Norvic Philatelics - GB New
Stamps and Special Postmarks
Thomas The Tank Engine: Rev
Wilbert Awdry - 14 June 2011
This
issue
marks the
centenary of the birth of the Reverend Wilbert Awdry creator of Thomas
the Tank Engine. The six stamps show Thomas and some of his friends
from the TV series.
Reverend Awdry’s
passion for railways had been instilled in him by his clergyman father,
Vere, and when Wilbert himself had a family, he shared his railway
enthusiasm with his own son, Christopher. It was while two-year-old
Christopher was suffering with measles that Wilbert tried to enliven
his son’s bed-bound quarantine by telling stories and drawing
pictures about a group of little engines.
He wrote down the stories and in May 1945 ‘The Three Railway
Engines’ was published. Between 1945 and 1972, Reverend Awdry
wrote 26 volumes in ‘The Railway Series’.
 
 
 
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Stamp
designs:
1st
Class – ‘Thomas’
66p - James
68p - Percy
76p - Daisy
£1.00 - Toby
£1.10 - Gordon.
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The Miniature Sheet
.... features original illustrations from the Thomas the Tank
Engine
books.
1st Class –
‘Thomas and Bertie the Bus’
In this original illustration from the story ‘Thomas and
Bertie’ (from Tank Engine Thomas Again), Thomas challenges
Bertie the bus to a race. Here he is speeding past Bertie at a
level
crossing in this original illustration by C Reginald Dalby.
66p –
‘James’
James ends up covered in tar when he crashes into the yard after
failing to pin down his brakes at the top of a hill, fortunately
it’s only his pride that is hurt. Original illustration by C
Reginald Dalby from the story ‘Dirty Objects in Toby the Tram
Engine’.
76p –
‘Percy’
Percy ends up in the sea when he ignores a sign in ‘Percy
Takes the Plunge’ (from The Eight
Famous Engines). Original illustration by John T Kenny.
£1.00
– ‘Henry’
In the ‘Sad Story of Henry’ (from The Three Railway
Engines), Henry ends up being walled up in a tunnel as
punishment for
not wanting to get his paint wet. Illustration by C Reginald
Dalby.
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Stamp by stamp
1st
Class – ‘Thomas’
‘Thomas the Tank Engine’ is a 0-6-0 tank
locomotive, based on the LB&SCR E2 Class. He is painted blue
with red lining and is number 1 in the North Western Railway (NWR)
fleet. Thomas was given his own branch line, which he operates with his
two coaches, Annie and Clarabel. He was built in 1913 and arrived on
Sodor in 1915.
66p
– 'James'
'James the Red Engine' is a mixed-traffic engine, which means he is
just as capable of pulling coaches as trucks. He has a 2-6-0 ("Mogul")
wheel arrangement and is engine number 5 on the North Western Railway,
the Fat Controller's railway on the Island of Sodor. James
first appeared in the Railway Series in 1946, in the book Thomas the
Tank Engine. Two books in the series, no. 3 James the Red Engine and
no. 28 James and the Diesel Engines are dedicated to James.
68p
- ‘Percy’
‘Percy the Small Engine’ is a saddle tank engine of
indeterminate origins. He is painted green with red stripes and is
number 6 in the NWR fleet. He is a cheeky little engine with a strong
sense of adventure, who doesn’t let anyone push him around,
which sometimes gets him into trouble. He arrived on Sodor on 1949
during a railway strike.
76p
– ‘Daisy’
‘Daisy’ is a unique diesel railcar, painted green
with yellow lining (similar to the livery of British Railways DMUs in
the 1960s), and was built specially for use on the Ffarquhar branch of
the NWR. Her number is D1 whereas she originally carried the number
52627. She was built in 1956 and arrived on Sodor in 1961. She first
appeared in the book Branch Line Engines.
£1.00
– ‘Toby’
‘Toby the Tram Engine’ is a 0-6-0 steam tram engine
who works on the same branch line as Thomas. He is painted brown and
blue and is number 7 in the NWR fleet. He is a wise, experienced engine
who knows all there is to know about running a branch line. He was
built in 1903 and arrived on Sodor in 1951.
