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Submitted by Michelle, BRIO enthusiast
I have a tough time deciding what the best part about Thomas and Friends is: the theme song or the fact that it featured, at different times, the voices of George Carlin, Alec Baldwin, and Ringo Starr as the storyteller/conductor of Shining Time Station.
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My name is Thomas so you can imagine I’ve never been called Thomas the Train before.
Plus, the early ones had stories that were actually based on real railroad stories. I watched the new ones for kicks a while back, and it’s changed quite a bit.
I’ve never seen the ‘new’ ones. God I miss Thomas the Tank Engine
Oh god, nostalgia. I feel five again. *hunts up episodes on Youtube.*
Haha, me too!! This was my favorite show ever. And now I’m 19, and still a bit of a geek for trains. Yay Amtrak!
But first I must go dig up those old VHS tapes.
At the theaters yesterday they showed a commercial for the new Thomas DVD and they replaced all those wonderful models with CG images. *sigh* CG ruining more childhood classics…
The new version’s theme song is sung by a bunch of annoying British kids. They all sound so terrible.
I had a Thomas The Tank Engine train set when I was 4. It was a wood track, I think it was made of pine, which is strange to think about since it was only 14 years ago. Somehow we’ve gone from toys made with wood that where built to last to cheap plastic in a disposably society all in under a decade and a half.
Uhm… what are talking about. They’re still made of wood. I bought some for my 2 year old a few days ago.
Yeah, but the wood ones are really expensive…
It was stolen from my idea. “Thomas the Tank” was great, but they said it was to bloody for TV. They added an “engine” to it and stole it.
I saw a trailer for the new Thomas movie on the DVD for the new Walace & Gromit short, and Thomas’ eyes moved with every sylable he said. I’m not joking.
Thomas the Tank Engine… argh… just wait till you’ve taken the grandkids to Thomasland and spent a day surrounded by that song along with 40 minute waits for the major rides… all the queues are very well hidden so you don’t see the full length until too late… so you’re stuck there with a fractious grandkids who can’t cope with waiting at all and taking them to the toilet means losing your place… an absolute nightmare if you’re close to the head of the queue and they then want to go…
Y’know what my fave TTTEAF ep was?
The one where James got stung by the bee
Also something I remember: I’ve only ever seen half of the episode where Oliver gets hurt and therefore have no idea what actually happened… if anybody has a link for that ep PLEASE tell me! I still love this show, despite being 15 ^^
I watched these with my daughter when she was little, and enjoyed them too. Very sweet. I remember George Carlin and Ringo Starr as Mr. Conductor, but forgot about Alec Baldwin. How long was he on it?
Alec Baldwin narrated seasons 5 and 6, but was only ever Mr. Conductor in Thomas and the Magic Railroad.
shinning time station best kids show every george carlin best conductor ever
I don’t think they actually make new episodes. I think that they recycle footage and add a different narration. Although I believe they’ve had several incarnations of shining time station.
Actually, they use computers to make CG models now. It’s gotten to be like Jay-Jay the airplane.
The original train models were “G” scale (google it.) They were based off of the actual train sets that the Reverend originally had, and the stories he based on them. Interestingly enough, in the books, the locomotives were all based off of actual trains which ran in Britain at the time the Rev was growing up.
Timeline wise, the show actually is supposed to take place in the late sixties.
Jeez, how old is this show? My daughter watches it now and I was under the impression it was only a few years old…she’s obsessed so we’ve seen many episodes, A LOT. Those are some pompous, whiny trains….
Started in ‘84. If she likes trains, check around for a steam railroad in your area. They’re generally not very well known, but they’re all over the place. There are tons of running engines still around. You may even be able to find a “Day our with Thomas” event where they have a full-size Thomas “pulling” a train. (Sorta pulling – they’ve only got one that’s actually steam-powered, so quite often they stick a diesel at the end of the train and push with it)
My kids both love Thomas. We just spent a Day Out With Thomas last weekend. It was pretty fun, but would have been better without all the mud and soccer moms trying to cut in line everywhere we went.
I only thought Thomas was *maybe* 15 years old since I don’t remember it. The only way we found out about him was because some friends gave us their grandson’s Thomas set.
It’s 25th anniversary was in September.
The stories themselves are 60 years old.
And if you want to get technical Thomas himself is actualy about 95 years old acording to the cannon.
