Thomas T.T.E. Again

[Jim Krause]

While browsing through a June 1994 issue of Model Railroader magazine I came across several letters to the editor concerning "guess who". It seems that Thomas had been given a cover picture the previous month and everybody was up in arms about putting him on the cover of a scale model railroading magazine. There was one person who supported having Thomas on the cover because it caught the interest of several kids in the family. I guess nothing has changed in the the past 12 years.

 

[jambo101]

Thomas the tank engine is a great show if you want to see lots of layouts and scenery ideas, Granted the storyline is a bit juvenile but its the only show on that has any model rail content.
Be nice if they resurrected a show like "tracks ahead" http://www.tracksahead.net/

 

[Myowngod]

Thomas along with the Polar Express and Hogwarts Express from Harry Potter expose children to our hobby, sort of through the back door. Yes, I have successfully brainwashed my kids to love trains... hopefully it sticks. I try to get them involved in all the aspects of the hobby and have them help where they can, at their level. I don't understand why "The Purists" see the kids exposure to the hobby almost a threat to the "realism" or "prototypicalness". I think it neccesary to encourage not discourage newbies into the hobby.

My 2 cents

 

[YmeBP]

I love thomas for that!! I get a whole bunhc of ideas from watching the show w/ my children and they love to watch the trains and listen intently to the stories. I've built them a small layout that thomas will soon be rolling on hopefully it will spark somethign that will teach them patience perseverance, expand their imaginations, and attention to detail.

 

[oldtanker]

I will say it again. I think things like Thomas, Polar Express and Hogwarts Express are going to save the model train industry in the long run and preserve the hobby.

From what I've read model train sales were down across the board in the late 80s and early 90s and that now they have started to rebound. I think a lot of fathers who never got into the hobby before are sitting with their kids and watching, seeing how excited the kids get and now are starting to get interested.

My oldest grandsons other grandpa told me last year that he never got his boys trains when the were kids because of time and space. He also said he was really sorry that he hadn't. He volunteered this info after him and grandma baby sat a few times and watching how excited they got watching Thomas and friends and with the Brio and Geotrax Thomas stuff.

Grandpa and daddy are getting a joint Christmas present this year now that grandpa who lives but a mile away has the time and space. I'm getting the the Bachmann EZ-Command started set and a few cars.

Rick

 

[Renovo PPR]

oldtanker- I will say it again. I think things like Thomas, Polar Express and Hogwarts Express are going to save the model train industry in the long run and preserve the hobby.

I think this is the type of things that will grow the hobby 100%. To tell the truth I'm interested in the Hogwarts Express and my oldest daughter wants a set. The thing about these sets is that they bridge the sex gap more than the war sets did in the late 1950's and 1960's.

Theme trains are big with the young ones out there.

 

[CNWman]

I like TTTE, I even think Thomas and the Magic Railroad is a great movie when you try to consider the market it was aimed at (seriously, most people badmouth it, but they are ADULTS, the movie was aimed for KIDS). Anyways, I am thinking of having Mavis be my main switcher for my layout Yes I may be nuts, but hey, I'm running the CNW in 2007train97

 

[shaygetz]

I'm still looking for Percy...then Gordon, but I want the Hornby one...then James...ooo, gotta have Duck, too...sigh...:thumb:

 

[myltlpny]

Well, lets's face it. We all started out with some sort of equipment, usually a trainset, that piqued our interest in the hobby. These days it has a theme, whether it's Thomas, Harry Potter, or whatever. Chances are, someone's going to develop an interest in the hobby from a purely modeling point of view. Heck, I'd love to see a Hogwarts's Express train layout that had London at one end and Hogwart's castle at the other end.

 

[60103]

A few years ago, one of the British magazines actually made Hogwarts and provided cut out paper parts. I don't think I have all the issues, but I was thinking of copying the parts and making it at a show!
I may make Unseen University instead.

 

[jesso]

This year we had our best attendance for our club's open house. On the flyers that we gave out to the kids, we put that we would be running Thomas and Percy on the layouts. We had LOTS of kids show up. When we would put Thomas on the N scale modules, the kids would follow him in a big group all the way around the layout. The neat thing was, when we stopped Thomas and ran the other trains, the kids would stay and watch those trains as well. In fact, I heard several kids saying that they really liked those trains. Thomas will get kids interested in the hobby, and they will like the other stuff as well.

 

[MadHatter]

As a matter of fact, without these T.V. programs our hobby would be dying. With the introduction of digital trains that can be controlled with the computer- this brings interest for the teens.

I see these as a lifesaver to our hobby because in South Africa children don't use the train or know anyone who is interested- so they are naturally ignorant towards trains. So while the hobby is growing (only a small margine, and these are the older folks who are retireing), it is dying at the same time.

What got my attention with trains is the fact that my father used to get a free pass, so once a year we'd take the 1500km journey from Johannesburg to Cape Town with the Trans Karoo.

I only ever met another enthusiast when I was 14 years old (I've been into trains since I was just a thought- lol)

Anyway, sorry for diverging. Um, the new representatives for our hobby to the young 'uns are T.T.T.E, H.P and The P.Ex. The representative to the teens is the digital items, since now-a-days you can buy a medeocre loco with a chip in for the same price as an analogue loco.

