I was up at the Strasburg Railroad this past Sunday for the last day of the "TTT" program. The place was swamped. I hope that many more people especially children will develop an appreciation of railroads and become train fans for the rest of their lives.

hugh.clayton@nara.gov

I heard Strasburg's "Thomas" event last week was the second most successful one on record since they started doing it back in '97. Maybe Lynn can share numbers with us on just how well they did.

> I was up at the Strasburg Railroad this past
> Sunday for the last day of the
> "TTT" program. The place was
> swamped. I hope that many more people
> especially children will develop an
> appreciation of railroads and become train
> fans for the rest of their lives.

I have to say I'm pleasantly surprised that attendance hasn't dwindled, esp. with the show apparently off the air. Kids have such short attention spans these days that they must really be getting into the train rides.

We had a very successful event. It was better than last year. We noticed a large number of new people at the event - more than in the past - which bodes well for Thomas' staying power.

Our combo ticket was very successful which put more people than we could handle on our regular train - also a good thing.

It is essential to make money on these events but it is quite gratifying to see how genuinely thrilled the kids are to see Thomas.

Strasburg Rail Road
linnwm@supernet.com

May be if they bring back Ringo Star or George Carlin instead of having that loser Alec Baldwin on it maybe the show will stay on the air. Who wants to hear his voice anyway he should go back and do more Clerks Animated episoded where he was actully good on long live Leanardo, Leanardo. Kevin Smith Rules

Hi Linn,

The combo ticket was a great idea. We went with that option, and it really added a nice bonus to the day.

Besides the joys of a nice steam ride, taking the hour train gave Mommy and Daddy a nice chance to sit and chill out.

Good work!

Rob

trains@robertjohndavis.com

Glad to hear you like my nieghbor Mr, Smith. He's the only man ever to shoot hit film on my street!

Anyway, there is new voice for the new Thomas episodes. I loved Carlin's work.

Question... out of the celebs who have worked with Thomas, are any of them actually steam fans?

Rob

> May be if they bring back Ringo Star or
> George Carlin instead of having that loser
> Alec Baldwin on it maybe the show will stay
> on the air. Who wants to hear his voice
> anyway he should go back and do more Clerks
> Animated episoded where he was actully good
> on long live Leanardo, Leanardo. Kevin Smith
> Rules


trains@robertjohndavis.com

How about we get Jason Mewes to do the voice of the new thomas as Jay lol and the new Quick Stop owned by sir toppen hat. I think Carlin and Ringo gave it class.

I happen to be a big Smith fan and Carlin's appearances in Smith's films. However, I think that Ringo Starr was probably the best Mr. Conductor.

I don't think that Thomas is on the air anymore, and Shining Time Station bit the dust around 1993 or 4 for the new Fox Family show narrarated by Alec Baldwin without the Shining Time Station scenes. They saved some $ not needing to hire actors, particularly staffing two well-known ones (Didi Conn and Ringo/George Carlin). The Shining Time Station show was much better done, and in addition to Thomas it had other stories going on in the station and with the characters there. Don't forget the jukebox puppetes or other animated/claymation/puppet sequences too. It would be a great show to go back on the air.

P.S. Leonardo, New Jersey was once home to the Cagney Brothers, makers of miniature and amusement steam locomotives and later streamliners and steam profiles. If you're ever in that area, you won't find any relics of Cagneys, however you can go to Leonard Ave. and visit the real Quick Stop and RST Video and drive over to Red Bank to visit Smith's store. Walt Flanagan (you Smith-ites here might know him) was manning the register that day.

-Ed Kelley

GTNGRR@aol.com

Ed,

One thing I have been meaning to do is get the new digital camera out and write up a piece for RYPN on historic railroad relics and preservation items here in northern Monmouth County (Kevin Smith/Bruce Springsteen country -- Bruce is a railroad modeler of sorts, by the way).

Up there next to the Cagney's home town in Port Monmouth, the CNJ depot is in reuse with a PRR cabin car next to it. The CNJ through the area is a bike trail.

The Red Bank depot is under going rehab, and an original crossing shanty has been put on display -- apprently it was in someone's back yard for a spell. And then there's the house in Eatontown with parts of old Penn Station in the yard...

