Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends - Time to say "Goodbye"?

Hurrah! After 2+ years of trying, I've stumped Paul!

 

Apparently there are around 20 DOWT 'licence holders' ( heritage railways) in the UK of which 2 have around 18% or 19% of the total revenue of the HIT operation which in 2014 was approx £2.2 million. They obviously find it worthwhile to continue but would suggest that whilst it is good income - even after the payoff to HIT, it forms a fairly small %age of those 2 operations income. Heritage railways, especially the bigger and more commercial ones, are finding all sorts of ways to produce monies to allow their sustainability, and like it or lump it enthusiast events form an ongoing lower and falling %age of income year on year.

 

Sorry to disillusion you for I was merely expressing polite dis-agreement, after the fashion of the Scottish "I hear you". Evidently a bit subtle!

PH

 

I seem to recall talk (though I've never seen it definitively documented) that HIT tried to claim that the Bluebell should pay a royalty for having a loco painted as "Stepney" on the railway, and they had to have it pointed out that it wasn't a loco painted as Stepney, it was Stepney! We won that one, but haven't run a Thomas event for about 5 or 6 years, despite having a closer connection to the original books than most other standard gauge preserved lines.

For a few years after we stopped, we ran a "family fun weekend" at the same time in the year (early June) which was targeted at the same market, but without the Thomas theme. That seems to have moved into an August event (this weekend just gone in fact) branded - at least this year - as the "seaside weekend"; meantime the early June half-term event has become a model railway weekend. That seems to be very successful in terms of visitors, if my anecdotal view is a guide, though it must cause a degree of disruption to set up as two of the three main exhibition spaces are the loco and c&w workshops, which require a certain amount of clearing to provide space. Worth that inconvenience though for the number of visitors it seems to attract.

Tom

 

I suspected as much I'm ever the optimist though...

 

Scottish? It is a staple of contract negotiations, and used somewhat euphemistically as in the attached, which is presumably your meaning here.
http://www.economist.com/blogs/johnson/2011/05/euphemistically_speaking

 

Another subtle comment is the Scots use of the double positive "aye, right". Loosely translated, it means the other person is talking bolleaux.

Back on track so to speak, I understand that representatives of HIT take it upon themselves to inspect anything that the kiddies may see on their day out with Thomas. One railway spent hours scraping the encrusted grease and dirt from their servicing pit just in case they came under the spotlight. If only the good Reverend Awdry had written "Thomas Drops His Ashpan" or "Troublesome Washouts" then they need not have bothered. Needless to say, the servicing pit is back to it's usual state.

 

I have also heard of a hired in "Thomas" arriving in such a filthy state as to require two people to spend two days cleaning it up. What the mechanical condition was like I cannot say for my informant was in no way a technical person. An attitude of "Thomas the Tank Engine - Huh!" gets less and less surprising.

Paul H

 

Isn't that good practice anyway? Steam locomotives aren't exactly clean beasts, but that shouldn't be an excuse to just let the yard and surrounds get wilfully untidy - it is after all your working environment. So periodic cleaning of accumulated grease, ashes etc. makes your working day a little bit easier.

We have on occasion allowed access underneath a locomotive as an attraction at special events, which is often the stimulus needed to give the pits a thorough clean and new coat of whitewash!

Tom

 

GCR ran up to 4 Thomas events a year at one time but doesn't bother now. The kiddies market is now served by a Peppa Pig event, which doesn't (to my perception anyway) seem to attract the numbers but they keep running it so i guess it's profitable.

Incidentally my wife hates Peppa pig (considering her to be a whiny creature and not a good influence on our child) so we won't be going to one of those. Our 2 year old meanwhile loves Thomas and I daresay we will take him to a Thomas event somewhere at some point, though he has been more than happy so far with any train we've been on, steam or otherwise.

 

A colleague and I spent much time yesterday shovelling out the pits after three locos including a Duchess had been serviced. Let's just say that there are some things that you just cannot polish. Servicing pits are one of them. As for whitewashing them. I'll supply the whitewash and brushes Mr James if you supply the labour. I'll pull up a deckchair, open a beer and watch how far you get. Even if the pits were steam cleaned and painted, after a fortnight, you would never know. The best you can really do is to give them a blast with a hose every now and again.

 

Incorrect. The NVR got involved with one of the copyright holders over use of the Thomas name. The copyright holders - Britt Alcroft IIRC but could be mistaken - wanted to stop NVR using the Thomas name without a licence. Caused a bit of a stir at the time and at least one national daily came out on the NVR's side. The outcome was that NVR could market "Thomas" events but not "Thomas the Tank Engine" events and could use only a 2D face, not a 3D one. Also they could not feature any other Awdry character.

 

I'm with your wife on Peppa Pig at least as far as the title-character goes - whiny, self-centred and feels she is entitled to the best of everything! Moreover attempts to turn 2D Peppa characters into 3D adult-sized costumes are the stuff of nightmare to my mind.

The SVR is holding a Paddington event next month, which is arguably rather suitable for a GWR branch line!

 

I build children's rides of the type you see in the Supermarket. I can tell you that the revenue from Thomas the Tank engine rides has dropped off, in fact I'm preparing three second hand rides for export to Poland because they don't perform as well as other licences. It's all down to what is shown on children's TV. Children who like toy trains will be aware of Thomas the Tank, but he's not the draw he was as he's not being pushed by HiT. Top performing licences at the moment are Peppa Pig and Paw Patrol.

 

The Thomas at our local Sainsburys doesn't so much have a whistle as a Stanier hooter… is that your work?

Simon

 

Thats probably why they aren't doing so well! Must be very loud having a Stanier Hooter going off in a shop......

 

Not true. Licensed Thomas locos can be used at any time as long as they do not display the face or Number 1, hence why the latter is usually a magnetic strip and the face removable. Lord Roberts frequently ran (and will do next year on return from overhaul) on service trains at Bo''ness, Jessie has ran at llangollen as a normal service loco too.

 

Duplicate Post Deleted.

 

The 'rules' required by HIT must have changed, then. When Middleton had its Thomas it was specifically required to be kept out of public view when not required at a licenced event, whether adorned by a No.1 and face, or not. I am, however, talking of a good ten years ago, perhaps more.

 

Not sure if that has ever been the case. I thought the situation has always been as described, that without the #1 and the face you were "free" in the last 25 years thats always been the situation as I understood it anyway.