u/No-Locksmith-2141

Following my suggestion that the Express coaches should be wider in Wonders of Sodor, I also think they should have a completely different interior. I always wondered why the CGI series gave the Express coaches basic bench seating when they’re supposed to be the most prestigious train on Sodor. They should have more elegant compartments, corridors, and first-class accommodations, which would also be more accurate to British steam-era coaches.

Honestly, CGI seemed to have something against proper bogie coaches. They were always skinny, had bench seating, and lacked the compartments and corridors you’d expect. I could go on about how CGI butchered longer coaches, but we’d be here all day. That’s a post for another day and another server.

They also had a dining car in the show, which I actually think is a pretty cool detail. Considering the Express can realistically be quite a long journey, having a buffet or dining car makes sense. It’s not something I desperately need in Wonders of Sodor, but it would be a nice addition. I only remembered it after looking back at the wiki and seeing that the Express had coaches with food buffets.

Following my suggestion that the express coaches should be wider in Wonders of Sodor, I also think they should have an entirely different interior. One thing that always puzzled me about the CGI series was why the express coaches had basic bench seating. The Express is supposed to be the most prestigious train on the island, so naturally, I would expect the coaches to have more elegant interiors, with proper compartments, corridors, and more comfortable accommodations.

Realistically, British passenger coaches during the steam era commonly used compartment-and-corridor layouts, particularly for first-class travel. Having that kind of interior would make the Express feel much more luxurious and prestigious, while also making the coaches feel more authentic to the era.

Honestly, I'm starting to wonder if the CGI series just had something against long bogie coaches in general. Almost every coach was given the same basic design: they're relatively narrow, have bench seating, and lack the compartments and corridors you'd expect from proper mainline coaches. I could go on and on about how CGI butchered a lot of the longer bogie coaches, but we'd be here all day. That's probably a post for another day—and another server.

When I was younger, I was always fascinated by the interiors of the coaches. We rarely saw them, so whenever the show gave us a glimpse inside—especially the Express coaches—it was always a treat.

I won’t even get into the CGI-era interiors, but the Model Series at least made an effort. Despite the lack of gangway connectors, the coaches looked realistic and had proper compartments. In later episodes, you could even see the corridor and compartment doors through the windows, which is exactly what you’d expect from a real Express coach.

That’s what bothers me about the CGI-era coaches: they seem to have simple bench seating instead of compartments. 

I’m glad the production team took the time to model those interiors, even back in Season 1 when resources were limited. Those little details really helped make Sodor feel like a real railway.

2nd post, I know, but I just couldn't resist, you guys!

I absolutely love how Dovetail made the CGI coaches wider and more realistic, making them feel much more like proper Express coaches. However, I still think they could be a little wider, as they look slightly too thin behind Gordon. They look great behind James and Emily, but behind larger engines like Gordon, the proportions feel a little off.

I understand the coaches don’t have a visible corridor, but since the TV and CGI series rarely showed much of the interiors, that doesn’t really bother me. My main suggestion is simply to increase the width slightly. I genuinely like the CGI coach design, so I wouldn’t want that changed—just the proportions.

I know Dovetail is receiving plenty of feedback, but with the upcoming Direct and more patches on the way, I thought this small suggestion was worth mentioning.

Yep, 2nd post of the day.

Let me start by saying, that I absolutely love how Dovetail made the CGI coaches wider and more realistic, making them feel much more like proper coaches for the Express. However, I still think they could be a little wider, as they look slightly too thin behind Gordon. They look great behind James and Emily, but behind larger engines like Gordon, the proportions seem a little off.

I also feel that their current width slightly hampers the overall Express experience. I understand that the coaches don’t have a visible corridor, but the TV and CGI series rarely showed much of their interiors anyway, so I don’t really fault you for that. My main suggestion is simply to increase their width a little.

I’ve discussed this with others, and we all appreciate that the coaches are already wider than their CGI counterparts. However, we feel that making them slightly wider would make them more appealing and better proportioned, especially behind Gordon and other larger engines.

I genuinely like the CGI coach design, so I wouldn’t want to see the design changed. I’d simply love to see the width increased a little. I know Dovetail is receiving a lot of feedback, but with the upcoming Direct and more patches on the way, I thought it was worth putting this small suggestion out there.

I don’t think I need to say much here—Ffarquhar still feels pretty empty. I’m glad Dovetail made it larger than what we saw in the show, but there’s plenty of room to make it feel more alive.

I’d love to see more sidings and proper engine sheds for Thomas, Percy, and Toby, along with Daisy’s coach shed. That would better reflect the Railway Series and early seasons, where engines were housed at their respective branch lines.

