James the Red Engine

"You could travel for miles around and not find a better engine than me!"

- James speaking to Toad, Toad's Adventure, eighteenth season

James is a vain medium-sized red engine and the tritagonist in Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends, the (former) main antagonist in Tale of the Brave, and the deuteragonist in Journey Beyond Sodor. He is very proud of his shiny, scarlet red paintwork, and always thinks of himself as the most brightest and shiniest engine on Sodor. He hates pulling freight cars, and thinks he should do work suitable for him. Apparently, his arrogance can often get him into trouble.

Bio in the Railway Series
James was designed by George Hughes and built at Horwich Works in 1912/13. This engine was an experiment of the 28 class as it was fitted with a leading pony truck in an attempt to cure "nose diving" when at speed. Additionally this engine was fitted with 5'6" driving wheels over the 28 class's 5'1"standard and possibly, unlike the rest of the class had its sand boxes tucked below the extended running plate out of sight. In 1924-5, James was sold to Sir Topham Hatt for mixed traffic duties, at which time he was still mix-traffic black. After his first accident, he was rebuilt with proper brakes and a Fowler tender (due to his old one being badly wrecked from the crash), and repainted red with gold stripes and black lining. He was troublesome when he returned, ruining Sir Topham Hatt's new top-hat with his steam and jarring his coaches so much that a brake pipe leaked. He was threatened to be painted blue (which James detests), but later promised to be useful again and made the worst trucks on the line behave after being given a second chance. He also pulled the express for Gordon when the latter was switched off the main line, and went on strike along with Gordon and Henry. He later made rude remarks about Henry when he was using special coal, called Toby and Henrietta 'dirty objects', and subsequently got into an accident with some tar wagons.

James was of the opinion that he would pull the Royal Train, much to the scepticism of the others due to the time he became stuck on Gordon's Hill. Later, James became a runaway when two naughty boys fiddled with his controls, and was rescued by Edward. He and Gordon played a joke on Percy by convincing him of the existence of backing signals. Upon Duck's arrival, Percy and the newcomer blocked James and the other big engines out of the shed as revenge for teasing them. When Diesel arrived on trial, James earned the nickname "Rusty Red Scrap-Iron". James, like the other two, were turned against Duck, but were sorry after receiving proof of his innocence. When Duncan was grumbling with Rusty, James boasted to the little engine that he sent Diesel packing (which of course was done by The Fat Controller). When work began to increase steadily on the railway, James and the others started to complain about it, leading The Fat Controller to buy a goods engine from Scotland, only to receive two. After Donald crashed into a signal box and was in need of repair, James had to handle the goods work for Donald, much to his annoyance, leading him to bump the trucks around, and being tricked by The Spiteful Brakevan, needing to be helped up the hill by Douglas. James stood beside the Scottish twins when they were worried about being sent away, and cheered with the rest when they were to stay. Later, James told Duck not listen to BoCo about bees, claiming that they were only insects after all, and can whoosh them away easily, only to be stung by one the very next morning. James was one of the first engines to know about Oliver, and praised the GWR engine so much he got puffed in the smoke box.

Years later, James was still skeptical to diesel engines, with BoCo and Bear as the exception. He got crossed line with his well wagons on a foggy day, and his injector froze in the winter, so he had to be rescued by a diesel from the works, who was so friendly that James gave up his prejudice with diesels. James once reluctantly doubled the express with Henry when the green engine needed an overhaul at the works, saying two engines on one train is definitely an "over haul". James was the engine chosen to collect the Thin Clergyman's bust, reported the collapse of Henry's Tunnel, and attended the Thin Clergyman's 100th anniversary.

