin (cameo), Steamie Stafford (cameo), Henry's Hero (cameo), The Lost Puff (cameo), The Thomas Way (cameo), The Phantom Express, Too Many Fire Engines (cameo), No Snow for Thomas (cameo), Santa's Little Engine (cameo), The Missing Christmas Decorations, The Frozen Turntable, The Afternoon Tea Express (does not speak), The Smelly Kipper and Thomas' Shortcut (cameo)

Series 18 - Old Reliable Edward, Flatbeds of Fear (cameo), Disappearing Diesels (cameo), Signals Crossed, Toad's Adventure, Duck in the Water, Duck and the Slip Coaches, Thomas and the Emergency Cable (cameo), Duncan and the Grumpy Passenger (cameo), Spencer's VIP, Toad's Bright Idea, Last Train for Christmas, Duncan the Humbug (cameo), The Perfect Gift (cameo), Emily Saves the World, Timothy and the Rainbow Truck (cameo) and Samson at Your Service

Series 19 - Who's Geoffrey?, The Truth About Toby, Lost Property (cameo), Henry Spots Trouble, The Beast of Sodor, Toad and the Whale (not named; does not speak), Very Important Sheep (cameo), Salty All at Sea, Helping Hiro (cameo), Slow Stephen, Reds vs. Blues, Best Engine Ever, The Little Engine Who Raced Ahead, Philip to the Rescue, Diesel's Ghostly Christmas (cameo), Rocky Rescue (cameo), The Other Side of the Mountain (cameo) and Goodbye Fat Controller

Series 20 - Toby's New Friend (cameo), Henry Gets the Express, Diesel and the Ducklings, Bradford the Brake Van, Pouty James, Letters to Santa (cameo), All in Vain, Tit for Tat, Henry in the Dark, Three Steam Engines Gruff, Engine of the Future, Hugo and the Airship, The Christmas Coffeepot (cameo) and Over the Hill

Series 21 - Dowager Hatt's Busy Day, Stuck in Gear (cameo), P.A. Problems (cameo), Hasty Hannah, Cranky at the End of the Line (cameo), Philip's Number (does not speak), The Fastest Red Engine on Sodor, A Shed for Edward, The Big Freeze and Emily in the Middle

Series 22 - Forever and Ever, Confusion Without Delay, Trusty Trunky, (portrait cameo; fantasy sequence), What Rebecca Does, An Engine of Many Colours, School of Duck (cameo), Seeing is Believing, Apology Impossible, Samson and the Fireworks (cameo) and Thomas' Animal Ark

Series 23 - Chucklesome Trucks, Gordon Gets the Giggles (cameo), Steam Team to the Rescue, Panicky Percy, Rangers of the Rails and First Day on Sodor!

Series 24 - Thomas and the Royal Engine, Emily's Best Friend, Thomas' Fuzzy Friend, The Great Little Railway Show, Emily to the Rescue, James the Super Engine, A New Arrival, World of Tomorrow, Sonny's Second Chance, Gordon and Rebecca, Coming Through!, Nia's Bright Idea and Thomas' Animal Friends

Specials:

1992 - Thomas and the U.K. Trip (does not speak)

2000 - Thomas and the Magic Railroad

2005 - Calling All Engines!

2008 - The Great Discovery

2009 - Hero of the Rails

2010 - Misty Island Rescue

2011 - Day of the Diesels

2012 - Blue Mountain Mystery

2013 - King of the Railway

2014 - Tale of the Brave

2015 - The Adventure Begins and Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure

2016 - The Great Race

2017 - Journey Beyond Sodor

2018 - Big World! Big Adventures!