£1.10
– ‘Gordon’
‘Gordon the Big Engine’ is a
‘Pacific’ (4-6-2) tender engine. He is painted blue
with red stripes and is number 4 in the NWR fleet. He is the biggest
engine on the railway, and pulls the Express. He is also very boastful
and proud, but good at heart. He was built and arrived on Sodor in 1922.
Technical details:
The
conventionally
gummed
stamps
and miniature sheet
are
designed by Elmwood. The stamps are printed in lithography by
Cartor
Security Printing. The stamp size
is 60 x 21mm in sheets of 24/48 with all over phosphor, perf 14.5 x
14.5.
The miniature sheet
is printed by Cartor Security Printing,
Meaucé, France in lithography. The size of the sheet is 115
x 89mm, with stamps 41 x 30 mm.
The retail booklet
(now
showing image of actual booklet),
contains 2 x 1st class Thomas and 4 x 1st class gold Machin
definitives. This is printed by Walsall Security Printers in gravure on
self-adhesive paper. The Machin definitives have a security
code M11L & MCIL
for 2011, contrary to suggestions no new code has been used.
The cylinder numbers are vertically at the right: yellow,
magenta, cyan and black alongside the stamp,
gold, gold overlay and phosphor are lower startig alongside the steam
dome on Thomas.
All stamp, booklet, and postmark images
are ©2011
Royal Mail. The
webpage is ©2011 Norvic Philatelics. Thomas the Tank
Engine
& Friends™. based on The Railway Series by The
Reverend W
Awdry. © 2011 Gullane (Thomas) Ltd. Thomas the Tank Engine
&
Friends and Thomas & Friends are trademarks of Gullane (Thomas)
Ltd.
Products
issued and available from Royal Mail:
Mint set Mint miniature sheet
Presentation Pack (contains set and MS)
Retail stamp booklet
Set of 11 Stamp Cards
Set on PO FDC
MS on PO FDC
We will service a small
quantity of self-adhesive Thomas singles on FDCs.
These will be for existing customers and any spare will be
added to our online shop
in due course.
Special
Postmarks
Postmarks available for the day of issue are shown here
these may not be to scale.
NOTE:
These postmarks
cannot be obtained after the date
of issue.
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Ref FD1125
Philatelic Bureau Official Postmark |
Ref FD1126 Box,
Corsham, Wilts
Official Postmark |
Ref FD1126NP
Box non-pictorial Postmark |
Ref M12177
Drayton
Manor Theme Park, the Home of Thomas Land, Tamworth, Staffordshire |
Ref M12173 Reverend
Wilbert Awdry Centenary Stroud Gloucestershire |
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Ref M12172
Rev. W.V. Awdry, Centenary St Edmunds Church, Emneth, Wisbech |
Ref M12171 Thomas the
Tank Engine, GBFDC Association, Thomas Street, Tamworth |
Ref
M12175
Thomas the Tank Engine Retail Book, Engine Road, Oldbury
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Ref M12176
Thomas the Tank Engine, Thomas St, Birmingham |
Ref M12174 Reverend
Wilbert
Awdry Centenary King's Norton, Birmingham |
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| Ref
W12179 Centenary of Rev. W. Awdry Box, Nr Bath, Somerset |
Ref
L12170 Reverend Wilbert Awdry Centenary, Box, Corsham,
Wiltshire |
Ref
L12169 Reverend Wilbert Awdry Centenary Ampfield, Romsey,
Hants |
Ref
L12167
Thomas Road, London E14 |
Ref
L12168 Reverend Wilbert Awdry Centenary, Elsworth, Cambridge
(shows
4472 Flying Scotsman) |
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Blank |
Blank |
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L12182 SODOR
MAIL Centenary of Reverend W
Awdry, Ampfeild, Romsey, Hants |
Ref
L12183
The Railway, Basildon, Essex |
Ref
M12186
Celebrating Thomas the Tank Engine with the Gloucestershire
Warwickshire Railway, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire |
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This page updated 10
June 2011
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