My dad use to watch this with me when I was a kid. I use to wonder why. Then later I found out it was because Ringo was the conductor, and my dad was a huge Beatle fan.
Oh hi there nostalgia
I remember watching the TV show when I was really young – before I was four (I’m 17 now…)
Did anyone else have the Thomas books? They were for young children and they were a blue hardcover with pictures. I loved them
OMG i loved thomas the tank engine. I hate the new one!!! Its all 3D it sucks
VIVE THOMAS THE TANK ENGINE
…Sorry to be negative, but Thomas the Tank Engine, did not rule, however, the newer version SUCKS MORE.
Aww that takes me back! I uses to love Shining Time Station back in the day, The big crabby train Gordon was always my favorite
Yeah, it is a cute show but a) pompous and whiny for sure and b) virtually no female characters AT ALL in the original series. Not to be to politically correct but I’d like my daughter to not get the unspoken message that only boys matter. I’m glad she never really liked that show.
Aaren’t Emily, Molly, Mavis, and Rosie female characters? Emily is also heralded as the smartest engine.
They are trains for god sakes, they can’t even reproduce! Small children don’t even think of them as gendered beings. However, if you want to discuss sexism in British Children’s literature, you’d best start with Winnie The Pooh.
Oh my gosh, my brother is obsessed with Thomas the Tank Engine! As soon as I played this video he came rushing saying, “Thomas! Thomas!” (He’s 3.)
He would sure agree that this, indeed is a win. =D
I think a more epic word than ‘epic’ needs to be used in order to capture how epic a win this was. How about ‘Homerian Win’?
My little brother used to love T the TE, I still remember him making gentle steam engine noises – in his sleep. He is now in Med school.
Ever notice Sir Topham Hatt totally looks like Winston Chrurchill?
Ever notice that there were actually three DIFFERENT Fat Controllers? The current Controller was first seen (as a child) when Toby was first introduced revealing his first name as Stephen.
Wasn’t it called “Shining Time Station”?
I remember a television show called that. Although my youngest brother used to watch videos with only the model footage, no live actors.
My little brother used to watch that. And f course you would find me giving a giggle or two once in awhile. And Mr. Conductor was by far the best part. I saw some of the newer ones myself, th voices just don’t cut it. And the new Mr. Conductor is pure fail. Thats like big comfy couch. I LOVED THAT SHOW! Until they changed the main girl. It’s hard to accept the fact that people get older and can’t do childrens shows anymore.
I watch it whenever I get the chance and use my boys (4 & 2) as cover for it. The 4 yr old has his room decorated for Thomas. He will soon be joined in there by the 2 yr old, since the wife has #3 on the way. I have been reading them Thomas (from the original books) since the 4 yr old was less than a yr old, and he turns 5 in Dec.
YAY Thomas.
I used to watch this when I was younger my nephew likes it too, even though his mother(my sister) absolutely cannot stand it (probably because I used to watch it a lot when she lived with me and my mom)
Though the new ones are horrible, I saw one when my nephew was watching it, the stories were boring and I didn’t like the new characters(especially Emily I think was it’s name)
Luckily my mom still has a bunch of the old VHS tapes!
100% WIN! I love the Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends series ever since! In fact, I love the original Thomas the Tank Engine theme and every Thomas the Tank Engine show should have that original theme! I find that the whole series has 50, if not 100 different episodes, or probably more. I used to watch it on ABC TV (AU) back in the early 1990s.
Man Petting a Squirrel
I really want to find episodes for this awesome show.
It seems like a lot of episodes have been taken off youtube.
Billy Two Feathers was HOT!
2 years ago, I had the urge to watch these, cause I loved em as a child. I found SO many episodes on Youtube, even some put in reverse. Now I can’t find em anymore.
James was awesome!
I have over $5,000 worth of Thomas toys in the basement that my son stopped playing with 7 years ago.
I see mentions of the voices of George Carlin and Ringo Starr, but no mention of the show they were physically in. “Shining Time Station” anyone? The were both miniaturized versions, actually playing Mr. Conductor. Frenchie from Grease ran the train station with her niece, who could see Mr. Conductor and would listen to his stories about Thomas. The show was more about the kid, the trains just always had stories that conveniently mirrored an issue she was having. Was this all mentioned and I missed it?
What happened to shining time station?
I don’t remember the Shining Time Station part. I remember the narration and all the voices being done by Ringo Starr, and it being set on this fictional island called Sodor, but no live action.