Wooden Railway

The Thomas and Friends Wooden Railway is a wooden model railway system created by Learning Curve.

Product History, Design and Make
Learning Curve was founded by John W. Lee 1993 in Chicago. In 2003 the company was acquired by "Racing Champions ERTL", renamed in the same year to "RC2". Learning Curve introduced some new designs for the track surface of wooden toy railways, such as the "Clickety-clack" rails patented in 1995 and the newer tracks with a relief to supply better traction grip for battery powered engines, patented in 2003. They also introduced a road track that used the same gauge as the railway tracks.

The original models were constructed mainly from painted wood with metal used in the coupling magnets and axles and plastic wheels and faces. These models were relatively primitive, with simple wooden stubs for the funnel and dome and details such as windows, whistles and bufferbeams omitted.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the models were upgraded. The wooden funnel and painted smokebox were replaced with a separate plastic smokebox with a more realistic funnel. The tender engines received an additional upgrade of molded plastic coal.

These improved designs were manufactured until 2004, when they were replaced with a third generation of design, which included new and more detailed faces.

Learning Curve is rapidly expanding its lineup of locomotive and locations.

Popular items
Over the several years that "Thomas and Friends" model have been made several items have remained popular, while others have been withdrawn. Two of the longest running items are the barrel loader, which remains in production, and the single stone bridge which has recently been withdrawn in favour of the Knapford Covered Bridge.

