Never actually in any story or depicted anywhere, but nonetheless products of the Awdry imagination. Above is a possible "coffeepot" sent in by Daniel Snell.
Below, the genuine article found by Jim Gratton in Ernest F. Carter's Unusual Locomotives (1960)
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From Tony Grigg's notes on "The Island of Sodor":
Numbers E1 to E4
These are pantograph Bo-Bo electric locomotives built in 1923 for the
Peel Godred Branch line, which was built to link Peel Godred with the
mainline. Little is known about these locomotives. They are based at Peel
Godred.
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Of these, a correspondent reports: "I have seen some evidence
of E1-E4: if you look at the illustration on page 33 of
book 37 "Henry and the Express" you will see an electrified line
in the background. When you examine a map of Sodor and the storyline,
you can confirm it to be the Peel Godred line. Perhaps Christopher
Awdry was intending to write about the line and its locos in a
future book?"
Martin adds:
Built in 1917 for North Eastern Railway coal haulage, this is
one of the very earliest electric locomotives and just right for
the 1923 time frame, besides being built for a specific bulk freight
purpose just as E1-E4. Despite the Rev W Awdry's aversion to spineless
electric traction, these Edwardian-styled Bo-Bo locos certainly
have a lot of character. However in Sodor Reading Between the
Lines, Christopher Awdry states the line is run by Class 86 locomotives. |
W&S Railway Tank Engines
These 3 locomotives date from the 1870's and were built for the construction
of the Wellsworth and Suddery Railway. This line amalgamated in 1912 with the
Tidmouth Knapford and Elsbridge Railway.
E&K Railway "Coffee Pots"
These four locomotives were designed by Sir Topham Hatt for the extension of
the Elsbridge and Knapford Railway to Tidmouth in 1908. When the line was extended
it was also converted from horse to steam traction. They are vertical boiler
0-4-0 locomotives and quickly gained the nickname of "Coffee Pots" |
