The blue plaque will be unveiled at the home of Thomas the Tank Engine creator | legacy

Eighty years after the first much-loved train fleet was introduced to the world, a patriotic blue plaque has been unveiled at the red-brick house in Gloucestershire where the Reverend W Awdry worked on his railway stories.

The addition of a new Historic England plaque to Wilbert Odry’s old address in Stroud is expected to prompt fans of Thomas the Tank Engine and his fellow locomotives to make a pilgrimage to the street to pay their respects.

Audrey’s daughter, Veronica Chambers, said the family was delighted: “It’s a huge privilege and honour. The father would have been very surprised.”

The unveiling ceremony at Audrey’s former home, named Sodor after the fictional island inhabited by its anthropomorphic engines, forms part of this year’s Railway 200 celebrations.

Awdry was working as a curator at King’s Norton, Birmingham, when the first book in the series, The Three Railway Engines, was published in 1945. After his retirement in 1965, Awdry and his family moved to Stroud, where he continued to develop the world of Sodor.

Audrey’s requirements for the house include a room for his study and another to host a model railroad, Chambers said.

“He felt that what he was doing with his stories was as much a connection with people as he was a parish priest,” Chambers said. “A lot of people used to write to him for advice, like his distressed aunt. He was non-judgmental and understanding of the children.”

Since his death in 1997 at the age of 85, the Thomas phenomenon has continued to grow around the world, aided by television adaptations.

A stained glass window showing the tank engine has been installed in the Church of St Mary Magdalene in Stroud and enthusiasts are often found there.

Chambers said Audrey would have been surprised by the idea of ​​fans visiting Gloucestershire. “I don’t think he could quite understand why Thomas and his friends are so popular. I think it’s because kids are pretty much the same anywhere in the world and they seem to relate to different personalities – Thomas is cheeky, Percy misunderstands things, and Gordon is big and bossy.”

Stroud District Councilor Nigel Prenter said one of his grandchildren had all the books in the series and slept with one under his pillow every night. “Just this week, my wife, Joan, showed three Japanese visitors the stained glass window they had come especially to see,” he said.

Duncan Wilson, chief executive of Historic England, said: “It is a great honor to celebrate Audrey and the happiness he brought to so many children. “The early books, which later became the Railway Series, laid the foundation for a global phenomenon based on the magic of the steam train,” he said.

Heritage Minister Fiona Twycross said: “Our railways are a vital part of our national heritage and Rev Audrey’s books are an excellent example of how to spark creativity and imagination.”