Thomas the Tank Engine takes over Pittsburgh
Thomas exhibit to visit Children’s Museum while Kennywood gets permanent installation
Calling all useful engines: Pittsburgh’s summer of Thomas the Tank Engine is upon us.
On Saturday, the “Thomas & Friends: Explore the Rails” exhibit opens at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh on the North Side. The visiting exhibit was created four years ago by the Minnesota Children’s Museum and will be in Pittsburgh through Sept. 9.
Later this summer, Thomas Town will open at Kennywood Park, billed as the second-largest permanent Thomas the Tank Engine installation in North America.
At the Children’s Museum, the 1,500square-foot exhibit will be in the Garage area. Visitors will be able to climb into Thomas’ cab, fix Percy’s wobbly wheel and play with Thomas character trains on a giant train table. They can also fill Percy’s water tank and dress up as a conductor to sell train tickets.
“This is a character who perseveres, who explores, who goes on adventures,” said Bill Schlageter, director of marketing for the museum, of the lovable Thomas. “It’s a wonderful vehicle, no pun intended, to challenge kids to explore.” Entrance to the exhibit is included with museum admission: $16 for adults, $14 for children and free per visit for museum members.
Thomas the Train was created from a broomstick in 1942 in England by the Rev. Wilbert Vere Awdry as a Christmas present for his son. The first Thomas book was published three years later and has exploded in popularity since, with television shows, movies, toys — and museum and amusement park attractions.
The Kennywood attraction will be just outside Kiddieland and will feature five new rides, including the repurposing of the existing Olde Kennywood Railroad train. It is expected to open in the West Mifflin park in June or July, said spokesman Nick Paradise, and the construction of the exhibit has become a draw in itself. He is expecting that some of the rides may be delivered as early as this week.
“We’re working with all possible speed, but we don’t want to rush it because this is a big project, and it’s very important to us,” he said. “It’s a little later than we’d like it to be, but it’s really important that we do everything right.”
In addition to the rides, Thomas Town will include a live stage show and an indoor play zone, said Mr. Paradise. There is only one other large-scale Thomas amusement park attraction in North America, at Edaville Family Theme Park outside of Boston, said Mr. Paradise, as well as one in England and one in Japan. The relative scarcity has led to a lot of inquiries from well outside of Pittsburgh, he said.
He noted that he wished the Children’s Museum well on its opening weekend: “It’s double Thomas this year in Pittsburgh.”