Wow, I can't believe they let you borrow and review the original Thomas model! You must feel very proud to have held something so important in your own hands.
you both are actually wrong. as this was the reverend's model of thomas. meaning it came before either, or during. but it is THE original thomas model either way. as it was made by the reverend. not to be confused with the broomstick model of thomas. which is the true original and has been lost to time
When I saw this in my feed, I honestly thought there was no way this could be what I thought it was. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised. A great in depth look at the history and processes used to build this model, and impressive to see it going 40 years later. Thank you, Sam for bringing this to the channel and also give my thanks to Dan for donating his time as well.
You know youve really moved up in the Model Railroad RUclips world when youre allowed to takr what is basically a pricless artifact and be alowed to reviews it. Absolutely cool that we get to se some the Reverend owned an iperated for so long during his life. My thanks to everyone involved for making this review happen it was absolutely wonderful to see.
Sam, my friend has a old hornby tender powered ringfield motor 9f and I can not recommend anyone else so if you do he will give you £5 (because he doesn't have alot of money) your best fan -jamie
@@SamsTrainsI’m surprised that they were willing to lend out to you one of if not the most prized model trains out there to you, but I’m glad they did so we can finally get an in depth look at it.
The last time I saw this model of Thomas was when I volunteered at the Talyllyn Railway, I love seeing the Reverend's office with all the things he used to have in his lifetime, it gives me a sense of quietude and peace as it reminds me of how he was a Christian sitting quietly in his office and writing away. I had loads of fun volunteering at the beautiful Welsh narrow gauge railway in the lovely countryside by the sea
Interestingly, there was another ready-to-run E2 before Hornby's one - Trix produced a version, but it was in their weird hybrid not-quite-HO-not-quite-00 scale.
Back at the tail end of the 70s, the curate of our parish left to take up the position of Vicar in Emneth, Cambridgeshire, where a certain Reverend Awdry had been in that position many years before. On the day that our old curate was installed a coach party from our church (plus me, already a heathen kid but a friend of the curate's son) went to take part in the service. After that ceremony we went to the vicarage for a short while and the son showed me around the very spacious loft rooms which had holes cut in to the walls to allow the Rev. Awdry's trains to run through!! I have no idea whether that building is still the vicarage and our old curate has long since retired, but I hope whoever lives there now appreciates that old house's heritage.
Its absolutely stunning how well this runs! 43 years old and still runs smooth as butter. That would be impressive anyway, but the fact that this is such a unique and historic model makes it all the sweeter.
I'm not sure what's more unbelievable. The fact that your layout is now more famous anybody else's is due to the fact that Rev W. Audrey's Thomas ran on your layout, or the fact that the Talyllyn Railway actually let you review that model.
What an honor to have The number one himself visit your railway! I know a couple Thomas youtubers who would kill for a chance like this lol. Hope he didn't cause too much trouble while on his visit.
Now that's what I call a "once in a lifetime" moment. Must've been an absolute honor to have one of the Rev W. Awdry's original Thomas models on your layout.
This takes wholesome to a completely different level. What an absolute honor it must’ve been to handle a piece of history such as this. Thank you so much, Sam. On a similar note, I’m building a Thomas model of my own. Is it alright if I email you for an opinion on something? Cheers
When I first saw the thumbnail Sam, I thought no way that can't be the real thomas model, but when you said that it's the real one my heart stopped. Lol Cheers Jasper & Willow
It was nice to see the original Thomas model which Wilbert Awdry made many years ago to be reviewed on your channel Sam. I hope the Talyllyn Railway will allow you to review the other original models which Wilbert made on your channel again someday Sam.
I've always wanted to see closer pictures of awdrys thomas, this model in particular, now I can make a replica model for myself, very good video, like, seriously, this has to have been your best thomas video
WhiteHouseFilms has made a tutorial on how you can modify a Hornby E2 into an Awdry E2 Thomas replica in his 10 year anniversary special. Perhaps that can help as well
What an honour to have such an influential model on the channel and layout. The Rev Awdry had (and continues to have) such an influence on railway folks all over the world and certainly had a strong influence in my own hobby and career path. That little blue engine is such an instantly recognisable icon, even if the prototype is obscure to say the least. Please do visit the Talyllyn. It’s my favourite of the Welsh narrow gauge lines; so full of charm and character. The staff are universally engaged, professional and friendly. There is no better place or custodian of such an important collection.
Wow!! What a phenomenal opportunity, very cool video. Speaking from personal experience, there’s no better person to bring in as your Awdry expert than Dan! Seeing this video in my feed really made my day, thanks Sam!
Great video, Sam! Such an honor to be able to run the Rev’s models on your layout! I love how much exposer this gives to not just the Talyllyn Railway, but to how well kept the models are.