Music Videos

Series 3 - Thomas' Anthem and I'm Thomas the Tank Engine

Series 4 - Thomas' Anthem Grand Finale, Let's Have a Race, Toby, Don't Judge a Book By its Cover, The Island Song and Really Useful Engine

Series 5 - Night Train, Accidents Will Happen, Every Cloud has a Silver Lining, It's Great to be an Engine, The Snow Song, Sir Topham Hatt, Come for the Ride, Harold the Helicopter and Percy's Seaside Trip

Thomas and the Magic Railroad - Really Useful Engine

Series 6 - James the Really Splendid Engine, Little Engines, Down by the Docks, Winter Wonderland, Boo! Boo! Choo-Choo and Never, Never, Never Give Up

Series 7 - Five New Engines in the Shed, The Red Balloon, There Once Was an Engine Who Ran Away, Troublesome Trucks and The Whistle Song

Series 8 - Sounds, Emily, Surprises, A World Around You, Determination, Patience and Engine Roll Call

Calling all Engines! - Busy, Trying, Together, New Engine Roll Call and The Dream Song

Series 9 - Buffer Up and Share, Brave, Day and Night, Party Time, Pride, Every Day's a Special Day on Sodor and Togetherness

Jack and the Sodor Construction Company - The Work Song and One Friendly Family

Series 10 - Doing it Right, Favourite Place, H is for Harold, Navigation, There's Always Something New, Responsibility and Strength

Series 11 - The Narrow Gauge Engines and Engine Roll Call

The Great Discovery - Thomas and James are Racing, There's a Job for Everyone, Where, oh Where is Thomas?, Engine Roll Call and Thomas, You're the Leader

Series 12 - Engine Roll Call (CGI Face Version)

Hero of the Rails - Go, Go Thomas

Series 13 - Roll Along, Thomas, You're the Leader, Sounds (CGI Version), Determination (CGI Version) and Engine Roll Call (CGI Version)

Misty Island Rescue - Misty Island Rescue

Series 14 - All You Need and Sir Topham Hatt

Day of the Diesels - Day of the Diesels

Series 15 - Hear the Engines Coming

Series 16 - Thomas and Percy and Go, Go Thomas

King of the Railway - Working Together Again, Searching Everywhere and It's Gonna be a Great Day

Series 17 - Hey, Hey Thomas! and On a Journey Today

Tale of the Brave - Monsters Everywhere and Let's Be Brave

Series 18 - It's Christmas Time and The Best Friends Express

Thomas' YouTube World Tour - A World Around You, Down by the Docks, Navigation, Never, Never, Never Give Up, It's Great to be an Engine, Thomas' Anthem, The Island Song, The Whistle Song, Night Train, Ode to Gordon, Rules and Regulations and That's What Friends are For

Series 19 - There's Snow Place Like Home, Race with You, Spring is Here! and Engine Roll Call

Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure - We Make a Team Together

Series 20 - It's Halloween, James the Really Splendid Engine (CGI Version) and Accidents Will Happen (CGI Version)

The Great Race - Will You Won't You, Streamlining (cameo) and Be Who You Are, and Go Far

Journey Beyond Sodor - Somebody Has to be the Favourite, Who's Thomas? (mentioned), I Want to Go Home (does not speak), The Hottest Place in Town (does not speak) and The Most Important Thing is Being Friends

Series 21 - Set Friendship in Motion, Doing it Right (CGI Version), Trying (CGI Version) and Little Engines (CGI Version)

Big World! Big Adventures! - Where in the World is Thomas? and We're Friends

Series 22 - Engine Roll Call, The Journey Never Ends, Big World! Big Adventures!, All the Girls Around the World, The Steam Team and Let's Dream

Series 23 - Don't Stop

Series 24 - Party Train and How Does it Work?

Learning Segments

Series 8 - Being Blue, Being on Time (pre-filmed footage cameo), Helping One Another, What Makes Percy Feel Better? (cameo), Guess the Engine - James, Getting There and Painting James

Series 9 - Same Colour, Which Load for Which Route?, What Goes Where? (cameo), Who's Under The Coal Dust? - James, Getting to the Washdown, Dot to Dot - James and Fixing the Engines

Series 10 - New Parts for James, Who's Under the Coal Dust? - Emily, Which Friends is in Which Shed?, What Does Harold See? and Happy or Sad

Series 10 - Who Will Percy See?, Toby's Favourite Place (cameo) and Diesels and Steamers (cameo)

