Thomas

Thomas the Tank Engine, Annie and Clarabel, and Sir Topham Hatt were at Tenterden today. You'll see Sir Topham on the platform slightly to the right of Thomas.

For heritage railways running this kind of event is an expensive gamble. Thomas is rented from the franchise holder and, because Kent & East Sussex Railway doesn't have a mainline connection, has to get here on a low-loader. Thomas brings his own crew and a team of support people and all this costs money. So the host railway has to advertise widely and hope that the weather is kind - however much the children might want to see Thomas families are less likely to turn out on a cold, wet day then they might if the sun shines. Today was a flat, grey day until mid-afternoon when the  sun finally came out so I headed down to Tenterden to get you a picture of Thomas. I don't know if they've had a good weekend but there weren't many people around when I got there.