Britt Allcroft, the creator of the “Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends” series, has died at age 81, filmmaker Brannon Carty announced on X.

Allcroft was most known for producing popular children’s shows featuring Thomas the Tank Engine after obtaining the rights to adapt Reverand Wilbert Awdry’s “Railway Series” books in the 1980s.

The show first launched as “Thomas & Friends” in 1984 before being renamed “Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends.”

“Over the years of knowing Britt, we developed a close connection,” wrote Carty, who directed the 2023 documentary “An Unlikely Fandom: The Impact of Thomas the Tank Engine.”

“It was truly a privilege to have her as both a mentor and a friend, and I’m so glad that so many fans were able to meet her at the New York screening of ‘An Unlikely Fandom.’ It was an absolute honor to have her in our documentary, and she has since remained a vocal supporter of our cause.”