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Thomas and Ken Buehler take a break outside the Lake Superior Railroad Museum’s maintenance shop.3 of 3
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Nick & Kayla check out the wooden train set inside the waiting room of the North Shore Scenic Railroad.Seeing a huge face on a train engine might be a show-stopper for some, but it’s not Thomas the Tank Engine who catches Ken Buehler’s eye when the famous character comes to town in Duluth.
Ken, director of the Lake Superior Railroad Museum and North Shore Scenic Railroad, watches the faces of the youngsters who come to see their television and book hero come to life.
“The kids are spellbound,” he says.
Thomas arrived last weekend to give rides originating from The Depot downtown. This Friday, Saturday and Sunday again, Thomas will be pulling out every hour for 20-minute jaunts along Lake Superior. Visitors can also meet Sir Topham Hatt (another character from the show). There will also be an inflatable slide, a bubble station, face painting, a juggler, a musician, a magician and the whole railroad museum to explore.
For those who aren’t train lovers or have never been around children ages 18 months to 6 years (the peak age for Thomas adoration), Thomas the Tank Engine is a character seen on the program “Thomas & Friends” aired on public television. The show was developed in 1984 and is based on the Railway Series of books by the Rev. Wilbert Vere Awdry (24 books) and later his son, Christopher Awdry (16 books). The Rev. Awdry created the stories of the trains on the Island of Sodor when his son was sick with measles in 1946.
Ken says, as is typical Christopher grew to know the characters so well in the story that his father had to write them down to remember how they first appeared. He later collected them into a book, published in 1946, and followed with an on-going series.
Like the story of Thomas, the television program in the 1980s also originated in England. Its narrators have included Ringo Starr and George Carlin.
Younger children especially are fascinated by Thomas and his choo-choo friends Percy, Rosie, Gordon and others. “The great thing about Thomas,” says Kelly Cochrane, who organizes events with the engine, “is that a lot of engineers and train fans are older, so it introduces a whole new generation.”
The engine travels around the country and has been to Duluth three times. Ken expects upwards of 11,500 people for the events last weekend and this weekend. All tickets for a train ride with Thomas are $18 and include the other activities and entry to the railroad museum. Some times are sold out and it is recommended that tickets be purchased in advance or that visitors are flexible in their departure times.
More details can be found at www.northshorescenicrailroad.org.