>>1113399I see some hate among railfans for Thomas. I'm way too old to have grown up with him, but I see the Thomas and Friends shows and merchandise as a way to introduce a new generation of railroading. From simple push toys like your pic to more complex battery powered plastic toys to the huge assortment of highly detailed HO/OO engines and rolling stock as well as buildings and accessories available from Hornby and Bachmann, Thomas is a gateway to a lifelong love of trains for a lot of people. Purists flip out when they see an existing locomotive dressed up and modified to look like Thomas or one of the other characters, but it pulls in paying customers to heritage railways that might otherwise be struggling for cash. In the case of the Strasburg Thomas,
>>1101604 the locomotive used was sitting unused. Now it's under steam earning a living for itself. I suppose I cna understand the disdain some hardcore railfans have for the franchise, but I see it as a net positive bringing people into the hobby. Pic is a Japanese C11-227, which I know very little about, done up as Thomas for special excursions on the The Oigawa Railway.
