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Thomas the Tank Engine Basic Set
The Plarail Thomas the Tank Engine Basic Set (きかんしゃ トーマス ベーシック セット, literally "Locomotive Thomas Basic Set") was first released in 1992 and was later rereleased and exported both in Japan and other major export regions. The layout is similar to the classic Basic No.2 Set oval with passing loop layout but with the addition of three half straight tracks that make it a little bit larger and more interesting.
Thomas the Tank Engine Basic Set (Made in Japan version) (1992)
First written November 5, 2023
The original Thomas the Tank Engine Basic Set was released on April 17, 1992 and was the second set in the Thomas series of Plarail sets, trains, and accessories. It features Thomas and his two coaches Annie and Clarabel, and a layout similar to the classic Basic No.2 Set layout with Wellsworth Station, block tunnel, and drawbridge.
Like the other 1992 Thomas set, I have a few different copies of this set. I have one complete boxed copy as well as at least two complete loose ones, with one of the loose copies also having only the liftoff lid of the original box. The box features the same Owen Bell artwork as the other 1992 Thomas set and some promo photographs on the box show the late stage prototype Plarail Thomas. Boxes for this set seem to have all been printed in 1992 and it also appears that the sets themselves were only produced in 1992 and could still be found in stores for a few years until the Thailand rerelease of this set put new Thomas Basic Sets into production again.
Set contents| Quantity |
Item |
Photo |
|---|---|---|
| 3 pieces |
Thomas,
Annie, and Clarabel (four wheel made in Japan variant) |
 |
| 3 |
R-02 Half Straight Rail |
 |
| 10 |
R-03 Curve Rail |
 |
| 1 |
R-08 Stop Rail |
 |
| 1 pair | R-11 Turnout Rail |
|
| 1 | J-5 Drawbridge |
 |
| 1 |
Wellsworth
Station (made in Japan version with token and exchange hook) |
 |
| 2 |
Standing Tree |
 |
| 1 |
Signal |
 |
Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends first aired in Japan in April 1990 and was more or less an immediate success and big Japanese toy manufacturers quickly began releasing toys to go along with the series. Bandai's Departing Now range debuted in 1991 while Tomy's Plarail Thomas range began in 1992.
Original made in Japan Thomases use a different front axle design and have all brass battery contacts. Unlike virtually every other Plarail engine before him, Thomas uses a single AA battery. The engine in my boxed copy was produced in March of 1992 before the set went on sale in April, meaning it is likely a fairly early production run.
Thomas, Annie, and Clarabel were all new moldings for 1992. It is known that early prototypes of Thomas had more accurate coupling rods and likely originally used a C battery before the new gearbox and system of weights inside was developed. Rear couplings at this time still had only the single split in them.
The Wellsworth Station included in the set is a recolor of the classic Plarail Country Station. The molding is the same as the Japanese country station molding at the time. The water closet on the original appears to now be a shed of some kind and a thin tree is melted into the base.
The station includes the tablet exchange hook and tablet of the period country station and is marked with the Tomy boy and girl logo and "MADE IN JAPAN."
The rails in this set are seemingly all made in Japan treaded over roughtop, although I think the half straight rails in particular may be mixed up in my boxed set as they are a roughtop variant prone to splitting that is older than this set.
The smaller accessories like the signals and trees are marked Thailand while the drawbridge does not appear to be marked at all. I believe at this time that the drawbridge was still being produced in Japan, as the early Thailand versions are dated 1994 in their updated molding.
The set plays very similar to any other set that uses the "Basic No. 2 Set" layout, although it does have three half straight tracks that can be moved around in a few different ways. In some of the later exported versions of the set the recommended track plan is slightly different, but I like the half straights being at angles on the rounded portions of the set. The country station does not look very similar to Wellsworth station in the Thomas the Tank Engine books or television series, although it does fit the aesthetic of both Plarail and Thomas at the time.
Like the other 1992 Thomas set which features the made in Japan version of Wellsworth, the country station includes a tablet pole and tablet that were used on some railroads to give a train exclusive right of way on a section of track.
Here is a scan of the instruction manual. It looks rather worse up close and scanned than when holding it in the hand.
The instructions show how to set up the suggested layout and how to use the switch track and stop rail. I suppose the thought is that if you are buying a basic set, it might be your first Plarail set. The rear of the manual shows a promo shot of one of the large Plarail layouts of the time and a spare parts order form.
The Thomas the Tank Engine Basic Set was rereleased in 1995 using all Thailand-made components.
Thomas the Tank Engine Basic Set (Made in Thailand version) (1995)
First written November 23, 2023
The Thomas the Tank Engine Basic Set was rereleased in early 1995. The layout and accessories are unchanged from the 1992 version but are their new Thailand-made counterparts. Boxes for this version of the set were printed in 1994 and show Percy who would come out in April 1995. Some of the photos on the box were reused from the 1992 photoshoot but others like the one at Wellsworth Station were reshot and show the new two-tree version of the station - but interestingly still show a Thomas with Japan-style axle caps. The artwork of Thomas on the front is the same as the 1992 box and the old Kaye and Ward logo has been dropped.
I have two of these sets in the box with nice condition mid-90s Thomases.
Set contents| Quantity |
Item |
Photo |
|---|---|---|
| 3 pieces |
Thomas,
Annie, and Clarabel (four wheel made in Thailand variant) |
 |
| 3 |
R-02 Half Straight Rail |
 |
| 10 |
R-03 Curve Rail |
 |
| 1 |
R-08 Stop Rail |
 |
| 1 pair | R-11 Turnout Rail |
 |
| 1 | J-5 Drawbridge |
 |
| 1 |
Wellsworth
Station (made in Thailand version with two trees) |
 |
| 2 |
Standing Tree |
 |
| 1 |
Signal |
 |
The 1995 version of this set is completely made in Thailand and thus contains the mid 1990s Thailand Thomas.
Thailand-made Thomases have silver battery contacts and use the newer two-split couplings. The production stickers inside are the smaller printed stickers instead of the stamped style used in Japan. The molding on Thomas, Annie and Clarabel was also updated.
When the molding for the Country Station was moved to Thailand the tablet pole and tablet were replaced by a second thin-style tree. The molding was, of course, updated to say made in Thailand, right over where it previously said made in Japan.
The rails in this set are all made in Thailand and are of a mid 1990s molding variation. By this point rail had been produced in Thailand for five or so years.
The drawbridge is the relatively new Thailand type. Trees and signals are marked Thailand only on the bases.
Click for longer video with sound
Obviously, this set is nearly identical to its predecessor and remained in the range to offer a basic introductory set. Seemingly, no new Thomas series sets had been manufactured since the Henry Train Set in 1993, with both 1992 sets going out of production in 1992 (even if they could still be found on store shelves later). The Thomas and Bertie Set, the next Thomas series set and the first "new" set since the Henry set, would not come out until almost the end of 1995.
1371 Standard Set (Battery Operated Rail System) (1997)
In 1997 the Basic set was localized for America as part of the Battery Operated Rail System. It uses some holdover Tomy Train accessories like the fir tree and stoplight sign. The back of the box shows the accessory sets as well as several Plarail pieces that were not yet (or indeed never) expored.
For whatever reason, the photo used on the top of the box shows the set with the road crossing drawbridge instead of the drawbridge rail style one.
Thomas Medium Set (Tomica World) (1998)
The Thomas Medium Set which received several updated boxes for the European and American markets under several different names. The Thomas Medium Set continues to be sold in Korea, receiving a new updated box as recently as 2021.