fall inside a hole

Tomy Train Trains

First written April 16, 2024

TomyTrain was a battery-powered plastic toy train system developed by Tomy for international sale in the late 1980s 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.

Earlier (1988-1992 or so) trains and rolling stock have more studded surfaces that are compatible with LEGO, Tyco, or other similar compatible building bricks. This remained a selling point on boxes even after studs were removed from some trains (and some accessories). I have looked around and it does not seem like LEGO came after TOMY for the studs on Tomy Train, and as Lego's advancement to the plastic brick-building toy industry market was the underside "tube" support system and most Tomy Train items use studs but not usually any kind of mating tube I do not necessarily see how they could have. Studs remained on train bases and some other components.

Almost all Tomy Train locomotives share the same chassis with reversing gearbox, with a handful of later trains having some slight variations. A hanging metal reverser bar under the train interacts with reverser track pieces to switch the locomotive's direction. This is similar to the operation of Super Rail trains, a previous train system developed by Tomy in the 1970s. Exposed gear teeth on the driven wheels interact with racks in some sloped rail sections for guaranteed traction. All rolling stock uses magnetic couplings and many pieces have action or interaction features, with most cars sharing a similar black chassis with studs for the different car parts to be added.

1313 Engine, Carriage and Driver Set (1988)

The three initial Tomy Train engines were a red American-style steam locomotive and an American diesel in Amtrak and Santa Fe-style liveries. In 1988 packs containing a locomotive, car, and driver figure of the initial assortment were released in Europe in TOMYTRAIN style packaging.

These packs were the Amtrak-style train with yellow hopper, Santa Fe-style engine with matching box car, and the red number 12 steam locomotive with a red open-roof passenger car. These releases were all the "studded" versions of the trains and cars (where applicable).

1320 Car Carrier Set or Animal Wagon Set (1990)

Assortment of either two car carriers with cars or two plank wagons with animals. Sold in the U.S. and Europe.

Car carrier version includes red and yellow car in red and blue car carriers. A red carrier with yellow car is included in the Great Freight Train Set. The car carrier body shells overhang the train chassis.

The little car is neat. I like when Tomy makes a license plate read TOMY.

The animal wagon assortment has a green and red drop-side wagon. The doors to these wagons are often missing. The pack originally includes a cow and a pig. The tooling was later used with unique black-wheeled train bases in the Thomas series.

1327 Chug Along Express Set (1992)

European release #11 blue steam locomotive and blue chuffing "chug along" car. This was released as an individual train with driver figure.

This car uses a partially-toothed gear on its rear wheels to rub a spring periodically. The spring is attached to a moving diaphragm, which amplifies the sound of the spring and produces a "chuffing" noise. My example does not have or has lost its production sticker.

This chuffing car is based on the old Plarail chuffing mail car and was first adapted for Tomy Train in the 1991 Tomyville Tunnel Train Set, also appearing in the updated 1993 Tomyville Trains Tunnel Sound Train Set. Also included in the later 1996 U.K. Tomy Trains range.

1328 Engine Assortment (1992)

In 1992 the initial three types of locomotive (red #12 steam locomotive, Amtrak-style diesel, Santa Fe style diesel) as well as the #78 green steam locomotive were released individually with driver figures in European TOMY TRAIN packaging. I believe releases circa 1992 would still use the studded version of engines, while 1993 and on production runs would have had the unstudded types.

1329 Carriage Assortment (1992)

Similar to the initial locomotives receiving individual releases, the Santa Fe-style box car, yellow hopper wagon, blue container and flatbed, and red open roof coach were all released individually in 1992.

Like the engine assortment, production may have spanned the period such that the Santa Fe style box car was sold individually both with and without the studded roof. Incidentally, the roof of the box car also looks nice on the otherwise open carriage as well as as a cover for the yellow hopper.

The flatbed of the container car also has an earlier studded variant.

1331 Inter-city Engine with Carriages (1992)

A European exclusive four-car high speed train with driver modeled after the Intercity 125 high speed train.

This train was released individually as well as in the massive Tomy Train 4 set.

It uses unique blue train bases with a rear car that hangs over its chassis' rear coupling.

My example is somewhat worn, and is missing the Tomy stickers at the front and back. The chassis for the engines was not produced in blue however the power switches on at least some versions apparently are - my example is either missing its original chassis or is of a variation where this is not the case. Interestingly, the previous owner removed the blocker piece in the battery compartment that prevents a second battery from being inserted in parallel (my theory is Tomy encountered too many people putting the batteries in in series, like I suspect at least the average American probably would if encountering this battery compartment after disregarding the instructions, and this causes a short circuit that will heat up both batteries as well as the contact strips). This doesn't allow the train to get any extra speed, but theoretically it could pull more current or run for longer without changing batteries. As far as I know, the only Tomy Train to actually use two AA batteries is the Hi-Speed Express train, which has working headlights.

1336 Construction Wagon Set (1993)

In 1993 Tomy released their last brand new rolling stock for the Tomy Trains line which included a two-pack of construction wagons. The one pictured here, also included in the American Great Freight Train Set, is a cement mixer that spins as the train runs. The blue chute swivels and a magnet under the red section of the deck can hold a figure in place while the train runs. The second car in the set is a surveying car with an extending lift.

The two pack version was sold in Europe in the TOMY TRAIN packaging in 1993 and then later in the U.K. in the 1996 Tomy Trains range. It also includes a Tomy-hat figure.

1338 Hi-Speed Express (1993)

The last new individual train release, the Hi-Speed Express featured working headlights and was only sold in Europe.

Also included in the revamped-for-1993 European Tomy Train 2 set.

Rail