 He was inspired to write some Railway Series stories by a visit to the Nene Valley Railway, with encouragement from his father.The publishers were eager for new books, as the television adaptation was in production at the time, and Christopher Awdry became the new Railway Series author.All of his books were illustrated by Clive Spong, an illustrator who, it was felt, could combine technical accuracy with the appealing, colourful style exemplified by C. Reginald Dalby.