Unknown - Being Repainted and Pulling Coaches

Videos

2014 - Welcome to the Island of Sodor Logan! (stock footage cameo)

2015 - Welcome to the Island of Sodor Sam! (stock footage cameo) and A Friendly Farewell (cameo)

2016 - Thomas & Friends in 4-D: Bubbling Boilers, Meet the Contenders: Percy of Sodor (not named) and Meet the Contenders: Thomas of Sodor

2017 - Shark Escape (cameo)

2018 - Meet the Characters! (cameo), Meet the New Steam Team, Still the Best of Friends (cameo), Animals Around the World, (cameo) and Different Ways to See the World (cameo), Why is Africa Important to Nia? (cameo) and Share a Selfie For Children In Need!

2019 - Meet Percy, Meet Rebecca, Meet James, Meet Emily, Meet Gordon and Meet Nia

2020 - Top 5 Jumps (cameo), Top 5 Animals (cameo), Top 5 Cranes (cameo), Top 5 Non-Railway Vehicles (cameo), Top 5 Songs (does not speak), Top 5 Crashes, Top 5 Coolest Engines (cameo), Top 5 Cheeky Thomas Moments (cameo), Top 5 Silliest Characters (cameo), Top 5 Scariest Moments, Super Bubble Thomas!, Thomas the Rubber Band, Thomas the Elephant (mentioned) and Thomas and the Birthday Surprise

Audio Stories

2020 - Return to Sodor (does not speak), Thomas and the Beanstalk (does not speak), The Story of Thomas the Tank Engine, Happy Birthday Thomas!, The Story of Percy the Small Engine (does not speak), Who's Geoffrey?, Toad and the Whale (not named; does not speak), The Story of James the Funny Engine, The Story of Cranky the Crane, Thomas the Hero, Reds vs Blues, Thomas and the Dinosaurs and Thomas and the Gingerbread Train

Magazine Stories

1987 - Edward and Gordon (cameo), Thomas and the Trucks (cameo), Thomas and the Breakdown Train and James and the Coaches

1988 - James and the Troublesome Trucks, James and the Express, Thomas and the Horse, Tenders and Turntables, Trouble in the Shed (does not speak), Percy Runs Away, James and the Tar Wagons, Old Iron, Percy and the Signal, Percy Gets Jammed, Thomas' Present, The Train Spotters (mentioned), Edward's Exploits and Duck Takes Charge

1989 - Gordon's Express, In a Sulk, Diesel's Christmas, The Party (does not speak), A Second Chance, An Important Visitor, The Missing Holly! and A Surprise for Thomas

1990 - Rumours and Speculation, Edward and the Express (does not speak), Timetable Trouble, The Backlog, Percy and the Dragon and Trouble on the Track

1991 - Duck's Service, Gordon Forgets and Daisy in Distress

1992 - James's Task and Henry and the Holidaymakers!

1993 - Trevor to the Rescue!, Percy and the Parrot!, Roof Repairs!, The Wedding Engine! (cameo), The Viaduct! and First with the Food! (mentioned)

1994 - The New Station and Thomas Keeps a Secret!

1995 - Keeping Clean!, The Engine Parade!, Thomas's Bell! and A Desk for Daisy!

1996 - Proud Mavis!, Gordon's Spots!, Going Slowly!, Too Tired!, The Little Line, The Trouble With Mud!, Lost Property! (does not speak), Oliver's Mistake (cameo), Oliver's Mistake (cameo), The Brown Bear and Percy's Squeak! (cameo)

1997 - Henry's Busy Day (does not speak), Henry's Hills, Henry, 'Smile, Please!', April Fools, The Flower Train, James and Star Story!

