Saturday September 25th, 1999 was a very special day for me! My parents took me and my little brother Ethan to The Strasburg Rail Road to see Thomas the Tank Engine! I had seen Thomas once before in Kutztown, PA (click here to read about that day) so I knew how exciting this day would be! It was a pretty long drive to get there but I would endure quite a bit in order to see that special engine. The last three and a half miles took 1 hour and fourty five minutes! I saw license plates from all over including Virginia, Maryland, New York, and New Jersey. I guess they are a lot of other Thomas the Tank fans out there!
As you can see, Thomas was larger then life! He was a lot different from the Thomas I saw last year. This Thomas was actually a full size steam powered engine! The Thomas I saw last year had to be pushed from behind by a steam engine. With my ticket in hand I prepared to board Thomas! When my turn finally came I was thrilled! I wish the ride could have been longer then 15 minutes but it was one of the best 15 minutes of my life!
I have been asked by many other Thomas fans when is Thomas coming to my area? I wish Thomas could visit railroads near each and every Thomas fan like me but it seems he only comes to a few railroads here in the U.S.