[.ca] Thomas the Tank:Gallant Old En (ISBN 6304190875)

Welcome home Rhenas:
We all know that Rhenas had gone to the works to be mended and we had seen some little performances by him but we really didn't know him. In this tape he finally comes home. And if any true Thomas fans remember when Henry got stuck in the tunnel (First Tape) then Henry and the Elephant is the right episode for you. Also by Henry another Flying Kipper episode. Both these sequel episodes are good but they don't match the real ones. Alsp a flashback from the time of Stuart and Falcon unearths a little more from the past of Duke. Overall the episodes on this tape are really good and this is a good buy. The episodes on this video are Henry and the Elephant,You Can't Win, Special Attraction,Passengers and Polish, The Gallant Old Engine, Fish, and the crummy music video Really Useful Engine

The Gallant Old Engine:
This is second my favorite from the set. Watch Henry get sprayed by a elephant, see Duke show Stuart that he is still healthy, watch Bullstrode the Barge get filled with cars, watch Duncan complain that he is over worked, listen to Skarloey as he tells a story about Rheneas, and Duck has an accident with some fish. Hope you enjoy this story!

The Gallant Old Engine and Other Thomas Stories:
It is a very good video. See what Stuart and Falcon do when Duke is sick, and Duncan learns that passengers are important. See Skarloey tell Peter Sam and Duncan about Rheneas pulling his passengers home in a big storm, and see what Henry does when an elephant is stuck in a tunnel. See what happens when Duck and Henry pull The Flying Kipper, and when Percy pushes some freight cars in to Bulstrode the Barge and what else happens. The story stops are; Henry and the Elephant; You Can't Win; Special Attraction; Passengers and Polish; The Gallant Old Engine; Fish; and the Music Video "Really Useful Engine". This is a good video. I know you'll like it.

More Thomas Videos:
This Thomas video had Henry pulling the Flying Kipper again but he didn't crash into a caboose like he did in the first one. Duck crashed into the back of the freight cars and got into a right pickle. Also I want to see Thomas Meets The Queen.

Illinois Parents of train crazed kids read this....:
Our son started watching the Thomas series of videos when he was about 2 years old. He still enjoys them at 6 years. Our daughter also enjoys them. They are positive and upbeat. Here's a brief explanation of how a story is told. Each train has a unique name, personality, face, and train style, not all of which appear in every video. These trains talk to each other and go on various adventures through the English countryside. There is Thomas, Gordon, Percy, Henry, Cranky the Crane, the Troublesome Trucks, Annie, Clarable, etc. An episode may feature one train rescuing another in need of assistance, for example. Also these trains resolve conflicts so there are messages behind many of the stories. Also at many toy stores you can find "Thomas" books and wooden toy trains/tracks which our kids love too. The Thomas series started with a series of books written by a Rev Awdry in England (UK). Another good series of kids train videos is "I Love Toy Trains" series which depicts toy electric model trains, mainly the Lionel "O" guage trains. (I had no idea what a Lionel O guage train was before my son started getting into trains either). Both series have upbeat music and are fun to watch and highly recommended and we have not had one bad experience with any of them. Our son has developed a very impressive train vocabulary such as "roundhouse" and "Gondola car". Also as a side note, a real train painted just like Thomas comes once a year to various locations throughout the US...we live in Chicagoland and there Thomas stops by the Illinois Railroad Museum in Union Illinois in the summer....warning it is crowded and sometimes traffic flow is an issue when Thomas comes so arrive early....we also go a few times a year when Thomas is not there just to ride the trains in a more relaxing environment. http://www.irm.org. Also, the DuPage County FairGrounds has a monthly toy train show called the "Great Midwest Train Show". http://www.greatmidwesttrainshow.com. That features 4 pole barn buildings of toy trains for sale, mostly "HO" guage, and is geared to the die hard hobbyist, but includes a few train layouts that the kids love to watch....bring a step stool so your arm doesn't get tired holding up the kid because sometimes the displays are on tables too tall for a kid to see. Also, our kids just love taking a train ride to Chicago and back on the Metra on the weekends...weekend pass costs $5 and kids under a certain age are free. Also if you are bewildered by train guage terminology it goes from largest to smallest: G, O, HO, and Z or N (may have Z and N switched around). G is the Garden trains which can be left outside in the Garden, if you are going to get your kid a toy train, these are best to start with, because they are easier to put on the tracks and more durable if the kid drops the train. O is what Lionel runs on, that's the train your grandpa had when he was a kid. HO is the most popular for the Hobbyist. Z and N are used when the Hobbyist doesn't have a lot of room to build his layout. There are also Lego trains now too believe it or not. There you go, 4 years of train experience in 1,000 words or less!