The Railway Series

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The Railway Series

Map showing the railways on the fictional Island of Sodor
Author	Rev. W. Awdry (1945–1972) Christopher Awdry (1983–2011)
Illustrator	William Middleton (1945) Reginald Payne (1946) C. Reginald Dalby (1948–1956) John T. Kenney (1957–1962) Peter and Gunvor Edwards (1963–1972) Clive Spong (1983–2011)
Language	English
Genre	Children's
Publisher	Edmund Ward, Ltd. (1945–1968) Kaye & Ward, Ltd. (1952–1998) William Heinemann (1984–1998) Egmont Publishing (1998–present)
Publication date	May 1945 – September 1946 September 1948 – October 1970 October 1972 September 1983 – August 1996 September 2007 July 2011
Publication place	United Kingdom
Published in English	May 1945 – March 1946 April 1948 – September 1970 October 1972 September 1983 – August 1996 September 2007 July 2011

The Railway Series is a series of British books about a railway known as the North Western Railway, located on the fictional Island of Sodor. There are 42 books in the series, the first published in May 1945 by the Rev. Wilbert Awdry. Twenty-six books were written by Awdry, the final one being written in October 1972. Sixteen more were written by his son, Christopher Awdry, between September 1983 and July 2011. The series features many anthropomorphic vehicles, including Thomas the Tank Engine. Thomas became the most popular and famous character in the series and the titular character of the television series Thomas & Friends from 1984 to 2021. The children's television series originated as adaptations of these stories.

Nearly all of The Railway Series stories were based on real-life events. As a lifelong railway enthusiast, Awdry was keen that his stories should be as realistic as possible. The engine characters were mostly based upon real classes of locomotive, and some of the railways themselves were based upon real lines in the British Isles.

Audio adaptations of The Railway Series have been recorded at various times under the title The Railway Stories.