Peter,
The Thomas days will be significantly different this year.
There will be a Percy train as well as a Thomas train and, subject to the usual caveats on any last minute issues, #1630 will be the "hidden" (i.e. actually powering it from the other end) power of the Percy train. This will run to and from the depot on the main line.
So there will not be any normal main line trains but steam is expected to run all 4 days.
Nigel
Andrew,
No. The Thomas train will follow its normal route.
There will be two event trains, the Thomas train and the Percy train (standard DOWT ticket includes Thomas, $10 extra for ride on Percy train as well).
The Percy train (expected to have #1630 at the other end) will be the one running on the main.
Nigel
Hi Nigel,
Just noticed the comments and plans for Thomas on this thread and am intrigued.
It seems like a great idea to have #1630 push the Percy train on the main line, but with that said, here is something for the steam department to consider for 2016 and beyond for DOWT. If the Shay returns to service next summer, could it be used to push the Thomas train to the west end of the line instead of a diesel? This may be something to mull over because, for one thing, the Shay cannot travel the full mainline route due to its low speed, and secondly, since shays pulled logging trains up steep mountain grades, it may be able to tolerate pulling/pushing six Rock Island coaches full of passengers. Not to mention the allure of having two steam locomotives running on your biggest event of the year! After all, the Shay was out of service when DOWT was launched at IRM in 1999 (I attended on that weekend and still remember fondly it 16 years later!).
Also, has the museum ever considered running Thomas on the main line? Being that Thomas is the main character and Percy is an extra, I think it would be a better idea if the Thomas train ran on the main line with 1630 than Percy (I don't believe the museum ever ran Thomas on the main line). Other railroads like Strasburg, Great Smoky Mountains, Crossroads Village, etc., run Thomas on their main lines (see Youtube).
Regards,
Nathan
Nathan,
All ideas to be considered and depends on how this year turns out.
The big reason we run Thomas over the route we do is the space limitation for loading and unloading 600 people per train quickly at the depot. I think the space /platform width will continue to be a barrier to "Mainline Thomas".
Nigel
Nigel,
All matters of practicality do indeed have to be taken into consideration.
That said, as another suggestion, you may want to talk to your fellow volunteers about adding a caboose or two to the rear of the coach train when #1630 is in service. I believe it would provide a great experience for families with younger children (I remember it with the Shay when I was younger) and would not mind experiencing it myself.
Thank you for taking the time to reply to my suggestions from yesterday!
Nathan
Actually, the Thomas train did operate on the main line at least one weekend, due to the rainout and flooding of the usual boarding area. This occurred several years ago.
Nigel - First, THANK YOU for all the work you do (and everyone else at IRM, for that matter)!
I believe I know the answer, but I'll ask anyhow. Will 1630 be running this coming weekend (8/1 and 8/2)? There appears to be a website discrepancy between the Steam Schedule (which say there will be steam) and the clickable day-by-day schedules via the Calendar (which say there will not be steam).
Regardless, my dad and I will be at IRM one of these next two weekends (first time since I was quite young), with my young son in tow. Can't wait!!!
Thanks,
Tony
Subject to the general caveat that a 100 year old steam engine can always develop a last minute fault, it is planned that #1630 will operate 8/1 and 8/2. In fact I am scheduled to fire her on Sunday and planning on that basis!.
Nigel
Greetings, Nigel. We visited IRM in 2002 and enjoyed the 1630 ride. Ken, my son and a train artist, took many photos of 1630 and draw nice picture of it recently. He is going to sell the train image soon and would like to have a release from IRM before doing that. If you could help me guide the release process, I would appreciate it so much. Or, could you email me the contact email address? I called IRM many times but no success to reach someone who can help me on this. Thank you, in advance, for your help.