Thomas the Tank Engine at Zig Zag Railway
Thomas the Tank Engine is a famous steam train who has his own show on ABC. Narrated by ex-Beatles drummer Ringo Starr, the series has won the hearts of millions of children all around the world. What you may not realise is it is possible to experience Thomas the Tank Engine in the real world as well thanks to the Zig Zag Railway in NSW’s Blue Mountains.
Where
Zig Zag Railway at Blue Mountains Sydney
When
Zig Zag Railway runs every day of the year except christmas with diesel trains departing from Clarance station at 11am, 1pm and 3pm. Steam trains run on Wednesday and weekends.
Cost
Cost is just $25 for adults, $12.50 for kids and children under 5 ride free.
Getting There
The Zig Zag Railway is located around one and a half hours drive west of Sydney. Head towards Katoomba and The Railway is signposted at Mount Victoria on the Great Western Highway and at Bell on Chifley Road. View Map
Ideal For
Ideal for any Thomas Enthusiast, Kids from 2 and up.
Special Events
Thomas the Tank engine runs one weekend every school holidays.
Check the Zig Zag website for details on special events as these vary depending on the time of the year.
Cost is just $35 for adults, $25 for kids and children under 2 ride free.
Parking
Parking is free and plentiful at Clarence Station.
Review
The Zigzag Railway is located around one and a half hours drive west of Sydney. During each school holidays, a special program called "Friends of Thomas the Tank Engine" operates creates a 'Thomas' experience that runs several times a day. Specially created "faces" are attached to genuine steam trains to bring Thomas and his friends to life and the effect is amazing. For my two-year-old son and four-year-old daughter it were as if they had stepped onto the Island of Sodor and were living out one of the stories in the famous series. Although Thomas and his friends are too shy to talk in person, they made plenty of noise billowing steam and tooting their whistles as they traverse through the beautiful scenery of the Blue Mountains with a load of passengers both young and old.
After boarding Thomas, (a short stroll from the free car park), we settled in for an authentic train journey to the bottom of the Zigzag Railway. The trip took around 25 minutes and every moment was filled with excitement. Not surprising given the carriage was largely filled with young Thomas enthusiasts. One young fellow around 12 months of age was decked from head to toe in Thomas paraphernalia. Now that I think about it, just about every child on the train was wearing at least something with the famous tank engine printed on it.
Pulling into the station at the bottom of a picturesque gorge the fun was far from over. At the bottom of the Zigzag Railway was a copy of the Tidmouth Sheds which usually keeps all the trains safe from the weather. Today it was completely filled with fun and exciting things for young children to enjoy. Aside from the excellent sausages and piping hot coffee on sale, everything was included in the cost of the return train tickets that can be purchased online. Face painting, jumping castle, a mobile adventure playground, merry-go-round, Thomas the Tank Engine themed rides and much much more!
Two hours had never passed so quickly and there were many many happy little faces (now largely unrecognizable as they had all been beautifully painted) when Sir Topham Hatt rang his bell to let everyone know it was time to re-board Thomas and return us to our four wheeled friends. The trip back was, if anything, even MORE enjoyable as the day had warmed up nicely and we all had nice full tummies. If you are looking for a fantastically fun family adventure an easy drive from Sydney then the Friends of Thomas the Tank Engine experience from Zigzag Railway is a must!
Mary Anderson
06 August, 2009
I took my little ones to the last ‘Thomas’ day at Zig Zag and it was fabulous. I was quite pleased with the value and the kids thought Thomas was the real thing - which of course he is.