1998 - The Exhibition! (does not speak), Billy's Bones! (cameo), James Breaks the Rules, James' Hotel!, The Easter Cake! (cameo) and Christmas Crisis (does not speak)

1999 - Bill and Ben's Trick (mentioned), Duck and Diesel and Donald and Douglas

2000 - The End of the Rainbow!, Night Work (cameo), Rude James, The Milk Train, Harold's View, Henrietta's Holiday (mentioned), Lucky to be Lost! (cameo), The Lost Scarf (does not speak) and Painting the Shed

2001 - False Alarm, Diesel Day!, Choc-o-BoCo! (cameo), A Special Story About BoCo (does not speak), A Special Story About Snow! (cameo), Midnight Mavis, A Burst Balloon! (cameo) and Pulling the Post (cameo)

2002 - The Winning Shot (cameo), James and the Bees, Big Ideas!, Sodor Goes Pop!, The Blue Engine Club, Diesels and Steam Engines (cameo), Clean Up Chaos (cameo), A Snowy Reception (does not speak) and Diesel's Drums

2003 - New Year Cheer!, Feeling Fine, Tour of Sodor, Crane Strain! (does not speak), Books Aboard!, The Boatshow, Super Heroes! (cameo), A Foggy Friend (cameo), Harold's Bad Day (cameo), Gordon's Surprise, The Most Beautiful Station (cameo), Percy's Party! (cameo), Animal Antics!, Frozen Engine (cameo), Sandblasted! (cameo), Revving Racers (does not speak) and The Cat Controller!

2004 - Rocket Power, Fishy Business, Harvey to the Rescue!, Scrapes and Spills, Thank You, Thomas!, James and the Red Balloon, Scary Jack Frost, James' New Coat, Peep! Peep! Moo! Moo!, Holiday Hat, Daisy's Delight, Thomas Gets It Right, Percy to the Rescue (cameo), Harold's Bad Day (cameo), Henry's Forest, Sky Shapes, Place to Play, Toby's Troubles!, Edward to the Rescue! (cameo), Dirty Percy!, Emily's Day Out, Colour Quarrel!, A Frog in his Throat!, It's Only Snow! (cameo), Favourite Journey, The Big Wheel, The Train Trolley, The River Race, Engine Ball, Spotty Thomas, Missing Murdoch, Salty's Tales, Dazzling Diesel!, Sparks Fly (cameo), Thomas the Tortoise, Glider Rider (cameo) and Taking Off!

2005 - King Thomas, What's Cooking?, Winter Watch, Percy and the Magic Carpet (cameo), Emily's New Route, Three Kings, Spick and Span, Really Useful Colours, George's Little Joke, A Treat for Trying (cameo), Cat and Mouse, Glider Rider (cameo), A Jumbo-Sized Surprise (cameo), Relay Rescue, On the Beach, As Good as Gordon (cameo) and Something Fishy

2006 - Justice for James, Fun and James, Saving Edward (cameo), Thomas, Emily and the Snowplow (cameo), Old and Useful, Thomas and the New Engine and Thomas and the Statue (cameo)

2007 - A Job for James, The Santa Engine, Ding-a-Ling!, The Best Smile (does not speak), Autumn Leaves (cameo), Surprise Visitor (cameo) and Wheely Useful

2008 - Snow Trouble! (cameo), Track Race, Being Bright (cameo) and Thomas and the Lighthouse! (does not speak)

2009 - New Delivery and Thomas Saves the Day (does not speak)

2010 - Diesel's Special Delivery (does not speak), Magpie Mavis (does not speak), The Best Present of All (cameo), Early Bird (speaks in speech bubble only), Bubble Trouble, Christmas Dinner Diner, Big Ideas, Proud Puffers, Creaky Cranky (does not speak), Misty Island Rescue (cameo), Pulling the Post (cameo), Emily's Lucky Day (does not speak), Snow Tracks, Thomas and the Rainbow! (does not speak), Perfect Plough (speaks in speech bubble only) and Percy and the Magic Carpet (cameo)

2011 - Off Colour, Being Percy (cameo), Steam on Stamps, Smiles All Round, Misty Island Rescue (cameo), Ready, Jet Set, Go! (cameo), Watch the Clock, Really Red, The Flying Teapot (does not speak), Tickled Pink, Winter Wish (does not speak), Making Annie Smile, Steamy Sodor (does not speak), Snow Tracks (cameo), Party Time, Mirror, Mirror, Heave Ho Thomas! (cameo), Ready, Jet Set, Go! (cameo), Scrubbed Up, Creaky Cranky (does not speak) and Animal Adventure

