Originally published at: http://boingboing.net/2017/07/03/the-true-form-of-thomas-the-ta.html
…
6 Likes
I figured he was some kind of cyborg imprisoned forever in a rolling iron lung.
18 Likes
It is interesting how many artists can’t actually “see” steam locomotives. That is, they can’t visually parse anything below the frame. Looking on Google, most of the pictures have no engine and in some of them the connecting rod appears to link the axles. (Very few artists can correctly parse motorcycles either - the cartoonist Paul Sample having been a rare exception).
I may come back to this later and add a picture, as the ones in Wikipedia are pretty poor.
Ah - this is an actual picture of the real thing, an LMS dock tank on which, I think, Thomas is based.
8 Likes
Well, there is a Thomas fan film (I think you can call it that) called “Shed 17” on Youtube that hypothesises on this, but before you look for it, a fair warning: it gets really disturbing really fast.
9 Likes
That’s okay. I never wanted to sleep again.
10 Likes
Also:
19 Likes
There’s also another theory where its basically like the Thomas thing above - let me find it.
The thing is, and this is coming from an over thinker, when it comes to some of these concepts, it’s best to not over think these things some times… just go with it.
7 Likes
Boiler.130000J::extends(whistling_teakettle){
thomas the tank engine stuff}
Boiler.240000J.bb::extends(decomissioned_Soviet_sub_fleet){
Busby Berkeley Troupe of singing dancing spangled swimsuited SV1807 pressure hulls}
6 Likes
That’s one reason I don’t think the Cars franchise was the best one to make a bunch of sequels and spinoffs to. The more time we spend in that universe the creepier it gets.
11 Likes
I agree, but it seems it sells a lot of toys. Kids, especially little boys, love playing with cars. I remember thinking any car where the doors opened meant it could fly. Every kid my age had a plastic 10in Trans Am. It was required. Most of us had a General Lee, but I never did…
5 Likes
I happen to love the Cars franchise. Just saw Cars 3 and it was a damn fun flick.
Methinks you may be overthinking it a bit?
2 Likes
Thomas the Rank Engine. FTFY.
3 Likes
All this seems a bit like kid’s versions of H R Giger’s The Mystery of San Gottardo to me.
6 Likes
I’ve just watched it and honestly didn’t think that it could get THAT disturbing - it’s pure nightmare fuel.
It also had the most terrifying diesel engine runaway ever (as if it needed to be more terrifying than IRL) 
4 Likes
I kinda puked a little on that one.
1 Like
Along those lines, enjoy this sketch from John Finnemore’s Souvenir Programme on BBC Radio 4:
5 Likes
That’s basically the premise of the rather bland “Monster Trucks” movie:
3 Likes
According to the third picture, somebody must be shoveling coal into his anus, which happens to contain his flaming colon. Egad.
7 Likes
not to mention his caboose is detachable…
2 Likes
