fall inside a hole

Plarail Anniversary Products

Stylized Plarail logo used in the late 1980 and 90s

Since the 30th anniversary celebrated in 1988, Tomy has released a number of special anniversary products, usually limited in some way.

30th Anniversary (1988)

In 1988 two special anniversary sets were produced with special additional anniversary intermediate cars

Year
Name
Description
Photo
1988 Hikari with Light New Overpass Set 30th Anniversary Plarail set with four-car 0 series Hikari and overpass layout
1988 Tohoku Joetsu Shinkansen with Light New Overpass Set Overpass layout set with 200 series Shinkansen and exclusive intermediate car celebrating Plarail's 30th anniversary

40th Anniversary (1999)

Plarail's dedicated fanbase had only grown since its inception, and in the later 1990s Tomy began to market to this crowd with Plarail Expo events, the Plarail Fan Club, and a trove of special releases for the 40th anniversary of Plarail celebrated in 1999

Year Name Description Photo
February 26 1999  Tinplate Plarail Tinplate streamlined C53 steam locomotive released to celebrate Plarail's 40th anniversary and Tomy's history with tin toys
April 1999 Revival! Electric Plastic Train Trio Three 103-series trains with more details than other Electric Train variations
June 26 1999 Gold-Plated 700 Series 40th Anniversary Plarail Memorial Video Commemorative 40th anniversary VHS video with unpowered two-unit gold 700 series Shinkansen
July 1999 40th Anniversary Plarail Limited Edition A limited edition modernized reissue of the 1960s Plastic Train and Electric Plastic Train with rolling stock
1999 Fan Club Exclusive Plarail 40th Anniversary Five-car commemorative album produced in a series of 3000 and available for sale only to Plarail Fan Club members
1999 Let's Play With Parents and Children!! Shinkansen Set Nice set commemorating the 40th anniversary of Plarail with a special red and white new power 0 series referencing the 1960s and early 1970s red and white Hikaris and a 500 series Shinkansen plus a loop of double rail track with station

45th Anniversary (2004)

Perhaps seeing many of the 40th anniversary products lingering on shelves, much fewer 45th Anniversary products were released - in fact, I think there was only one train pack, which was actually released in early 2005. Perhaps they were fatigued from lagging stock from the 40th anniversary...

Year
Name
Description
Photo
January 2005 Plarail 45th Anniversary Set Anniversary set with a recolor of the 1999 reissue Electric Plastic Train with neat Tomy-themed containers as well as reprints of the initial unpainted red and green Electric Trains

50th Anniversary (2009)

2009 saw an interesting take on reissuing the Plastic Train and saw a relatively large set featuring a new tooling of the C-12 steam locomotive as well as several detailed freight cars and a bridge with the idea of offering what a modern equivalent of an early Plarail Plastic Train set would be - a steam-pulled freight train with nice track layout but with modern detail standards and play features

Year Name Description Photo
April 23 2009 50th Anniversary C12 Steam Locomotive Arch Bridge and Rail Set Anniversary set with C12, unique freight cars, and figure eight layout with bridge and station

60th Anniversary (2019)

2019 saw a new reissue of the classic Plastic Train with a new unpowered locomotive tooling and powered box car as well as a neat C-62 set with track-triggered sound and light features

Year
Name
Description
Photo
2019 Plarail 60th Anniversary Plastic Steam Train Reprint version of the Plastic Train with unpowered locomotive similar to the original (and a powered box car, unlike the original)
March 2020 Action on the Rails! C62 Steam Locomotive Set    

65th Anniversary (2024)

In 2024 Plarail turned 65 and the Tokaido Shinkansen turned 60 - to commemorate both, Tomy issued a special Shinkansen pack

Year Name Description Photo
September 28 2024 Shinkansen 60th Anniversary Commemoration 0 Series Shinkansen Hikari 1 & Super Express Hikari Set Wide-windowed Hikari representing number 1 that ran to open the Shinkansen in 1964 and the same modern tooling used to reproduce a red and white Super Express Hikari like Plarail produced at the time

Sets Trains Rail Scenery Tomica Catalogues Thomas series Exports