2012 - Clever James, Rescue Team, Tender Trouble, Paint for Percy (does not speak), Thomas and the Pigs, Museum Mayhem (possible cameo; may be seen as model only), Early Bird (mentioned), The Railway Show (does not speak), The Fat Controller's Bedtime Story (Issue 643), Team Spirit Time!, Message Mix-Up!, Clock Countdown (cameo), Thomas and the Sound of Sodor (does not speak) and Keeping up with James

2013 - Muddy Matters, Flash! Crash! Wallop! (does not speak), Hover Bother!, Being Percy (cameo), James and the Giant Animals, Henrietta's Holiday (mentioned), Thomas the Spotter, Gordon Runs Dry (speaks in speech bubble only), The Railway Rink (cameo) and New Year Party (cameo)

2014 - Engine Trouble, The Royal Carriage, Muddy Matters, Fever!, Henry's Forest, Henry's Hero (cameo), Frozen Turntable (does not speak) and Steamy Sodor (does not speak)

2015 - Stinky James, Signals Crossed, No 'I' in Team (mentioned), Duck in the Water, Silent Puffing!, Spencer's Star (mentioned), The Perfect Present (cameo), Henrietta's Holiday (mentioned) and Diesel's Drums

2016 - Tickled Pink! and James' Ghost Train!

2017 - Engine Trouble, Steamy Sodor (does not speak) and Flash! Crash! Wallop! (does not speak)

James also appeared in the magazine stories, A Colourful Christmas, A Job for James, A Long Way Up!, A Special Story about Steam, Back-to-Front, Bricks and Tunnels, Building Blues!, Clever Climbers!, Coal Weather, Daisy's Day, Diesel's Drums, Diesel's Nasty Turn, Doctors and Nurses, Fast Food!, Fish and Fog!, Fishy Diesel!, Flying James, Gordon the Town Engine, Harvest, Jack Frost, James and Edward, James and the Cheese, Lazy Wheels, Leaves on the Line, Looking Splendid, Lost and Found, Luggage, Missing Murdoch, Party Time!, Percy's House, Percy's Plight, Percy's Spooky Tooth, Picture Posters, Puzzles, Railway Open Day, Really Useful Edward, Rushing Around, Scaredy Puffer!, Sea Sick, Seeing Steam, Ship Ahoy!, Size Wise, Sodor's Strong Man, Sodor Goes Pop!, Special Passengers, Special Treats, Stick with Steam, The Best Band, The Best Engine, The Flower Dome, The Flyover!, The Haunted Mine, The Smartest Engine, The Smugglers, The Tiny Engine and The Very Important Job.

Annual Stories

1985 - Donald's Duck (cameo), Gale Warning and James' Rest Cure

1986 - Old Groaner

1987 - Signal Failure and Percy's Passengers

1988 - Percy and the Brake Van (mentioned), Responsibilities (mentioned) and Jack-in-the-Box

1989 - Trapped by Trees (does not speak)

1990 - Thomas and the Cricketers (mentioned), Old Square Wheels, Donald and the Breakaways and Points of No Return

1991 - Near Miss (mentioned) and Rusty Red Scrap Iron

1992 - Galloping Sausage

1993 - James' Traffic Jam and The Hut that Walked by Itself

1994 - James' Rest Cure

1995 - Easter Egg Special and Thank You, Thomas and Toby (cameo)

1996 - James Gets Cracking and Pantomime Pranks

1997 - Ice Magic (not seen), Rusty's Revenge and We Wish You a Merry Christmas! (mentioned)

1998 - Engines to the Rescue and The Star of the Show (mentioned)

1999 - Leaves on the Line

2000 - Slow Down, Thomas! (mentioned), Thomas the Famous Engine, The Flood (does not speak) and Star Engines (does not speak)

