Many characters have appeared in the books of The Railway Series, by the Rev. W. Awdry and Christopher Awdry, and in the spin-off TV series Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends. This article profiles the most significant characters of the series. Only characters who appear in the books have been profiled in this article and, in the case where a character has appeared in both series, only the book aspect has been addressed (follow the links for a description of the name-sake TV characters). Less significant characters are described in Minor characters in The Railway Series.