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Digital Plarail Thomas the Tank Engine Packs
First written March 2025Digital Plarail (ミニミニプラレール) was a series of computer-simulated Plarail (and Tomica) building games released by Tomy for Windows 3.1, 95, and later NT in the later 1990s and sold into the early 2000s. In addition to regular train and accessory packs, two Thomas the Tank Engine train and accessory packs were released starting in later 1997.
Digital Plarail Thomas the Tank Engine Edition Vehicle & Scenery Set (1997)
The first and by far more common Thomas pack for the Digital Plarail system was the Thomas the Tank Engine Edition Vehicle & Scenery Set (きかんしゃトーマス編 車両&情景セット). The title for the disk is PLARAIL8. The finalized files on the disc date to September 1997, and the pack was released sometime later that year. It will update the game to version 2.0.
Like the other later expansions, the Thomas expansion was released in a thin cardboard box with the CD coming in a jewel case with a foldout manual.
The pack includes Thomas, Edward, Henry, Gordon, James, and Percy as well as Annie, Clarabel, an express coach, log car with logs, salt van, troublesome truck, and troublesome van.
A Plarail-looking Ffarquhar Station and a coal hopper and water tower with no direct Plarail equivalent are included as trackside accessories.
If you don't already have Special Scenery Set 01 installed the Row of Trees is added as well as several color variations of the classic Standing Trees.
To be honest, the way the locomotives are designed does not really take much "Plarail" into the design, and they look more like the television show models than the Plarail toys. For whatever reason, every engine has a white top to their running board except for Percy. The rolling stock is based on the Plarail cars, and I think they look very nice.
A new example map is included, as well as three new Thomas floorpapers.
Digital Plarail Thomas the Tank Engine Special Bundle Set (1997)
Released seemingly around the same time as the first Thomas expansion was the Thomas the Tank Engine Special Bundle Set (きかんしゃトーマススペシャルバンドルセット). This set is really the individual base game and the Thomas pack in a larger cardboard sleeve, with the original individual game boxes slid inside. It seems that Tomy thought the Thomas expansion would be a big enough of a draw for new players (that would need to buy the base game to use it) to issue this bundle set. With a lot of trains and a few accessories it makes for an okay combination, although the accessory packs with more track options would certainly make it better.
Digital Plarail & Tomica DX Thomas the Tank Engine Edition Parts Set 2 (1998)
The second and much harder to find Thomas the Tank Engine pack was released around the time of the combined Digital Plarail and Tomica DX release was the Thomas the Tank Engine Parts Set 2 (きかんしゃトーマス編パーツセット2). The title for the disk is VOL_19980507THOM, implying a May 1998 mastering period.
The pack includes Thomas, Annie, and Clarabel (also included in the first pack) as well as Bertie and Bulgy the busses, Terence the tractor, Trevor the traction engine, and Sir Topham Hatt's car.
Thomas Encyclopedia 2 is included to show off the new road vehicles - Thomas is not included in the viewer.
Installing this expansion will install version 3.0 of the Digital Plarail and Tomica DX engine with new UI and other updates, although it will not include the 500 series Shinkansen or any of the other new inclusions. If it was installed on top of the original Digital Plarail,
Five new road/rail sections are included; a rail road crossing, two styles of rail bridges, a double track pedestrian overpass, and a two-track shed.
Other accessories include a "country station" representing , a church, two houses, a windmill, and two types of fence and signals. Figures of four Sir Topham Hatt and four railway workers as well as a family of four are included.
