Pith Helmet

Cleaning out my father’s closet, I found a Bachmann HO gauge Union Pacific starter train set that he had, no doubt, intended to give my son. While it is possible that he was waiting until the boy was older to give it to him, I was so overwhelmed by the gift my dad bought and never got the chance to give that I went ahead and gave it to him and told him who it was from.

My son was so elated that he had a new “controller train,” he was dancing around, giggling giddily.

To commemorate this event, this week’s Topographic Tuesday will be a few
maps of the Island of Sodor, the fictional island on which the Rev. W. Awdry’s Railway Series takes place.

My son was first introduced to and become hooked on Thomas The Tank Engine at the local Books-A-Million. Thanks to Books-A-Million’s in-store Thomas the Tank Engine play area, I, and thousands of parents like me, have spent thousands of dollars on Thomas toys, clothes, VHS tapes, DVDs, etc.

The first map of Awdry’s world was drawn in 1949, when Thomas’ branch-line from Knapford to Ffarquhar was drawn, along with the connecting line to Tidmouth.

However, the advent of Google Earth gave us this fan-created (Jim Gratton) Google Earth map of the Island.

But, the one from HIT Entertainment is the most easily recognized of the lot.

BTW, all of these images came from The Real Lives of Thomas The Tank Engine: A Railway Series Reader.