Why Thomas the Tank Engine is 'number 1'

Why was Thomas the Tank Engine "number 1"?

Veronica Chambers - the daughter of Rev W Awdry, who created Thomas the Tank Engine 70 years ago - sheds light on Thomas and his friends.

The series was created when Rev Awdry's two-year-old son Christopher was ill with measles and bored. So to keep him entertained, the curate made up rhymes about trains, drew the engines and then painted faces on them.

Rev Awdry made Christopher a model engine and, while Gordon was the boy’s favourite, he was too difficult to model with bits wood and a broomstick handle. So, for its alliterative qualities, he became Thomas the Tank Engine.

“Thomas got the number 1 for the simple reason that was the easiest number to paint,” said Ms Chambers.