fall inside a hole

Thomas the Tank Engine Panorama Bag (1995)

First written June 13, 2024

On November 24th, 1995 the Thomas the Tank Engine Panorama Bag (きかんしゃトーマス パノラマバッグ) was released for the Thomas Plarail series of train toys. The bag depicts Knapford Station and can hold trains or track as a carrying case and be unfolded into a four-lane station.


These carrying cases were all produced in Japan. It does not seem that these were super popular or long-produced, going out of production at some point in 1996 when Tomy stopped their last holdover Japanese manufacturing.

The front lid of the case has a nice silver-outlined version of some Owen Bell artwork. This example was bought unused and has a cardboard insert around the handle.


Unfolded, the plasticised-mat cover becomes the tracks in front of Knapford Station. Two cardboard window canopy inserts fit into the roof to represent the arched canopies over the Knapford Station tracks. What is really the "bottom" of the case has a sticker depicting the side of Knapford with the station entrance and bus stop and the sides have platform markers and signal stickers over the tracks.

Here is a scan of the survey card as well as one of the roof strips. These two inserts are identical on both sides and to each other.

The plastic structure of the bag is made so that Plarail track can be run through it, even having cutouts for stop rail levers.

The bag can also be used to store trains. It is not the most efficient storage solution...

It seems like the plastic covering of the foam-cushioned sides of the bag have shrunk and will probably continue to deteriorate with age, and this unused example has already formed divots where the plastic structure of the case is pressing into the case when snapped closed. It is probably a good idea to no longer store these cases snapped closed and insert some padding between the case and cushioned cover.

In 2005 Tomy released a more traditional Knapford Station destination with four platforms split across two independent rail bases with integrated stoppers.