It is an amazing experience for young children who have read Thomas books and seen Thomas DVDs to see a real life Thomas train. We saw Thomas and Percy and Bertie the Bus. It has certainly given them great memories.
The ticket covers unlimited travel to all stations. People do need to be aware that there is very little to do in stations other than Bury. We did spend quite a lot of time waiting for trains in stations without much to amuse the kids. I would advise everyone to plan their day carefully once they get the timetable. Also turn up for the trains with plenty of time to spare. One train we wanted to go on was full and the next was not for another hour! Unlimited travel is not much use if you can't get on the train.

It's a magical mystery tour sometimes but the staff are fantastic with kids. From Halloween, to Christmas, to Thomas days.
Please take the young ones they may never get the opportunity again.
Thank you to all the volunteers!!

Whoever dreamed up this idea is nothing short of a genius. For Thomas-obsessed youngsters to actually see their favourite characters, large as life, on an actual railway, and get to ride in them...............well, it's simply a childhood dream isn't it? For my 19-month old son it was doubly special because it was also his first ever ride on any train at all. I filmed his face as we pulled out of the station - what a moment - his little eyes grew so large I thought they'd pop out of his head. The stations are really atmospheric too, I felt like I was a character in 'The Railway Children'! The staff on Thomas Day were invariably excellent, it was clear that they were enjoying themselves as much as the children were. They are obviously all railway enthusiasts. They were really friendly and helpful, even at the end of the day when they must have been absolutely shattered, their smiles and friendly manner never faltered. Tickets to this event include unlimited travel on the railway, entry to Bury Transport Museum and access to the shows that go on throughout the day at the stations - plus rides on the main man himself - Thomas! So you do get a lot for the ticket price, and nearby parking was only a pound as we were there on a Sunday. Lots of people bought packed lunches and ate them while travelling on the train - so do that if you want to save some pennies. The gift shop had lots of souvenirs and they weren't too expensive either. At an event like this, they could quite easily have gone silly with the prices but they didn't. My only suggestion for improvement really is that I feel more information should be available online prior to the event, regarding the structure of the day and how it all actually works on a practical level. We arrived for our first visit with really not a very clear idea of what to expect (although the gentleman my husband spoke to on the telephone to ask for more information was very helpful). But that's really my only, very small, criticism. We had a fantastic day and will definitely go again. We will also look out for other different family events.