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Plarail Talking Thomas/Talk 'n' Action trains

First written July 2024

In 2000 Tomy began releasing a series of Thomas the Tank Engine trains for their Thomas Plarail and export toy ranges that featured sound and dialog as well as control over the train's motor as well as a sensor that read specialized activation rails to create a range of talking characters that could be programmatically triggered to say different lines and perform different actions. In Japan this was called the Talking Thomas series, and it was exported as the Talk 'n' Action range in Europe and Australia and Talk 'n Action in North America. Thomas, Percy, and James were released in Japanese and two regional English variations while the rest of the characters were only released in Japan. Each individual train includes rolling stock and all six of the triggering track pieces. The motor, gearbox, speaker, and switch for reading the rails are located in the main engine bodies with the three AA batteries required for each train residing in the attached first car or tender.

Track

The talking and actions of the Talk 'n' Actions are triggered by six special half straight-length rails. These rails have different bump patterns molded into them that the switches on the underside of trains "read" as they pass over. The microcontroller inside counts the bumps and plays the appropriate actions and sounds. All individual Talk 'n' Action style trains come with all six of these track pieces, and they were included in most talking-series sets.

Scans of the Japanese and export styles of rail stickers. I don't have an open sheet of the non-Thomas style stickers from the Japanese track packs.

Talking Thomas (2000)

Releasing first in two sets beginning in March 2000 and later individually on October 19th, the Japanese Talking Thomas (おしゃべりトーマス) features an attached Annie and standard Clarabel coach. Thomas and Annie are modified toolings, with Thomas containing the gearbox, speaker, and electronics and Annie holding the batteries. Thomas is voiced by Keiko Toda, the Japanese voice actress for Thomas in the earlier seasons of the Japanese dub of Thomas the Tank Engine.

The example shown here was produced in June 2000 for a copy of the Talking Harold and Station Set and has slightly darker grey paint application than later Talk 'n' Action Thomases. Like other individual Talk 'n Action releases, the train pack version would include all six triggering rails.

Turning on... Track Description
Track Description
Thomas says "I'm Thomas! Let's get started early!" (僕トーマス!出早進行! Boku Tōmasu! De haya shinkō!)*

*This is what the back of the boxes say, but to me it sounds like the same "Shuppatsu shinkō!" clip
Thomas will either blow his whistle twice or say "I'm Thomas!" (僕トーマス! Boku Tōmasu!) and then "Let's do our best!" (さぁがんばるぞ~ Saa ganbaru zo~) or just say "It feels good to run!" (走るのは気持ちいいな〜 Hashiru no wa kimochīi na ~) Thomas will say "Let's do our best! Let's fly!" (さぁがんばるぞ~, 飛ばすぞ~ Saa ganbaru zo~ Tobasu zo ~) and speed forward for a short time before slowing down and saying "Ah, that was fun!" (あ~楽しかった! A~ tanoshikatta!)
Turning off... Thomas stops for a short time and then says "All aboard!" (出発進行! Shuppatsu shinkō!), whistles twice, and then starts moving again Thomas stops and starts four times with squealing sound effect, pausing to remark "Ah, I'm thirsty" (あ〜のどが渇いた〜 A~ nodo ga kawaita~) before starting off again
Thomas says "Ah, that was fun, see you again." (あ〜楽し かった、またね〜 A~ tanoshi katta, mata ne ~) Thomas pauses, whistles twice, and then says "Let's do our best!" (さぁがんばるぞ〜 Saa ganbaru zo~) and takes off at high speed Thomas changes from playing the Thomas theme song to a hissing "chuffing" noise or from hissing back to the theme song

Talk 'n' Action Magic Rail Thomas (2001)

In 2001 the Talking Thomas set was exported as part of the European Tomica World range with a European English accent of Thomas. Thomas was also released in another set and in a pack including Clarabel and the six talking track pieces similar to the individual Japanese release in 2002 alongside Percy and James train packs with European accents. The European Talk 'n' Action trains are all voiced by Michael Angelis, the regular U.K. narrator for the Thomas & Friends T.V. show at the time.

The European English Thomas was used in the Australian and American Thomas Holiday Set and was produced into 2006.

Turning on... Track Description Track Description
Thomas says "I'm Thomas! Here we go!" and begins moving Thomas either says "I'm Thomas! Here we go!" or "I'm really useful." or simply "Here we go!" before blowing his whistle twice Thomas says "Here we go! Hurry hurry!" and speeds forward for a short time before slowing down again and remarking "That was fun."
Turning off... Thomas stops with a squeak, pauses, and then calls "All aboard!" before whistling twice and heading off again Thomas stops and starts four times with squealing sound effect, remarking "Oh dear..." before starting off again
Thomas says "That was fun." and blows his whistle twice Thomas stops with a squeal, pauses and then says "Here we go!" before chuffing at high speed Thomas changes from playing the Thomas theme song to to a hissing "chuffing" noise or from hissing back to the theme song

Talk 'n Action Thomas (2001)

The Talking Thomas set was also released as part of the American Motorized Road & Rail range in 2001 as the Thomas Talk 'n Action Set including a Thomas with American accent. The American Talk 'n Action range is voiced by Robin Smith, the narrator of several Thomas & Friends video games, some books, and a few other pieces of Thomas merchandise. Talk 'n Action Thomas was not released individually in the US, only in sets, with the European accent Thomas also being released in one U.S. set.

