In the early 1990s, the character of Thomas the Tank Engine – adapted from the Rev. W. Awdry's "Railway Series" into the TV series "Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends", created by Britt Allcroft – was at the height of his popularity following three successful series. At the same time, "Shining Time Station" – an American series that combined episodes from the previous series with original live-action characters and scenarios, also created by Allcroft along with Rick Siggelkow – was made, and also successful. As early as 1994, prior to the launch of "Thomas"s fourth series, Britt Allcroft had plans to make a feature film based on both of these series, and would make use of the model trains from "Thomas" and the live-action aesthetic of "Shining Time Station".