Rediscovered Thomas the Tank Engine Pilot Is Released The episode, from 1983, was found in storage by accident. It was restored and made available for viewing for the first time on Friday.

The series aired as Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends from 1984 until 2021. Allcroft’s family remembered her as an “adoring mother and wife and visionary producer” in an emotional statement.

Britt Allcroft, the creator of the “Thomas the Tank Engine” series, has died. She was 81. Filmmaker Brannon Carty shared the news of Allcroft’s death on Instagram on Friday, Jan. 3.