Thomas Land is a themed area at Drayton Manor Theme Park in Staffordshire, England, based on the TV series Thomas and Friends. It stands on the former site of Robinsons Land, a themed area sponsored by the soft drinks brand of the same name. The construction began while the park was still open in September 2007, and many of the Robinsons Land rides were moved to other areas of the park for the remainder of the season. All but the Veteran Cars (now Sodor's Classic Cars) were removed and sold to Funland at Hayling Island. Thomas Land officially opened to the public on 15 March 2008. An expansion of Thomas Land with additional attractions and private party rooms is due to open on 8 April 2015.[1]
Rides
Thomas Land is set in 3 acres (12,000 m2) of parkland and features 13 themed rides; to be increased to 17 attractions in 2015.
- Troublesome Trucks roller coaster
- Jeremy's Flying Academy
- Terence's Driving School
- Diesel's Locomotion Mayhem
- Crazy Bertie Bus
- Lady's Carousel
- Sodor's Classic Cars
- Harold's Heli-Tours
- Cranky's Drop Tower
- Emily's Indoor Play Area
- Spencer's Outdoor play area
- Rockin' Bulstrode
- Blue Mountain Engines (Opened in 2011)
- Winston's Whistle Stop Tour (Opened in 2013)
- Captain’s Sea Adventure (Opened in 2015)
- Flynn's Fire Rescue (Opened in 2015)
- Toby’s Tram Express (Opened in 2015)
Train rides
Thomas at Knapford Station
Models of Thomas, Percy, and Rosie are used on the 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge[2] Thomas Land Railway that takes visitors through Thomas Land. The line features Tidmouth Sheds, where stationary models are kept, Knapford Station, which serves as the main station and a refreshment stand, Dryaw, and Tidmouth Hault. It also has many sidings and sheds along the way, one of which carries a sleeping model of James.
Discover Thomas & Friends
In early 2009, HIT Entertainment announced that the original models from the television series would be put on display at Thomas Land in an exhibit called "Discover Thomas & Friends", as production was to move to Canada, now that the series is to be animated with CGI. The models were then put on display in 2009. So far, the layout features Great Waterton, a town that first appeared in "The Great Discovery", and the Fishing Village. Many other buildings have been seen from previous seasons from the show, such as "Neptune's Refreshments", "Ben's Books", Toby's Shed, the Windmill, Castle Lock, the ruined Castle and Bluff's Cove signal box. Models have also appeared in the workshop, including: Bulgy, Terence, Trevor, Elizabeth, Butch, 3 Horrid Lorries, a canal boat, A Tug boat (Lucinda), A Harbour Ship, 2 red and white express carriages, 2 green and cream express carriages, Thomas, Edward, Toby (stolen in early 2011), Stepney (Taking back summer 2015), Rosie, Harvey (Taking back in 2012), Bulstrode, Toad the brake van (faceless), and various trucks. Also, under the layout, in storage are models of Gordon and Diesel along with assortment of props.
See also
References
- ↑ "Thomas Expansion Announcement". Drayton Manor website. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
- ↑ Tourist and Enthusiast Railways - West Midlands
External links
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- On Site with Thomas
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