Bio in the Television Series
According to The Adventure Begins, James arrived on Sodor some time after Gordon, at which time he was painted black. His wooden brakes were prone to catching fire and he had trouble stopping quickly; if anyone noticed a burning smell from his brakes, he would deny smelling anything out of the ordinary. James originally owned Annie and Clarabel, and believed The Fat Controller would soon give him his own branch line. James acted as a bully towards Thomas when the tank engine first arrived, but soon after gained some respect for him. They became close friends following James' accident. Some Troublesome Trucks made his wooden brakes catch fire, prompting Thomas to chase after him. James' guard attempted to couple Thomas to the back of the train to slow James down, but as this failed, James could not stop and came off the rails at a bend, scratching his paintwork and destroying most of his trucks. Thomas fetched Jerome and Judy, who lifted James back onto the rails. Thomas then took James to the Steamworks for repairs. When James returned as a splendid red engine, Thomas and Edward did not recognize him. Upon declaring he was ready for his coaches, James realised that his coaches were now Thomas', and the little tank engine now had his own branch line. James has had several mishaps, most of them caused by his pride of his paintwork. While using Toad as a brakevan on a mainline goods train, he refused to slow down. When a coupler snapped, his train rolled down Gordon's Hill uncontrollably. Toad was able to stop the train before colliding with Thomas, who was pulling a special train with Sir Topham Hatt and his mother. Another incident occurred during a flood in the winter, when James and Rocky inadvertently knocked down a signal. When they stopped to rescue Duck from a flooded track, Oliver was unaware that the track was occupied. He saw them at the last minute, but it was too late to avoid a collision. Immediately afterwards, Percy came around the bend and ran into Oliver. James owned up to Sir Topham Hatt, admitting he should have waited for Rocky to be secured properly before leaving.

In Tale of the Brave, James teases Percy for being afraid of monsters. One night, he gets asked to pull The Flying Kipper since Henry is on the mainland. As he is pulling the train, he hears a voice saying hello to him. It is Gator, but James cannot see his face in the dark. James gets scared by his unusual shape and races away, and ends up derailing at the Fenland track. The other engines tease him about his accident, so James decides to play a trick on Percy so he will be teased instead. That night, when Percy is taking the mail, James uses the scrap monster to scare Percy. The next day, he tries to apologise to Percy, but Percy will not forgive him. The two engines later meet at the Clay Pits, and James decides to show Percy how brave he can be. He puffs into the pits looking for the monster, not noticing his whistle is shaking the cliffs. He sees a dinosaur skeleton sticking out of the cliff wall, and races backward as fast as he can. But his whistling has started a landslide, so Percy pushes him forward and they race to safety. Once Percy has been repaired, James apologises for teasing him.

In "Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure", James teases Thomas for not waking up after having race against Bertie and Henry for thinking he saw a ghostly sailboat before Salty tells him, along with Edward and Henry, about a "lost pirate".

In the nineteenth season, he and Gordon had heard about "Geoffrey". James and Thomas were to work together to take football fans to and from Dryaw, but ended up causing trouble because they were trying to see whether reds or blues are best. James later came off the rails near a stone bridge and Philip rescued him by positioning himself underneath James.

Personality
James is very proud of his splendid red paintwork. He hates pulling trucks, and believes that he should only pull coaches. He thinks himself superior to the others, and can be shallow, boastful, naughty, and vain, particularly to those who appear old-fashioned, weak, slow, or dirty. This has caused him to have somewhat of a rivalry with Toby. However, on a number of occasions, he has found himself in need of help from those whom he has insulted and is, in the end, apologetic.

James was the last engine to retain a prejudice against diesels. However, after stalling on a cold day, he was rescued by the Works Diesel, and James had to admit that nothing was wrong with diesels. This appears to be one of the few lessons that has stuck.

Since Season 17, James has also been portrayed as a prankster, often tricking or scaring his colleagues for fun, or to get out of something he dislikes. Following a particularly mean-spirited prank he played on Percy in Tale of the Brave, this gimmick seems to have died down.

Despite everything else, James has shown a caring side, is normally hard-working, and like everybody else, wants to be a responsible, reliable and really useful engine on Sir Topham Hatt's railway.

Basis
In The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways, it is stated that James is based on a Class 28 locomotive from the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Works, itself a development of the Class 27. The Class 28 engines were designed by George Hughes, and had Belpaire fireboxes, a Schmidt superheater, and an extended footplate and sandbox.

