Britt Allcroft, Who Brought Thomas the Tank Engine to TV, Dies at 81 NYT | Top Stories By: Isabella Kwai 4 January 2025 at 04:48 She adapted the children’s book series to TV, creating a lasting cultural behemoth that spawned movies, merchandise and theme parks. © C. Woods/Daily Express, via Hulton Archive, via Getty ImagesBritt Allcroft in 1973, more than a decade before “Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends” debuted on British television.