It has been 80 years since Thomas the Tank Engine first chugged onto our screens, and today the locomotive is still beaming into living rooms around the world.

To mark the milestone, Australia’s biggest fan of the children’s adventure series is embarking on the trip of a lifetime.

Fifteen-year-old Cody Watson has travelled from Tasmania to jump on board a decked-out Thomas-themed train on a four-day journey from Sydney to Western Australia.

Thomas’ stories of friendship and adventure have been an important part of Cody’s life. His mum, Katrina, says the books helped him learn to talk and make friends.

Reverend Wilbert Awdry created “Thomas”, which started as a book in the early 1940s. The story – based on a fictional island called Sodor – was later brought to life on TV and narrated by Ringo Starr in the 1980s, and has been adapted many times since.

Cody says he has watched all 14 movies, enjoys the original the most, and even hopes to write his own adaptation one day.

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