Ffarquhar
Encyclopedia
Ffarquhar is a fictional town or village on the equally fictional Island of Sodor
in the Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends
children's TV series and in Reverend W. Awdry's The Railway Series
books on which the TV series was based.
The station at Ffarquhar has one platform and a single passenger track. It is the terminus of the branch line from Knapford and also has a small locomotive
facility to stable the branch's engines. Behind the engine sheds, a goods-only line (the Quarry Tramway) winds five miles inland, connecting the station to the nearby stone quarry
at Anopha. This line was originally used by small locomotives, but after an incident involving an overzealous policeman, it is now exclusively used by Toby
and Mavis, who are both fitted with cowcatchers and sideplates in accordance with the bylaws of the Tramways Act. One exception to this rule was when Percy
brought a stone train down from Anopha, which ended in disaster when he lost control of his trucks.
The line to the quarry originally curved sharply out of the station yard behind what at the time was a single engine shed provided for Thomas. This however was so steep that the smaller engines on the stone trains often ran out of control — hence why Thomas with his better brakes often took the trucks on to Anopha and thus met the aggressive policeman. When Ffarquhar yard was later expanded and space was needed for staff cottages the opportunity was taken to abandon the original alignment and divert the tramway further east, looping round with easier gradients to join the original route.
The passenger line, officially The Ffarquhar Branch but usually known as Thomas' branch line runs from Knapford then through Elsbridge and terminates at Ffarquhar. In the books, some trains are seen to commence at Tidmouth ("The Big Station"). From Knapford Junction the line runs into the country first through reclaimed marshland. Near the line are fields, and further east towards the River Els are fenlands. From the main intermediate station of Elsbridge the line crosses the river on a fine single-arch viaduct before climbing a side-valley into hillier country, finally burrowing through a long tunnel and running through evergreen plantations to Ffarquhar, located in a crook of the surrounding hills.
Thomas
shares the line with Percy
, Toby
, Daisy and occasionally Mavis, the diesel engine of the Ffarquhar Quarry Company (FQC). Bertie the Bus
lives nearby sees Thomas nearly every day - Terence the Tractor
works just down the line at the hamlet of Hackenbeck.
The station includes a goods shed, cattle dock, a milk dock, coal staithes and an oil depot. There is also a two-road carriage shed, wharves for the stone traffic and a modest maintenance facility behind the engine sheds.
According to the "research" by the books' author Rev. W. Awdry into the history of Sodor, the Ffarquhar line originated as The Tidmouth, Knapford & Elsbridge Railway or Tram
way. The North Western Railway
(NWR) extended the line to Ffarquhar around 1925 but only due to the discovery and quarrying of the fine stone on Anopha Fell. Mr. Jabez Croarie, owner of the FQC, needed a rail connection for his stone, and in return for the branch extension helped fund the costs of the long Hackenbeck Tunnel and the expensive viaduct at Elsbridge, as well as supplying stone for their construction. Eager for a fine structure such as the viaduct to serve as a showcase for his stones' fine qualities Mr Croarie agreed to these terms.
Since then, both the branch and the quarry have prospered. This mutual benefit presumably strengthened the bonds between the FQC and NWR as did the marriage of Mr. Croarie's daughter to Charles Topham Hatt, the second Fat Controller.
Plans soon developed to extend the line further to Ulfstead, a slightly larger town a few miles to the east. Lack of traffic to ofset the cost of construction and an already-existent bus service to Ulfstead led to the abandonment of the plans however. This was the second time a railway to Ulfstead was proposed but never built, the first being a planned branch of the Mid-Sodor-Railway scuppered by lack of funds.
Ffarquhar was introduced in Season 1 of the TV series but does not appear much in newer series. In Season 5, Thomas pronounces the name of the station as "F'farkwah", incorrectly pronouncing the double-F.
Ffarquhar was also the name of a popular model railway built by the Rev. W. Awdry based upon Thomas' branch line. The layout is preserved at the Talyllyn Railway
. On the model the station's name only had one "F", possibly to reflect British Railway's habit of Anglicizing Welsh place-names on station signs.
Sodor (fictional island)
Sodor is a fictional island in the Irish Sea used as the setting for The Railway Series books by the Rev. W. Awdry, and later used in the Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends television series.-Inspiration and creation:...
in the Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends
Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends
Thomas and Friends is a British children's television series, first broadcast on the ITV network in September 1984. Until 2003, it was named Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends. This series was shot on 35mm film...
children's TV series and in Reverend W. Awdry's The Railway Series
The Railway Series
The Railway Series is a set of story books about a railway system located on the fictional Island of Sodor. There are 42 books in the series, the first being published in 1945. Twenty-six were written by the Rev. W. Awdry, up to 1972. A further 16 were written by his son, Christopher Awdry; 14...
books on which the TV series was based.
The station at Ffarquhar has one platform and a single passenger track. It is the terminus of the branch line from Knapford and also has a small locomotive
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
facility to stable the branch's engines. Behind the engine sheds, a goods-only line (the Quarry Tramway) winds five miles inland, connecting the station to the nearby stone quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
at Anopha. This line was originally used by small locomotives, but after an incident involving an overzealous policeman, it is now exclusively used by Toby
Toby the Tram Engine
Toby the Tram Engine is a fictional anthropomorphic tram engine in The Railway Series by the Rev. W. Awdry and his son, Christopher; he also appears in the spin-off television series Thomas and Friends...
and Mavis, who are both fitted with cowcatchers and sideplates in accordance with the bylaws of the Tramways Act. One exception to this rule was when Percy
Percy the Small Engine
Percy the Small Engine is a fictional anthropomorphic steam engine from The Railway Series of children's books written by the Reverend Wilbert Vere Awdry and his son, Christopher Awdry...
brought a stone train down from Anopha, which ended in disaster when he lost control of his trucks.
