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Thomas and Friends Wooden Railway

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The Thomas and Friends Wooden Railway is a wooden railway system created by Learning Curve in Chicago and made in China. This wooden railway system is based on the Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends TV series and The Railway Series. Learning Curve makes a series of tracks, buildings, and bridges for Thomas and his friends.

An interesting fact is that the TAFWR includes characters from The Railway Series that have not been televised, such as Ada, Jane, and Mabel (coaches from the Skarloey Railway), Mike and Frank, (from Small Engines), Wilbert (from Wilbert the Forest Engine), D199 (Spamcan), Ivo Hugh, The Foreign Engine, Katherine the Mountin Coach, Culdee, and The Big City Engine.

Contents

Product Design and Make

The original models of the engines and vehicles were all wood and paint, with the exception of the metals in the magnets and axles, and the plastic in the wheels and faces. These models were quite primitive in design, having simple little wooden stubs for the funnel and dome (with a painted on smokebox). Also, certain details were omitted, such as windows, whistles, buffer beams, etc.

Around the late 90's and early 2000's, the engines received an upgrade--the wooden stub and smokebox (which was painted onto the boiler) were replaced with a totally separate plastic smokebox with a more realistic looking funnel. The tender engines received this and an additional upgrade by having their coal (which was painted on with swirls) being replaced with a black mould resembling a coal pile.

This design was manufactured until around 2004 (as if to usher in the all new Season 8 of Thomas and Friends). The new design included new faces and a more detailed make. The only features remaining from the old design are the magnets, plastic smokebox, plastic coal, and wheels.

Today, Learning Curve is rapidly expanding its lineup of engines and locations. Its manufacturing is turning to more sophisticated and electrical toys (such as the Ice Cream Factory Toy).

Long/Short Running Items

Over the several years that TAFWR has been running, a few items have stood the test of time, while others have introduced only to be recalled. Two of the longest running items were the barrel loader and the single stone bridge. The first item is still available, while the latter seems to have been withdrawn in favour of the similar Knapford Covered Bridge. There were a couple of one-timer items as well; these items were Knapford Station (with a "glass" roof simulated with plastic), and a grain loader.

THE ENGINES

SPECIAL FEATURE: Moveable Claw

SPECIAL FEATURE: Crane Turns and Magnet Tows all Vehicles

THE ROLLING STOCK

SPECIAL FEATURE: Slide Lever to Activate Brake

SPECIAL FEATURE: Magnetic Cargo Works with all Magnetic Cranes

SPECIAL FEATURE: Reomoveable Logs work with the Sodor Log Loader

SPECIAL FEATURE: Crane lifts and tows all Vehicles

SPECIAL FEATURE (New 2005 version only): Head moves Up and Down

SPECIAL FEATURE: Removable Barrels work with the Barrel Loader

SPECIAL FEATURE: Magnetic Cargo works with all Magnetic Cranes

SPECIAL FEATURE: Removable Splitting Log works with the Sawmill & Dumping Depot

SPECIAL FEATURE: Magnetic Cargo works with all Magnetic Cranes

SPECIAL FEATURE: Crane Car lifts and loads Magnetic Ice Cargo

SPECIAL FEATURE: Push Button on the Red Tarp to hear giggling; First Truck rocks up and down, second truck rocks side to side

SPECIAL FEATURE: Rocks up and down as he rolls

SPECIAL FEATURE: Slide doors to reveal cargo

SPECIAL FEATURE: Handles move up and down as it rolls

SPECIAL FEATURE: Floating Animals

SPECIAL FEATURE: Removable tire cargo; Bins swing back and forth

SPECIAL FEATURE: Barrel spins as it rolls and gold "shifts"

SPECIAL FEATURE: Handles move up and down on Pumper Car; Slide lever on Tanker Car to see water level rise and lower

SPECIAL FEATURE: Push red horn to hear foghorn sound

2 TO 4 CAR PACKS

(With Lady, Diesel 10, Harvey, George, and Devious Diesel)

SPECIAL FEATURE: Removable Animals

SPECIAL FEATURE: Chutes Swivel on Ballast Loading Car

(With Tired Face Thomas, Troublesome Truck, Barrel Car, Tidmouth Milk Tanker, and Sodor Line Caboose)

(With Toby, Bertie, Oliver, Fred, and Henrietta)

(With Coal Dust Percy, Jack Frost Percy and Chocolate Covered Percy)

SPECIAL FEATURE: Removable forklift on Flatbed lifts and loads scented apple cargo

(With Thomas Comes to Breakfast, Paint-Splattered Thomas and Winter Wonderland Thomas)

SPECIAL FEATURE: Letter and Number Sticker Sheet to personalize Box Car bottom

(With Gold Thomas, Silver Percy and Bronze Diesel)

SPECIAL FEATURE: Removable scrap cargo works with all Magnetic Cranes

SPECIAL FEATURE: Cement Mixer turns as it rolls; Sand dumper turns and sand cargo works with all Magnetic Cranes

SPECIAL FEATURE: Magnetic Present works with all Magnetic Cranes

SPECIAL FEATURE: Jewels in clear display car rattle

SPECIAL FEATURE: Rocks "rumble" as knob is turned

THE VEHICLES

SPECIAL FEATURE: Rotor spins

SPECIAL FEATURE: Caterpillar tracks move

SPECIAL FEATURE: Magnetic Cargo works with all Magnetic Cranes

SPECIAL FEATURE: Cherry picker ladder moves up and down; spotlight actually works!

SPECIAL FEATURE: Flywheel turns as he rolls

SPECIAL FEATURE: Magnetic arm tows all vehicles

SPECIAL FEATURE: Flatbed tips; magnetic cargo works with all magnetic cranes

SPECIAL FEATURE: Flywheel and roller turns as he rolls

SPECIAL FEATURE: Pounding arms move in and out as he rolls

SPECIAL FEATURE: Push button to lift her dumper

SPECIAL FEATURE: Brush turns on street sweeper as it rolls and water "sloshes"; Lifter moves up and down on rubbish (garbage) truck

SPECIAL FEATURE: Propellor turns

SPECIAL FEATURE: Water level rises and lowers when switch is moved on water tanker truck; ladder lifts and rotates on ladder truck; hose on water tanker truck connects to ladder truck

SPECIAL FEATURE: Push on cab to raise scoop

SPECIAL FEATURE: Cab spins around; excavator arm moves up and down and scoop raises up and down

LIMITED EDITION AND NOT SOLD SEPARATELY

(More coming soon)

BRIDGES AND TUNNELS

BUILDINGS AND DESTINATIONS

SIGHTS AND SOUNDS BRIDGES AND DESTINATIONS

SIGHTS AND SOUNDS ENGINES

BATTERY-POWERED ENGINES

BATTERY-POWERED VEHICLES

BATTERY-POWERED EXPRESS PACKS (Retired 2001) Battery-Powered Express Packs included 1 battery-powered engine, one wooden rolling stock, and one piece of 8" straight track (clickety-clack).

DELAYED 2006 ITEMS ARRIVING IN 2007 (Confirmed by Learning Curve)

Brio Thomas

In 1997 Brio have made there own Thomas the tank engine wooden range these engines are simuler to the Learning curve models and they where discontinued in 2000. The range was is the following.

External Links

 

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