Essex Steam Train’s Day Out with Thomas: The Thrill of the Ride Tour 2014

Thanks to the Essex Steam Train for providing our families with tickets to this event. All opinions are 100% my own.

Cut to the chase. Take me to the Momsense.

Last year, Mandy and I were lucky enough to be invited to attend the 2013 Day Out with Thomas event at the Essex Steam Train in Essex, CT. Boo had a blast, but he was only just beginning to be interested in Thomas & Friends. This year, however, he is totally Thomas-obsessed! So I was doubly excited to be able to take him down to Essex for this year’s Day Out with Thomas: The Thrill of the Ride Tour 2014.

Happily, many of the logistics remained the same from last year so A: I actually knew what I was doing for a change, and B: I can refer you to last year’s post for some of those nitty gritty details and I can focus on the fun stuff here.

We headed to Essex this past Saturday for our visit with the Number One Tank Engine himself. Unfortunately, the day was a little cold and rainy. But it definitely didn’t spoil the fun!

It is recommended that you arrive at least an hour before your scheduled train ride time. This is partly so that you can have plenty of time to wait for the Percy Shuttle train to bring you from the off-site parking area, and partly because when you walk in the entrance gates the kiddos are going to go gaga for the perfectly pint-sized amusement park rides that you will have to pass by on your way to cross the tracks (and get over to where the train boarding area is located). If you arrive a little early, you can have a few extra minutes to check out the kiddie rides before catching your train.

As usual, I was running about a half hour late, which meant we’d be cutting it close just to make the train (hubby likes to joke that I need to take the amount of time I think it will take me to do anything, and multiply it by three to get the real time it will take–I think I’m ready to admit he is right. Shhh. Don’t tell!). As it turned out, we were able to park on-site. I think the rain maybe kept some people away that day (plus, we had a pretty early train time–9:45 a.m.). At first I was really bummed because it meant missing out on the Percy Shuttle from the off-site parking area (a bonus train ride!), and I seriously thought about riding the shuttle with Boo out to the parking lot and back on a roundtrip later just for fun. But I got over it 🙂 And it meant we didn’t have to worry about possibly missing our scheduled train time. Lucky!(Please don’t be like me; get there early so you don’t have to stress.)

So anyway, we had time to snap a few photos with one of the large engines 🙂

I had also really wanted Boo to see Thomas pulling the train into the station before we got on for our ride (I hadn’t been able to coordinate that properly last year–probably because I was running late!) so he could actually see that Thomas would be “pulling” the train we were about to board. I knew he would freak out! 🙂 So we waited on the amusement park side of the tracks until the train pulled back into the station (the train seemed to arrive back about 15/20 minutes before the next scheduled departure, so if you’re trying to catch a pre-ride Thomas sighting, you can plan accordingly) so we could get a good long look at Thomas and watch the rest of the coaches go by as well. You can also wait on the other side of the tracks up near the food tent, and you’ll get a good viewing of Thomas as he steams in.

I think Boo was in shock!

After we watched Thomas roll by, we headed across the tracks to the train boarding area. You’ll have to show your tickets again here, so don’t be like me and stuff them down into the bottom of your bag and have to stand there pulling things out like Mary Poppins with her magical carpet bag until you find the tickets 🙂

All aboard!

The ride lasts about 25 minutes and there’s music and dialogue (Thomas even does some talking this year!). The whole experience of being on one of these historic trains is just so neat. I think it’s fun for grown-ups too!

I’d say this little boy was enjoying himself, right?!

Don’t forget to wave at everyone as you go by!

Boo was so excited to get his Junior Engineer certificate (as a bonus activity, we colored it when we got home). He is still telling everyone that Thomas made him a Junior Engineer. So cute!

One of the great things about this event is that the price of your ticket includes all the other activities, including the indoor areas, the shows, and the rides (food is not included). This makes everything super convenient.

After the ride, we decided to head over to the gift shop where Sir Topham Hatt was posing for pictures (this year he was there all the time, save for an occasional five-minute break). You can also pose for pictures with Thomas himself. That takes place outside by the tracks, of course. Just follow the signs to the “Photo Area.” At both places, there are professional photographers taking pictures that will be available for purchase later, but you are also welcome to take your own pictures.

Of course, since we were in the gift shop we had to browse.

I know all that merchandising can drive you nuts sometimes, but there are actually some really neat items here. Thomas & Friends trains that I haven’t see available elsewhere, Thomas Mega Bloks sets. You may even be able to pick out some future birthday or holiday gifts if you can manage to distract the kiddos for a few minutes with this awesome train layout–featuring Thomas, of course– in the back of the room (not a hard task).

After the gift shop, we headed down to Imagination Station. This is where you’ll find train tables galore, as well as the movie showing/storytelling area, face painting, temporary tattoos, and the stage for the live music and magic shows. (P.S. if you only do one other thing besides the Thomas train ride, go see the live music show; we love them!)

Then we checked out the Deep River fire truck.

Unfortunately, it was starting to drizzle again, so we high-tailed it over to the amusement park side of the tracks to try out some of Boo’s favorite kiddie rides. But not before we watched that monster of a steam engine pull the latest group of little engineers out of the station. That thing is massive! And heads up: it’s also VERY loud. And with that puff of steam, well, monster is a fitting metaphor if you catch my drift. If you have small children, I would recommend keeping a bit of distance between you and the chuffing locomotive. But make sure you get a chance to see it. It’s really cool!

After a few turns on the rides, the rain started to come down heavier so we nixed our picnic plans (although, there is a covered picnic area that would totally keep you dry if need be), and decided to head for the car.

Even though the weather wasn’t ideal, we still had a great time. So many of the activities are indoors anyway, so it really is an event designed for rain or shine.

Oh, and don’t forget to pick up the prize for the little ones on your way out. What is it, you ask? Well, I can’t tell you everything. Where would the fun in that be? 🙂

I hope you’ve found this post to be really useful 🙂

Enjoy your Thomas adventure!

Thanks to the Essex Steam Train for providing our families with tickets to this event. All opinions are 100% my own.