Out of all the people to make a review of a model like this, you were the best person to do it. I can’t believe that you were able to take a close look at that model! Fantastic video!
Most intriguing Sam. All new for us to learn about this and even triggering reading the wiki page about Thomas & Friends. Over here, T & F only have become something since the 2000s for children but by that time we both were underway with the start of our careers. So all of the T & F simply completely went passed us, leaving no trace to any nostalgia. However, quite the feat to get this original on your loft, and it did trigger reading the wiki. This model runs surprisingly extremely well indeed. Thank you and Dan for showing 🙂 Cheerio.
Hello again, Sam. It's a true surprise and a treat that you got to review the Reverend Awdry's models, Sam. I in fact got to meet Dan and see the models at the Talyllyn Railway during their Awdry Extravaganza weekend last year. It was quite astounding in my circumstances to actually go there and get a glimpse of the extended fandom Thomas has. The other thing I want to discuss in effect of this is that I actually developed for Thomas's copyright holders Mattel - specifically their CEO, but by extension the company - a 'production manual' I prepared for a serious revamp of the Thomas franchise to honour its legacy in the most respectful form. I put a lot of serious thought and consideration into the package which I emailed off almost a month ago, and clearly there is going to be some time more before I get a sign of something back. However since reception acknowledged my initial botched attempt to send it off, I am hopeful with fingers crossed that something might happen. Given your courtesy and respect, I wanted to let you know about this. Regards, Samuel Farris.
I gotta say, this is something I didn’t expect to see today. But I am so glad I did! This is awesome to see this piece of history get the Sam’s trains treatment 🤩
Cool how you managed to get your hands on the original model. I've seen the model inspersion at the Awdry exhibition, but this is so nice to see it up-close in detail.
The fact that you were even able to get your hands on this thomas is absolutely insane! Thats probably the biggest flex in the thomas community to even have this model in your house
This is so surreal! Its such a treat to see such an amazing model with a better performance than we expected! You are so lucky to run such an amazing engine!
I did not see this coming but I'm very glad it did happen! Amazing Video, You must be very lucky to run the original Thomas model made by Wilbert Awdry himself on your model layout! 😁
What an honour Sam. I was lucky enough to meet the Rev W Awdry in person when I was about 7 or 8 and attended one of his talks. I still have one of his books that he kindly autographed for me. A lovely and interesting man.
That was a pleasant surprise! What a great video, it's nice to see a proper demonstration of Awdry's own Thomas model running on your huge layout. Really enjoyed it, well done Sam and Dan!
HI Sam, thank you for posting this, our hobby has such a long and fascinating history now and this vlog has been a joy to watch. Back in 1987, Rev Awdry and his brother George published "The Island of Sodor", a definitive guide to Sodor, its people, places and of course the railways. Well worth hunting out a copy. I have treasured mine and read and re-read it many times over the years.
This was such a lovely video. I am so pleased of all people that YOU were the one to be able to do it. It is so disheartening to see on twitter so many only wishing to pull you down for spiteful and jealous reasons.
Well-done Sam on getting this. Thomas looks an absolute charmer & runs so well after all these years. It says a lot about the manufacturing processes in the past. He might not be as detailed as todays models, but he more than makes up for it in character. Would be a good series if you could get hold of the original firsts from Hornby & the like & compare their running characteristics with the modern day equivalents. Great video topic, more please. 😉👍
Videos like these make so unbelievably happy. The fact that people still care so much for these models that connect us all in a way. And I would have never known that Annie & Clarabell mk2 were Exley coaches, or that this model of thomas has an extra set of pickups!
Did you know that Christopher Awdry stated in an annual that Thomas was rebuilt in 1920 at Crovan's Gate hence the reason behind his iconic design before 1960.
Sam, you've done it again! You've managed to make another review that made me smile from beginning to end! Thank you for providing such a thorough and detailed overview of the Reverend Awdry's beautiful handcrafted work. It's so special to have this video appear on your channel, Sam!
The replacement driving wheels are from Romford's Ltd - and very good. Stewart Reidpath 'standard tanks' still turn up from time to time second hand - I got one recently - and, if you get a good one they're worth having.
Wow... This was a really unexpected video. it's a great privilege to even hold one of the Rev's models, let alone having one run on your layout "Little engines can do big things"
Sam is a local meme in our household because I shocked my father by recognising the whistle, he was watching one of your videos, and I said, “are you watching SamsTrains?” And he just started laughing, confused as to how I knew! I’ve watched a fair chunk of your Thomas content, and now seeing this I’m *flabbergasted,* you are an unstoppable force that’s gonna keep me entertained for many days to come! Thanks Sam!