2001 - Very Special Engines (does not speak), Edward Saves the Day and Donald and Douglas (cameo)

2002 - A Special Day for Thomas, "That's the Way to Do It!" (cameo), The Really Useful Traction Engine and Percy's Dream (does not speak)

2013 Holiday Annual - The Biggest Present of All (cameo)

Songs

Will You Won't You (performed)

Be Who You Are, and Go Far (performed)

Somebody Has to be the Favourite (performed)

The Most Important Thing is Being Friends (performed)

Where in the World is Thomas? (performed)

We're Friends (performed)

Audio Files

Whistles

First used	Last used	Sound Effect

Series 1	Active

MENU0:00

First used	Last used	Sound Effect

Series 4	Series 5

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In Bowled Out, James is incorrectly portrayed with Smudger's whistle.

First used	Last used	Sound Effect

Bowled Out	Bowled Out

MENU0:00

In The Biggest Present of All and Kevin's Cranky Friend, James is incorrectly portrayed with Henry's whistle.

First used	Last used	Sound Effect

The Biggest Present of All	Kevin's Cranky Friend

MENU0:00

In Emily's Best Friend, James is incorrectly portrayed with Duck's whistle.

First used	Last used	Sound Effect

Emily's Best Friend	Emily's Best Friend

MENU0:00

In the early version of the Guess Who? Puzzles segment, James is incorrectly portrayed with Gordon's whistle.[17]

First used	Last used	Sound Effect

Guess Who? Puzzles	Guess Who? Puzzles

MENU0:00

Trivia

James is named after James Furze, a friend of Edmund Ward's son.

James's catchphrase "Here's James!" seems to be a reference to Jack Torrance's catchphrase "Here's Johnny!" which is heard in the famous 1980 horror film The Shining.

James was originally illustrated in The Three Railway Engines as the red engine who tried to push Henry out of the tunnel. However, children began sending letters to Awdry asking why James was painted red prior to the events of Thomas the Tank Engine. In response, Awdry decided to make the Red Engine a completely different character altogether.

In Sodor: Reading Between the Lines, James is said to have been sold to the NWR in 1923; this creates anachronisms with events laid out in The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways.

In the first series, James was formally introduced in Thomas and the Breakdown Train, which was said to have been his first day on the railway. However, he had appeared in every prior episode as a background character. This may have been done to populate the sets, similar to how the Märklin Engine was used in later episodes.

A large scale working replica of James was built by BBC Visual Effects for a tour in 2003, along with Thomas, Percy, Harold and Jack. The battery-powered locomotive is listed in the 2004 Guinness Book of Records as the largest model railway engine ever built, at 2.64 x 1.5 x 6.52 metres.

James has been shown to be quite popular among several people who worked on the series:

Andrew Brenner has said in an interview that James is one of his favourite characters, along with Toby, Bill and Ben.

Mara Wilson stated on Twitter that James was her favourite character.

Sam Barlow has said in an interview that James is one of his favourite characters, along with Gordon, Victor and Kevin.

In Toby's New Whistle, James revealed that he once had a three-chime steam whistle.

Since the twenty-first series, James along with Belle are the only characters to have the same voice actors in both English dubs, albeit with different accents. He is also the only male member of the Steam Team to have the same voice actor in both English dubs.

In the French dub of the Model Series, James was known as Jacques.

James' Wooden Railway, Wood, Plarail, Motor Road and Rail, Tomy and TrackMaster toys omit his pilot wheels, making him an 0-6-0 instead of a 2-6-0, much like the real members of his class.

James is the only Steam Team member with a one-syllable name. He also has the shortest name out of all the Steam Team members in pronunciation terms.

James is the only 2-6-0 (mogul) locomotive in the television series to be named and seen.

3 of James' wooden railway toys (the original, lights and sounds and Team Colours variants) were among the toys that were part of the Lead Paint Crisis in 2005.

Quotes

“Hello, I'm James. the number five red engine. I'm the brightest red engine on Sodor. Mind my paintwork.”

