The man they call Dr. Sodor :P

[Apologies in advance for the text-heavy writing; I'm an English researcher, and this is the extra-detailed research writing style they drilled into us from day-one lol]


So, the title doesn't give away much, but I thought perhaps writing about this here could be of interest to some [or maybe all] of you guys here on BPT, because hey, it's train related, specifically Thomas & Freinds, and I like to think i've found a really welcoming and awesome community of fellow fans here, so I'd like to share my ongoing work with you here

So, why have some of my freinds taken to calling me 'Dr. Sodor' lately?

Well, as of now [late 2022], I completed both a Batchelors [BA] and Master's [MA] degree at the University of Westminster, London, both in English disciplines (English Language and Literature [BA] & Creative Writing [MA]). However, I had determined that if I could, I wanted to do a PhD [Doctoral degree] in an English discipline, and so, set to work on an idea for what to research.

Initially, I had determined that I wanted to write about something related to Children's Literature, and if possible, talk about how certain series were of particular importance to people on the Autistic Spectrum, of which I am a part of, specifically, Asperger's syndrome, although not everyone uses that name anymore, I just do because that's what I was taught, so it's stuck.

After a lot of discussion with the tutor who had expressed an interest in working with me, and most of my initial suggestions of series to study had been rejected, as they had been researched already [part of a PhD is trying to do research that nobody else has done], until I went with my wildcard suggestion, The Railway Series, which they immediately latched onto, as I have since discovered that, for the specific research goals I had in mind, nobody had EVER done that level of specific research.

Initially, I was dumbfounded, as I had held off suggesting Thomas for the simple reason that I had absolutely no reason to believe that any lecturer would take me seriously if I walked into their office and proposed a paper about Thomas the Tank Engine, and yet here I was.

Fast forward nearly a year, and I have yet to be accepted onto a PhD course, but not for the reasons you might expect - I even had a personal message from the University Chancellor [basically, the head of the University] expressing his fascination with my research aims, and how he was keen to see me take it forwards, so it wasn't because the University don't want me to study it - It was actually entirely my fault, because I hadn't managed to come up with a solid research base in time for this year's PhD intake.

The simple reason for this, was that with my revised research goal, to study and analyse why people on the Autistic Spectrum particularly relate to the Railway Series franchise, I had no end of trouble trying to find research that would back up the points I wanted to prove.

For those of you who don't know exactly how a PhD works [not that I really do, but this is my understanding based on speaking to my lecturer recently], this is how it works;

• Create a research topic/aim, in my case, the study of why people on the Spectrum gravitate towards Thomas
  
• Give context [like a explanation of the history behind the series/Spectrum]
  
• Make your points
  
• Back up your points with existing research evidence and new research evidence that you have created
  
• Conclude the piece by using the evidence you've gathered to prove your point has academic and social merit, and can be proven to exist in the real world as well as in academic theory.
  

The problem I had was the 4th stage, the existing research evidence - Because i'm possibly one of the first to actually research this idea academically, there is little to no evidence for me to prove my point is true.

Or is there?

My lightbulb moment came while I was working my current day job in a chemical factory [making the colourings that go in medicine], thinking it all over while waiting for a batch of green powder to mix - There may not be evidence that directly correlates the Railway Series to the reason it appeals to those on the Spectrum, but there's plenty of evidence of how it appeals to other audiences, both the target audience, and other less-obvious ones. The bottom line was, I had been approaching it all wrong - I was trying to prove a point existed without any evidence, when I should have been doing it the other way around!

As such, i'm currently working on a totally overhauled PhD research proposal, maintaining the title of the original, but completely rebooting the angle that i'm researching from, using existing precedents tied to the Railway Series that have either research, or other confirmed evidence tied to them, and using them to prove that the connection between the Series and the Spectrum, while largely unrecognised in an official capacity until recently, definitely exists. The hope is, that this overhauled version will be accepted for the September 2023 intake.

I am working on linking these existing precedents to elements of the Spectrum as we speak, but the first one [a loose outline] I came up with is below;

Speech, Language & Acquisition

• The Railway Series started as a British series, and retains it's uniquely British feel through it's language, and it's visual presentation.
  
• However, the series is also incredibly popular all across the world, which begs the question - How? One would assume that because of it's deeply rooted connections to Britain, and the English language, it would become virtually impenetrable to anyone who does not speak English or know of British railway culture.
  
• The answer is simple - Although the books and television series were translated, which would seem to be the obvious means to cross the language barrier, this is not the only way that they come across to the audience, because a large portion of the audience may be non-verbal, or unable to read.
  
