fall inside a hole

Tomy Train Sets

First written April 16, 2024
Reformatted November 2025

TomyTrain was a battery-powered plastic toy train system developed by Tomy for international sale in the late 1980s. Tomy Train was aimed at younger children with chunky reversing engines and magnetic couplings. Track was based on the Plarail track standard but made from dark blue plastic and the loading gauge was larger to accommodate taller trains. Engines and cars have magnetic couplings that are easy to connect and disconnect and figures and accessories have magnetic and other interactive play features. Many pieces included LEGO-style studded surfaces and the building toy compatibility was one of the advertised selling features.

The TomyTrain series seems to have been most successful in the U.K. but was also released and sold for many years in America, Australia, and some other parts of Europe. The exact distribution of some of these items was probably fairly limited and in many cases depended on if a regional Tomy office decided to import the toys for their region. Tracking exactly which European countries imported which accessories in which boxes as well as what all was imported into Australia would be a herculean challenge - some of the early blue-box European sets were imported and sold in the U.S. in small numbers with Tomy U.S.A. stickers on the box, and I have even seen an early TOMYTRAIN 1 with a Korean 토미트레인 or Tomy Train sticker on it before. I have not even seen some of the accessory sets mentioned below in any style of box before.

Tomy Train (U.S.) (1988-1990)

Tomy launched the Tomy Train system as TOMYTRAIN or Tomytrain in Europe and as Tomy Train in the U.S. in 1988. Initially, three numbered sets were released in America in white gridded Tomy Train packaging similar to other "Preschool TOMY" toys in the U.S. at the time.

Year Region	Set name	Description
1988 America	1120 Tomy Train No. 1	American release oval with passing loop basic set. Includes steam engine, yellow well wagon, red coach and caboose
1988 America	1121 Tomy Train No. 2	American Release TomyTrain 2 with Santa Fe-style diesel locomotive, well wagon, box car, caboose, station, and railroad crossing
1988 America	1122 Tomy Train No. 3	American release TomyTrain 3 with Amtrak-style diesel locomotive, well wagon, container car, caboose and forklift

TOMYTRAIN (Europe) (1989-1991)

In Europe the Tomy Train system was launched as TOMYTRAIN in multilingual packaging Initially, three numbered sets were released in blue Tomytrain packaging. Early European packaging has two variants, one for the UK and seemingly France and another that also includes German and Italian that uses a less bold font and a colored set number in a different typeface as opposed to the thicker text on the primarily English European boxes. In 1990 the European and American market sets (and most accessories) split. Europe got an even larger Tomytrain 4 set, and in 1991 Tomytrain 3 was updated with a new train and updated accessories.

Year Region	Set name	Description
1988 Europe	1120 TOMYTRAIN 1	European release small "Basic Set No.2"-style set with red steam locomotive, tunnel, and station
1988 Europe	1121 TOMYTRAIN 2	Larger "Overpass" style set with diesel and freight train, road crossing, station, and elevated bridge
1988 Europe	1122 TOMYTRAIN 3	Biggest initial set, expanded overpass layout with operating crane and signal, bridge, forklift, and freight train
1990 Europe	1123 TOMYTRAIN 4	New massive European set with train based on the InterCity 125, bus, road crossing, Intercity station, engine wash, and more
1991 Europe	1125 TOMYTRAIN 3	Updated European Tomytrain 3 with green steam locomotive and new log loading station, engine shed, and bridge

Tomyville Trains (U.S.) (1991-1993)

In 1990 the American range was expanded with new rolling stock and the first use of the magnetic feet as well as more involved use of the stud building system. In 1991 the American range was revamped with two sets in the Tomyville series with packaging reminiscent of the 1970s Playrail boxes, with older accessory packs still available in the white grid packaging into the mid 1990s. In 1993 the range changed to using the Tomyville Trains name and the smallest set was updated slightly with a new large freight set also introduced.

Year Region	Set name	Description
1991 America	Tomyville Tunnel Train Set	Small passing loop type set with red steam engine, early variant of the chuffing coach, caboose, and tunnel
1991 America	1126 Tomyville Log 'n Load Train Set	American set showing off the new-for-1991 log loader with Amtrak-style diesel locomotive, log tipper wagon, caboose, and log truck
1993 America	1327 Tunnel Sound Train Set	Updated Tunnel Train Set with "Chug Along" style chuffing car, banked curve, and tunnel
1993 America	1135 The Great Freight Train	Large set with train shed and wash, crane, bridge, and freight train full of cargo features

TOMY TRAIN (Europe) (1992-1995)

The European range changed to using TOMY TRAIN stylized as with the period curvy Tomy logo and a bold stencil-like TRAIN around 1992, as well as using a cartoon of the driver figure named Tim the Train Driver on new packaging. In 1992 new and some carryover European products were released in new TOMY TRAIN packaging and in late 1992 the first Thomas the Tank Engine series set was introduced. A new Tomy Train 2 with updated train and components appeared in 1993. New sets for 1994 departed from the numbered schema and included exclusive components.

Year Region	Set name	Description
1992 Europe	1120 TOMY TRAIN 1	Rerelease Tomy Train 1
1992 Europe	1125 TOMY TRAIN 3	Rerelease updated Tomy Train 3
1992 Europe	1123 TOMY TRAIN 4	Rerelease Tomy Train 4
October 1992 Europe	1126 Thomas the Tank Engine Set	Large oval set with suspension bridge and engine shed on siding with Thomas, Annie, and Clarabel
1993 Europe	1127 TOMY TRAIN 2	New European intermediate set with the new Hi-Speed Express train and Signal Station
1993 Europe	1134 Thomas the Tank Engine Starter Set	Small oval set with Thomas, Annie, and Clarabel
Europe	1136 TOMY TRAIN Passenger and Goods Train Set	Mostly unknown set that does not appear in catalogues with Santa Fe style train with red box car and coach on a fairly large layout centered around a crossover switch
1994 Europe	TOMY TRAIN Euro Park	Amusement park themed set with carnival train and several exclusive accessory variants
1995 Europe	TOMY TRAIN Le Shuttle	Channel Tunnel set with papercraft channel tunnel, combination car/passenger train, and French and English stations and landmarks

Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends Battery Operated Railway (U.S.) (1994-1997)

After 1993 the only new American-market products were Thomas-series sets and trains.

Year Region	Set name	Description
1994 America	1126 Thomas the Tank Engine Deluxe Set	American release of the initial larger Thomas the Tank set
1994 America	1134 Thomas the Tank Engine Starter Set	Small oval Thomas set
1996 America	1353 Thomas the Tank Engine Basic Set	Odd circle set that includes Thomas and Clarabel but no Annie

Tomy Trains (U.K.) (1996-1997)

Europe meanwhile got new accessories and sets in 1994 with a revamped and a somewhat cut-down 1996 range using the name TOMY TRAINS with the curvy Tomy logo, a new yellow block text TRAINS, and a cartoon of the Tomy Train red steam locomotive and driver. Three new sets were released with several older accessories and trains as well as the Thomas series getting new Tomy Trains boxes.

Year Region	Set name	Description
1996 Europe/U.K.	Busy Day Train Set	Oval layout set with small bridge and steam-drawn passenger train
1996 Europe/U.K.	1144 Busy Freight Train Set	Larger freight train set with crane and log station variants
1996 Europe/U.K.	Your Town Train Set	Big mixed freight and passenger set with Intercity style train, Intercity station, and other accessories
1996 Europe	1146 Thomas and Percy's Big Adventure	Large Tomy Trains set with Thomas and Percy with trucks and coaches and a large layout with bridge, station, and three engine sheds

Sets