When Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends first premiered on British television in 1984, it brought the characters from Reverend Wilbert Awdry’s Railway Series books to life. The show quickly captivated young audiences through a combination of stop-motion-style model animation, warm-hearted storytelling, and faithful recreation of the world of Sodor. In turn, toy manufacturers moved quickly to turn its popularity into lines of collectible toys.
As Thomas the Tank Engine celebrates his 80th anniversary, it’s a perfect time to revisit one of the earliest and most beloved toy lines inspired by Awdry’s fictional world: the 1:64 scale die-cast toy line produced by The ERTL Company.
Cast of Characters
ERTL launched its Thomas range in 1984 with a single item: Thomas himself. The model featured a painted metal body and plastic wheels. Thomas came with a decal sheet of stickers that mirrored his now iconic expressions found in Awdry’s books.
While the sticker sets were a signature element of ERTL’s early design approach, they were prone to falling off and were eventually replaced by three-dimensional plastic faces.
In 1986, ERTL introduced two additional characters, Henry and James. These models maintained the same general construction as Thomas but varied in colour, shape, and size. Facial expressions were again represented via a set of printed decal stickers.
1987 saw the introduction of Percy, Thomas’ best friend and one of the most iconic characters in the series. Like previous releases, ERTL attempted to faithfully recreate Percy’s colour, size, and detailing from the show
In 1988, ERTL significantly broadened the line to include more characters from the world of Sodor: Annie and Clarabel, Bertie the Bus, and Toby the Tram Engine.
Toby stood out due to his square body, side plates, and cowcatchers, separating him from the other cylindrical engines. Not to be outdone, Annie and Clarabel were the first passenger carriages introduced in the range, complete with curved roofs and clever illustrations of occupants. Bertie the Bus represented the first road vehicle in Ertl’s lineup and was a precursor to the company’s eventual push towards cross-surface play in the line.
ERTL’s 1989 release of Edward and Gordon represented a continuation and milestone for the series. Their inclusion represented two additional original characters from Awdry’s Railway Series and rounded out the core cast that appeared in the television show.
Edward and Gordon also infused the line with some “big engine energy,” as their size on the show forced ETRL to make some manufacturing changes to compensate.
Packaging
Part of the appeal of ERTL’s early die-cast line was the company’s creative use of packaging. The original models were sold on blister cards, which combined colourful backgrounds with character-specific artwork.
Collector Considerations
ERTL’s combination of metal construction and bright paintwork made their original 1:64 scale die-cast line favourites among children and, over time, sought-after pieces among collectors.
The company’s modest production runs and the penchant for the stickers to fall off over time have made some toys harder to find, especially those on original blister cards.
Todd Coopee is Editor-in-Chief of Toy Tales, an online publication that covers toys and games past and present.
