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Plarail Murdoch (2004)

First written August 9, 2024

Murdoch is a large diesel engine who appeared in a few episodes of the Thomas and Friends television show. Like other characters new to the show in the 2000s, Tomy was fairly quick to release a Plarail Murdoch, which uses the tender-drive system, stationary side rods, and sprung center wheels to accommodate his large wheel arrangement in the Plarail standard.

T-22 Plarail Murdoch (2004)




Plarail Murdoch was released as T-22プラレールマードック T-22 Plarail Murdoch in T series packaging with a Troublesome Truck on December 27, 2004. The box shown here is from the original 2004 print run and was produced in November 2004 ahead of his December release.

Murdoch is a very large locomotive with ten wheels in the front engine section. The middle three pairs of wheels are on a separate spring-loaded carrier. Murdoch includes a sad Troublesome Truck. Like Emily, Murdoch uses a flat-type AA-powered gearbox in his tender and has a bulkier coupling that allows the tender to push the engine forward more easily.

As noted above, this example was produced in November 2004. The tender cover seems to have had the CE mark from the beginning, but it was not added to the bottom until later... The black section under the engine is spring-loaded to let it shift and lift when going up or down slopes.

The truck in this pack is the "sad" faced version.

4816 Murdoch (Motor Road & Rail (U.K.)/Motorized Road & Rail (U.S.)) (2005)

In earlier 2005 Murdoch began being exported to Europe in blue Thomas Motor Road & Rail packaging and to the United States in Toys R Us three-pack packaging. The European release got a new box in later 2005 used until the Tomy TrackMaster box in 2008.

5565 Murdoch with Track (Motorized Road & Rail) (2006)

Seemingly around 2006 Murdoch was sold in the United States with two half straight rails. The tooling was updated with CE and do-not-dispose marks by this point.