Sodor "historian" Martin Clutterbuck has pointed out that James strongly resembles an G&SWR "Austrian Goods" 2-6-0 from the Glasgow and South Western Railway, but with the addition of a Belpaire firebox. At any rate, the Reverend W. Awdry used an engine of this class to represent James on his model railway. It is possible that he rejected this prototype for James' official "biography" on the grounds that an English locomotive would be more likely to end up on Sodor.

Livery
James was originally painted in L&YR's mixed traffic black with red lining before his accident and was given his red coat with yellow stripes and black lining to cheer him up. Sometime during the 1960s, James' black lining was repainted blue and gold. James has the number "5" painted in bright yellow with a blue border on his tender sides.

In the television series, James has always been painted NWR red with gold stripes and black lining, with three exceptions: in the tenth season episode The Green Controller, when he was painted yellow and black, like a bumblebee, on Percy's orders. Then, in the thirteenth season episode, Tickled Pink, James was painted in a pink undercoat. Though he was painted red in his official debut episode, he was painted in his black livery from the Railway Series in The Adventure Begins and had lining on the back of his tender. This disappeared when he was given his red livery.

In the Railway Series, he carries two builder's plates on the sides of his cab.

James' Twins
The Mid-Hants Railway repainted a Southern Railway N Class 2-6-0, No. 31874, into the livery of James. The engine retained this colour scheme for many years, and participated in the Railway Series Golden Jubilee celebrations at the National Railway Museum. However, following the withdrawal of the N Class in 1998, the Mid-Hants Railway quickly repainted its cousin-engine, a Southern Railway U Class 2-6-0, No. 31625, into James for the 1999 season. After the withdrawal of the U Class, the N Class reprised its role as James, only wearing a face during Thomas events. However, due to the fact that both of these engines were privately owned, they left the Mid-Hants Railway in 2014. For the Mid-Hants Railway's "Steam Railway" supported gala in September 2012, it was decided to repaint N Class No. 31874 in wartime black to carry its Southern identity No. 1874; this means that James will no longer appear at the Thomas events at the Watercress Line.

However, the repainting of the engine created a stir among railway enthusiasts, who felt that it was wrong to paint a historic main line locomotive in such a garish livery. Nevertheless, the locomotive was popular with the railway's younger visitors.

On the East Lancashire Railway, the unrestored LMS 2MT 2-6-0 No. 46428 has been painted as James, although his face only appears during Day Out with Thomas events.

James on the Big Screen
James was voiced by Susan Roman in Thomas and the Magic Railroad. In the movie, James was present when Diesel 10 first arrived at Tidmouth Sheds. He was also at the Smelter's Yard when Diesel 10 arrived with Junior. He almost got thrown into the smelting pit by Diesel 10, but luckily Junior used his gold dust to teleport them to a spot near the magic buffers, where Mr. Conductor was waiting.

Appearances
Railway Series


 * Thomas the Tank Engine


 * James the Red Engine


 * Tank Engine Thomas Again (mentioned)


 * Troublesome Engines


 * Henry the Green Engine


 * Toby the Tram Engine


 * Gordon the Big Engine


 * Edward the Blue Engine


 * Four Little Engines (mentioned)


 * Percy the Small Engine


 * The Eight Famous Engines


 * Duck and the Diesel Engine


 * The Little Old Engine


 * The Twin Engines


 * Stepney the "Bluebell" Engine


 * Main Line Engines


 * Small Railway Engines (mentioned)


 * Enterprising Engines


 * Oliver the Western Engine


 * Duke the Lost Engine (cameo)


 * James and the Diesel Engines


 * Great Little Engines (mentioned)


 * More About Thomas the Tank Engine


 * Gordon the High-Speed Engine


 * Thomas and the Twins (cameo)


 * Thomas and the Great Railway Show


 * Henry and the Express


 * Wilbert the Forest Engine


 * Thomas and the Fat Controller's Engines


 * Thomas and his Friends

Television series
 * Season 1 - Thomas and Gordon (cameo), Edward and Gordon (cameo), The Sad Story of Henry (cameo), Edward, Gordon and Henry (cameo), Thomas' Train (cameo), Thomas and the Trucks (cameo), Thomas and the Breakdown Train, James and the Coaches, Troublesome Trucks, James and the Express, Thomas Goes Fishing, Tenders and Turntables, Trouble in the Shed (does not speak), Percy Runs Away, Coal, The Flying Kipper (cameo), Whistles and Sneezes (cameo), Thomas in Trouble (cameo), Dirty Objects, Off the Rails (does not speak), and Thomas' Christmas Party