Now this is certainly quite interesting! I bloody love it! I appreciated the in-depth history lesson as well. Thank you both for sharing everybody’s favourite little blue tank engine! It warmed this doctor’s old soul. Brilliant, lovely stuff indeed! Cheers, lad! Giovanni Marino, M.D.🇬🇧
Such a warm fuzzy feeling in my heart to see the real Thomas, Annie and Clarabel still running! Really amazing of the Talyllyn to honour you with the privilege of running them
You got to take a look at a piece of amazing history, I'm glad Dan was there and you were able to review Thomas and his coaches as it can be hard to get to the Talyllyn Railway for us international folks (like myself from Australia). I think the fact that all 6 wheels of Wilbert's Thomas had pickups helped out when it came to the express points as most engines only have one, maybe 2 pairs of pickups when they come out of the factory in my experience.
I'm amazed the Tallylyn Railway (the current owner of most of Awdry's models) let you run one of Awdry;s original Thomas models on your layout! There are many people who have or want to replicate Awdry's models, so thank you for providing these closeus and 360 views! I hope the folks at the Tallylyn do this for the rest of Wilbert's models that they have.
insane, as someone who is only 15, but vividly remembers watching thomas in late 2009-early 2010, really hits hard and brings back great memories. good review, sam! -Landon
This is really cool to see, I can only imagine how much of an honor it was to take a closer look at one of the Reverend's original models let alone running it along your own layout. I had to double take and make sure I wasn't sent back to April lol
He hasn’t surpassed Wilbert Audrey though. Audrey was the true GOAT of model railways, he took a story he told to his son, and transformed it into the world’s most famous tank engine. What special about Audrey is that Thomas was created from a custom model, that’s how GOAT level Audrey is.
@@nikerailfanningttm9046 in that case then... Sam is the GOAT of MODERN railway modeling (and yes I know that GOAT stands for Greatest Of *All Time* but ssshhhh)
Hey Sam very nice video showing the Rev W Awdrys original model of Thomas the tank engine and his two coaches I got to see it running at the Awdry extravaganza last year at the Talyllyn Railway as well as his model of my favorite engine Toby and it was so amazing seeing both of them still running just like when the Rev first built them thanks for sharing this 👍❤️🚂
Excellent, very interesting. I not only grew up with the original Thomas books, way before the TV programmes, but also our local vicar was a friend of Awdrys and used the Thomas characters to emphasise the lessons during the family services.
I'm sure that many would find it strange that a Yank like myself uses the original Welsh pronunciation (I am a bit of a language nerd). Funnily enough, the voiceless lateral fricative [ɬ] (the in Welsh) is quite common in North American languages, with it being found in Navajo, Chickasaw, and Muskogee for examples.
I can’t believe you got a chance to review these! Amazing work Sam! You also got with talk with Dan AKA Jinty from the Little Westerner! I knew I recognized that voice!
It seriously sucks that nobody has bothered to make some model trains on the original Thomas locomotives The closest we get are those mediocre Fecal colored Hornbys E2s, a bunch of Thomas characters in there original paint scheme modeled on there original locomotives would be so insanely good
I wonder if Hornby had access to this model when it came to planning the 1985 commercial one... Good to see "proper" sized Annie and Clarabel too, one of the things that seems to go unsaid when people compare the books and the TV series is the fact that the original coaches were bogie coaches, whereas the TV ones are four-wheelers (and Hornby's models look completely different to those!)
I haven’t been having a great day, but when I saw this pop up that made it 10 times better! How incredible! Thank you so much for making this video!! Also: Circle is the odd one out!!!
That’s awesome, I have an interesting story to share, so you know of the Southern Pacific GS-4 locomotive #4449, so I went out to Oregon in January, I met Doyle and Pat, I got to go inside the cab, on top of the tender, I also got a tour of the shop and other locomotives under restoration, I went on a Wednesday when they were closed, they also opened up the gift shop where I got my current favorite jacket and hat
Wonderful to see arguably the most definitive Thomas model still in good order. I was aware of the Talyllyn Railway being the caretakers of the reverend's models and notes, but to be frank I am astonished and delighted at this model's performance. Actually I think think the way the varnish aged makes it look like Thomas has been weathered from goods work.
That was amazing! I did a double take when I saw the title. Great job Sam. I'm thankful I got to see this. Made my day, and yours too I'm sure. Keep it up!
I saw this video come up and just said 'No way.' Happily, I was wrong! So awesome to see such a historical model, a model of the happy little blue tank engine who shaped many of our childhoods, built by the man who came up with the character in the first place! Really great review Sam, glad Thomas got on nicely on your layout 🤩🤩
Awesome model!! Love your videos, whenever I want to buy a model then I always look at a video of yours related to the model and see if it’s worth it. Thanks for the many reviews of the P2s as I bought one off Wrenn a few days ago. Many thanks Sam!!
love to see one of the original models that THE Rev. W. Awdry owned and customized in action! I hope to visit the UK someday to be able to see it in person when able.
