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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 carriage bases and some other components.
Almost all Tomy Train locomotives share the same chassis with reversing gearbox, with a handful of later trains (mostly the Thomas-series engines) 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. Some notes on repairing these trains can be found here.
Locomotives all have cabs for drivers to sit in, with the earlier studded types having studs for the dolls to sit on. 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.
The table below shows what sets and train packs each engine, car, and vehicle was available in. All photos of different locomotives, cars, and trains I have taken can be seen in the fallinsideahole photo database here.
| Description | Photo | Available in |
|---|---|---|
| Red #12 steam locomotive |
 |
Tomy Train 1 (1988) Engine, Carriage and Driver Set (1988) Tunnel Train Set (1991 US) Engine Assortment (1992) Tunnel Sound Train Set (1993 US) |
| Red and silver "Santa Fe" style diesel locomotive |
 |
Tomy Train 2 (1988) Engine, Carriage and Driver Set (1988) Engine Assortment (1992) The Great Freight Train (1993 US) Passenger and Goods Train Set (UK Argos exclusive) Busy Freight Train Set (1996 UK) |
| White and blue "Amtrak" style diesel locomotive |
 |
Tomy Train 3 (1988) Engine, Carriage and Driver Set (1988) Log 'n Load Train Set (1991 US) Engine Assortment (1992) Transport Set (France) |
| Green steam locomotive with the number 78 |
 |
Tomy Train 3 (1991
EUR) Engine Assortment (1992) Fun Day Train Set (1996 UK) |
| Red "Santa Fe" style box car with removable roof |
 |
Tomy Train 2 (1988) Engine, Carriage and Driver Set (1988) Carriage Assortment (1992) Passenger and Goods Train Set (UK Argos exclusive) |
| Open roof red carriage |
 |
Tomy Train 1 (1988) Engine, Carriage and Driver Set (1988) Commuter Pack (1990) Tomy Train Station Pack (1990) Tunnel Train Set (1991 US) Carriage Assortment (1992) Passenger and Goods Train Set (UK Argos exclusive) Fun Day Train Set (1996 UK, sticker and color variant) |
| Yellow hopper-style wagon |
 |
Tomy Train 1 (1988) Tomy Train 2 (1988) Tomy Train 3 (1988) Engine, Carriage and Driver Set (1988) Carriage Assortment (1992) Transport Set (France) |
| Flatbed car with magnetic container |
 |
Tomy Train 3 (1988) Crane (1988, container only) Freight Depot Accessory Set (1990, container) Tomy Train Freight Pack (1990) Tomy Train 3 (1991 EUR) Carriage Assortment (1992) The Great Freight Train (1993 US) Busy Freight Train Set (1996 UK, sticker variant) |
| Caboose with removable roof made in several colors |
 |
Tomy Train 1 (1988, red
with black roof) Tomy Train 2 (1988, blue with grey roof) Tomy Train 3 (1988, red with black roof) Tomy Train 3 (1991 EUR, green with black roof) Tunnel Train Set (1991 US, red with black roof) Log 'n Load Train Set (1991 US, red with black roof) Tunnel Sound Train Set (1993 US, red with black roof) Transport Set (France, blue with grey roof) |
| Open trucks with lowering side in a few colors |
Animal Wagon Set (1990, red
and green) Transport Set (France, green) Percy and the Troublesome Trucks Accessory Set (1994, brown Troublesome Trucks) Euro Park (1994 EUR, light blue and white) Your Town Train Set (1996 UK, blue) Thomas and Percy's Big Adventure (1996 UK, brown Troublesome Trucks) |
|
| Open-topped car carrier with car |
 |
Car Carrier Set (1990, red
and blue) The Great Freight Train (1993 US, red) Le Shuttle (1995 EUR, grey) |
| Blue four-car Intercity 125-type train |
 |
Tomy Train 4 (1990 EUR) Inter-city Engine with Carriages (1992 EUR) Your Town Train Set (1996 UK, power car and one coach) |
| Yellow tipping log car |
Freight Station and Depot
Accessory Set (1991) Tomy Train 3 (1991 EUR) Log 'n Load Train Set (1991 US) Busy Freight Train Set (1996 UK) |
|
| Blue Express steam locomotive with number 11 sold with a chuffing Chug Along car |
 |
Tunnel Train Set (~1992 US, early version of chugging car only) Chug Along Express Set (1992 EUR) Tunnel Sound Train Set (1993 US, chugging car only) |