 * Season 2 - Cows (cameo), Saved from Scrap (cameo), Old Iron, Percy and the Signal, Duck Takes Charge, The Runaway (cameo), Pop Goes the Diesel, Dirty Work, A Close Shave (speaks only in Japanese dub), Better Late Than Never, Break Van, The Deputation, Edward's Exploit, and Thomas and the Missing Christmas Tree (cameo)


 * Season 3 - A Scarf for Percy, Percy's Promise (cameo), Time for Trouble, Gordon and the Famous Visitor (cameo), Donald's Duck (cameo), Thomas Gets Bumped (does not speak), Thomas, Percy and the Dragon, Diesel Does it Again (cameo), Henry's Forest, The Trouble with Mud, No Joke for James, Trust Thomas, Buzz, Buzz, Tender Engines, Escape, Oliver Owns Up, Bulgy (cameo), Percy, James and the Fruitful Day, and Thomas and Percy's Christmas Adventure (cameo)


 * Season 4 - Sleeping Beauty, Bulldog, Four Little Engines (does not speak), Rock 'n' Roll, Steam Roller (cameo), Gallant Old Engine (cameo), Thomas and Stepney (cameo), Train Stops Play (cameo), Bowled Out, Henry and the Elephant, Toad Stands By (cameo), Bulls Eyes (cameo), Thomas and the Special Letter (does not speak), Paint Pots and Queens, Fish (cameo), and Mind that Bike (cameo)


 * Season 5 - Cranky Bugs, Horrid Lorry, A Better View for Gordon, Lady Hatt's Birthday Party (cameo), James and the Trouble with Trees, Gordon and the Gremlin, Baa! (cameo), Put Upon Percy (cameo), Haunted Henry (cameo), Something in the Air (cameo), Thomas, Percy and Old Slowcoach, Thomas and the Rumours, Oliver's Find (cameo), Happy Ever After (cameo), Make Someone Happy, and Busy Going Backwards


 * Season 6 - No Sleep for Cranky (cameo), Salty's Secret (cameo), Harvey to the Rescue, A Bad Day for Harold the Helicopter (cameo), Elizabeth the Vintage Lorry (cameo), The Fogman, It's Only Snow, Twin Trouble (cameo), The World's Strongest Engine (cameo), Scaredy Engines (cameo), Percy and the Haunted Mine (cameo), Middle Engine, James and the Red Balloon, Jack Frost, Gordon Takes a Tumble, Percy's Chocolate Crunch, Thomas, Percy and the Squeak, Thomas the Jet Engine, and Edward the Very Useful Engine (not named; does not speak)


 * Season 7 - Emily's New Coaches (cameo), Percy Gets it Right, Edward's Brass Band (cameo), What's the Matter with Henry? (cameo), James and the Queen of Sodor, The Spotless Record (cameo), Bulgy Rides Again, Harold and the Flying Horse (cameo), Best Dressed Engine, Gordon and Spencer, Not So Hasty Puddings (cameo), and Three Cheers for Thomas (cameo)


 * Season 8 - Thomas and the Tuba (does not speak), Percy's New Whistle (cameo), Thomas to the Rescue (cameo), James Gets a New Coat, Thomas Saves the Day, Percy's Big Mistake (cameo), Thomas, Emily and the Snowplough (cameo), Don't Tell Thomas, Emily's New Route, Thomas and the Firework Display, Gordon Takes Charge (does not speak), Spic and Span, Edward the Great, Thomas and the Circus, Thomas Gets It Right, As Good as Gordon, Halloween (cameo), Too Hot for Thomas, James Goes Too Far, and Percy and the Magic Carpet


