Day Out With Thomas returns to East Anglian Railway Museum

The museum in Wakes Colne holds the event four times throughout the year, with thousands of steam fans attending each time.

On the days there are typically four Thomas-themed trains with rides all day long, miniature railways, extra characters alongside Thomas such as the Fat Controller and his team, as well as other entertainment and storytelling.

Ride - families enjoy a ride on Percy (Picture: Greg Kay/@gk_redeemer)

The bank holiday event was extremely popular once again, with museum trustee Peter Robinson saying it was a big success.

He said: “It was a really good weekend. We were almost fully booked and over the three days almost 3,000 people came.

“The weather was great, and we certainly had really good feedback through the reviews that have come in post-event.

“We tend to find that Easter bank holiday is typically the busiest, but this weekend was the busiest August bank holiday we’ve ever had.”

Work - volunteers with Percy in between journeys (Picture: Greg Kay/@gk_redeemer)

Happy - Daisy takes visitors for a ride (Picture: Greg Kay/@gk_redeemer)

The event also boosts the museum's coffers to enable its continued work in restoring engines.

Following Covid-related changes to the event, Mr Robinson added it was good to see numbers up once again.

Queue - visitors eagerly wait Thomas' arrival (Picture: Craig Greenslade)

Help - volunteers Harry Brooks, Dan Stevens and Mark Elliot (Picture: Craig Greenslade)

He said: “We had lots of visitors, and it has been great to see the sight full again.

“We did quite well during the Covid period through reduced numbers and other precautions, but lots of people couldn’t come because of it, so it has been nice to get back to normal.”

Waiting - Percy heads past the crowds (Picture: Craig Greenslade)

Small - the miniature train was a big hit on the day (Picture: Craig Greenslade)

The museum is now gearing up for future events, with plenty on offer throughout the rest of the year.

Mr Robinson said: “The end of October is next one, but for those that may not be so interested in Thomas, we have other events during the year.

“There is the miniature railway, model railway special day, an industrial steam gala for enthusiasts, plus the museum is open every Saturday, Sunday and Wednesdays for general viewing.”

Popular - visitors queue for the miniature train (Picture: Craig Greenslade)

For more information, visit earm.co.uk.