I agree with the sentiment that Walthers knows exactly what they are doing. Thomas is so successful in bringing in visitors and cash when he visits various railroad venues that he is referred to as “Thomas the BANK Engine”. Getting your kids and/or grandkids interested in Thomas, then transitioning their interest into model railroading may help to sustain interest in the hobby for the future.
I am a train crew volunteer at the Southeastern Railway Museum in Duluth Georgia. On any given weekday that I volunteer there are AT LEAST 10 to 12 kids who have dragged their parents to the Museum because of their infatuation with Thomas the Tank Engine. The Museum has an operating 1:1 scale train ride that the kids (and Parents) love as well as an operating model railroad and a Thomas the Tank Engine set up in the gift shop. Much of my time on the train crew is spent answering Thomas related questions and enjoying the shouts of the kids when I disembark the train to “change the points”.
The big eyes and bright smiles of the kids on the train and being able to climb on the numerous trains we have open for exhibit are what made me volunteer when I had the time to donate. Both of my sons grew up with Thomas, when Ringo Starr and George Carlin were Mr. Conductor and we still have the wooden trains in case of grandchild some day.
When my kids were small we used to visit an O gauge railroad exhibit in Ronkonkoma NY (Long Island) and the highlight of the visit for them was the Thomas and Percy specials.
I tip my hat to all those that run a Thomas the Tank Engine Special on their layouts.
Ah, but that’s not true in my case. The Thomas loco, and the James loco, and the Henry loco, and about 2 dozen cars (including 2 Annies and 2 Clarabels) are sitting in the bin. The layout on which they formerly ran is now gleefully operated by my just-turned 9 year old (who just added a gon and a hopper to his collection for his birthday). He runs a well-developed Conrail layout, which still serves places like “Sodor Fuel” and Farmer McCoel’s farm, because we haven’t gotten around to repainting them yet.
I think an HO scale Thomas set can definitely serve as a child’s entrance into the hobby. Just don’t expect it to happen in all cases. Although, in fairness, from day one, my son was asking, “Dad, when can I have stuff like yours on my layout?”.
And he’s already decided that he has outgrown his layout and wants a bigger one.
Don’t we all think that??? [(-D]