Toby the Tram Engine is a fictional anthropomorphic tram engine in The
Railway Series by the Reverend Wilbert Vere Awdry and his son,
Christopher; he also appears in the spin-off television series Thomas
& Friends . Toby, a tram engine with cowcatchers and sideplates,
carries the North Western Railway running number seven and works on
the same Ffarquhar Branch Line as Thomas the Tank Engine.Toby first
appeared in the seventh book in The Railway Series, Toby the Tram
Engine in 1952, and appeared in several subsequent books. The second
book focused on Toby was the sixth of Christopher Awdry's books, Toby,
Trucks and Trouble.Toby is based on a J70 tram engine from the Great
Eastern Railway (GER Class C53). His cowcatchers and sideplates allow
him to run on roadside tramways, which other engines are not allowed
to do for safety reasons. J70s were used for light duties, such as
branch line work and dock shunting.Many J70s could be found working on
the Wisbech and Upwell Tramway in East Anglia only 28 miles (46 km)
from Rev. W. Awdry's parish at Elsworth in Cambridgeshire in the same
diocese. Rev. W. Awdry wrote about Toby the Tram Engine in 1952,
shortly before he was transferred to Emneth parish. The Tramway ran
from Wisbech, through Emneth â€" the next station on the line â€" then
through Outwell and Upwell. This area and its line was well known to
Rev. W. Awdry who often visited Ely nearby. The Tramway was primarily
used for the transportation of fruit and other farm produce to the
main line at Wisbech. The line closed to passengers in 1927, but
freight services continued until lorries and road transport boomed in
the 1950s. In 1952, the steam tram engines were replaced by diesel
Drewry Shunters (the BR Class 04). Inspiration for Toby came from the
Awdrys watching a J70 â€" probably 68221, one of three J70s built in
1914 (as GER 127) â€" at Great Yarmouth in 1951. Further inspiration
was drawn soon after when the Rev. 'Teddy' Boston, then curate at
Wisbech, arranged for Awdry to ride on the footplate of one of the
last surviving steam tram engines on the Tramway. Fascinated by the
unusual engines, Awdry sought a way to incorporate them in the
stories. Research by Awdry's brother, George, revealed that tramway
regulations required the fitting of cowcatchers and sideplates for
railway locomotives running on tracks alongside roads, and the story
"Thomas in Trouble" (published in 1952, the year steam trams were
replaced) evolved to provide a reason for Toby being summoned to
Sodor. The story includes a description of Toby's final journeys on
the line:
Railway Series by the Reverend Wilbert Vere Awdry and his son,
Christopher; he also appears in the spin-off television series Thomas
& Friends . Toby, a tram engine with cowcatchers and sideplates,
carries the North Western Railway running number seven and works on
the same Ffarquhar Branch Line as Thomas the Tank Engine.Toby first
appeared in the seventh book in The Railway Series, Toby the Tram
Engine in 1952, and appeared in several subsequent books. The second
book focused on Toby was the sixth of Christopher Awdry's books, Toby,
Trucks and Trouble.Toby is based on a J70 tram engine from the Great
Eastern Railway (GER Class C53). His cowcatchers and sideplates allow
him to run on roadside tramways, which other engines are not allowed
to do for safety reasons. J70s were used for light duties, such as
branch line work and dock shunting.Many J70s could be found working on
the Wisbech and Upwell Tramway in East Anglia only 28 miles (46 km)
from Rev. W. Awdry's parish at Elsworth in Cambridgeshire in the same
diocese. Rev. W. Awdry wrote about Toby the Tram Engine in 1952,
shortly before he was transferred to Emneth parish. The Tramway ran
from Wisbech, through Emneth â€" the next station on the line â€" then
through Outwell and Upwell. This area and its line was well known to
Rev. W. Awdry who often visited Ely nearby. The Tramway was primarily
used for the transportation of fruit and other farm produce to the
main line at Wisbech. The line closed to passengers in 1927, but
freight services continued until lorries and road transport boomed in
the 1950s. In 1952, the steam tram engines were replaced by diesel
Drewry Shunters (the BR Class 04). Inspiration for Toby came from the
Awdrys watching a J70 â€" probably 68221, one of three J70s built in
1914 (as GER 127) â€" at Great Yarmouth in 1951. Further inspiration
was drawn soon after when the Rev. 'Teddy' Boston, then curate at
Wisbech, arranged for Awdry to ride on the footplate of one of the
last surviving steam tram engines on the Tramway. Fascinated by the
unusual engines, Awdry sought a way to incorporate them in the
stories. Research by Awdry's brother, George, revealed that tramway
regulations required the fitting of cowcatchers and sideplates for
railway locomotives running on tracks alongside roads, and the story
"Thomas in Trouble" (published in 1952, the year steam trams were
replaced) evolved to provide a reason for Toby being summoned to
Sodor. The story includes a description of Toby's final journeys on
the line:
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