 

[railwaybob]

At the Smiths Falls Railway Museum in "Sensational Smiths Falls", Ontario Canada, our typical visitors are Mom, Dad, and the Two Kids. The Two Kids usually have the wooden Thomas The Train. So, we make sure that our gift shop is well stocked with the wooden Thomas The Train and Friends.

Then they see the HO scale Thomas The Train stuff that's displayed right next to the wooden Thomas! Dad had better have an HO layout so that Mom can buy the Two Kids HO Thomas and Friends! Or else, Dad is going to use this as an excuse to get back into the hobby - but with the kids.

Later during the summer or fall, the family will attend a model train show to look at the nicely scenicked layouts. Thomas and Friends are usually on these nicely scenicked layouts.

And, like the Energizer Bunny, their interest in the hobby keeps going, and going, and going.............

If you think you were passionate about the trains when you were young, you haven't seen anything like the passion of these kids with Thomas and Friends. As the kids grow older, I'm sure they will naturally gravitate to the bigger stuff - the AC4400's, the SD40s, the GP9s, the 4-6-0's, the 2-8-0s, etc, etc. IMHO, the future of this great hobby is looking good.

Bob M.

 

[MadHatter]

I know this isn't the battery forum, but isn't it the Duracell Bunny???

Noobie Question- what does IMHO stand for??

 

[BKlein]

No its energizer (I googled to be suresign1)
In My Honest Opinion
I like Thomas and my Dad and I plan on getting my son a set soon and hes only 7 weeks old wonder who were really buying it for.

I know this isn't the battery forum, but isn't it the Duracell Bunny???

Noobie Question- what does IMHO stand for??

 

[nolatron]

This is probably a silly question with an easier answer, but I've always wondered why he's called Thomas the Tank Engine, and not just Thomas the Engine. Where's the Tank part coming from? Is that referring to the boiler tank since he's a steamer?

The things that make a 27 year old go hmm..... I bet my 5yr old (at least I think he's 5, hehe) nephew probably knows this too!

 

[nolatron]

Be nice if they resurrected a show like "tracks ahead" http://www.tracksahead.net/

Tracks Ahead is still alive. just look on their site you linked too.

Season 7 is in the works, set for 2008 release. They also started filming in Hi-Def with season 6. It's a large gap between seasons (2-2.5 years!), but at least they are keeping the show alive.

PBS back in New Orleans carried this show and I loved it. However, here in Houston they don't

I'll probably be ordering the season 6 dvd's soon.

 

[MadHatter]

I got this off Wikipedia. Strange that Duracell uses Energiser's selling line, used to be
Lasts up to six times longer now, on and on and on.

A Duracell Bunny is any of several anthropomorphic pink rabbits powered by batteries, used to promote Duracell brand batteries. In commercial advertisements, the Duracell Bunny is actually only one of these rabbits, powered by a Duracell battery rather than rival batteries. The point of the advertisement is that the bunny powered by a Duracell battery can continue functioning for a longer amount of time before its battery runs down.
The advertisements usually feature the bunnies competing in some way, for example a game of soccer or a race.
The Duracell bunny predates the Energizer Bunny, which actually began as a parody of the Duracell bunny toys that became a collectible item. People often get the two confused, although there are distinct differences between the two. There are differences in appearance — the Energizer bunny wears sunglasses, has larger ears, is a different shade of pink and has a different body shape. Also, while the Energizer bunny is a single rabbit, the Duracell bunnies are a species. The Energizer bunny is always depicted with a drum, as the Duracell bunny toys of which it is a parody had drums, but the actual Duracell bunny advertising campaign has moved beyond this, and Duracell bunnies are usually depicted as doing something other than beating a drum.
The Duracell Bunny does not appear in North America, due to the now iconic status of the Energizer Bunny.

 

[MadHatter]

This is probably a silly question with an easier answer, but I've always wondered why he's called Thomas the Tank Engine, and not just Thomas the Engine. Where's the Tank part coming from? Is that referring to the boiler tank since he's a steamer?

Hi Nolatron- NO SUCH THINGS AS A SILLY QUESTION!!

A tank engine means that it is a tenderless loco (the water tanks are on the side and - normally- coal "bunker" behind the cab). The wheel arrangment has a "T" prefix afterwards.

You get different tanks- Thomas is a normal tank engine. Thomas is known in proper railway terms as a 0-6-0T.

A pannier tank has it's tanks on the side too but not connected to the running board- like Duck?? Duck?? is known in railway terms as a 0-6-0PT.

A saddle tank (like Percy) has it's tank over the boiler. In railway terms 0-4-0ST.

 

[RobertInOntario]

Well, as I said this on the other Thomas thread, I agree that Thomas is going to fuel our hobby & create interest in trains in general.

Just look at many of the [original] stories. The writer was a railway fan, as are his son and grandson. And, unlike most other stories about trains, the Thomas trains are usually shown doing things that real trains do in real life -- waiting for signals, working in quarries, delivering mail, etc.

I've actually learned a few things myself about real train operation myself from reading these books to my kids.

Cheers, Rob