 * Season 9 - Percy and the Oil Painting (cameo), Thomas and the Rainbow (does not speak), Molly's Special Special (cameo), Thomas' Milkshake Muddle (cameo), Thomas and the Toy Shop (cameo), Respect for Gordon, Thomas and the Birthday Picnic (cameo), Thomas and the New Engine, Toby Feels Left Out, Thomas Tries His Best, Thomas and the Statue, Thomas' Day Off (cameo), Thomas' New Trucks, Saving Edward (cameo), Thomas and the Golden Eagle (cameo), Keeping Up with James, and Flour Power (cameo)


 * Season 10 - Follow that Flour, Thomas and the Jet Plane (cameo), Percy and the Funfair, The Green Controller, Thomas' Tricky Tree (cameo), It's Good to be Gordon (cameo), Seeing the Sights (cameo), Toby's New Shed (cameo), Topped Off Thomas (cameo), Thomas and the Shooting Star, Big Strong Henry (cameo), Wharf and Peace, Thomas' Frosty Friend, Thomas and the Colours, Duncan's Bluff, Thomas and the Treasure, and James the Second Best


 * Season 11 - Thomas and the Storyteller, Emily's Rubbish, Dream On (cameo), Dirty Work, Hector the Horrid, Gordon and the Engineer (only speaks in the Sprout Airings and Japanese version), Thomas and the Spaceship (cameo), Henry's Lucky Day, Thomas and the Lighthouse, Thomas and the Big Bang (does not speak), Thomas Sets Sail, Don't Be Silly, Billy (cameo), Edward and the Mail (cameo), Hide and Peep (cameo), Toby's Triumph (cameo), Thomas and the Runaway Car (cameo), Thomas in Trouble, Thomas and the Stinky Cheese, Sir Handel in Charge, and Ding-a-Ling


 * Season 12 - Thomas and the Billboard, Heave Ho Thomas! (cameo), James Works it Out, Tram Trouble (cameo), and Percy and the Bandstand (cameo)


 * Season 13 - Creaky Cranky, The Lion of Sodor, Tickled Pink, Double Trouble (cameo), Slippy Sodor, The Early Bird, Play Time (does not speak), Thomas and the Pigs, Percy's Parcel, Toby's New Whistle, A Blooming Mess, Thomas and the Runaway Kite (cameo), Steamy Sodor, Splish, Splash, Splosh!, The Biggest Present of All (does not speak), Snow Tracks (cameo), Henry's Good Deeds (cameo), Buzzy Bees (cameo), and Hiro Helps Out (cameo)


 * Season 14 - Thomas' Tall Friend (cameo), James in the Dark, Pingy Pongy Pick Up, Charlie and Eddie (cameo), Toby and the Whistling Woods, Henry's Health and Safety (cameo), Diesel's Special Delivery, Pop Goes Thomas, Being Percy, Merry Winter Wish, Thomas and the Snowman Party, Thomas' Crazy Day (cameo), Jumping Jobi Wood!, Thomas and Scruff (cameo), O the Indignity, Jitters and Japes (cameo), and Henry's Magic Box


 * Season 15 - Gordon and Ferdinand (cameo), Edward the Hero (cameo), James to the Rescue, Happy Hiro (cameo), Up, Up and Away! (cameo), Henry's Happy Coal (cameo), Let it Snow (cameo), Surprise, Surprise (cameo), Spencer the Grand (cameo), Stuck on You, Kevin the Steamie (cameo), Wonky Whistle (cameo), Percy the Snowman (cameo), Tree Trouble (cameo), and Fiery Flynn (cameo)


 * Season 16 - Race to the Rescue (cameo), Express Coming Through (cameo), Percy and the Monster of Brendam (cameo), Flash Bang Wallop!, Thomas and the Rubbish Train (cameo), Thomas Toots the Crows (cameo), Bust My Buffers! (cameo), Percy and the Calliope (cameo), Thomas and the Sounds of Sodor, Salty's Surprise (cameo), Sodor Surprise Day (cameo), Muddy Matters, Whiff's Wish (does not speak), and Happy Birthday Sir! (cameo)


