A Day out with Thomas

A Day Out with Thomas is an annual, touring event that visits heritage railway sites across Canada and the United States. In Ontario, the locations are the York-Durham Heritage Railway in Uxbridge and the St. Thomas-Elgin Memorial Centre in St. Thomas, making the event accessible within a couple of hours to those on either side of Toronto.

Tickets to the event are $25 Canadian a person, for anyone over 2 years old, meaning most families of four will be spending $100. The event happens rain or shine, however the activities themselves are fairly well covered and event goers are generally protected from the elements.

The event is primarily about the ride on a train pulled by Thomas himself. The ride lasts approximately 15 minutes and the section of track that is travelled has Thomas and friends related decorations along the way, although it's likely more about the thrill of the ride than the scenery for most young passengers.

The ticket you purchase is just like a real train ticket in the sense that it's for a departure at a specific date and time. This ensures that everyone will have a place to sit and you're not stuck waiting in a long line for a chance to board and ride. The inside of the train cars are adorned with Thomas and friends decorations and music familiar to fans of Thomas plays throughout the cars.

When Thomas is not hard at work being a very useful engine, he takes a break and visitors can get up close and have their picture taken. The photos are handled by a professional firm who sell them for a fee, but in our experience they were pretty good about letting parents snap shots on their phones and cameras at the same time.

As it's an officially licensed event, several familiar characters can be found wandering around interacting with the kids or posing for pictures in front of Sodor related backdrops. In past years it's also been possible to find non-Sodor friends of Thomas such as Bob the Builder on site.

There are numerous activities to fill the time surrounding the train ride. From hands-on activities, building, colouring, small hay bale mazes and a scavenger hunt, it's easy to spend several hours if your children are interested in doing everything.

We attended several years and noticed improvements to both the exhibits and layout over time, from better placement of activities and amenities, to a more easily avoided gift shop. In the gift shop most items are about 20% over regular retail, which is to not unexpected at such an event.

However, on offer is a unique wooden "Day out with Thomas" train car specific to that year, that you're only able to get at the event (or probably on eBay, but where's the fun in that?). If you're looking for a souvenir that's unique, it's your best bet.

For tour dates, ticket purchases and more information on the event, please visit the website.