• This is a universal issue - Young children, the target of the series, may not be old enough to read and fully understand the text, or to understand the words being spoken to them, regardless of where they are in the world; Language aquisition and development is a key stage in the development of children, and to an extent, the adults they will become. However, it is known that the youngest children learn by what they see, hear and feel, before they reach the stage where they begin major pushes towards learning to read and speak.
  
• The result is that the books are accompanied with illustrations, and the TV series adds motion to these scenes, and in both cases, both use unambiguous and clear visuals to immediately and clearly broadcast what is happening to the reader/viewer. This means that even if the viewer is unable to comprehend the text or narration, they can still follow the story visually, and in addition begin to aquire language from the books or TV series, by connecting the words printed or being said to what they can see.
  
• Using this precedent, one can surmise that the reason this appeals to people on the Autistic Spectrum is because of this clear, unambiguous storytelling, done in a means that does not nessecarily require literacy or verbal communication. Non-verbal forms of Autism are a well discussed condition, and it has been researched how those who are non-verbal take their understanding of the world from what they can see, hear and feel, just like a very young child, but unlike the young child, their understanding can be at the same level as an adult - The difference is that they have to use this basic, child-like means of gaining understanding to get to the same level as their peers, adapting around the roadblocks that their condition has put in place.
  

This is obviously subject to change, and naturally I will be doing much more research than this to come up with the final theories and ideas to make up each of the key sections of my research. The bottom line for me is, this style is what my tutors wanted, so at least now I have a solid framework with which to build research onto

Now, admittedly, this research is as much an academic thing, as it is a personal thing. I think it goes without saying that for me, the Railway Series is a very special and beloved series, but more importantly, this research is going to be a personal journey to finally peel back the mystery of what makes me, me.

I know that sounds an odd thing to say, but stick with me here - Growing up as I did with Asperger's, which was never explained to me properly, either as a result of people having no information, personal biases, or a reason to deliberately conceal the truth from me, even at age 23, I still feel I don't know the full truth. I admit, to be in the position I am in now, is the result of many years of additonal help, but also, the culmination of some of the hardest work I have ever undertaken, all while being in the middle of what could be described as a form of identity crisis - Working to overcome something that's a key part of me, while at the same time not understanding why or how it was a part of me, and what it meant for me in the past and the present.

As of now, I like to think I'm proud of who I am, and what I stand for, but that wasn't always the case. Until I went to University, and even then, the change wasn't immediate, I didn't talk about my condition. I wasn't nessecarily ashamed of it, but rather, I had been bullied, harassed and more or less manipulated [even by some people close to me] into thinking I had little place in the world, and that the world would never accept someone like me.

Obviously I later discovered this was untrue, but even now, there are some things I haven't been told, with the constant excuse of 'you're not old enough', ironic given i'm now a taxpaying adult with two degrees, but whatever. If they won't tell me, then I suppose it's up to me to uncover the truth on my own terms, and if I do so while formulating research that could be significant for others like me, and for the world around us to begin to understand us better, then that is more than I could have ever hoped for. Finding out the truth may not be easy, but I know that. The bottom line is, I want to know, and whatever it takes, i'm going to try.

And finally, because I feel I ought to mention it [call this a retraction if you will], yes, I'm going to talk about Bruno [insert Encanto joke here lol] from AEG. I make no secret, I don't like AEG. The kids I know, don't like AEG. But, that's not the point.

When I first encountered Bruno, it was in a message from a freind of mine, and the information provided to me then, by them, led me to believe that his character was going to be little more than a hollow stereotype of people like me, and because I was in a fairly low spot at the time [and of course, anything related to my condition that portrays it negatively is a touchy subject to me], I concluded that's all there was to Bruno, without properly giving him the benefit of the doubt.

I acknowledge now that I was wrong [and so was said freind, who I corrected], as while I won't pretend that I still have issues with AEG, the fact is, Bruno is actually a reasonably sensitive and well-researched portrayal of someone on the Spectrum, and HiT deserve genuine kudos for actually making the effort to go where others have failed before. If anything, perhaps I should be thanking AEG [Oh yes, you read that right, i'm PRAISING All Engines Go] for forcing me to re-assess my own opinions about how people on the spectrum are represented in media, which were blinkered by past experiences that I still hadn't shaken off.

So in summary, that's why my freinds are calling me 'Dr. Sodor', because the joke is that i'm doing a PhD in Sodor Studies [imagine that xD], because of my research's focus on the Railway Series, and honestly, it's kinda funny, I like it. The hope now is my research will progress apace so I can begin a study that might be game-changing for not just me, but others too. We can but hope, anyway

All the same, I may well update this thread as my research [hopefully] progresses, but hey, for now, here's the foundations


[As noted, apologies for the text-heavy writing; I'm an English researcher, and this is the extra-detailed research writing style they drilled into us from day-one lol]