 * Season 17 - Kevin's Cranky Friend (cameo), Scruff's Makeover, Wayward Winston (cameo), Gordon Runs Dry, Calm Down Caitlin (cameo), Steamie Stafford (cameo), The Lost Puff (cameo), The Thomas Way (cameo), The Phantom Express, Too Many Fire Engines (cameo), The Missing Christmas Decorations, The Frozen Turntable, The Afternoon Tea Express (does not speak), The Smelly Kipper, and Thomas' Shortcut (cameo)


 * Season 18 - Old Reliable Edward, Flatbeds of Fear (cameo), Disappearing Diesels (cameo), Signals Crossed, Toad's Adventure, Duck in the Water, Duck and the Slip Coaches, Thomas and the Emergency Cable (cameo), Duncan and the Grumpy Passenger (cameo), Spencer's VIP, Toad's Bright Idea, Last Train for Christmas, Duncan the Humbug (cameo), The Perfect Gift (cameo), Emily Saves the World, Timothy and the Rainbow Truck (cameo), and Samson at Your Service

Jack and the Sodor Construction Company - A Tale for Thomas (cameo) and Mud, Glorious Mud (cameo)
 * Season 19 - Who's Geoffrey?, The Truth About Toby, Lost Property (cameo), Henry Spots Trouble, Toad and the Whale (cameo), The Beast of Sodor, Diesel's Ghostly Christmas (cameo), Very Important Sheep (cameo), Salty All at Sea, Helping Hiro (cameo), Reds vs. Blues, Slow Stephen, Best Engine Ever, The Little Engine Who Raced Ahead, Philip to the Rescue, The Other Side of the Mountain (cameo), Rocky Rescue (cameo), and Goodbye Fat Controller

Specials:


 * Thomas and the U.K. Trip


 * Thomas and the Magic Railroad


 * Calling All Engines!


 * The Great Discovery


 * Hero of the Rails


 * Misty Island Rescue (non-speaking role in Japanese dub)


 * Day of the Diesels (non-speaking role in Japanese dub)


 * Blue Mountain Mystery


 * King of the Railway


 * Tale of the Brave


 * The Adventure Begins


 * Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure


 * The Great Race.

