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Thomas F. James (b. Washington, DC, 1994) is a curator based in Baltimore, MD. The focal aspect of his work is to communicate ideas through exhibitions focusing on storytelling.
3,694 Followers, 2,763 Following, 213 Posts - Thomas F. James (@thomasjames.dc) on Instagram: "Cultural worker, curator, arts facilitator, constant learner… Baltimore/DMV Executive Director @thelastresortartistretreat"
James F Thomas was born in October 1855, in Pennsylvania, United States as the son of Frank Thomas and Susan Shuler. He married Mary Ann Peck on 4 October 1889, in Landisburg, Perry, Pennsylvania, United States. They were the parents of at least 3 sons and 8 daughters.
- Male
- Mary Ann Peck
Thomas F. James is a Washington, DC–born, Prince George’s County, Maryland–raised curator currently based in Baltimore. The focal aspect of his work is to communicate ideas through exhibitions focusing on storytelling.
- Background Information
- Behind the Scenes
- Voice Actors
- References
James is a fictional standard gauge tender locomotive created by the Rev. W. Awdry. He is the No. 5 engine on the North Western Railway.
James first appeared in the first series episode Thomas and Gordon, which first aired in 1984. His last appearance was in the twenty-fourth series episode Thomas' Animal Friends, which was released in 2021.
Gauge 1 models
James' original model was custom built with a plastic body shell. It was coloured with automotive paint and lined with black and gold automotive pinstripe tape, while the numbers were custom cut vinyl stickers. James' main chassis and tender wheels were taken from a gauge 1 locomotive made by Märklin, the BR 55 and the front pony truck from a bogie of the BR 78. The front buffer beam came from the BR 78 and the rear buffer beam came from the BR 55. The handrail stanchions were also sourced from Märklin locomotives. Like its Märklin predecessor, James' plastic model was originally AC powered. During a refurbishment, his AC motor was replaced by a DC motor to allow for easier running and maintenance. Sometime during production of the third series, James' funnel was severely damaged and was haphazardly repaired with black-tac. This can be visible in the episodes, Buzz, Buzz, Escape, Oliver Owns Up and Percy, James and the Fruitful Day. This was rectified after the production of the said series when the damaged funnel made out of plastic was replaced with a new one made out of brass. During the filming of Thomas and the Magic Railroad, James' model fell off the Smelter's Yard set, resulting in major damage to the model's cab roof. While most of the damage was quickly repaired before filming resumed, several cracks were still visible on the model. Shortly after production of Series 6 started, the damaged cab roof on James' plastic model was replaced with a new one made out of brass. During production of the tenth series, two new models of James were built. This was due to the original model being 22 years old at this point, and a tight filming schedule meant that there was very little time for emergency repairs. The new models were made of brass and equipped with a CNC machined aluminium chassis powered by a DC motor. From this point onwards the plastic model would only appear in scenes that would damage the brass models, until it was retired completely after the episode, James the Second Best. When James was repainted yellow and black in the tenth series episode The Green Controller, his original plastic model was used to not ruin a freshly painted brass model, but the original plastic tender was not repainted and was instead paired with a brass front half. This can just about be seen in episodes of the tenth series and some behind the scenes photos confirm that the bee-style painted tender was a brass one. After production of said episode ended, the plastic model was repainted back to its original livery. The eye mechanism had two servos, one for up and down movement and one for left and right movement. The up/down servo was attached to the body. The left/right servo had a rod attached to the arm, which connected to a bracket. The eyeballs were coupled to the bracket and locked in by the faceplate, so whenever the servos were powered, the eyeballs would move however the crew member desired. In the tenth series episode, Percy and the Funfair, it showed that James' tender no longer carried the wires that help connect them to the body shell.
Gauge 3 model
A gauge 3 model of James was built in the tenth series to be used alongside the large-scale models of Skarloey Railway engines, which had been used since the fifth series for ease of filming and reliability. This model specifically was made so James did not appear out of scale with the large scale models, as they were nearly the same size of regular Gauge 1 models. The model was made from brass. The wheels and chassis were custom machined (CNC). The model was track powered, so pickup contacts were attached to the metal wheels, which ran into the motor to power it. The electricity ran from the track to the wheels/pickup contacts and went into the motor to power him. The model was also fitted with a smoke unit. The eye mechanism had two servos, one for up and down movement and one for left and right movement. The up/down servo was attached to the body. The left/right servo had a rod attached to the arm, which connected to a bracket. The eyeballs were coupled to the bracket and locked in by the faceplate, so whenever the servos were powered, the eyeballs would move however the crew member desired. Six different facial expressions were created for the model and used on-screen. The faces were first sculpted in clay and from that resin casts were made of a silicone mould. The gauge 3 model was used in the tenth and eleventh series, as well as The Great Discovery.
Close-up model
A close-up model of James was built to be used for scenes where he had to interact with the close-up scale figures. It was also used for close-up whistle shots; smoke would emit from the whistle when required. Many close-up models were not complete models, James' original close-up model was built with only the cab and tender. James' original close-up model also had an interchangeable cab that was shared with Edward. The cab is now owned by Twitter user TomsProps. In the second series episode, Old Iron, the cab side boards of Edward are misused and can be seen in a rare promo photo. This is not present in the final episode. In the same episode, James' close-up model lacked a front buffer beam at the time, so Thomas' close-up model was used to represent James, but the lamp was removed to make the identity less obvious. In the third series episode, Buzz, Buzz, the cab roof seems to have been misplaced as a sheet of white card was used instead of the bent sheet metal roof as seen in the ruler photo of the large scale cab. They likely made one with what they had nearby so filming would not have to be delayed trying to find the original. Around the tenth series, James received a new close-up model. It now had a front buffer beam, boiler, funnel, and smokebox, making James a practically complete model, minus the wheels, and a visible face.
•Michael Angelis (Thomas and the Magic Railroad; original workprints only)
•Susan Roman (Thomas and the Magic Railroad)
•Stephen Donald (UK; Railway Adventures only)
•Keith Wickham (UK; Hero of the Rails - twentieth series, excluding Tit for Tat)
•Kerry Shale (US; Hero of the Rails - eighteenth series)
•Rob Rackstraw (US; The Adventure Begins - twenty-fourth series, - UK; Tit for Tat - twenty-fourth series, excluding remainder of twentieth series)
1.Dave Axford's interview on SiF
2.Plastic or Brass? on ThomasTankMerch's blogspot
3."ThomasTankMerch on Twitter"
4.Help us preserve James the Red Engine! on Indiegogo
5.An Unfortunate Situation on ThomasTankMerch's blogspot
6.'ThomasTankMerch on Twitter'
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Apr 19, 2020 · thomas james is a visual arts curator and content creator based in Maryland. An appreciator and collector of fine arts, Thomas James highlights working artists and facilitates spaces for creatives to refine and develop their craft.
