James

James is a medium-sized engine. His six driving wheels are not as big as Gordon's and not as small as Thomas'. He has a fine scarlet coat and brass dome and likes to think of himself as a Really Splendid Engine. This can occasionally lead to high-falutin' ideas about the sort of work suitable for such a noble creature : invariably they land James into trouble.

Basis
In The Island of Sodor: Its Peapole, History and Railways, it is slated that James is based on a Class 28 locomotive from the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Horwick Works, itself a development of the Class 27. The Class 28 engines were designed by George Hughes and had Belpaire fireboxes, a Schmidt/'twin-plug' superheater and an extended footplate and sandbox.