A Day Out with Thomas at Didcot Railway Centre
If like me you have small boys, there is a good chance that Thomas the Tank Engine is a big part of your life! With two boys under six, Thomas and his friends are very popular in our house, so what could be more exciting than a chance to meet Thomas himself and actually ride on his train?
There are lots of Day Out with Thomas events held around the country, and we visited one at Didcot Railway Centre. Arriving soon after it opened at 10am there was only a small queue to ride on Thomas, so it was straight over to meet the star of the show!
Two rather thrilled boys had a ride up and down a branch line, and at the end of the journey not only did Thomas’s driver happily pose for photos, but the Fat Controller himself was waiting to meet the alighting passengers and also pose for pictures.
Didcot Railway Centre itself is a railway museum. Home of the Great Western Society (and if you’re reading this you probably don’t need me to tell you what the Great Western is. In fact, you probably thought Oliver or Duck immediately).
It is open at weekends and school holidays, where you can see it’s collection of engines, carriages and memorabilia.
Renovation work on engines and carriages is ongoing and you can watch the work in progress. They also have rescued signal boxes, station buildings and equipment from many closed railway stations.
There were plenty of enthusiastic volunteers around to tell you all about the work of the museum, storytelling in an old coach, as well as clowns and a stilt walker.
There were lots of favourite engines to spot, from scary Diesel to, of course, Duck and Oliver. Finally you can also meet Percy, whose train you could also have a ride on.
With lots of space to run around, railway lines to follow as well as bouncy castles and circus toys to play with, it was two tired but happy boys who went home at the end of the day.
Days Out with Thomas are held regularly on many preserved railways around the UK. At Christmas many hold ‘Thomas Santa Specials’ where children also get to meet Santa and receive a present. These events are usually very popular and require pre-booking.
Didcot Railway Centre no longer hosts A Day Out with Thomas, however you can find out where the nearest event to you is at dayoutwiththomas.co.uk