Magazine stories
 * 1987 - Edward and Gordon (cameo), Thomas and the Trucks (cameo), Thomas and the Breakdown Train, and James and the Coaches
 * 1988 - James and the Troublesome Trucks, James and the Express, Thomas and the Horse, Tenders and Turntables, Trouble in the Shed (does not speak), Percy Runs Away, James and the Tar Wagons, Old Iron, Percy and the Signal, Percy Gets Jammed, Thomas' Present, The Train Spotters (mentioned), Edward's Exploits, and Duck Takes Charge
 * 1989 - Gordon's Express, In a Sulk, Diesel's Christmas, The Party (does not speak), A Second Chance, and An Important Visitor
 * 1990 - Rumours and Speculation, Edward and the Express (does not speak), Timetable Trouble, The Backlog, Percy and the Dragon, and Trouble on the Track
 * 1991 - Duck's Service, Gordon Forgets, and Daisy in Distress
 * 1992 - James's Task and Henry and the Holidaymakers!
 * 1993 - Trevor to the Rescue!, Percy and the Parrot!, Roof Repairs!, The Wedding Engine! (cameo), The Viaduct!, and First with the Food! (mentioned)
 * 1994 - The New Station and Thomas Keeps a Secret!
 * 1995 - Keeping Clean!, The Engine Parade!, Thomas's Bell!, and A Desk for Daisy!
 * 1996 - Proud Mavis!, Gordon's Spots!, Going Slowly!, Too Tired!, The Little Line, The Trouble With Mud!, Lost Property! (does not speak), Oliver's Mistake (cameo), Oliver's Mistake (cameo), The Brown Bear, and Percy's Squeak! (cameo)
 * 1997 - Henry's Busy Day (does not speak), Henry's Hills, Henry, 'Smile, Please!', April Fools, The Flower Train, and James
 * 1998 - The Exhibition! (does not speak), Billy's Bones! (cameo), James Breaks the Rules, James' Hotel!, The Easter Cake! (cameo), and Christmas Crisis (does not speak)
 * 1999 - Bill and Ben's Trick (mentioned), Duck and Diesel, and Donald and Douglas
 * 2000 - The End of the Rainbow!, Night Work (cameo), Rude James, The Milk Train, and Harold's View
 * 2001 - False Alarm, Diesel Day!, Choc-o-BoCo! (cameo), A Special Story About BoCo (does not speak), A Special Story About Snow! (cameo), and Midnight Mavis
 * 2002 - The Winning Shot (cameo), James and the Bees, and Big Ideas!
 * 2003 - New Year Cheer!, Feeling Fine, Tour of Sodor, Crane Strain! (does not speak), Books Aboard!, The Boatshow, Super Heroes! (cameo), A Foggy Friend (cameo), Harold's Bad Day (cameo), Gordon's Surprise, and The Most Beautiful Station (cameo)
 * 2004 - Rocket Power, Fishy Business, Harvey to the Rescue!, Scrapes and Spills, Thank You, Thomas!, James and the Red Balloon, Scary Jack Frost, James' New Coat, Peep! Peep! Moo! Moo!, Holiday Hat, Daisy's Delight, Thomas Gets It Right, Percy to the Rescue (cameo), Harold's Bad Day (cameo), Henry's Forest, Sky Shapes, Place to Play, Toby's Troubles!, Edward to the Rescue! (cameo), Dirty Percy!, Emily's Day Out, Colour Quarrel!, A Frog in his Throat!, It's Only Snow! (cameo), Favourite Journey, The Big Wheel, The Train Trolley, The River Race and Engine Ball
 * 2005 - King Thomas, What's Cooking?, Winter Watch, Percy and the Magic Carpet (cameo), Emily's New Route, Three Kings, Spick and Span, Really Useful Colours, and George's Little Joke
 * 2006 - Justice for James, Fun and James, Saving Edward (cameo), and Thomas, Emily, and the Snowplow (cameo)
 * 2007 - A Job for James, The Santa Engine, Ding-a-Ling!, The Best Smile (does not speak), Autumn Leaves (cameo), Surprise Visitor (cameo), and Wheely Useful
 * 2008 - Snow Trouble! (cameo), Track Race, Being Bright (cameo), and Thomas and the Lighthouse! (does not speak)
 * 2009 - New Delivery and Thomas Saves the Day (does not speak)
 * 2010 - Diesel's Special Delivery (does not speak), Magpie Mavis (does not speak), The Best Present of All (cameo), Early Bird (speaks in speech bubble only), Bubble Trouble, Christmas Dinner Diner, Big Ideas, Proud Puffers, Creaky Cranky (does not speak), Misty Island Rescue (cameo), Pulling the Post (cameo), Emily's Lucky Day (does not speak), Snow Tracks, A Blooming Mess, Thomas and the Rainbow! (does not speak), Perfect Plough (speaks in speech bubble only), and Percy and the Magic Carpet (cameo)
 * 2011 - Off Colour, Being Percy (cameo), Steam on Stamps, Smiles All Round, Misty Island Rescue (cameo), Ready, Jet Set, Go! (cameo), Watch the Clock, Really Red, The Flying Teapot (does not speak), Tickled Pink, Winter Wish (does not speak), Making Annie Smile, Steamy Sodor (does not speak), Snow Tracks (cameo), Party Time, Mirror, Mirror, Heave Ho Thomas! (cameo), Ready, Jet Set, Go! (cameo), Scrubbed Up, Creaky Cranky (does not speak, and Animal Adventure
 * 2012 - Clever James, Rescue Team, Tender Trouble, Paint for Percy (does not speak), Thomas and the Pigs, Museum Mayhem (possible cameo; may be seen as model only), Early Bird (mentioned), The Railway Show (does not speak), The Fat Controller's Bedtime Story (Issue 643), Team Spirit Time!, Message Mix-Up!, Clock Countdown (cameo), Thomas and the Sound of Sodor (does not speak), and Keeping up with James
 * 2013 - Muddy Matters, Flash! Crash! Wallop! (does not speak), Hover Bother!, Being Percy (cameo), James and the Giant Animals, Henrietta's Holiday (mentioned), Thomas the Spotter, Gordon Runs Dry (speaks in speech bubble only), The Railway Rink (cameo), and New Year Party (cameo)
 * 2014 - Engine Trouble, The Royal Carriage, Muddy Matters, Fever!, Henry's Forest, Henry's Hero (cameo), and Frozen Turntable (does not speak)
 * 2015 - Stinky James, Signals Crossed, No 'I' in Team (mentioned), Duck in the Water, Silent Puffing!, Spencer's Star (mentioned), and The Perfect Present (cameo)

