http://www.upperhudsonriverrr.com/
Just wondering. I’ve seen that this Thomas engine tours the country giving kids rides. I always figured this was somthing that ran on car tires in a mall parking lot. This shot shows it actually pulling a few coaches down the tracks. What kind of loco is this? (old 3 axle switcher with a Thomas shell?) Does it actually pull those cars or is there a real engine in the back pushing?
It is a real 0-6-0 switch engine. It actually can pull coaches. I’ve riden behind when my son was younger.
0-6-0 Steam? Not diesel?
I believe that there are more versions of the thomas train.
the one on the Adirondack Mountain Scenic Train Rides site, looks just like the one that came to Bellows falls a few years back that my family and I went on. That version does NOT pull trains, there was a diesel at the end, 7 passenger cars back from thomas, far enough back that it was pretty much out of site for the spectators while they were at the station getting on. only when the the whole train passed by the station would you see that there was a diesel at the end.
There is another version of Thomas that I beleive is a full fledged engine, there is a slight difference in appearence even. its a bit more beefy, a bit larger than the one you see on that site. I think strasburg PA has one, but I am not 100% positive.
Now, Conway scenic RR has a renovated O-18a 0-6-0 steam engine that runs the valley tour.
http://www.conwayscenic.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.steam7470
we went on that last year. it was more fun than the thomas ride even.
Kevin
Back when I was 6 in 1999, I went to Strasburg and found out that it was coincidence that Thomas was there that weekend. It is an engine that travels across the country. It did pull the train but if I remember correctly it ws an 0-6-0 deisel. It might have been steam.
YES Steam! They used to bring it to the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railway for a weekend. They drew big, big crowds, with lots of little kids. Trust me, I know - we were one of them one weekend. They take you on a short ride down the line and back. As I recall, the eyes moved and everything. Thomas is transported on a flatcar fro location to location. I don’t recall a tender, but I also don’t think it was a true tank engine. I think the simply filled the firebox before they left and had a small bunker. I do remember there being a pile of coal next to the tracks.
It wouldn’t be Thomas if there was no steam. Even had a shrill steam whistle.
Thanks for the replies! The reason I asked is I saw a TV commercial that said Thomas was coming to a mall near me to give rides. I’m pretty sure that version was similar to the parking lot trams you see at places like Disney. I was surprised to see this one on rails “pulling” coaches.
There many “boxcar” Thomas’, those which is just an 0-6-0 boxcar with a smoke machine and air compressor. There is however one Thomas which is actually a full steam engine. Most of the time places get the boxcars Thomas though.
I’ve seen one of the un-powered Thomas’s before, but I didn’t realize they had a powered Thomas in the U.S. In the U.K. they have an operating Thomas and several of his friends:http://www.watercressline.co.uk/mhrttte.htm#James
This was in Danbury CT about 5 years ago - there was smoke and a steam whistle, but the motive power was a diesel at the other end of the train.[:)]
Thats amazing!
If that was in the US, say an all Thomas railroad recreation of Sodor, I garuntee it qwould be world famous and rake in the big bucks. ( well after they repay all the loans)
Here is a UK based Thomas, he is a real tank engine, and is fully operational.
This was taken at the wonderful museum at Didcot near Oxford.
The Thomas engine from Strasburg was featured on one of the Tracks Ahead episodes on PBS when it visited the Chicago Railway Museum for their annual “Day Out With Thomas.” I think the engineer said it is a real British 0-6-0 tank engine.
There is also a narrow gauged Thomas that has visited the Durango & Silverton as well as Cumbres & Toltec.
He’s fake though and needs a loco to push the train. Last I saw, he was in the back of the Durango yards with a cover over him and no face [:O]
This is how it is at the National Railway Museum in Green Bay, Wisconsin every June. The train is pushed by an ALCo S6.
I was just at Strasburg Railroad on Aug 31. While we were there they pulled their Thomas out of the shop, so we walked down to look at it. It is a real steam loco, it has Porter cast into the clylinders. Porter made industial locomotives here in Pennsylvania.
There are at least 3 Thomas engines running around the USA doing the “Day Out WIth Thomas”. I believe the standard gage one is a powered locomotive. In addition there are a 3’ gage and a 2’ gage version that have to be pushed by a local locomotive. This is the 2’ version at the Boothbay Railway Village, Boothbay, Maine about a month ago; it is being pushed by the museum’s 0-4-0 Henchel, a German loco built around 1914.
Another of the Henchels was on the rear to provide extra braking on the downgrade; these vintage 2’ gage passenger cars have only mechanical brakes, i.e. twist that brake wheel very hard.
Hi guys
Thomas is an LBSCR ( London Brighton & South Coast Railway) E2 0-6-0 side tank locomotive
Or rather any locomotive claiming to be Thomas should be the above painted blue with a face
The Author used real locomotives for each of the characters I am talking about the original stories not the modern Brit Alcroft rubbish I am 47 YO and the stories where written long before I was born and used real locomotives for all of the original characters.
regards John
The Thomas that ran at Strasburg was originally BEDT 15, working the carfloats in Brooklyn.
No.