The LNER Encyclopedia

As a child I read an enjoyable book set in what was no doubt a fictional eastern european country. From what I remember, it followed the adventures of the head of the railway, which I think was state run, which still mainly used steam locomotives. At least one chapter involved one of the earliest locomotives of the line being restored in a shed next to the railway manager's house, and when it started working it burst through the wall into the kitchen

That sounds like quite a book! I'd love to read that. Any idea on author or title?

Absolutely no idea i'm afraid - fairly certain it was a British author, not sure it would definitely be termed a children's book though

Tomasz zbiornik lokomotywa?

All sounds a bit derivative with engines crashing through walls. Make the Fat Controller into the 'People's Controller' and off you go?

Thomas himself was a "bit derivative" when he first appeared in 1946 - !!!

There have been faces on trains since about 1829 in British Political Satire, Children's books and similar, including some serious works like Dombey & Son.

There exists no patent which covers all anthropomorphic machines with faces, nor one for trains specifically, though HiT through Gullane own specific character patents for the Awdry locomotives 1-5.

None of the locomotives, carriages, wagons or other wheeled objects had faces or talked, I remember that much