I saw that original model of Thomas the Tank Engine with the original Annie and clarabelle on rev.w.awdry’s layout in his office at the talyllyn railway
Another brilliant video Sam! Its absolutely amazing to see the model in such HD and detail. Loved the transitions shots from each variant of Thomas because it really shows how much was changed on Awdry's, amazing work, really enjoyed this one! Keep it up!
Its honestly quite baffling to me that we live in a world where Awdry’s Thomas model has been able to fully stretch his wheels on a longer line! Great video sam!
It's so awesome to see and learn about a piece of history like this, very cool! I really like the Sprat & Winkle coupling seen on the coaches, they're much smaller and it's very clever how the decoupling lever for the magnet is disguised as a chain or a tube.
A true masterpiece as well as one of the greatest legacies left by Rev. W. Awdry himself, not to mention for such important relic, it still can move around! Design-wise, as fun fact, one of the Hunslet 0-6-0 saddle tank has been custom-modified to look almost like this model as well as the actual Hornby Thomas. Also, the couplers on Annie and Clarabel models look like the same ones for Bachmann's G/large scale Thomas line due to the hooks facing upward.
Quite possibly the biggest flex I've ever witnessed in the Thomas community.
hahaha!!
A bigger flex is owning one of the card modeling press out books that had Thomas , Percy , James , Gordon , Clara bell , and Annie
yeah no@@sbc9127
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Wow, I can't believe they let you borrow and review the original Thomas model! You must feel very proud to have held something so important in your own hands.
I know it's amazing isn't it? Very proud indeed!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
@@SamsTrainsyou should display the track ye got put on today for display a real awdry Thomas model he used
Oh actually that is not the original one that was shown on TV back in 1984 from session 1 to session 10 in Gordon takes a short cut
@@humbo-dc5tsOh it's the original. It was the 1957 Failed Railway Series in the BBC. Rev. Wilbert Awdry.
you both are actually wrong. as this was the reverend's model of thomas. meaning it came before either, or during. but it is THE original thomas model either way. as it was made by the reverend. not to be confused with the broomstick model of thomas. which is the true original and has been lost to time
When I saw this in my feed, I honestly thought there was no way this could be what I thought it was. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised. A great in depth look at the history and processes used to build this model, and impressive to see it going 40 years later. Thank you, Sam for bringing this to the channel and also give my thanks to Dan for donating his time as well.
haha it's pretty crazy isn't it? Really glad you liked seeing him anyway,
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
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You know youve really moved up in the Model Railroad RUclips world when youre allowed to takr what is basically a pricless artifact and be alowed to reviews it. Absolutely cool that we get to se some the Reverend owned an iperated for so long during his life. My thanks to everyone involved for making this review happen it was absolutely wonderful to see.
I gotta say it’s really cool that you managed to get your hands on the Reverend’s original Thomas model. This is so cool.
It's super cool isn't it... and it's still in such great condition!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Sam, my friend has a old hornby tender powered ringfield motor 9f and I can not recommend anyone else so if you do he will give you £5 (because he doesn't have alot of money) your best fan -jamie
💀bro, the mf got the hands of most rarest
@@SamsTrainsHOW DID YOU GET THAT ENGINE???!??!
@@SamsTrainsI’m surprised that they were willing to lend out to you one of if not the most prized model trains out there to you, but I’m glad they did so we can finally get an in depth look at it.
The last time I saw this model of Thomas was when I volunteered at the Talyllyn Railway, I love seeing the Reverend's office with all the things he used to have in his lifetime, it gives me a sense of quietude and peace as it reminds me of how he was a Christian sitting quietly in his office and writing away. I had loads of fun volunteering at the beautiful Welsh narrow gauge railway in the lovely countryside by the sea
Ahh fantastic - I've never been personally, but I really must one day! His office is one thing I'd love to see!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
@@SamsTrains You're welcome a lot, Sam
I'm amazed with this OG Thomas model. Awdry did a good job.
It most have been an honor to have them on your railway for while.
It's pretty awesome isn't it? And a huge honour!!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
11:42 alright, who invited cricle?
Definitely going up in the world when you get to test a piece of history like this. Make a lot of Thomas fans very envious seeing this, good on you.
haha I know - it was a real honour!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Interestingly, there was another ready-to-run E2 before Hornby's one - Trix produced a version, but it was in their weird hybrid not-quite-HO-not-quite-00 scale.
Sam and Dan get back together to review a little blue lad and his coaches. Brilliant.
