Days Out with Thomas



Day Out with Thomas (Orginally named Friends of Thomas the Tank Engine) is a trade name licensed by HiT Entertainment for tourist events that take place on heritage railways and feature one or more trains decorated to look like characters from Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends.

History
The Nene Valley Railway at Peterborough in England was the first railway in the world to possess a full-scale replica Thomas. This was an industrial tank engine built by Hudswell Clarke that had been nicknamed "Thomas" due to its blue livery and resemblance to the famous tank engine. In 1971 the Reverend W. Awdry made the name official. HiT Entertainment later tried - unsuccessfully - to sue the Nene Valley Railway on the grounds that the engine was breaching their trademark. The case was dismissed as the name was given by the Reverend W. Awdry.

Since then, other tank engines around the world have been dressed up as Thomas. Some railways have gone so far as to rebuild locomotives in order to produce a better replica. This has divided preservationists: those opposed claim it disfigures historic locomotives and trivialises the preservation movement; those in favour claim they draw visitors and can kindle an interest in children.

Many "Thomas'" aren't actually real engines; they are really "shells" built around a smoke machine.

Some railways have developed a further source of income in the hire of "Thomases" to railways that do not have a "Thomas" of their own.

Off the Rails
Since 2008 many heritage railways in the UK have withdrawn their "Day out With Thomas" events due to HiT's revised licensing conditions, which include the requirement for enhanced criminal records (CRB) checks on railway staff and volunteers and training courses for actors playing The Fat Controller.

Railways - including The East Lancashire Railway, The North Yorkshire Moors Railway, The Bluebell Railway, The National Railway Museum at York, and The Swanage Railway - were affected and have not had Thomas back on their events list since.

Despite a two year absence, taken over by Underground Ernie, the Thomas licence returned to Eastleigh Lakeside Steam Railway in 2010 while "Jimmy the Jinty" took over for the East Lancashire Railway from 2009.

Events at The Elsecar Heratige Railway were axed in 2010 due to the new prices and has been replaced by Peppa Pig for 2012. Thomas also left the Great Central Railway in 2009 and has since been replaced by Ivor the Engine.

However, Thomas has returned to the East Lancashire Railway as of 2011 and was recently welcomed back at the Severn Valley Railway, Churnet Valley Railway, the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway, and The Great Central Railway in 2012. Meanwhile, other Heritage Railways talk about bringing Thomas back in 2013. The Nene Valley Railway is planning to overhaul their Thomas, but are requiring donations for support.

United Kingdom
Many railways now host Day Out With Thomas events. Some feature just Thomas, while others feature other engines like Diesel, Percy, Donald and Douglas, Duck, Oliver, James, Henry, Toby, Bill and Ben, Spencer, Fergus, Daisy, S. C. Ruffey, Toad, the Diesel, and Mavis.

United States
There are seven travelling "Thomases", all standard gauge except for two narrow gauge engines. While travelling between events, the engines are disguised. Thomas appears in full dress at Day Out with Thomas events hosted by railroads in arrangement with HiT Entertainment. Many of the larger railroad museums and tourist railroads host Day Out with Thomas events periodically. There are two real engines (One coal fired, one oil fired) and five dummies. The coal fired engine and all of the dummies were made at Strasburg Rail Road in Pennsylvania. The coal fired engine is former Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal #15. It currently resides at the Strasburg Rail Road and is lent out to other railroads from time to time. The oil fired engine travels between Essex Steam Train, the Great Smokey Mountain Railroad, and the NC Transporation Museum.

New Zealand
Mainline Steam's Bagnall tank engine has appeared as "Thomas" on a number of different locations, including the extremely popular biannual "Day Out with Thomas the Tank Engine" weekends at the Glenbrook Vintage Railway. In the Hutt Valley, the Silver Stream Railway has a Thomas-like engine on display at its entrance.

Australia

 * Day Out with Thomas events are still called Friends of Thomas the Tank Engine events in most parts of Australia, but some events in Queensland are referred as Days Out With Thomas.
 * In Queensland, The Workshops Rail Museum adds faces to their steam and Diesel engines, coaches, and road vehicles resembling James, Edward, Lady, Donald, Douglas, D199, Annie, Clarabel, Trevor, and George. They also have a life size Thomas replica which isn't a real engine.
 * In Victoria, the 2ft 6in Puffing Billy Railway decorates their 0-4-0st Pekett as Thomas.
 * In New South Wales, the Zig Zag Railway, Lithgow have an event referred to as "Friends of Thomas". There they have engines resembling Thomas, James, Donald, and Douglas. The NSW Rail Transport Museum, Thirlmere also hold an event, with engines resembling Thomas, Toby, Henry, and Donald. Thomas events at the Zig Zag will discontinue with the closure of the line on June 17th, 2012.

Netherlands
In the Netherlands, the "Zuid Limburgse Stoomtrein Maatschapij" (South Limburg Steam Engine Railway) has a "Day out with Thomas" once a year. For this event, they get a steam engine, which looks like Thomas, from the United Kingdom. They use different engines, depending on the engine they get each year. They use their own engines as Thomas' friends.