The second major improvement would be adding the tramway from Ffarquhar to the quarry. Toby was brought in specifically because Thomas could no longer run along the tramway after being stopped by the police. Adding it would make the branch line more authentic and give Toby and Mavis a much stronger purpose.

I don’t think I need to say much to introduce this, because it’s pretty clear that a lot of us are underwhelmed with how empty Ffarquhar looks. I’m glad Dovetail made it larger than what we saw in the show, but there’s still a lot of potential to make it feel more alive.

I’d love to see the yard expanded with more sidings and proper engine sheds. One thing I love about the Railway Series and early seasons is that engines were housed at their respective branch lines rather than all being concentrated in one place. Thomas, Percy, and Toby had their own berths, while Daisy had a coach shed. Adding those sheds would make Ffarquhar feel much more authentic and give the branch line a stronger Railway Series-inspired identity. I understand the limitations Dovetail had with the original sets, but there’s no reason we can’t eventually make these locations feel more complete and lived-in.

And now for the second half of the branch improvements: the Quarry line. I’ve mentioned this in a previous post, but I really think the Ffarquhar Branch Line should include the tramway running from Ffarquhar Station to the quarry. I’m not necessarily blaming Dovetail for this—if anything, I’d put more of the blame on how the CGI era simplified the branch line. People sometimes forget that Toby was brought in for a very specific reason: the line to the quarry ran along a tramway, and after Thomas was stopped by the police, he was no longer allowed to run on it. That’s why Toby and Mavis, being tram engines, was brought in to take over.

Having the tramway represented would not only make Ffarquhar feel more authentic to the Railway Series, but also give Toby a much stronger purpose and presence on the branch line.

1. Blue and Cream 4-wheeled Coaches: For Railway Series savvy fans like me, most of us are familiar with these coaches being Agnes, Ruth, Lucy, Jemima and Beatrice, the snobby and dramatic coaches that were technically characterized in the show, but not exactly. Even without their characterization, I really love the design of these coaches. The blue color scheme in the books is much more appealing, and I especially like the half-cream, half-blue detailing on the front and back.
2. Open Carriages: A lot of Railway Series characters were forgotten over time, but I think Ada, Jane, and Mabel are some of the biggest examples. They may not be revolutionary, but they were a missed opportunity and could have added more variety to Sodor’s rolling stock. Their open carriage design would have been perfect for summer passenger trips and even filming the Skarloey Railway. Plus, their classic faces have such a charming 1950s/60s style that makes them feel like they came straight out of a vintage magazine.
3. Blue and Cream Bogie Coaches: I was surprised to learn the Skarloey Railway had bogie coaches in the Railway Series. It feels like a missed opportunity that the show never used them, because they would have added more variety to the railway’s rolling stock. And I am a bit of a sucker for bogie coaches. I could imagine them being introduced to handle more passengers — or maybe simply to stop Sir Handel from complaining about not having them!
4. Red 4-wheeled Coaches with Yellow Stripes: I honestly don’t have too much to say about these coaches. They’re just really cute and charming, and that’s exactly what I love about the Skarloey Railway. I will say that I loved their faces in Season 4 — there was something so funny and charming about their expressions that made them stand out.
5. Semi-Open Green and Cream Coaches: Besides the bogie coaches, these were another pair of coaches that I absolutely loved and really wanted to highlight. These coaches I will consider are the more excursion types of coaches that you would pretty much take on vacation alongside the open carriages. Speaking of the open carriages, I heard that the open carriages were converted to carriages with a roof, and these green and cream coaches resemble what they would have looked like after the rebuild. I love how these coaches look, especially in the newer series when they look a lot more polished and brand new. They just match all the characters.

 

I don’t think Victor Tanzig meant any harm by it, and I doubt he was thinking about the word in the way people usually interpret it today. But considering his channel is mainly focused on Thomas stories, it just feels a little out of place. It’s definitely something that caught people off guard.

So not only am I on a Wonders of Sodor kick, I’m also on a Skarloey Railway kick. So what better way to combine both than by sharing another idea?

I already posted my ideal map for the railway, but this time I wanted to focus on the rolling stock I’d love to see added to the game.

You’ll notice I added the blue coaches twice, but honestly, all the coaches from the show are just so charming. I could easily see myself watching the narrow gauge engines pull long trains of them and never getting bored. I could’ve added a lot more, but I’m still pretty happy with how this turned out.

I’d be so excited if more narrow gauge engines came to the game. Imagine seeing Ivo Hugh brought to life in CGI, painted purple, and actually given a personality. That would be awesome. But for now, this is the lineup I’m sticking with.

See Dovetail. This is a roster of 6 engines that I can ACTUALLY get behind! 

Now that Dovetail Direct has confirmed Wonders of Sodor will be discussed in late August, I think it’s a good time to revisit the six empty slots. It’s easy to assume these could be six new characters, but the big question is whether they’ll be brand-new engines or just different versions of the current roster with new roles.

