James is a medium sized engine. He likes to think of himself as a really splendid engine. This can occasionally lead to grandiose ideas about the sort of work suitable for such a noble creature‚ which invariably lands James in trouble.

James is a mixed traffic engine‚ which means he can pull both passenger coaches and freight cars.

In the stories‚ James crashed on his first day into a field. It was blamed on the wooden brake blocks he was given. James has a reputation for being naughty. Some of the incidents include breaking a coach brake pipe and needing a passenger's bootlace to fix it‚ crashing into tar wagons‚ pulling Gordon's coaches without his permission and showing off his new coat of paint while not doing work‚ only to end up getting covered in coal by the Troublesome Trucks. Despite his behaviour‚ James is an engine proud of his red paint and is considered to be a really useful engine. He is similar in shape to Edward‚ except he has six driving wheels instead of four‚ and his cabin is a different shape. He is one of the few engines allowed to pull Gordon's Express when the big engine is away.

He is very proud of his red paint and shining brass dome‚ and so likes to stay clean. He hates pulling trucks‚ and believes that he should only be used to pull coaches. He thinks himself superior to the other engines‚ and can be shallow‚ boastful and arrogant- particularly to those engines who appear old-fashioned‚ weak‚ slow or dirty. However‚ on a number of occasions he has found himself forced to accept help from those he has insulted‚ and is ultimately apologetic.

As well as the pictured wooden train‚ there is also:
- Battery-Powered James (see Battery Powered Trains)
- Lights and Sounds James (see Battery Powered Trains)

A fun 2 train set‚ The Adventures of James‚ containing Busy as a Bee James and James in Team Colours is due for release in 2007 (not in the UK). It will be available from Thomas to You.