( Note: ⁴ means that an episode was seen on Mister Moose's Fun Time. ( Note: ³ means that an episode was reused for Mr. ( Note: ² means that an episode was narrated by George Carlin in the US but was never released on Shining Time Station and was only released on VHS or DVD.) ( Note: ¹ means that an episode was not narrated by Ringo Starr in the US and was only narrated by George Carlin in the US.) Only one scene from the pilot can be seen from the final version of the episode. The pilot was never broadcast, but instead was re-filmed after the series was greenlit by ITV. The pilot was based on the Railway Series story Down the Mine and differed from the final aired version. The original 1983 pilot episode of Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends. The pilot for the series was Down the Mine, which was remade entirely when the rest of the episodes were shot. The seven engines introduced in this series became the core of the cast in later series. The stories were adapted by Britt Allcroft and David Mitton. Awdry's stories, with the exception of an episode written by the staff, Thomas' Christmas Party, a book based on the eponymous episode was made as well.

All episodes in the first series were adaptations of The Reverend W.