Engines
Being the main character, Thomas was one of the first characters introduced to the range, in 1993. His tanks were and still are perfectly flush, the extensions of his tanks not being cut out to reduce tooling costs. Thomas was updated with the rest of the Steam Team around 2002, with more detailing and a HiT Entertainment styled face. Thomas is not a very rare engine in his original format due to being made in large quantities. Edward (like the rest of the Season 1 cast) was introduced in 1993. One of the odd things about Edward is that he's produced as an 0-4-0 instead of a 4-4-0. He and the rest of the Steam Team were updated around 2002 with extra detail and a HiT Entertainment inspired face. Edward's original model from 1993-1997 is abit difficult to come by as tender engines were more expensive then smaller engines like Thomas, resulting in less sales and less models being produced. Introduced in 1993 with rest of Season 1 cast. Produced as an 0-8-0 instead of a 4-6-0. Updated around 2002 with more detail and HiT Entertainment inspired face. Original model hard to come by. Introduced in 1993 with rest of Season 1 cast. Produced as an 0-8-0 instead of a 4-6-2. Updated around 2002 with more detail and HiT Entertainment inspired face. Original model hard to come by. James was introduced in 1993 with the rest of the Season 1 cast. He was produced as an 0-6-0 instead of a 2-6-0. Like the rest of the Steam Team, he was updated in 2002 with more detail and a HiT Entertainment inspired face. Once again, the original 1993-1995 is hard to come by. Percy was introduced in 1993 with the rest of the Season 1 cast. He was updated with the rest of the Steam Team in 2002 with more detail and a HiT Entertainment inspired face. The version with a wooden funnel is very hard to come by, especially in good condition. Toby was introduced in 1993 with the rest of the Season 1 cast. His bodywork was originally printed on with stickers, he even had a different face looking down to left. Around 1995 or so he was updated with transfers and a new face. This was the version produced up to 2002 when he and the steam team were updated with more detail. Toby was the only engine not to recieve a new face. Duck was introduced in 1994 with the rest of the Season 2 cast. His funnel is positioned abit farther back than normal and it's painted green. Duck was not updated in 2002 and it appears that he won't be any time soon. Donald was introduced in 1994 with the rest of the Season 2 cast. Just like Duck, his funnel is positioned abit further back than normal. Doanld was not updated in 2002 and it appears that he won't be in the near future. Douglas was introduced in 1994 with the rest of the Season 2 cast. Just like Duck and Donald, his funnel is positioned abit farther back than normal. Douglas was not updated in 2002 and it appears that he won't be in the near future. Oliver was the last of the 2 engines from Season 3 engines to be introduced to the wooden railway range, in 1995. He lasted for a while in the range but ended up being discontinued around the new millenium. He is still available in the Sodor 5 Car Value Pack introduced a year or so after his retirement. He came back with a new updated look for 2008 only. This version can still be found in stores and online. The original Oliver with a wooden funnel and flat magnets is extremely rare. Diesel was introduced with the rest of the Season 2 cast in 1994. With his one off appearence in Season 3 and full blown re-introduction in Season 6, he's become quite a common character despite the fact he wasn't supposed to be seen again after Season 2. Due to this, he has never been retired, and was updated in 2002 with more detail and a touched up face that has not been changed from it's original appearence. Daisy was introduced with the rest of the Season 2 cast in 1994. In the T.V. Series, she was dressed up with make up due to her and BoCo sharing alot of the same parts to save money (including the faces), but wooden railway left out this feature on the their orignal Daisy model, just giving her black eyelashes. She proved to be a popular model but was eventually retired around 2003. She was re-introduced for the year 2007 only, but on this occasion she was heavily detailed, with her windows being glass colored instead of black, and her face had the red lipstick, blue eyeliner, and blush that was so common of her in the series. Her original version with flat magnets is incredibly difficult to find. The originals were abit problematic. They were the first of the Season 2 characters introduced with the 1993 range, and besides having the same faces (the only difference being the direction the eyes were looking), the stickers with their nameplates printed on them would often "peel off". You couldn't tell the difference even if you wanted too! Eventually the problem of the peeling stickers was rectified around 1994, but to this day the faces remain the same, even on the updated versions. BoCo was introduced with the rest of the Season 2 cast in 1994. He wasn't as popular as Daisy, and was eventually retired in 1997. He was re-introduced for a short time in 2002 and his model is hard to come by, especially the original flat magnet version. Mavis was the first of the Season 3 cast introduced in 1993. She originally had 4 wheels, but this was changed to 6 around 1994-1995. She has had constant appearences since her introduction, and has never been retired. The 6 wheel version is very common, while her original 4 wheel version is extremely rare. Stepney was introduced in 1996. Despite the fact that the other engines in the range had plastic funnels and smokeboxes added in 1998, Stepney did not get this treatment. It was a long time before he was retired around 2005. He is still available in the Stepney with Museum Cars pack in an updated format, but this time with a plastic funnel and smokebox. The Diesel was introduced in 1998. He was never that popular of a model and was retired after only a few years on the market. D199 was one of the first Railway Series characters introduced (along with Culdee) in 1996. Wooden Railway needed to introduce new characters each yaer but were running out of characters in the T.V. series, so they turned to the Railway Series for some inspiration. D199 was retired around 2005, but he was re-introduced in 2006 with an updated look.
 * Thomas
 * Edward
 * Henry
 * Gordon
 * James
 * Percy
 * Toby
 * Duck
 * Donald
 * Douglas
 * Oliver
 * Diesel
 * Daisy
 * Bill and Ben (2005 two-pack re-introduction)
 * BoCo
 * Mavis
 * Stepney
 * The Diesel
 * 199 (reissued in 2006)

Rolling stock

 * Annie
 * Clarabel
 * Henrietta
 * Hector
 * Chicken trucks
 * Toad (2006 limited-time reintroduction)
 * Scruffey (2006 limited-time reintroduction)
 * Old Slow Coach
 * Rocky
 * Dairy trucks
 * Musical caboose
 * Sodor line caboose
 * Log trucks
 * Knapford Express coach
 * Milk wagon
 * Tar wagon and fuel tanker
 * The breakdown train
 * The Chinese Dragon
 * Mail coach (retired)
 * China clay trucks
 * Barrel trucks
 * Express coaches
 * The spiteful breakvan
 * Sawmill trucks
 * Cargo trucks
 * Ice delivery trucks
 * Giggling trucks
 * Boxcars
 * Handcar
 * Aquarium trucks
 * Recycling trucks
 * Gold prospector's trucks
 * Water Works trucks
 * Fog trucks
 * Annie and Clarabel (2004 two-pack reintroduction)
 * Zoo cars (coming in 2009)
 * The puppet show train
 * Halloween caboose
 * Baggage car (retired)
 * Hero of the Rails (Days Out with Thomas 2009) caboose
 * Sodor Steam Works freight car (coming 2009)

