The Sodor & Mainland Railway (1853 - 1914) is a fictional railway that existed on the Island of Sodor in the The Railway Series books written by the Rev. W. Awdry. In the books it is known as the S&M. The railway line was supposedly built when railway-mania was still in force and was opened in 1853. The initial aim of the railway was to link Sodor with the British Mainland. The S&M's dreams of a link between Sodor and the Mainland did eventually come to pass under the reign of Sir Topham Hatt, who constructed a rail bridge across the Walney Channel.