―James' website audio

“Here's James!”

―James' catchphrase

“I'm a splendid engine. Ready for anything. You never see my paint get dirty.”

―James to Toby in Dirty Objects

“Pulling the mail train is a job for a small engine, like Percy, not a splendid tender engine like me!”

―James to Thomas in The Smelly Kipper

“I'm the fastest red engine on Sodor!”

―James' second catchphrase

Merchandise

ERTL (normal, metallic and Gold Rail; discontinued)

Wooden Railway (several versions, some discontinued)

Wood (redesigned in 2019)

Take Along (discontinued normal, metallic, Buzz Buzz and lights and sounds)

My First Thomas (normal, talking and interactive; all versions discontinued)

Motor Road and Rail (normal, talking and "Busy Bee" livery; discontinued outside Asia)

TrackMaster (normal, greatest moments, talking, flip face, RC and "Busy Bee" livery)

TrackMaster Push Along

Hornby (discontinued)

Bachmann (HO and large scale)

Lionel Trains (G scale (discontinued) and O gauge)

Tomix Trains

My Thomas Story Library (discontinued)

Engine Adventures

Thomas Engine Collection Series (discontinued)

Mini Die Cast Collection (normal and with Santa hat; discontinued)

Departing Now (discontinued)

Thomas Town (discontinued)

Capsule Collection

Take-n-Play (normal, talking and pull back)

De Agostini (discontinued)

Trading Cards

Tomica

Woody Capsule Series

Capsule Plarail (normal, metallic, Buzz Buzz, bee livery and football team colours)

Mini Mini Plarail (discontinued)

Puka-Q (discontinued)

Pocket Fantasy (discontinued)

Brio (discontinued)

Wedgwood China Merchandise (money box)

Pez

LEGO (discontinued)

Mega Bloks (discontinued)

Around Town with Thomas

Discover Junction

Diablock

Collectible Railway

Motorized Railway

Push Along (large and small)

Thomas Aquadraw

Bath Toys (TOMY, Fisher Price and Pilot)

Pullback Racers

Micro Rubber Engines

Pico Pico

Boss (normal, with yellow express coach; Busy Bee, with Fuel Tanker; pull back; discontinued)

Limited Edition Collection

Interactive Learning Railway (discontinued)

Minis

Classic Minis

Metallic Minis

Neon Minis

Dino Minis

DC Super Friends Minis (as The Flash, Krypton Armour Superman and Brainiac)

Warrior Minis

Christmas Minis

Core Moments Minis (Bumble Bee James)

Glow in the Dark Minis

Tootsie Minis (Blow Pop)

Steel Minis

Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers Minis (as the Red Ranger)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Minis ( as Raphael)

Light Up Minis

Back to School Minis

Medieval Minis

Classic 75th Minis

Rail Rollers

Bath Toys

Choro-Q

MV Sports (with station; discontinued)

Pre-Cut Model Engine Books (discontinued; re-released; re-discontinued)

Adventures (discontinued)

Waku Waku (discontinued)

My First Thomas & Friends (various models)

Ofuro de MiniCar (Buzz Buzz James)

Connected DE Colocoro Collection

Comansi

Diapet

Video

Thomas & Friends UK Meet the Characters - James! Videos for Kids

Thomas & Friends UK Meet the Characters - James! Videos for Kids

UK Narration

Meet The Steam Team Meet James Thomas & Friends

Meet The Steam Team Meet James Thomas & Friends

US Narration

References

T&F Storytime "The Story of James the Funny Engine"

T&F "The Green Controller"

T&F S3 #17 "Buzz, Buzz"

T&F "Percy, James and the Fruitful Day"

Sodor: Reading Between the Lines p.7

The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways

Thomas the Tank Engine

James the Red Engine

Troublesome Engines

Duck and the Diesel Engine

The Little Old Engine

James and the Diesel Engines

Thomas and his Friends

The Adventure Begins

Thomas and the Magic Railroad

The Locomotive Family by P.R. Wickham

Engine Puzzle # 18