Multi-car packs

 * "Calling All Engines" gift pack (Lady, Diesel 10, George, Harvey and Diesel)
 * Circus train
 * Thomas five-car value pack (Thomas with tired face, truck, barrel car, milk wagon and caboose)
 * Adventures of Percy (Coaldust Percy, Jack Frost Percy and Chocolate-covered Percy)
 * Adventures of Thomas (Winter Wonderland Thomas, Paint-splattered Thomas and Breakfast Thomas)
 * Adventures of James (Team Colours James and Busy Bee James)
 * Happy Birthday, Thomas
 * Sodor Collector's pack (gold Thomas, silver Percy and bronze Diesel)
 * Winter Wonderland
 * Stepney with museum trucks

Narrow Gauge

 * Bertram with scrap trucks
 * Rusty with construction trucks
 * Rheneas with rock crusher and quarry trucks

Vehicles

 * Bertie
 * Harold
 * Terence
 * Madge
 * Colin
 * Sir Topham Hatt's car
 * Crosby cargo truck
 * Sodor Bay cargo ship
 * Sodor Bay tugboat
 * Sodor power crew
 * Trevor
 * Butch
 * Lorry 1 with flatbed
 * Lorry 2
 * Lorry 3
 * Caroline
 * George
 * Thumper
 * Bulgy
 * Elizabeth
 * Road crew
 * Tiger Moth
 * Fire crew

The Pack

 * Jack
 * Alfie
 * Byron
 * Max and Monty
 * Isobella

Limited-edition models

 * "Thomas Comes to Breakfast" Thomas
 * "James goes Buzz Buzz" James
 * 60th anniversary Henry (with blue and green paint)
 * "Thomas and the Magic Railroad" ore truck (Canada exclusive)
 * "A Better View for Gordon" Gordon
 * Mud-covered Thomas

Bridges and tunnels

 * Arched stone bridge
 * Single stone tunnel
 * Tidmouth covered bridge
 * Rolf's Castle bridge
 * Double-wide old iron bridge
 * Lifting bridge
 * Sodor Bay bridge
 * Henry's Tunnel
 * Mountain tunnel
 * Curved viaduct
 * Suspension bridge
 * Collapsing suspension bridge
 * Arched viaduct (1999 two-piece re-introduction of the curved viaduct)
 * Drawbridge
 * Knapford covered bridge
 * Sling bridge
 * Quarry tunnel
 * Castle clocktower
 * Waterfall tunnel
 * Toll booth bridge
 * Holiday tunnel
 * Suddery swing bridge
 * Rumblin bridge

Buildings

 * Special engine shed
 * Elsbridge station
 * Elsbridge platform
 * Windmill
 * Gristmill with water wheel
 * Sodor Bay lighthouse
 * Knapford platform
 * Sodor log loader
 * "The Works" engine repair shed
 * Sodor cargo crane
 * Barrel loader
 * Sawmill with dumping depot
 * Cranky
 * Transfer table
 * Haunted mine
 * Stop-and-go station
 * Sodor engine wash
 * Grain loader
 * Coal station
 * Water tower
 * Switch tower
 * Fire station
 * Sodor dairy farm
 * Conductor's shed
 * Wellsworth station
 * Abbey repair shop
 * Over-the-track signal
 * Airfield tower
 * Honey depot
 * Rescue hospital
 * Service station
 * Musical carousel
 * Chocolate factory
 * Brendam fishing dock
 * Cargo drop
 * Scrapyard
 * Tidmouth timber yard
 * Sodor oil depot
 * Cement works
 * Rolling gantry crane
 * Toby's windmill
 * All Aboard station
 * Sodor clock tower (coming soon)

