<P> "...a tank engine who lived at a Big Station . He had six small wheels, a short stumpy funnel, a short stumpy boiler and a short stumpy dome . He was a fussy little engine, always pulling coaches about . (...) He was cheeky, too ." </P> <P> Thomas was used initially as a station pilot engine in the first three stories in book 2, but longed for more important jobs such as pulling the express train like Gordon; his inexperience prevented this . In the fourth story, Thomas and the Breakdown Train, Thomas rescues James and is rewarded with his own branch line . He has remained in charge of the Ffarquhar branch ever since, with his two coaches Annie and Clarabel, and help from Percy and Toby . Thomas is generally depicted with a cheeky and even self - important personality . He believes that he should be more respected by the others, and he gets annoyed when he does not receive this respect . However, Percy and Toby are more than capable of standing up to him, and Annie and Clarabel often rebuke him . </P> <P> Thomas's on - screen appearances in the TV series were developed by Britt Allcroft . The first series of 26 stories premiered in October 1984 on the ITV Network in the UK, with former Beatles drummer / vocalist Ringo Starr as storyteller . The stories were featured as segments as part of Shining Time Station in the US beginning in 1989 with Starr as the show's Mr. Conductor character . From 1991 to 1993, George Carlin replaced Starr as both the storyteller and as Mr. Conductor for Shining Time Station . Carlin also told the Thomas stories for Shining Time Station in 1995 . </P> <P> In 1996 the Thomas stories were segments for Mr. Conductor's Thomas Tales, again featuring George Carlin . Alec Baldwin portrayed Mr. Conductor in Thomas and the Magic Railroad, and narrated the series for the US from 1998 to 2003 . Michael Angelis narrated the series from 1991 to 2012 in the UK, while Michael Brandon narrated the series from 2004 to 2012 in the US . As of 2013, the series is narrated by Mark Moraghan . </P>

How long has thomas the train been on tv