The line to the quarry originally curved sharply out of the station yard behind what at the time was a single engine shed provided for Thomas. This however was so steep that the smaller engines on the stone trains often ran out of control — hence why Thomas with his better brakes often took the trucks on to Anopha and thus met the aggressive policeman. When Ffarquhar yard was later expanded and space was needed for staff cottages the opportunity was taken to abandon the original alignment and divert the tramway further east, looping round with easier gradients to join the original route.
The passenger line, officially The Ffarquhar Branch but usually known as Thomas' branch line runs from Knapford then through Elsbridge and terminates at Ffarquhar. In the books, some trains are seen to commence at Tidmouth ("The Big Station"). From Knapford Junction the line runs into the country first through reclaimed marshland. Near the line are fields, and further east towards the River Els are fenlands. From the main intermediate station of Elsbridge the line crosses the river on a fine single-arch viaduct before climbing a side-valley into hillier country, finally burrowing through a long tunnel and running through evergreen plantations to Ffarquhar, located in a crook of the surrounding hills.
Thomas
Thomas the Tank Engine
Thomas the Tank Engine is a fictional steam locomotive in The Railway Series books by the Reverend Wilbert Awdry and his son, Christopher. He became the most popular character in the series, and the accompanying television spin-off series, Thomas and Friends.Thomas is a tank engine, painted blue...
shares the line with Percy
Percy the Small Engine
Percy the Small Engine is a fictional anthropomorphic steam engine from The Railway Series of children's books written by the Reverend Wilbert Vere Awdry and his son, Christopher Awdry...
, Toby
Toby the Tram Engine
Toby the Tram Engine is a fictional anthropomorphic tram engine in The Railway Series by the Rev. W. Awdry and his son, Christopher; he also appears in the spin-off television series Thomas and Friends...
, Daisy and occasionally Mavis, the diesel engine of the Ffarquhar Quarry Company (FQC). Bertie the Bus
Bertie the Bus
Bertie the Bus is a small red bus character from The Railway Series books by the Rev. W Awdry and who also appears in the spin-off children's television series Thomas and Friends.-Book character:...
lives nearby sees Thomas nearly every day - Terence the Tractor
Terence the Tractor
Terence the Tractor is a fictional anthropomorphic crawler tractor from The Railway Series of children's books by the Rev. W. Awdry, and the spin-off TV series Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends....
works just down the line at the hamlet of Hackenbeck.
The station includes a goods shed, cattle dock, a milk dock, coal staithes and an oil depot. There is also a two-road carriage shed, wharves for the stone traffic and a modest maintenance facility behind the engine sheds.
According to the "research" by the books' author Rev. W. Awdry into the history of Sodor, the Ffarquhar line originated as The Tidmouth, Knapford & Elsbridge Railway or Tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
way. The North Western Railway
North Western Railway (fictional)
The North Western Railway is the main railway company featured in The Railway Series of children's books by the Rev. W. Awdry. Although the company's name has never been specifically stated in the books, it was mentioned as such in tie-in books such as The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and...
(NWR) extended the line to Ffarquhar around 1925 but only due to the discovery and quarrying of the fine stone on Anopha Fell. Mr. Jabez Croarie, owner of the FQC, needed a rail connection for his stone, and in return for the branch extension helped fund the costs of the long Hackenbeck Tunnel and the expensive viaduct at Elsbridge, as well as supplying stone for their construction. Eager for a fine structure such as the viaduct to serve as a showcase for his stones' fine qualities Mr Croarie agreed to these terms.
Since then, both the branch and the quarry have prospered. This mutual benefit presumably strengthened the bonds between the FQC and NWR as did the marriage of Mr. Croarie's daughter to Charles Topham Hatt, the second Fat Controller.
Plans soon developed to extend the line further to Ulfstead, a slightly larger town a few miles to the east. Lack of traffic to ofset the cost of construction and an already-existent bus service to Ulfstead led to the abandonment of the plans however. This was the second time a railway to Ulfstead was proposed but never built, the first being a planned branch of the Mid-Sodor-Railway scuppered by lack of funds.
Ffarquhar was introduced in Season 1 of the TV series but does not appear much in newer series. In Season 5, Thomas pronounces the name of the station as "F'farkwah", incorrectly pronouncing the double-F.
Origins
The double F of name Ffarquhar reflects early Scottish spelling practices (when "ff" was used in place of capital "F", and "quh" for "wh"). In the Thomas the Tank Engine context, the name actually pre-dates Sodor, and was originally applied by the Rev. W. Awdry and his brother George to a model railway, where it was understood to be an abbreviation for "far away quarry". It is appropriate that this name should find its way to its Sodor location, as the quarry is located at the far end of Thomas's branch line.Ffarquhar was also the name of a popular model railway built by the Rev. W. Awdry based upon Thomas' branch line. The layout is preserved at the Talyllyn Railway
Talyllyn Railway
The Talyllyn Railway is a narrow-gauge preserved railway in Wales running for from Tywyn on the Mid-Wales coast to Nant Gwernol near the village of Abergynolwyn. The line was opened in 1866 to carry slate from the quarries at Bryn Eglwys to Tywyn, and was the first narrow gauge railway in Britain...
. On the model the station's name only had one "F", possibly to reflect British Railway's habit of Anglicizing Welsh place-names on station signs.