Ivor The Engine - The Dragon

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Ominous Pipe Organ: Averted: Ivor's whistle is made out of three pipes from a steam organ for a merry-go-round (called a roundabout in the series), and uses them to communicate and sing in the Grumbly and District Choral Society. He may have three notes, but he sings them beautifully. Wales is where you have little railways going along the tops of hills, which is much less boring that hurtling up the slumbering Midlands plain in the middle of the night," he told science fiction enthusiast Clive Banks, "so we decided it would be nice to set it in Wales." Idris is a male red Welsh dragon whom Ivor and Jones the Steam found at Smoke Hill. They initially thought his egg was a stone and used some tongs to remove it and put it in Ivor's fire box. The baby dragon hatched out of it in Ivor's cab. Idris is a part of the choir. Whilst the choral society was singing a voice came from within Ivor’s boiler, singing along with the song, and out of his funnel popped a very small flaming hot Heraldic Welsh Dragon. Idris loves to sing and his favourite song is ‘Land of my fathers’. Bagpuss creator Oliver Postgate in his own words". The Guardian. 9 December 2008 . Retrieved 9 December 2008.

In April 2011, Smallfilms collaborated with mobile gaming company Dreadnought Design to launch an Ivor the Engine game under the newly created Smallworlds brand. [18]In 2000, a video called The Complete Ivor The Engine containing all 26 colour episodes was released by Universal. The Juggernaut is a diesel rail lorry made out of bits, bobs and flanged wheels, which appears towards the end of the series. Due to its inadequate brakes, it runs down a hill and falls into the lake soon after starting service, nearly killing Idris, whom it was carrying on a chestnut barrow. It is a typical day in the life of Ivor the Engine. Ivor delivers Coal to Grumbly Gasworks, tomatoes to Mr Davy and Fish to Mrs Thomas. Ivor also goes to choir practice. Re-Cut: Small episodes released on home video are edited together as one large episode, as they're connected to each other..

Idris is still missing when the representative of the antiquarian society arrives to interview Jones about him. After a few embarrassments, Jones and Ivor find Idris in the most obvious place. Ivor is having a lovely time in the snow. With a winch attached to his front, he is pulling the children on sledges up the hill. He pulls too many at a time and ends up wheel-deep in the snow. Various rescue attempts prove futile. Postgate and Firmin created a map of their fictional railway which was adhered to rigidly during filming. Evan Evans is the portly choirmaster of The Grumbley and District Choral Society. He is also Jones the Steam's wife's uncle . Mrs. Porty

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There are some problems with Smoke Hill again. So, Jones, Ivor and the dragons go to Merioneth to see Mrs Griffiths. While there, Gaian and Blodwen encounter an old enemy. Unusually Uninteresting Sight: The top left-hand corner of Wales is utterly unusual – an engine drives itself and sings in the choir, dragons live in a volcano, animals in general have some degree of sentience – but no one minds in the slightest. Even the Narrator agrees that things are not at all usual, even for Wales!

Postgate, Oliver; Firmin, Peter (2006). Ivor the Engine: The first story. London: Severnside. ISBN 0-9552417-0-7. Just Train Wrong: Generally, Ivor does operate in a true-to-life manner, requiring a driver to maintain his fire, refill his coal and water, follow scheduled work, pull trains and so on. Of course, real locomotives don't drive themselves or sing in choirs, but Ivor is held accountable for violating railway regulations, so he can't just run about wherever he pleases. Translator Buddy: Ivor can only talk using his whistle and steam pressure, so Jones the Steam interprets for everyone just what he is trying to express. How he achieved this skill is never discussed, but probably has to do with the close bond between a steam engine and its driver. After Mr Dinwiddy's idea falling through, Mrs Porty comes up with a solution to the railway being sold. Ivor enjoys doing all sorts of things that humans do. As well as singing in the choir, he likes visiting the seaside, making tea from his boiler and spending time with his friends. He is fond of animals, and has several of them among his friends. He can be wilful and disobedient at times, and it is not unknown for him to go and do his own thing when he should be working. He dislikes shunting and timetables.As this episode takes place when decimalisation occurs, Jones must inform Idris and Co. that there are no more half-crowns in Wales and that "you have had the lot". They go and find in a small shop, an old tin teapot full to the brim with half-crowns. "Smoke-Hill" is gas fired for the final time until the dragons go to Mr Dinwiddy and his geothermal heated cave. Ivor the Engine, created by Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin, tells the story of a little green steam engine who runs on the Merioneth & Llantisilly Rail Traction Company Limited, located in the top left-hand corner of Wales. Ivor is rather unusual for a steam engine in that he is alive (though most engine drivers would believe that already), and his life is far from an ordinary one.