fall inside a hole
Motor Road & Rail Thomas' Big Race (2004)
First written June 27, 2024Box and other photos added July 2026
The Thomas' Big Race set is a U.K. Thomas Motor Road & Rail set featuring Thomas, Bertie, a crossing road and rail layout, and a storybook recounting Thomas and Bertie's Great Race.
Set contents| Quantity |
Item |
Photo |
|---|---|---|
| 3 pieces | Thomas, Annie, and Clarabel (2003+ export version) |  |
| 1 | Bertie |  |
| 3 | Straight Rail |  |
| 1 | Half Straight Rails |  |
| 8 | Curve Rail |  |
| 2 | Straight Road |  |
| 1 | Half Straight Road |  |
| 8 | Curve Road |  |
| 2 | Sloping Road |  |
| 4 | Quarter Straight Road |  |
| 1 | Road Girder |  |
| 2 pieces | Road and Rail Tunnel |  |
| 5 pieces | Elsbridge Station Crossing |  |
| 1 | Thomas' Big Race book |
This set includes a standard plastic face export Thomas with Annie and Clarabel.
Like the box shown above, the Thomas in this set has a production code dating to September 2004.
A standard 2000s Bertie with a screw holding the chassis to the body shell is also included. This Bertie was originally from a different copy of this set and it dates to slightly earlier in 2004.
The road and rail is all updated 2000s track with the squared-off Tomy logo tooled into it. The tooling marks indicate the sections were manufactured in the summer of 2004.
The station crossing is a very nicely detailed Motor Tomica accessory with opening crossing gates and stopping sections for both road and rail. It is also the updated logo type.
The road and rail tunnel is the individual grey-road version as opposed to the brown one used in some other Thomas sets. It has a falling rocks sign - I was missing it when I originally photographed the set assembled.
This crossing has a rail stopper for the train on one side and two road stoppers on either side of the gates. The green button near the two trees lets Bertie pass, and when Thomas crosses the road section the crossing gates automatically close over the road.
Here is a scanned copy of the instructions for this set. Unfortunately, I don't have the book.
This set plays on the classic story of Thomas and Bertie racing along their passenger routes, which cross and travel along each other at different points. The twisting road that crosses over the rail and the station crossing allow the player to recreate the included book.
| Set name | 4771 Thomas' Big Race | Release period | 2004-~2007, Europe |
| Vehicle rating |    | Track rating | |
| Accessory rating | | Overall | |
| Notes: | More photos | mrr_big_race_set |