Twenty years ago today, the world of Thomas The Tank Engine suffered a true loss. The Reverend Wilbert Awardy, author of the Railway Series books that inspired the television series, died at the age of 85, on March 21, 1997. As a boy, Awardy was fascinated by trains, and when his family moved in 1917 to Box, Wiltshire, the inspiration for what would become the Railway Series came to him. His home was not far from a hill that the Great Western Railway tackeled, and a small engine was kept nearby to help freight trains climb the hill. Laying at bed at night, Awardy mentioned in interviews how to him it was easy to imagine the engines having a conversation. This would serve as the basis for his idea for the story "Edward and Gordon".

In 1943, during World War II, his young son Christopher was confined to bed with the measles, and to entertain him, Awardy drew on his childhood experiences, making up the stories of Edward, Gordon, and Henry. He told them over and over again to Christopher, eventually writing them down on loose scraps of paper. In 1945, these scraps were turned over to a publishing company per the intentions of Awardy's wife Margaret, and the company agreed to publish the stories on the condition that the Rev. write a fourth story getting Henry out of the tunnel and giving him a happy ending. The stories were published as The Three Railway Engines, with Thomas himself debutting the following year in 1946, per stories requested by Christopher after a wooden model 0-6-0 tank engine was crafted for him.

The Rev. published 26 stories, based upon real railway events that occurred during his life time, stopping with Tramway Engines in 1972. His son Christopher continued the tradition beginning in 1983, and a year later Britt Allcroft's clay faced model/stop motion animated television show debuted in the U.K., the stories narrated by Ringo Starr. A second season followed in 1986, and with the show proving to be a huge success, Britt began to bring the show to other countries, ultimately bringing Thomas to the U.S. in 1989. Per U.S. television regulations, Britt created Shining Time Station to fill the required half hour time slot (the Thomas episodes themselves were only about eight to nine minutes long), and that same year saw Awardy's wife Margaret pass away.

The show itself continued into the 1990's, even as Awardy's health declined. Awardy was a dedicated railway enthuiast and dedicated himself to the preservation of railways, such as the Talylln Railway (where he served as a guard) which served as inspiration for the little engines Skaroley, Rhneas, Peter Sam, and Sir Handel, among others. And Awardy himself did occasionally voice his disapproval with the show, most noticeably the Season 3 episode "Henry's Forest" (he felt there was no way a railway would run so close to trees or directly through a forest like that) and the Season 4 episode "Rusty to the Rescue" (he felt it undercut the contributions of the real life Bluebell Railway).

In his memory, the character of Wilbert The Forest Engine was added to The Railway Series. Without Awardy's dedication and interest in railways (and steam locomotives) there would not be a show as we know it today. To honor his memory and to celebrate his legacy. I dedicate this song to him: