By Kelly Young
kyoung@jacksonvilleprogress.com
One of the Texas State Railroad’s most successful special events of last year is back again in 2008 as Thomas the Tank Engine once again pulls into the Rusk Depot this weekend. The event, which gives fans of the popular Thomas and Friends franchise the opportunity to actually ride aboard Thomas, will be in town for the next two weekends.
Lori Kastrop, marketing manager of the TSR, said last year’s “A Day Out with Thomas” event attracted thousands and thousands of visitors to Cherokee County.
“Thomas and Polar Express were the biggest events we had last year. Thomas sold more than 12,000 tickets last year, and people came to Rusk from 23 different states to be a part of it,” Kastrop said. “It is great for East Texas to have all these people traveling here to come to this event. We had a really positive response to the event from both parents and children.”
Kastrop said one comment in particular showcased to her just how ideally-suited the Thomas event is for Rusk.
“We actually had a visitor complement us on how the Rusk Depot and the surrounding woods look just like the Island of Sodor from the movies and the books. That just shows us how perfect this depot is for this event,” she said. “Part about what is so neat about the railroad is that the depots are completely different. The Polar Express event is only held at the Palestine Depot, and that location is great for that event too.”
“A Day Out with Thomas” in 2007 was TSR’s first special event under the new management of American Heritage Railways, and Kastrop said it was highly successful considering it was a first-time event.
Thomas will visit a total of 48 train stations this year in locations throughout the country — drawing large crowds of patrons wherever he goes.
“We know Thomas is always going to be a big event, and hopefully as we continue to let people know that he is coming to the Texas State Railroad, our numbers will continue to grow. We sold about 7,500 tickets already, which is ahead of where we were last year at this point,” Kastrop said.
Thomas will be making eight 30-minute runs each day on Oct. 17, 18, 19, 24, 25 and 26. He will be leaving station each day at 10 a.m., 10:45 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:15 p.m., 1 p.m., 1:45 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 3 :15 p.m. On each Saturday, Thomas will be making an extra trip at 4 p.m.
In addition to riding Thomas and taking pictures with him and Sir Topham Hatt, visitors can enjoy live music, watch Thomas & Friends videos in the station theater, get temporary tattoos of their favorite characters, enjoy a hay ride, play in the bounce houses, shop in a giant Thomas gift shop and visit the Imagination Station.
Tickets cost $18 for all riders over two years of age. They can be purchased at TSR’s Web Site, www.texasstaterr.com, or at 1-866-468-7630. The event will take place rain or shine. This year parking will be available on-site, and the shuttle service to and from Rusk, which was used last year, will not be available.
“Part of our target audience is the city of Houston, and they were hit pretty hard by the hurricane, so hopefully people will still be able to come out and enjoy Thomas,” Kastrop said. “So far ticket sales have been very strong, and hopefully we will exceed our expectations.”
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