Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends from Lionel

[Capt Bob Johnson]

They also have plastic gears which tend to warp in summer heat!

[Southwest Chief]

eBay is usually the best place to find one.  Sometimes you might find one at a train show.

But the Lionel large scale Thomas hasn't been made for many years.  Because of this, well preserved versions tend to go for substantial amounts on eBay.  Lionel made a Thomas with Annie & Clarabelle and James with two Troublesome Trucks.

But as cute as these are, they are not the best runners.  Power pickup is very poor and degrades considerably over time.  They also run rough and pit the track.  But kids love them so much.

Here's a very useful website that shows how to, if you're lucky enough to find them, fix up the Lionel Thomas and James so they run a lot better.

G Scale Thomas & James

["Betsy"]

 The other day, I was looking on eBay and I say a G scale Thyomas the tank engine set and I was wondering, how can you get one