Turning on... Track Description
Track Description
Thomas says "Full steam ahead!" and begins moving Thomas says "Hello! I'm Thomas!" and blows his whistle twice Thomas says "I'm a really useful engine!" and speeds forward for a short time before slowing down again
Turning off... Thomas stops with a squeak, pauses, and then remarks "Right on time!" before heading off again Thomas stops and starts four times with squealing sound effect, saying that "Little engines can do big things!" before starting off again
Thomas says "That was fun." Thomas pauses, whistles, and says "Next stop: Wellsworth" before taking off at high speed for a short time Thomas changes from playing the Thomas theme song to to a hissing "chuffing" noise or from hissing back to the theme song

Talking Henry (2000)

Talking Henry (おしゃべりヘンリー) was released on July 20, 2000 as part of the initial three Japanese talking train packs alongside James and Gordon. Talking Henry is voiced by Ryō Horikawa. Henry plays the standard puffing noise when not playing another sound, and does not play the Thomas theme song.

Around the time of the Talking Henry release, the log van and box car included with the regular Henry release were updated to include axleboxes. Like the other Talk 'n Action tender engines, two AA batteries fit up top and a third sits in the bottom of the tender, with a battery cover on the bottom that releases the upper tender housing. The main power switch sticks up out of the rear of the tender.

Earlier examples have the screws holding the internal battery compartment structure together exposed on the bottom of the tender. As Talk 'n' Action production continued, the tooling was changed to have these screws going down from the upper battery compartment, perhaps because parents were undoing these screws and partially disassembling the toys instead of correctly identifying the battery compartment screws. Henry stayed in production into 2003 before being replaced with the More Talkative Henry in 2005.

Turning on... Track Description
Track Description
Henry says "Hey! I'm Henry. I'm looking forward to it." (や僕ヘンリー楽しみだな Ya boku Henrī tanoshimida na) and begins moving Henry either says "That's fine." (いいのその調子 Ī no sono chōshi) or "Let's go, I'm looking forward to it." (さあ行くぞ楽しみだな Sā iku zo tanoshimida na) or blows his whistle twice and says "I like the forrest." (僕は森が好きなんだ Boku wa mori ga sukina nda) Henry whistles twice and says "It's the Flying Kipper!" (フライングキッパーだ Furaingukippāda) and speeds forward for a short time before slowing down again
Turning off... Henry stops with a squeal, pauses, says "Let's go!" (さあ行くぞ Sā iku zo), and starts again Henry squeals to a stop and says "I'm exhausted!" (もうヘトヘトだ Mō hetohetoda) rests, and sets off again saying "Let's go!" (さあ行く Sā iku)
Henry says "I'm exhausted! See you!" (もうヘトヘトだまたね Mō hetohetoda mata ne) Henry stops with a squeal, pauses, whistles twice, and says "I'm looking forward to it" (楽しみだな Tanoshimida na) before heading off at high speed for a short time Henry says "It's the Flying Kipper! Let's go!" (ぞ任せさあ行く Zo makase sā iku) and speeds up for a short time, stops, and then sets off again saying "Let's go!" (さあ行く Sā iku)

Talking Gordon (2000)

Talking Gordon (おしゃべりゴードン) was released on July 20, 2000 as part of the initial three Japanese talking train packs alongside James and Henry. Talking Gordon is voiced by Kenji Utsumi. Henry plays the standard puffing noise when not playing another sound, and does not play the Thomas theme song.

Talking Gordon includes a standard green express coach like the regular Gordon release. Like the other Talk 'n Action tender engines, two AA batteries fit up top and a third sits in the bottom of the tender, with a battery cover on the bottom that releases the upper tender housing. The main power switch sticks up out of the rear of the tender.

Earlier examples have the screws holding the internal battery compartment structure together exposed on the bottom of the tender. Like the other tender engines, the tooling was changed so they went down from the upper battery compartment as production continued.

Like other trains in the Thomas range as a whole, the grey paint used on faces was noticeably darker in the late 1990s and early 2000s, with Talk 'n' Action production starting in the era of darker greys before they were lightened around 2002. The Talk 'n' Action trains all have these slight lighter/darker differences, with Toby being the most obvious because his entire roof is the same grey. Although the engine is not that much larger than the regular Plarail Gordon, the tender and the complicated drawbar make it much larger.

