Thomas the Tank Engine Wikia
Register
Advertisement
This article is about the engine. You may be looking for the farmer or the porter.

Sam is a giant American tender engine originating from the Virginian Railway.

Biography

Sodor Story Collection

Sam is a super-sized and super-strong locomotive. He came to the Island of Sodor to help Thomas and Percy with the construction of the Sodor Museum. He collected the heavy loads of rails and stone for the museum. He helped Percy and the bell for the museum back on the rails when Percy fell into a ditch. Afterwards, Sam pulled the bell up to the clock tower when Rocky could not. As a reward for his help, Sir Topham Hatt allowed Sam to lead the first group of people into the museum.

Sam and Logan later returned to the Mainland after their jobs on Sodor were completed.

Thomas & Friends

In Big World! Big Adventures!, Sam is seen pulling a goods train through the Southwest of the United States. He passes Thomas, Ace and Nia who are delivering coffee to San Francisco, and they all greet each other.

Personality

Hailing from the United States of America, Sam is the largest, strongest steam engine to ever visit the Island of Sodor. With a big heart to match his massive size, Sam is super-strong and will travel far and wide to help an engine in need.

Technical Details

Basis

Sam is based on the Virginian Railway Class AG, also known as the "Blue Ridge". He shares his number with a member of his class. The engine bearing this number was scrapped in 1960.

The AG class were built to take heavy coal trains from White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia to Allegheny, Virginia.

Livery

Sam is painted Persian green and black with white lining. The number "906" is painted on the sides of his cab, his name is painted on the sides of his boiler, near his cab, and "VIRGINIAN" is painted on the sides of his tender, all in white.

Appearances

Books

Magazines

Sam has appeared in magazine fact files.

Video Games

Official Description

From Official Website:[1]

Sam: Hailing from the United States of America, Sam is the largest, strongest steam engine to ever visit the Island of Sodor. With a big heart to match his massive size, this super-strong Steamie will travel far and wide to help an engine in need.


Fun Fact: Sam is based on the 2-6-6-6 AG “Blue Ridge” class steam locomotive from the Virginian Railway in the United States of America. Built by the Lima Locomotive Works in 1945 – the same year the first Railway Series book was published – he is one of the heaviest steam locomotives ever made.

Audio Files

Whistle

First used Last used Sound Effect
Welcome to the Island of Sodor Sam! Big World! Big Adventures!

Bell

First used Last used Sound Effect
A New Friend on Sodor A New Friend on Sodor

Trivia

  • Sam was one of three merchandise-exclusive characters (the others being Logan and Dustin) with a book tie-in for Wooden Railway "Sodor Story Collection" series. Despite this, he is the only one of the three to appear in the main show (excluding promotional shorts), doing so in Big World! Big Adventures!
  • At a weight of 389 tonnes or 857,598 pounds (not including his tender), Sam is the largest locomotive ever to come to Sodor.
  • Sam has only been partly modified to work on Sodor. He has buffers on his tender and has been given chain-and-hook couplings, yet lacks buffers on his front.
  • Sam's blueprints can be seen in Welcome to the Island of Sodor Logan! as well as his own promotional video.
  • Sam has twenty wheels, the most wheels of any engine on Sodor (thirty-four counting his tender's wheels).
  • Sam's illustrations and CGI model both show him with black wheels, yet his Wooden Railway toy depicts him with green wheels.
  • Much like many fictional American characters, Sam speaks with a Texan accent.
  • Sam shares his name with Hilary Fortnam's grandson. Fortnam was the youngest daughter of The Railway Series creator Wilbert Awdry.
    • He also shares his name with former writer and story executive, Sam Barlow.
  • His name could have come from the national personification for America Uncle Sam as Sam is the largest American Engine in the series.
  • His whistle sound was mistakenly used for Peter Sam in the twenty-fourth series episode, The Great Little Railway Show. It was also used at a higher pitch for Hiro (who was used to represent one of The Mainland Engines) in one scene in Journey Beyond Sodor.
  • Sam's whistle is shared with the Steam Train from the online series Battle For BFDI.
  • For a period of time, The Official Website incorrectly stated that Sam is based on an LNER A4 Pacific.
  • Sam’s whistle was recorded from Polson Logging Company #2. It was originally thought to have been recorded from Canadian Pacific #1238 in which its whistle was blown too hard causing it to squeak.
  • Sam's eccentric rods are not animated properly, as they rotate faster on one half of the rotation than on the other half.

Merchandise

Videos

International Characters

* RWS only | ** T&F only | ✦ Changed location
Advertisement