Thomas Land (Drayton Manor)

Thomas Land
Drayton Manor
Coordinates 52°36′46″N 1°42′48″W / 52.6128°N 1.7133°W / 52.6128; -1.7133Coordinates: 52°36′46″N 1°42′48″W / 52.6128°N 1.7133°W / 52.6128; -1.7133
Opening date 15 March 2008 (2008-03-15)
Replaced Robinsons Land
General statistics
Attraction type Themed area
Theme Thomas and Friends
Rides 17
Website Official website

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 opened on 8 April 2015.[1]

Rides

Thomas Land is set in 3 acres (12,000 m2) of parkland and features 13 themed rides.

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 full 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 or put into storage or taking back) Stepney, a blue narrow engine, Rosie, Harvey (Taken back to HIT Entertainment 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

  1. ↑ "Thomas Expansion Announcement". Drayton Manor website. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  2. ↑ Tourist and Enthusiast Railways - West Midlands
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