Turning on... Track Description
Track Description
Gordon says "I am Gordon. I'm speeding up!" (俺様はゴードンだスピードを出す Oresama wa Gōdonda supīdo o dasu) and begins moving Gordon either whistles twice and says "This is the time to show my strength!" (ぞ力の見せ所だ Zo-ryoku no misedokoroda oresama) or "I am Gordon the express train" (俺様はゴードンだ特急列車 Oresama wa gōdonda tokkyū ressha) or asks "Where is Thomas?!" (トーマスはどこだ Tōmasu wa dokoda) Gordon whistles twice and says "Express train at high speed!" (特急でたなスピードを出す Tokkyūdeta na supīdo o desu) and speeds forward for a short time before slowing down again
Turning off... Gordon stops with a squeal, pauses, whistles twice and says "Fire it up!" (発射します Hassha shimasu), and starts again Gordon squeals to a stop, pauses, and says "No power!" (力が出ない Chikara ga denai) and then whistles twice and sets off again
Gordon says "No power!" (力が出ない Chikara ga denai) Gordon stops with a squeal, pauses, whistles twice, and says "I'm Gordon. Time to show my strength!" (ます俺様はゴードンだ力の見せ所だ Masu oresama wa Gōdonda chikara no misedokoroda) before heading off at high speed for a short time Gordon says "Speed up!" (スピードを出す Supīdo o dasu) and speeds up for a short time, stops, says "Fire it up!" (発射します Hassha shimasu) and whistles twice before setting off

Talking Percy (2000)

Talking Percy (おしゃべりパーシー) was released alongside the individual release of Talking Thomas on October 19, 2000 in Japan. Unlike most other Talk 'n' Action trains, Percy's freight cars were different from his 1990s and period early 2000s standard release, with the battery car using the same chassis as Annie but with a rather nice mail van cover. The fuel tanker included is the later type from the Thomas-series specific tooling. The Japanese Talking Percy is voiced by Chisato Nakajima.

Turning on... Track Description
Track Description
Percy says "Hi hello! I'm Percy. I'm going!" (やあこんにちは僕パーシー出発するよ Yā kon'nichiwa boku Pāshī shuppatsu suru yo) and begins moving Percy either says "Okay, I'll do my best!" (よし頑張るぞ Yoshi ganbaruzo) or "Hi Hello!" (やあこんにちは Yā kon'nichiwa) or "I like this railway." (僕線路が好き Boku senro ga suki) Percy says "Hi Hello! I really like it!" (やあこんにちはぼくてんどで好きなんだ Yā kon'nichiwa boku tendode sukina nda) and speeds forward for a short time before slowing down again
Turning off... Percy stops with a squeal, pauses, whistles twice, and says "I'm departing!" (だ出発する Da shuppatsu suru) before heading off again Percy whistles twice and says "Brake please!" (ブレーキをお願いします Burēki o onegai shi masu) before squealing to a stop and setting off a short time later, saying "I'm Percy. I'll do my best!" (僕パーシー頑張るぞ Boku pāshī ganbaruzo)
Percy says "See you soon. Good night." (またねおやすみ Mata ne oyasumi) Percy stops with a squeal, then says "Hurry up! Hurry up!" (急げ急げ Isoge isoge) and whistles twice before taking off at high speed for a short time Percy either stops, pauses, and says "Leave it to me" (ぞ任せ Zo makase) before carrying on or says "Hurry up, hurry up, do your best!" (急げ急げ頑張る Isoge isoge ganbaru) and speeds up for a short time

7490 Talk 'n' Action Magic Rail Percy (2002)

Percy was released as a train pack with the six talking rails in Europe in 2002 with a European English accent. Like the European Thomas, Percy is voiced by Michael Angelis.

Turning on... Track Description
Track Description
Percy says "I'm Percy. Here we go!" and begins moving Percy either says "Can I help?" "Here we go!" or "I like this railway." Percy says "I can do that. Can I help?" and speeds forward for a short time before slowing down again
Turning off... Percy stops with a wheesh, pauses, whistles twice, and calls "All aboard!" before heading off again Percy whistles twice and says "Put on the brakes!" before squealing to a stop and setting off a short time later, saying "I'm Percy. Here we go!"
Percy says "See you!" Percy stops with a squeal, then says "Hurry! Hurry!" before taking off at high speed for a short time Percy says "Hurry! Hurry!" and whistles twice before taking off at high speed

7490 Talk 'n Action Percy (2002)

In 2002 talking Percys were exported to the United States in an individual pack with the fuel tanker and six talking rails or as part of the Talking Percy Expansion Kit also with the tanker and rails as well as a selection of other track and accessories. Like other export Tomy trains, safety stickers were added to the battery compartment. Robin Smith voices Percy as well as the rest of the American-accent range.

Turning on... Track Description
Track Description
Percy says "I'm Percy, and I'm the number six engine" and begins moving Percy says "Little engines can do big things" or "Here we go!" Percy says "I like carrying coal and other supplies around the island" and speeds forward for a short time before slowing down again
Turning off... Percy stops with a squeak, pauses, and then whistles twice and calls "All aboard!" before heading off again Percy whistles and says "Put on the brake please!" and wheeshes to a stop, pauses, and then says "Here we go!" and starts again
Percy whistles twice Percy stops with a squeak and says "Next stop: the harbor" before taking off at high speed for a short time Percy wheeshes to a halt, pauses, and then either says "Are we all ready?" before taking off at high speed or whistles and says "Leave that job for me."