A Thomas Train Set is a popular toy that was originally thought up and published back in the 1940s as Thomas the Tank Engine. This popular little fictional engine was created by Rev. W. V. Awdry. Thomas was just one of many characters that were part of his Railway Series of books.
Nothing was done with this little train until 1979 when a British writer named Britt Allcroft read one of the books. She took her savings and mortgaged her home to bring this character to life on 35 mm film. The debut was in 1984 on the ITV network in the UK. The first story teller of this series was Ringo Starr for the first 26 stories. Other story tellers of the show after that first series also included Michael Angelis, George Carlin, and Alec Baldwin.
Since the beginning the name has been shortened to Thomas and Friends. The TV series ran from 1984 to 2003 with 182 different episodes. There have also been three feature films starring Thomas which are "Thomas and the Magic Railroad", "The Great Discovery", and "Hero of the Rails".
Because of the popularity of this little train, there are 24 different trains that can be purchased. There are some like the original that are powered by a child pushing the wooden engine, and others that are mechanized and battery powered. The prices start at just $19.99 for a simple oval track with Thomas and one car. For $143.99, your little engineer can recreate the story line of "The Great Discovery". This is a 35 piece set that includes 2 talking railway engines and many other special features.
These have come a long way from the original Thomas Train Set that was made from a broomstick by the creator Rev. W. V. Awdry for his son Christopher.
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