If you get into finding traces of trolley lines, northeastern Monmouth County is chock full, though many parts have been erased the past ten years. There are still great grades (like the former trolley and CNJ Stone Church line in Middletown) and the coast cities lines from Asbury up to Long Branch -- inclduing a stretch that's a great make-out place (well, it was back in the day). Sadly, very few lasses really cared to hear the history of the "old dirt road" though.

Heck, if you are ever on River Road in Rumson and wonder why it gets wider in front of the Oceanic Fire House than it is anywhere else from Red Bank to Hintleman's, it's because that's where the trolley line had a passing track!

And if you know where to look on Sandy Hook, you'll find a few traces of the military railroad, including a stretch of track submerged on the bay side, where the Hook is narrower than it used to be... and don't miss the pilings at the base of the hook where the CNJ and the highway used to share a drawbridge that had a 90 degree bend in it for highway traffic... not has long or high as Route 66's Chain O' Rocks bridge, but just as dangerous.

Ahhh, Jersey....

Rob

> I happen to be a big Smith fan and Carlin's
> appearances in Smith's films. However, I
> think that Ringo Starr was probably the best
> Mr. Conductor.

> I don't think that Thomas is on the air
> anymore, and Shining Time Station bit the
> dust around 1993 or 4 for the new Fox Family
> show narrarated by Alec Baldwin without the
> Shining Time Station scenes. They saved some
> $ not needing to hire actors, particularly
> staffing two well-known ones (Didi Conn and
> Ringo/George Carlin). The Shining Time
> Station show was much better done, and in
> addition to Thomas it had other stories
> going on in the station and with the
> characters there. Don't forget the jukebox
> puppetes or other animated/claymation/puppet
> sequences too. It would be a great show to
> go back on the air.

> P.S. Leonardo, New Jersey was once home to
> the Cagney Brothers, makers of miniature and
> amusement steam locomotives and later
> streamliners and steam profiles. If you're
> ever in that area, you won't find any relics
> of Cagneys, however you can go to Leonard
> Ave. and visit the real Quick Stop and RST
> Video and drive over to Red Bank to visit
> Smith's store. Walt Flanagan (you Smith-ites
> here might know him) was manning the
> register that day.

> -Ed Kelley


trains@robertjohndavis.com

Hey new show or new character on Thomas Snoogans the Tank Engine. But any way I just think it would be better to get Ringo back and since Carlin is freinds with Kevin Smith I think Snoogans the Tank Engine should be a new character lol.
mike

> How about we get Jason Mewes to do the voice
> of the new thomas as Jay lol and the new
> Quick Stop owned by sir toppen hat. I think
> Carlin and Ringo gave it class.

Thomas as a stoner? This I gotta hear . . .

Apropos Jay quote for Thomas:

JAY: "Man, this likeness rights s**t is more profitable than selling smoke."

HOLDEN: "HowÂ’d a dirt merchant like you ever learn about likeness rights?"

JAY: "We deal to a lot of lawyers."

> Hey new show or new character on Thomas
> Snoogans the Tank Engine.

Make that . . . "Snootchie Choo-Choos"

When the Thomas movie came out, I was employed at the Late Great Train Store. We had a lot of fun with the Thomas movie when there weren't any customers in the store:

(Thick middle-class British accent) "Thomas and the Magic Railway! Starring McCauley Caulkin, the Olsen twins, Peter Fonda, George Carlin, and Ringo Starr. With a special appearance by James Earl Jones as the diesel salesman -- 'You don't know the POWAH of the diesel!' Also starring Christopher Walken, Roger Moore, Vincent Price, Jack Palance, and Don Adams -- 'Would you believe, we missed the train by THAT much?' And featuring Christopher Lloyd as Sir Topham Hat -- 'Uh, you're a really... useful... uh, engine, there, uh... Tommy!'"

I've also always wanted to hear someone play the Thomas theme on an electric guitar...

The South Carolina Railroad Museum
mconrad@msmgmt.com

No doubt about it. George Carlin was the best MR. Conductor.

My kids loved Thomas.

JD

mnfrailhist@hotmail.com