Sights and Sounds buildings

 * Cargo transfer station
 * Mountain overpass
 * Sodor "Scrub and Shine"
 * Smelting yard (with Oliver)
 * Deluxe roundhouse
 * Deluxe Cranky
 * Ice cream factory (with Sir Handel)
 * Power station
 * Echo tunnel
 * Recycling center
 * Deluxe fire station
 * Deluxe over-the-track signal
 * Lighthouse bridge (with Bulstrode)
 * McColl's pig shed
 * Deluxe Knapford station
 * Deluxe railway crossing
 * Deluxe water tower

"Lights and Sounds" engines

 * Thomas
 * James
 * Percy
 * Stanley (coming soon)

Battery-powered engines

 * Thomas
 * James
 * Percy
 * Salty
 * Bertie
 * Lady
 * Thomas with milk wagon and track
 * Percy with fuel car and track
 * James with track
 * Thomas and the jet engine
 * Stanley (coming soon)

Talking

 * Thomas
 * Edward
 * James
 * Percy
 * Toby
 * Rosie
 * Emily
 * Salty
 * Stanley
 * Billy
 * Molly
 * "Stop and Greet" signal
 * Cranky
 * "The Great Discovery"

Playsets

 * 100 piece set
 * Instant System 1
 * Instant System 2
 * Instant System 3
 * Instant System 4
 * Figure 8
 * Circle
 * "Percy Takes the Plunge"
 * Roundhouse
 * "Thomas and Bertie's Great Race"
 * "Come Out, Henry!"
 * A Day at the Works
 * Around the Barrel Loader
 * Circus
 * Mountain Tunnel
 * "James goes Buzz Buzz"
 * "Stop and Go" figure 8
 * Bridge and tunnel
 * Muffle Mountain
 * "Twist and Turn" action
 * Thomas Express "Over and Through" Battery-powered set
 * Sodor Airfield
 * "Lift and Load"
 * Conductor's figure 8
 * Redesigned roundhouse
 * Mountain overpass
 * Battery-powered figure 8
 * Seasons on Sodor
 * Tidmouth Station Travel
 * Sodor engine wash
 * Down by the Docks
 * Sodor rescue team
 * Boulder Mountain
 * Oval
 * Water tower figure 8
 * Harold's mail delivery
 * Deluxe "Sights and Sounds"
 * 60th anniversary
 * Aquarium
 * Storm on Sodor
 * "Rheneas and the Roller Coaster"
 * Sodor Quarry mine tunnel
 * "Edward the Great"
 * Battery-powered Sir Topham Hatt figure 8
 * Bridge and crane figure 8
 * Jeremy and the Airfield
 * "Start your Engines!"
 * Pirate's Cove
 * A Day at the Wharf
 * Morgan's Mine
 * Seasonal Mail
 * Spiral Mountain
 * Sodor Steamworks
 * Coal Hopper Figure 8 Set
 * "A Busy Day at the Quarry" set

Exclusive sets

 * Sodor Mining
 * "Thomas and the Magic Railroad"
 * A Race to the Wharf

Engines

 * Neil
 * Flying Scotsman
 * Wilbert
 * Big City Engine
 * 199

Rolling Stock

 * Rickety
 * Fred Pelhay

Multi-car packs

 * The ballast spreader

Multi-car packs

 * Ivo Hugh with zoo trucks
 * Ada, Jane and Mabel

Engines

 * Culdee

Rolling Stock

 * Catherine

Multi-car packs

 * Culdee with apple orchard trucks

Engines

 * Mike
 * Frank

Multi-car packs

 * Sodor gift pack (Oliver, Toby, Fred Pelhay, Bertie and Henrietta)

Yearbooks
From the introduction of the Wooden Railway system, Learning Curve (now RC2), have made yearbooks to feature their items. The items would be standard "mugshots" for engines and cars, while sets would be shown overall. The cover would also ocassionally feature the new items on it with Thomas usually being in the foreground.