DERBY, England — Thomas the Tank Engine is the subject of a new documentary, An Unlikely Fandom: The Impact of Thomas the Tank Engine. The film will premiere at this summer’s The Greatest Gathering event in Derby, part of the UK’s Railway 200 celebration.
Thomas began his adventures in a book published in 1945, the first in Reverend W. Awdry’s The Railway Series. These stories were later adapted into a live-action television show that debuted in 1984. The premiere coincides with the 80th anniversary of the franchise as well as the 200th anniversary of the modern railway.
“At its core, this documentary tells the story of how one little blue train connects fans across generations, cultures and communities. Sharing our passion project at such a landmark event feels like the perfect way to celebrate Thomas’ 80th anniversary,” said Brannon Carty, director of An Unlikely Fandom.
The documentary explores the influence of the beloved television series on popular culture and its enduring legacy. It also explains the origins of Thomas, its global impact, and its passionate community of fans.
“For many of us railfans, it was watching episodes of Thomas the Tank Engine as children that drew us into the wonderful world of trains and railways. It was only fitting that we shone a spotlight on Thomas and his friends at The Greatest Gathering, and invite the filmmakers to premiere their fantastic documentary at our historic site,” said Ben Goodwin, director of communications UK and Ireland at Alstom.
Alstom’s three-day festival at its Litchurch Lane plant in Derby, Aug 1-3, 2025, will be the world’s largest-ever gathering of historic and modern rolling stock. It recently added the famed Flying Scotsman locomotive to the list of equipment scheduled to attend. The event is sold out; demand for tickets was such that it crashed the ticketing website when sales began [see “Ticket demand for Alstom …,” Trains News Wire, Feb. 1, 2025.] More on the event is available here.
— This article originally appeared on the Classic Toy Trains section of Trains.com.
One needs not be a kid to appreciate a small tank locomotive, I wish that schedules and such keeps me on the west side of the “pond”. Go Thomas!