Reginald Payne
Alexander Reginald Payne (1909-1947) was a British artist and illustrator, best known for being the original illustrator of Thomas the Tank Engine and the second artist for The Railway Series.[1][2][3][4] He was born in New Malden, Surrey, in 1909 to Alexander Payne and Ada Roberts.[1][2][3][4]
Payne began his career in commercial illustrating, with one of his earliest known works being a set of children's transportation books for Waddy Production in 1934.[1][2][3][4] By 1935, he was contributing to Boy's Own Paper magazines, often collaborating with Howard Coble, and together they published the book Famous Aircraft in 1937.[1][2][3][4] During World War II, while living in Guildford, he joined the Admiralty and continued to work for B.O.P. as a naval correspondent, illustrating cover art and writing articles.[1][2][3][4]
In November 1945, Edmund Ward commissioned Payne to illustrate Thomas the Tank Engine for £94.10s, replacing William Middleton, whose work was deemed inadequate by the author, Reverend W. Awdry.[1][2][3][4] Awdry provided sketches as a guide, which Payne followed closely.[1][2][3][4] Although Awdry's original model for Thomas was based on a craft he made for his son, Payne, living in Southern England, depicted Thomas as a Billinton E2 0-6-0 tank engine, a Southern engine type.[1][2][3][4] Despite initial annoyance, Awdry accepted this design after learning it was based on a real locomotive, and it became the iconic appearance of Thomas.[1][2][3][4]
Payne completed the illustrations in April 1946, which were noted for being more bold and eye-catching than previous works.[1][2][3][4] He played a significant role in creating some of the most famous illustrations in The Railway Series and in establishing an iconic character's visual identity.[1][2][3][4] Despite his contributions, he was not credited for his work in the book, a practice that continued in subsequent editions.[1][2][3][4] Awdry was generally satisfied with Payne's work, despite minor inaccuracies in point work and track, hoping for improvements in future editions.[1][2][3][4]
Tragically, Payne suffered a nervous breakdown, attributed to his time in the Admiralty, and died in 1947 at the age of 38.[1][2][3][4] He was buried at the Church of St Mary the Virgin in South Benfleet, Essex.[1][2][3][4] William Heinemann suggested that influenza might have contributed to his breakdown and death.[1][2][3][4] Payne was intended to illustrate James the Red Engine, but due to his passing, C. Reginald Dalby took over as the illustrator for The Railway Series.[1][2][3][4] In 1950, Dalby was paid to "improve" the illustrations for later editions of Thomas the Tank Engine.[1][2][3][4] Both Alexander Reginald Payne and C. Reginald Dalby preferred to use their middle name, Reginald.[1][2][3][4]
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 fandom.com https://ttte.fandom.com/wiki/Reginald_Payne Retrieved October 21, 2025.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 fandom.com https://tttecommunitycentral.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_Deceased_Crew_Members Retrieved October 21, 2025.
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 royalnavyresearcharchive.org.uk https://www.royalnavyresearcharchive.org.uk/SMF/index.php?topic=1029.0 Retrieved October 21, 2025.
- ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 4.15 4.16 4.17 4.18 imdb.com https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0668247/ Retrieved October 21, 2025.
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