Absolutely - it was high time!!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
A little blue lad with six small wheels, a short stumpy funnel, a short stumpy boiler and a short stumpy dome
Your transitions between Awdry's model, the hornby E2 and their modified Thomas were so smooth! Incredible video. Never saw it coming!
Back at the tail end of the 70s, the curate of our parish left to take up the position of Vicar in Emneth, Cambridgeshire, where a certain Reverend Awdry had been in that position many years before. On the day that our old curate was installed a coach party from our church (plus me, already a heathen kid but a friend of the curate's son) went to take part in the service. After that ceremony we went to the vicarage for a short while and the son showed me around the very spacious loft rooms which had holes cut in to the walls to allow the Rev. Awdry's trains to run through!! I have no idea whether that building is still the vicarage and our old curate has long since retired, but I hope whoever lives there now appreciates that old house's heritage.
Ahh fantastic - how wonderful it must be to see the remanence of his old layout... I wonder what it looks like now??
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Its absolutely stunning how well this runs! 43 years old and still runs smooth as butter. That would be impressive anyway, but the fact that this is such a unique and historic model makes it all the sweeter.
I'm not sure what's more unbelievable. The fact that your layout is now more famous anybody else's is due to the fact that Rev W. Audrey's Thomas ran on your layout, or the fact that the Talyllyn Railway actually let you review that model.
The fact that his models still run is amazing!
What an honor to have The number one himself visit your railway! I know a couple Thomas youtubers who would kill for a chance like this lol. Hope he didn't cause too much trouble while on his visit.
It was an honour indeed! He was very very well behaved... a fantastic runner even after all these years!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
@@SamsTrains Good to hear! it's also crazy to think that the real Thomas would climb over your very own version of Gordon's Hill
Now that's what I call a "once in a lifetime" moment. Must've been an absolute honor to have one of the Rev W. Awdry's original Thomas models on your layout.
This takes wholesome to a completely different level. What an absolute honor it must’ve been to handle a piece of history such as this. Thank you so much, Sam.
On a similar note, I’m building a Thomas model of my own. Is it alright if I email you for an opinion on something?
Cheers
Yeah very much so David - an honour indeed! Really glad you enjoyed seeing that, and sure feel free!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
It's impressive that the model still works
I know... and works so well at that!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I was NOT expecting this!!
Well done to you, Dan & the Talyllyn!
haha me neither... it was awesome of them wasn't it? :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Indeed it was! Your very welcome man, love your channel!
When I first saw the thumbnail Sam, I thought no way that can't be the real thomas model, but when you said that it's the real one my heart stopped. Lol
Cheers Jasper & Willow
haha I know!! It was hard to keep this one under wraps ;D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
It was nice to see the original Thomas model which Wilbert Awdry made many years ago to be reviewed on your channel Sam. I hope the Talyllyn Railway will allow you to review the other original models which Wilbert made on your channel again someday Sam.
Thanks Bryan, glad you enjoyed seeing it! That would be awesome - maybe I should visit them and look for them!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I've always wanted to see closer pictures of awdrys thomas, this model in particular, now I can make a replica model for myself, very good video, like, seriously, this has to have been your best thomas video
Ahh hope this video did the trick for you - it felt quite important to capture it as fully as possible!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
WhiteHouseFilms has made a tutorial on how you can modify a Hornby E2 into an Awdry E2 Thomas replica in his 10 year anniversary special. Perhaps that can help as well
It must have been an honor Sam for you to see the real thomas model :)
Cheers Jasper & Willow
It really was - just amazing!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
It must’ve been a real honor for the Tallylln Railway letting you use Wilbert’s model for this video I am happy for you :)
What an honour to have such an influential model on the channel and layout. The Rev Awdry had (and continues to have) such an influence on railway folks all over the world and certainly had a strong influence in my own hobby and career path. That little blue engine is such an instantly recognisable icon, even if the prototype is obscure to say the least.
Please do visit the Talyllyn. It’s my favourite of the Welsh narrow gauge lines; so full of charm and character. The staff are universally engaged, professional and friendly. There is no better place or custodian of such an important collection.
I was not expecting this! This is so wholesome! Cheers to you, Dan, and the Talyllyn Railway for making this video possible! 💜
Wow!! What a phenomenal opportunity, very cool video. Speaking from personal experience, there’s no better person to bring in as your Awdry expert than Dan! Seeing this video in my feed really made my day, thanks Sam!
Great video, Sam! Such an honor to be able to run the Rev’s models on your layout! I love how much exposer this gives to not just the Talyllyn Railway, but to how well kept the models are.
This is most definitely the most historical locomotive you’ve ever reviewed, Amazing review Sam!
