James is engine number 5 on the North Western Railway. He is a red mixed-traffic tender engine on the Island of Sodor, known for being proud of his paintwork and frequently overconfident.
James first appeared in Wilbert Awdry’s 1946 book Thomas the Tank Engine. In the story, he initially arrived in black, but an accident involving wooden brake blocks led to his rescue and repainting in red. His character was inspired by railway-engine designs, including an experimental version related to the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Class 28.
The number 5 identifies James within the familiar group of standard-gauge North Western Railway engines: Thomas is 1, Edward 2, Henry 3, Gordon 4, James 5, and Percy 6. A common mix-up is confusing James’s number with Percy’s, since both are prominent members of the Sodor railway. James is also not the same type as Thomas: he is a tender engine, while Thomas is a tank engine.