Uploaded August 2018 | Updated September 2026, 30 minutes ago

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PLEASE READ THE DESCRIPTION BEFORE COMMENTING. THANK YOU.

On January 2nd, 2017, Ben Forster, the actor best known in his later years as Engine Driver Mr. Gilbert Perkins, passed away after a battle with cancer at the age of 59. For a long while afterward, I wanted to do a tribute video to Mr. Perkins, particularly his narrations for the Railway Series stories.

At first I had wanted to do a showcase for him, but since I have another showcase in the works at the moment, I decided against it. But then I thought, why not do a DVD-style compilation for his narrations, like I did with the Schemer Presents! collection back in 2014?

So consider this my long overdue tribute to Ben Forster.

Aside from Thomas and Gordon (the first story that Mr. Perkins ever heard) and Sir Topham Hatt's Engines (a good story idea for the finale IMO), all the other stories are in the order as they were in the Railway Series books.

Our Story Stops Are:
1. Thomas and Gordon (Thomas the Tank Engine) - 0:10
2. Edward and Gordon (The Three Railway Engines) - 3:50
3. Thomas' Train (Thomas the Tank Engine) - 7:09
4. Thomas and the Breakdown Train (Thomas the Tank Engine) - 10:41
5. Thomas Goes Fishing (Tank Engine Thomas Again) - 14:04
6. Thomas, Terence and the Snow (Tank Engine Thomas Again) - 17:35
7. Thomas and Bertie (Tank Engine Thomas Again) - 20:16
8. Henry and the Elephant (Troublesome Engines) - 22:57
9. Trouble in the Shed (Troublesome Engines) - 25:36
10. The Flying Kipper (Henry the Green Engine) - 28:17
11. A Scarf for Percy (Henry the Green Engine) - 31:27
12. Thomas in Trouble (Toby the Tram Engine) - 34:25
13. Percy and Harold (Percy the Small Engine) - 37:07
14. Gordon Goes Foreign (The Eight Famous Engines) - 39:48
15. Pop Goes the Diesel (Duck and the Diesel Engine) - 42:27
16. Trucks! (The Little Old Engine) - 46:04
17. Thomas Comes To Breakfast (Branch Line Engines) - 49:14
18. Ghost Train (Tramway Engines) - 51:55
19. Toby's Tightrope (Tramway Engines) - 54:37
20. Sir Topham Hatt's Engines (The Eight Famous Engines) - 58:00

Special thanks to SteamTeam for ten of the stories featured, and the Thomas & Friends Official YouTube channel for the rest.

This video is dedicated to Ben Forster, aka Mr. Perkins. Thank you for being a friend, and a Really Useful Driver on Sir Topham Hatt's Railway.

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing! Thomas & Friends is owned by HiT Entertainment/Mattel. No money has, nor ever will be, made off this video.