Plagiarism or Coincidence?

In this post, I wrote about the issue of plagiarism versus coincidence.

Today, I came across another example:

Is one of the most successful children's book franchises actually a shamless rip-off of a title by an obscure author?

Did Ursula Hourihane die in penury whilst Wilbert Awdry recklessly blew his earnings on model railway accessories?

Sadly, Miss Hourihane's book is undated, but after a little detective work it looks as if the illustrator, Rene Cloak, may have been inspired by a certain children's book about steam engines with faces, that was published a few years earlier.

The similarities with Thomas can't be a coincidence, can they?

If only it was the other way round. I'd love to think that beneath his amiable exterior, the Rev. Awdry hid a dark, shameful secret, flinching at the mere mention of Ursula Hourihane's name.

On the other hand, it would also be fun to portray the elderly Miss Irene Mabel Cloke as a shameless plagiarist, who lived in fear of being exposed as the Railway books became increasingly popular.

Sadly, the truth is probably a lot duller.