Eileen Gibb

Eileen Mabel Gibb (3 August 1911 – 25 December 2003) was a British author best known for the Adventures of Sammy the Shunter series of books for children.

Early life Gibb was born on 3 August 1911 in Croydon, Surrey. Holder was a major in the Royal Engineers during World War II and the manager of the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway from 1944 to 1948. Holder's father, John Alexander Holder, was a founding director of the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway and kept a miniature railway at his home Broome House in Broome, Worcestershire, which he later moved to Keeping House in Beaulieu, Hampshire.

Career From 1949 to 1964, Gibb wrote a picture book series about the Adventures Sammy the Shunter, an anthropomorphic steam locomotive. Her husband became the sales manager of Ian Allan Publishing in 1948, which specialised in nonfiction transportation books and agreed to publish Gibb's books. She contributed to Robin children's magazine with tales of Tubby the Odd-Job Engine. When Sammy the Shunter Bumper Book (1954) was reprinted in 1976, Ian Allan Publishing noted that the series books had been reprinted some 20 to 30 times and estimated that at least two million copies had been sold.

Sammy the Shunter books Description

Sammy the Shunter is a steam locomotive, painted red with green wheels and a yellow dome who lives in the fictional town of Sleeping Sunbury in England. The various books tell of Sammy's adventures all over the world.

Characters Sammy is the main character throughout the books. He is a friendly 2-4-2T steam shunter painted red with green wheels, yellow buffers, blue running plates and yellow lining with his nameplate on his sides in yellow. In the first book, Sammy used to be a rusty colour and had a number 109846 before being repainted. Mr. Buffin is Sammy's driver. He is a kind old man who is seen with Sammy on his adventures. It is mentioned in "Sammy Gets Streamlined" that he was meant to drive the Flying Scotsman but things had gone wrong. Mr. Buffin has a fear of wild animals. Mr. Plum is the stationmaster of Sleeping Sunbury station. Mr. Plum is a strict man with a short temper who addressed Sammy by his number in the earlier books, but has a kinder side.

Personal life

Series A: The first High Top series of 4 Sammy the Shunter jigsaws.

Sammy in popular culture Wiltoys High Spot released two series, each of four, jigsaw puzzles featuring Sammy the Shunter in the 1950s.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Harold Elliot demonstrated an O gauge model of Sammy the Shunter at Elliot Model Railway Exhibitions' Railwayland in Scarborough and Brighton.

Sammy's story was told on the BBC's Children's TV Hour in March 1954.

Selected publications