Out of all the people to make a review of a model like this, you were the best person to do it. I can’t believe that you were able to take a close look at that model! Fantastic video!
Ahh thank you so much - yes it was an honour to document this and all its details!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Most intriguing Sam. All new for us to learn about this and even triggering reading the wiki page about Thomas & Friends. Over here, T & F only have become something since the 2000s for children but by that time we both were underway with the start of our careers. So all of the T & F simply completely went passed us, leaving no trace to any nostalgia. However, quite the feat to get this original on your loft, and it did trigger reading the wiki. This model runs surprisingly extremely well indeed. Thank you and Dan for showing 🙂 Cheerio.
Hello again, Sam. It's a true surprise and a treat that you got to review the Reverend Awdry's models, Sam. I in fact got to meet Dan and see the models at the Talyllyn Railway during their Awdry Extravaganza weekend last year. It was quite astounding in my circumstances to actually go there and get a glimpse of the extended fandom Thomas has. The other thing I want to discuss in effect of this is that I actually developed for Thomas's copyright holders Mattel - specifically their CEO, but by extension the company - a 'production manual' I prepared for a serious revamp of the Thomas franchise to honour its legacy in the most respectful form. I put a lot of serious thought and consideration into the package which I emailed off almost a month ago, and clearly there is going to be some time more before I get a sign of something back. However since reception acknowledged my initial botched attempt to send it off, I am hopeful with fingers crossed that something might happen.
Given your courtesy and respect, I wanted to let you know about this. Regards, Samuel Farris.
I gotta say, this is something I didn’t expect to see today. But I am so glad I did! This is awesome to see this piece of history get the Sam’s trains treatment 🤩
Cool how you managed to get your hands on the original model. I've seen the model inspersion at the Awdry exhibition, but this is so nice to see it up-close in detail.
The fact that you were even able to get your hands on this thomas is absolutely insane! Thats probably the biggest flex in the thomas community to even have this model in your house
This is so surreal! Its such a treat to see such an amazing model with a better performance than we expected! You are so lucky to run such an amazing engine!
So glad you liked it! I was very surprised to see how well this ran too!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I did not see this coming but I'm very glad it did happen! Amazing Video, You must be very lucky to run the original Thomas model made by Wilbert Awdry himself on your model layout! 😁
What an honour Sam. I was lucky enough to meet the Rev W Awdry in person when I was about 7 or 8 and attended one of his talks. I still have one of his books that he kindly autographed for me. A lovely and interesting man.
That was a pleasant surprise! What a great video, it's nice to see a proper demonstration of Awdry's own Thomas model running on your huge layout. Really enjoyed it, well done Sam and Dan!
HI Sam, thank you for posting this, our hobby has such a long and fascinating history now and this vlog has been a joy to watch. Back in 1987, Rev Awdry and his brother George published "The Island of Sodor", a definitive guide to Sodor, its people, places and of course the railways. Well worth hunting out a copy. I have treasured mine and read and re-read it many times over the years.
This was such a lovely video. I am so pleased of all people that YOU were the one to be able to do it. It is so disheartening to see on twitter so many only wishing to pull you down for spiteful and jealous reasons.
Well-done Sam on getting this.
Thomas looks an absolute charmer & runs so well after all these years. It says a lot about the manufacturing processes in the past.
He might not be as detailed as todays models, but he more than makes up for it in character.
Would be a good series if you could get hold of the original firsts from Hornby & the like & compare their running characteristics with the modern day equivalents.
Great video topic, more please. 😉👍
As someone who grew up before the TV series with the books, this is genuinely amazing, great bit of nostalgia thanks Sam.
Hats off to the Talyllyn Railway for making this happen. Brilliant stuff.
Videos like these make so unbelievably happy. The fact that people still care so much for these models that connect us all in a way. And I would have never known that Annie & Clarabell mk2 were Exley coaches, or that this model of thomas has an extra set of pickups!
Must have felt surreal to have some of Awdry's models on your layout. I'm surprised this 40 year old model still runs very well.
Did you know that Christopher Awdry stated in an annual that Thomas was rebuilt in 1920 at Crovan's Gate hence the reason behind his iconic design before 1960.
Sam, you've done it again! You've managed to make another review that made me smile from beginning to end! Thank you for providing such a thorough and detailed overview of the Reverend Awdry's beautiful handcrafted work. It's so special to have this video appear on your channel, Sam!
I drove a train on the Tallylyn for my 50th, it was probably one of the best evenings of my life easily.
Ahh wonderful - I've heard such good things about it, must visit one day!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Thomas was and always will be one of my favorite shows. This review was in someways magical. Great video Sam and Dan.