| Annie and Clarabel closed coaches with stickers from the Thomas series |
Thomas the Tank
Engine (Deluxe) Set (1992 UK/1994 US) Thomas the Tank Engine Starter Set (1993 UK/1994 US) Thomas and Percy's Big Adventure (1996 UK) Thomas the Tank Engine Basic Set (1996 US, only Clarabel) |
|
| White high-speed train with headlights and two carriages |
 |
Tomy Train 2
(1993) Hi-Speed Express (1993) |
| Cement mixer that spins when rolled with platform for a figure |
 |
Construction Wagon Set (1993 EUR) The Great Freight Train (1993 US) |
| Surveyor's car with binoculars | Construction Wagon Set (1993 EUR) | |
| Yellow steam locomotive with balloon stickers | Euro Park (1994 EUR) | |
| Le Shuttle shuttle train in grey with two auto carriers | Le Shuttle (1995 EUR) | |
| Yellow forklift that can lift containers |
 |
|
| Tipping log truck with push-n-go gearbox |
 |
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).
This instruction sheet was included, showing how to open the train and install the battery as well as the power and reversing switch operations. This particular example came with a European-market studded red steam locomotive and carriage from 1991.
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. Some boxes mention that the crane can pick the cars up which appears to be magnetic like the blue containers, but it doesn't seem like any of the cars I have actually have the magnet included... you can kind of get the claw to hold the car around its roof.
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 - also, often, missing. The tooling was later made in different colors for several sets and was used with unique black-wheeled train bases in the Thomas series for Troublesome Trucks.
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 - I don't think I have seen a studded version of this locomotive, so it may have come out after the toolings had been changed.
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. The train pack was 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 from earlier in 1992 were the studded type, with the unstudded toolings coming into use by October 1992.
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 likely 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.
All the regular carriages share the same studded base, which can be built on using LEGO or other compatible building bricks. The container flatbed has locating bumps as well as studs which were removed from later releases.
The open passenger car has a few variations... It was used for the intermediate cars of the Inter-city Engine with Carriages and the Hi-Speed Express and had a light blue version that joined the yellow sticker variation red car shown above in the 1996 U.K. Fun Day set. An early version of the Chug Along Express chuffing car from the American Tunnel Train Set uses the thin black TOMY sticker from the open coach on the side.
1331 Inter-city Engine with Carriages (1992)
This European exclusive four-car high speed train with driver is modeled after the Intercity 125 high speed train. It appeared first in 1991 in the massive Tomy Train 4 set.
TOMY stickers adorn the front and rear. These earlier trains have a subtle but nice variation of the otherwise standard chassis - the power switch is blue!
This train was released individually as well as in the massive Tomy Train 4 set, with a mixed-traffic version of the train appearing in the Your Town Tomy Trains set. It uses unique blue train bases with the same body as the regular open carriages and a rear car that hangs over its chassis' rear coupling.
In addition to the blue-switch Tomy Train 4 Inter-city above, I also have a later Inter-city train that has stayed a brighter shade of blue.
This example is somewhat worn, and is missing the Tomy stickers at the front and back. 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.
The train was also included in the revamped-for-1993 U.K. Tomy Train 2 set.
Rather neatly, the train incorporates two battery slots - the right slot powers just the lights, and the left just the motor, so one can be run without the other if desired.
| Sets | Trains | Rail | Accessories | Thomas series |