Personally, I’m hoping they’re new characters. After nearly five months of waiting, it finally feels like we might be getting answers about the future of this game.

Imagine if we actually did get 6 more characters this year. Then I would have completely connected the dots.

Yep, I’m back with another Wonders of Sodor post. 😂 This game has completely taken over my brain!

I’m in a good mood today because I recently got a new gaming PC that should run the game much better than my old, outdated one. Plus, with Dovetail Direct coming up on August 25th, I wanted to ask: what do you all think will happen with Wonders of Sodor?

We’re overdue for news, and I’m hoping we finally get some new content that brings the game closer to feeling complete. I haven’t played much in months because the lack of content made it hard to fully get invested, but I’d love to have a reason to come back.

Yep, I'm back with yet another Wonders of Sodor post shortly after my last one. 😂 This game has completely taken over my brain—I don't think it's leaving anytime soon.

Today, though, I’m actually in a good mood! I recently got a new, improved gaming PC that should run Wonders of Sodor much better than my old one, which was used, smaller, and pretty outdated. Plus, it’s August, which means Dovetail Direct is coming up on August 25th.

With that in mind, I wanted to ask the big question: what do you all think will happen with Wonders of Sodor at Dovetail Direct? It feels like we’re overdue for some news, and a lot of us are waiting with bated breath for Dovetail to finally say something about the game’s future.

Personally, I’m hoping we get some new content that helps bring the game closer to feeling complete—maybe 80–90%. I haven’t really started many of the stories and missions because, for me, the lack of content made it hard to fully get invested. I’m hoping Dovetail gives us a reason to come back and experience everything this game has to offer.

(Disclaimer: It will be long one, again)

This is probably one of my most unusual posts I've posted to date, but I feel like it should be said that Dovetail Direct could actually give us a breath of fresh air for us Wonders of Sodor fans. So there have been some videos or posts questioning why Dovetail is pretty much leaving this game up in the air or leaving it in limbo, and I'm questioning that too. This game clearly has a good foundation, but for some reason it's pretty much been left in the dark. It's kept alive by posts on Facebook or Twitter, or Instagram. But I feel like it's getting insignificant updates to what fans really want.  

I'm not trying to bash Dovetail, but I do feel their marketing has been lacking and almost sucky. I may not be a marketing expert, but repeatedly promoting the same characters and sales eventually becomes stale and doesn't give players much reason to come back. If Dovetail really wants Wonders of Sodor to succeed, I think they should start teasing upcoming content. New characters, routes, or features would generate far more excitement and attract both returning and new players. To me, it kinda feels like they're trolling us, but then again, I am dramatic.

I'm one of the fans still holding on because I believe the game has a great foundation, but I'd really like something to look forward to. Right now, most players have already completed what the game has to offer. With only six engines, one branch line, limited story possibilities, and no AI traffic to make the railway feel alive, there's only so much replay value. That's why I think new content—not more promotions of existing content—is what will keep the game growing.

There is a reason why the comments are so angry under the posts where they keep repeating the same thing. If Dovetail really wanted to quell the angry customers, they need to actually give us something to look forward to. The more they spend their time sending posts of repetitive content, the angrier fans will become. 

I understand why Mattel has the final say on which characters Dovetail can use—they own the Thomas & Friends brand. But since Mattel already approved the game in the first place, I would have expected Dovetail to have a clearer path for expanding the island and adding more characters over time. If every engine or route requires separate approval, it's easy to see why fans are confused by the slow pace. From my perspective, this game seems like a great opportunity to promote the franchise. Adding more classic characters and locations would not only keep existing players engaged, but could also attract new fans to both the game and the series.

So, with all that out of the way, I feel like this Dovetail Direct could be the big sigh of relief we've all been waiting for. Four months after launch, we're long overdue for some clarity on whether new content is actually coming to the game. If we don't get anything at all, I might officially delete the game and play something else.

This was the route I was most excited to post about: the Skarloey Railway. It was actually the hardest one to put together—not because it was complicated, but because there were so many amazing locations on the wiki that I couldn't fit them all into a post with the 20-image limit. Even so, I'm really proud of how it turned out, and I truly hope Dovetail brings the Skarloey Railway to the game because it's such a charming and iconic line.

Of all the routes I've covered over the past three days, the Skarloey Railway is definitely the most ambitious. I don't expect Dovetail to recreate it exactly as I've imagined, but I do hope they bring the Skarloey Railway to the game because it's such an important part of Sodor.

Making that Brendam Branch route inspired me to make some more desired maps. This is for the Little Western.

Edit: "Tidmouth Hault" is actually "Haultraugh"