The replacement driving wheels are from Romford's Ltd - and very good. Stewart Reidpath 'standard tanks' still turn up from time to time second hand - I got one recently - and, if you get a good one they're worth having.
Wow... This was a really unexpected video. it's a great privilege to even hold one of the Rev's models, let alone having one run on your layout
"Little engines can do big things"
Oh my goodness. This is like the holy grail for model railroading! What an honor it must have been to be entrusted with such history!
This is a true relic, I stand up as a sign of respect.
Greetings from Mexico
When I visited his layout of Ffarquar, I got to have my austerity pull the coaches. Also got a picture of it next to Thomas
Wow!! That's so cool - they do seem very generous at the Talyllyn don't they?
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
@@SamsTrains indeed
@@SamsTrains I have to admit, Thomas was the better runner
@@Lamp_2155 he's a really useful engine, you know..
Sam is a local meme in our household because I shocked my father by recognising the whistle, he was watching one of your videos, and I said, “are you watching SamsTrains?” And he just started laughing, confused as to how I knew! I’ve watched a fair chunk of your Thomas content, and now seeing this I’m *flabbergasted,* you are an unstoppable force that’s gonna keep me entertained for many days to come! Thanks Sam!
hahaha that's awesome and very funny!! That's so lovely to hear, thank you so much!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Wow that is amazing that you’ve had this opportunity!! Have been watching since I was young and am so glad you’ve gone so far!! Love you Sam! ❤
Congrats on getting this Thomas!
Now this is certainly quite interesting! I bloody love it! I appreciated the in-depth history lesson as well. Thank you both for sharing everybody’s favourite little blue tank engine! It warmed this doctor’s old soul. Brilliant, lovely stuff indeed!
Cheers, lad!
Giovanni Marino, M.D.🇬🇧
Such a warm fuzzy feeling in my heart to see the real Thomas, Annie and Clarabel still running! Really amazing of the Talyllyn to honour you with the privilege of running them
You got to take a look at a piece of amazing history, I'm glad Dan was there and you were able to review Thomas and his coaches as it can be hard to get to the Talyllyn Railway for us international folks (like myself from Australia).
I think the fact that all 6 wheels of Wilbert's Thomas had pickups helped out when it came to the express points as most engines only have one, maybe 2 pairs of pickups when they come out of the factory in my experience.
I'm amazed the Tallylyn Railway (the current owner of most of Awdry's models) let you run one of Awdry;s original Thomas models on your layout!
There are many people who have or want to replicate Awdry's models, so thank you for providing these closeus and 360 views! I hope the folks at the Tallylyn do this for the rest of Wilbert's models that they have.
insane, as someone who is only 15, but vividly remembers watching thomas in late 2009-early 2010, really hits hard and brings back great memories.
good review, sam!
-Landon
This is really cool to see, I can only imagine how much of an honor it was to take a closer look at one of the Reverend's original models let alone running it along your own layout.
I had to double take and make sure I wasn't sent back to April lol
It's official, Sam has just become the GOAT of model railway collectors
He hasn’t surpassed Wilbert Audrey though.
Audrey was the true GOAT of model railways, he took a story he told to his son, and transformed it into the world’s most famous tank engine. What special about Audrey is that Thomas was created from a custom model, that’s how GOAT level Audrey is.
@@nikerailfanningttm9046 in that case then... Sam is the GOAT of MODERN railway modeling (and yes I know that GOAT stands for Greatest Of *All Time* but ssshhhh)
The man really did love his trains. So much that he actually IMPROVED the performance of his bog standard E2.Very impressive.
Hey Sam very nice video showing the Rev W Awdrys original model of Thomas the tank engine and his two coaches I got to see it running at the Awdry extravaganza last year at the Talyllyn Railway as well as his model of my favorite engine Toby and it was so amazing seeing both of them still running just like when the Rev first built them thanks for sharing this 👍❤️🚂
I think this is probably one of the most monumental models on the channel yet! Absolutely amazing!
It is so cool of you to do this and even cooler they let you. Stay safe Sam!
What an honor to have that run on your layout !!!!
its a bit of a downgrade for that poor engine
One of the most interesting videos you’ve done, never thought I’d see you run a awdry model on the layout
Jesus, Sam, what a massive honour to hold the original Thomas model by Rev W. Awdry himself.
Absolutely lovely! I couldnt think kf a better RUclipsr to review these models and show them up close! Thank you Sam for making this video! 😊
This is fascinating! Must be a honor to have the original Thomas on your layout.
Excellent, very interesting. I not only grew up with the original Thomas books, way before the TV programmes, but also our local vicar was a friend of Awdrys and used the Thomas characters to emphasise the lessons during the family services.
