Sodor: Reading Between the Lines

Railway Series #41.5

by Christopher Awdry

After his imposed sabbatical from writing The Railway Series, Christopher Awdry entered a career in self-publication through his new company, Sodor Enterprises. In 2005, at a point when his contributions to the Railway Series were almost completely out of print during the 60th Anniversary of The Three Railway Engines, he wrote Sodor: Reading Between The Lines, which acts as a complimentary follow-up to The Island Of Sodor. As well as providing an overview of all 40 books (with the exception of The Twin Engines – a printing error), the book answers frequently asked questions and provides more recent exposition on the characters both human and machine.

​Overview & Summary (Written by R Healy of sodor-island.com)

Sodor: Reading Between The Lines follows a similar line to The Island Of Sodor. Christopher Awdry proceeds to bring us back up to date with events that have taken place on the Island of Sodor, how his stories contributed to the development of the Island the continuing timeline for the universe.

Similar to The Island Of Sodor, we are given a fuller stocklist for the railways of Sodor in the first major chapter, The Island and its Railways, with some omissions that his father and uncle put in the preceding book. Christopher does not go into the same level of detail that his father did about the Island’s industry, geography and history, although does touch upon it lightly within the character profiles he gives.

Characters In The Stories gives more relevant and interesting read, allowing fans of the books to find out how the lives of the people featured in the books have changed or developed throughout the course of the stories, and what has happened to them whilst the focus has been pulled away from the Railway Series.

Christopher goes on to answer questions he’s dealt most regularly when meeting members of the public in ‘Your Frequently Asked Questions Answered’. Christopher gives insight into why (at the time) the Railway Series could not be obtained in its entirety, his father’s other character – Belinda The Beetle, and why the Rev. Awdry put faces on the engines in his stories.

The real life inspirations behind the stories are discussed in The Stories, their Origins and Location section. This was one area that the Rev. Awdry did not delve into throughout The Island Of Sodor, and provides a definitive ‘Who, Why, What, Where and When’ for the entire Railway Series library, shedding light on where each story originated from and why. One glaring omission from the book was Book 15 – The Twin Engines which was missed entirely.

Finally, in Thomas – A Crown Worth Fighting For, Christopher addresses personal issues with the Thomas The Tank Engine & Friends TV series, and the way the Railway Series is treated by the current publishers, Egmont Books, who seem to shunt it to the sidings.

74 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Leo H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting behind the scenes look at the Railway Series, including some of the vast amounts of background material dreamt up by the Wilbert and Christopher Awdry. Gutted that he missed one book out in his breakdowns, as the book omitted (The Twin Engines) is one of my favourites, but otherwise great. Grab a copy if you're interested in the history of Thomas the Tank Engine, as they're becoming harder and harder to find.

[Rob Whaley · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's unfortunate that the people at Edgemont Publishing, HIT Entertainment, and Mattel Television continue to either ignore the popularity of the railway series, or continue in it's bastardization by heartlessly and needlessly rebooting it. The charm and heart that was at the center of the series is almost completely gone, and Rev. Awdry would be angry at what has happened to his creation. One of the main examples being this book no longer being in print (I managed to get a copy off of Ebay). Christopher Awdry, in the book, makes no bones about calling out the companies who have ruined his father's literary creations, and it has only gotten worse since it was published in 2005.

Before I go any further, a little about the book itself: it's a short, yet informative book that gives brief background information about the series and the inspirations behind Christopher and his father's characters. If you ever wanted to learn more about the series itself, this is a good book to pick up (assuming you can find a copy).

It's been 86 years since the first volume of The Railway Series was published, and the original stories are still beloved by people all over the world. Edgemont Publishing and HIT Entertainment should remember this, and focus on bringing back the original nature of the series, and by republishing all the books (including this one, the reference book by Rev. Awdry, and the Thomas The Tank Engine Man biography). There's a whole generation of kids waiting to enjoy these stories in their original forms, if the corporations would just open their eyes. As Christopher himself said in the book, "Thomas, we feel, has a crown and it is worth fighting for." Amen, Mr. Awdry!

[Dan Sendker · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Christmas impulse purchase when I found an author-signed copy on ebay. This is a really rare book that I never thought I'd have the opportunity to read. It was too short and slightly redundant, but gave an incredibly detailed history of one of my earliest favorite book series.

[Janna]

This is not a review but a request. Where does somebody find this book? The only thing I can find are first editions for $900. Is this book available to read somewhere? Anybody have a digital version they are willing to lend me?