fall inside a hole

Thomas the Tank Engine Set (1992)

The Thomas the Tank Engine Set (きかんしゃ トーマス セット, literally "Locomotive Thomas Set") was released on April 13, 1992 and was the first set in the Thomas series of Plarail sets, trains, and accessories. It features Thomas and his two coaches Annie and Clarabel, two loops of track with a double track point rail, a railroad crossing, and Wellsworth Station with pedestrian crossing.

I presently own three boxed copies of this set. the first copy, shown to the right, was purchased in early 2019 when I knew virtually nothing about the differences between the early made in Japan Thomas and later Thailand-made Thomases. I did not even know about the R-04 Large Curve Rails when I originally bought it. The second set was purchased in 2020 because it had a copy of the instruction manual and a nicer condition box (and Thomas). The third boxed copy bought some time in 2021 was in even nicer condition with a fresh manual and the 1992 pamphlet included. The front of the box features artwork by Owen Bell that was also used on the 1992 Basic Set, 1993 Henry Set, and 1995 Basic Set. Several photographs on the box show the late-stage Thomas prototype with darker power switch and slightly different face. All boxes for this set that I have seen have an ST-nn mark of 1, meaning they probably pre-printed the tops of the boxes before production and sale went into effect in 1992.

Set contents

Quantity	Item	Photo
3 pieces	Thomas, Annie, and Clarabel (four wheel made in Japan variant)
8	R-01 Straight Rail
8	R-03 Curve Rail
8	R-04 Large Curve Rail
1	R-08 Stop Rail
1	R-15 Double Track Point Rail
1	J-02 Block Tunnel (entrance and exit pieces only)
1	J-17 New Railroad Crossing
1	Wellsworth Station (made in Japan version with token and exchange hook)
3 pieces	Wellsworth Pedestrian Crossing
2	Standing Tree
1	Signal

Thomas the Tank Engine 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. Of the three copies of this set that I own, I have seen Thomases produced in March, July, and October of 1992, with the set remaining on sale at least into 1993 and possibly into 1994 as well.

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 Wellsworth Pedestrian Crossing Bridge is a matching recolor of the existing late 1970s Pedestrian Overpass and comes in three pieces. The bottom of the bridge and both supports are all marked made in Japan.

The rails in this set are a mix of Japanese and Thailand rails. Curve rails, straight rails, and the double track point rail are all made in Japan while the large curve rail and stop rail are made in Thailand. This seems to be consistent across all three of my copies of this set. It is likely that the only functional large curve rail moldings were in Thailand at the time.

The accessories are also a mix of Thailand and Japan made. The block tunnel and smaller accessories like the signals and trees are made in Thailand while the railroad crossing and signs are made in Japan.

Like many other sets, stopping Thomas at the station leaves his coaches hanging back behind the platform. Because of the size of the layout in this set, however, the stop rail can be moved forward one track to stop Thomas with Annie and Clarabel nicely lined up with the platform. The country station does not look very similar to Wellsworth station in the Thomas the Tank Engine books or television series, although it is a multi-track station with a pedestrian bridge.

It is a little funny that there is a railroad crossing on one line with another line of track right behind it.

I really like the look of the Wellsworth Station recolor and how well it fits with the recolored pedestrian bridge, even if the station itself is not very accurate to the "real" Wellsworth. You can even deliver the tablet to the hook by loosely hanging it out of one of the smaller coach windows. Some places on Sodor where Thomas the Tank Engine takes place do apparently use a token system, as they are referenced and shown in one of the books.

Here is a scan of the nicer of my two instruction manuals.

The instructions show how to set up the suggested layout and assemble the different structures. It also explains how the crossover switch and stop rail work and how to put a battery in Thomas. 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.

(Click for longer video with sound)

I think this is a pretty cool set, the station and pedestrian bridge recolors are both very nice and fit the Thomas aesthetic well enough, as does the block tunnel. The track layout is large with several interesting pieces like the double track crossover which makes the set perfect for expanding with additional trains. Looking back, I would have loved to see a set like this released with, say, Gordon in the later 90s, but after the 1993 Henry set nearly every other 1990s Thomas series Plarail set included only Thomas.