I'm sure that many would find it strange that a Yank like myself uses the original Welsh pronunciation (I am a bit of a language nerd). Funnily enough, the voiceless lateral fricative [ɬ] (the in Welsh) is quite common in North American languages, with it being found in Navajo, Chickasaw, and Muskogee for examples.
I can’t believe you got a chance to review these! Amazing work Sam!
You also got with talk with Dan AKA Jinty from the Little Westerner! I knew I recognized that voice!
It seriously sucks that nobody has bothered to make some model trains on the original Thomas locomotives
The closest we get are those mediocre Fecal colored Hornbys E2s, a bunch of Thomas characters in there original paint scheme modeled on there original locomotives would be so insanely good
I wonder if Hornby had access to this model when it came to planning the 1985 commercial one... Good to see "proper" sized Annie and Clarabel too, one of the things that seems to go unsaid when people compare the books and the TV series is the fact that the original coaches were bogie coaches, whereas the TV ones are four-wheelers (and Hornby's models look completely different to those!)
I haven’t been having a great day, but when I saw this pop up that made it 10 times better! How incredible! Thank you so much for making this video!!
Also: Circle is the odd one out!!!
IT'S SO AWESOME!!! I wish they made Awdry's Original Thomas model a real model. Lucky you, Sam!
That’s awesome, I have an interesting story to share, so you know of the Southern Pacific GS-4 locomotive #4449, so I went out to Oregon in January, I met Doyle and Pat, I got to go inside the cab, on top of the tender, I also got a tour of the shop and other locomotives under restoration, I went on a Wednesday when they were closed, they also opened up the gift shop where I got my current favorite jacket and hat
Wonderful to see arguably the most definitive Thomas model still in good order. I was aware of the Talyllyn Railway being the caretakers of the reverend's models and notes, but to be frank I am astonished and delighted at this model's performance. Actually I think think the way the varnish aged makes it look like Thomas has been weathered from goods work.
That was amazing! I did a double take when I saw the title. Great job Sam. I'm thankful I got to see this. Made my day, and yours too I'm sure. Keep it up!
brilliant! you’re very blessed to have been able to make a video with such a unique piece of history
I saw this video come up and just said 'No way.' Happily, I was wrong! So awesome to see such a historical model, a model of the happy little blue tank engine who shaped many of our childhoods, built by the man who came up with the character in the first place! Really great review Sam, glad Thomas got on nicely on your layout 🤩🤩
A very rare chance to see an original Thomas made by the great Rev Awdry.
My childhood would not have been the same without the Thomas books.
Awesome model!! Love your videos, whenever I want to buy a model then I always look at a video of yours related to the model and see if it’s worth it. Thanks for the many reviews of the P2s as I bought one off Wrenn a few days ago. Many thanks Sam!!
Thank you so much - and that's lovely to hear, really glad the videos have been some help!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
love to see one of the original models that THE Rev. W. Awdry owned and customized in action! I hope to visit the UK someday to be able to see it in person when able.
I saw that original model of Thomas the Tank Engine with the original Annie and clarabelle on rev.w.awdry’s layout in his office at the talyllyn railway
Yeah that's where it lives most of the time - it's awesome to see isn't it? :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
@@SamsTrains I agree and I have to admit no one can replicate the very model that the rev.w.awdry did a long time ago
Another brilliant video Sam! Its absolutely amazing to see the model in such HD and detail. Loved the transitions shots from each variant of Thomas because it really shows how much was changed on Awdry's, amazing work, really enjoyed this one! Keep it up!
I feel so bad for Thomas, he’s the sole-surviving E2. And I made a fanstory of him meeting a 2016 replica of the E2, his prodigal sibling.
Sam, congratulations for doing a review on this iconic and special model!
Thank you! It was an honour :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Its honestly quite baffling to me that we live in a world where Awdry’s Thomas model has been able to fully stretch his wheels on a longer line!
Great video sam!
Your so lucky to get THE original model!
I know!! :D
This must be such an incredible honor to have such a piece of history (to railfolk anyhow) in hand.
It's so awesome to see and learn about a piece of history like this, very cool! I really like the Sprat & Winkle coupling seen on the coaches, they're much smaller and it's very clever how the decoupling lever for the magnet is disguised as a chain or a tube.
A true masterpiece as well as one of the greatest legacies left by Rev. W. Awdry himself, not to mention for such important relic, it still can move around! Design-wise, as fun fact, one of the Hunslet 0-6-0 saddle tank has been custom-modified to look almost like this model as well as the actual Hornby Thomas.
Also, the couplers on Annie and Clarabel models look like the same ones for Bachmann's G/large scale Thomas line due to the hooks facing upward.
Brilliant, I have seen the models at Tywyn Wharf station.
Ahh fantastic - must be wonderful to see them in their natural habitat!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)