Thomas International ?

See
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-35976723

 

Political correctness gone mad. Presumably USA loco Racing Vinnie will turn up in the UK but on both occasions arrive three years late. Etienne the French engine will be permanently on strike, Gina (Italian) will only operate in reverse and Carlos (from Mexico) will be in perpetual fear of Donald Trump building walls across the line to keep him out of the tunnel.

It can only be a matter of time before they introduce a Cockney loco who won't go south of the river, an Irish train which is out of gauge and an Iraqi engine who only looks forward to being withdrawn as he has been promised 36 Virgin Pendolinos all to himself.

The Fat Controller will be retitled as clinically obese and the whole lot of them unionised, sectorised and privatised. Chuggington will become the nearest representation of a real railway the next generation will ever see and they will all grow up wanting to be chartered accountants.

 

The Reverend has a lot to answer for !

Never needed Sodor to cultivate my interest, within 100 yds of the back of my parents house in Warrington my early years were graced by Black 5s, Standard 5s, 8Fs, 4Fs, 3Fs, Jinties, Scots and Jubilees, WD 2-8-0s and later 9Fs - Ivatt and Standard tanks on the push-pull service and on occasional summer saturdays B1s and K1s and more. Over the fence (black coated Palisade !) was the MSC railway with HC 0-6-0 tanks before the diesels arrived and I know there is even a picture of a very young me with a G2 in the background. What have the current or next generation got to match that ?.

But maybe a few youngsters who see the film will go on to develop a 'real' interest.