James also appeared in the magazine stories, A Colourful Christmas, A Job for James, A Long Way Up!, A Special Story about Steam, Back-to-Front, Bricks and Tunnels, Building Blues!, Clever Climbers!, Coal Weather, Daisy's Day, Diesel's Drums, Diesel's Nasty Turn, Doctors and Nurses, Fast Food!, Fish and Fog!, Fishy Diesel!, Flying James, Glider Rider, Gordon the Town Engine, Harvest, Jack Frost, James and Edward, James and the Cheese, Lazy Wheels, Leaves on the Line, Looking Splendid, Lost and Found, Luggage, Missing Murdoch, Party Time!, Percy's House, Percy's Plight, Percy's Spooky Tooth, Picture Posters, Puzzles, Railway Open Day, Really Useful Edward, Rushing Around, Scaredy Puffer!, Sea Sick, Seeing Steam, Ship Ahoy!, Size Wise, Sodor's Strong Man, Sodor Goes Pop, Special Passengers, Special Treats, Stick with Steam, Taking Off!, The Best Band, The Best Engine, The Cat Controller!, The Flower Dome, The Flyover!, The Haunted Mine, The Smartest Engine, The Smugglers, The Tiny Engine, and The Very Important Job.

Trivia
Season 3: Season 4: Season 5: Thomas and the Magic Railroad: Season 6: Season 12: Hero of the Rails: Season 17: The Adventure Begins:
 * His engine ID number is 5.
 * In the My First Thomas books and toys, James' wheels are red instead of black. Just the My First Thomas toys of James have a black bufferbeam/footplate instead of his usual red one.
 * A large-scale working replica of James, along with replicas of Thomas, Percy, Harold, and Jack, was created by BBC Visual Effects for a tour in 2003. The battery powered locomotive is listed in the 2004 Guinness Book of Records as the largest model railway engine ever built, at 2.64 x 1.5 x 6.52 metres.
 * In Toby's New Whistle, James revealed that he once had a three-chimed whistle.
 * Michael Angelis originally voiced James in Thomas and the Magic Railroad, but he was cut from the movie and was replaced by Susan Roman.
 * James has undergone numerous modifications through the television series, including:
 * His brake pipe now faces downwards.
 * His whistle sound changed to a higher-pitched version of Duck's, except in Bowled Out.
 * His whistle changed back to how it originally sounded.
 * His brake pipe now faces upwards.
 * His bufferbeam rivets were removed.
 * His brake pipe now faces downwards again.
 * His safety valve disappeared.
 * His signature crow's feet disappeared.
 * He increased in size, making the top of his boiler the same height as Gordon's. His cab, funnel, and tender were also scaled up accordingly.
 * His signature crow's feet reappeared.
 * He gained lamps on his front and tender, as requested by Sam Wilkinson.
 * External brake shoes with wooden blocks were added on his rear driving wheels. Following his accident, he still had his brake shoes, but the wood blocks were replaced.
 * His brake pipe now faces upwards again.
 * His side-rods become silver.
 * In the Railway Series and television series combined, James has been painted more colours than any other engine.
 * One of James' models is currently on display in Japan at the Hara Railway Museum (previously on display at Nitrogen Studios).
 * In an interview with SiF, Andrew Brenner stated James was one of his favourite characters, along with Toby, Bill, and Ben.
 * One of James' television series models was sold to an unknown buyer.
 * In the Annual Story Donald's Duck, James was incorrectly depicted as an LMS Fowler 4F 0-6-0.
 * In the book Thomas' Christmas Party, James in one picture was incorrectly depicted as a 4-4-0.
 * Nathan Clarke did an audio sample for James on his DAA Management Page.
 * James whistle is a low G and middle D flat chime.