Thousands spend 'A Day out with Thomas'
Thomas the Tank Engine arrives in Rusk drawing 12,000 fans, sets record ridership
BY LELAND ACKER

"There he is!" exclaims Caleb Covington of Rowlett, as his grandfather, Lonnie Covington holds him up for a better view. Last weekend's "A Day Out With Thomas" at the Texas State Railroad drew more than 5,300 visitors to the Rusk depot.

As Texas State Railroad Authority board members, the office of House Speaker Tom Craddick and the Legislative Budget Board debated the future of the Texas State Railroad, the Rusk depot was an oasis from the political wrangling when Thomas the Tank Engine entertained thousands of fans from all over North America.

"This is a lot of fun," said Conductor John Garbutt. "We doubled the population of Rusk last weekend for the first time since the 1934 oil boom."

Mr. Garbutt then gave a history lesson as to how, when the oil boom hit in 1934, parking on the courthouse square was hard to come by.

"I've seen pictures, cars were parked in places you'd have no idea they could be parked," he said. "Kind of like on court day."

Parking was a logistical concern for the Texas State Railroad, but went smoothly thanks to help from the Rusk Chamber of Commerce.

Thomas fans line up to meet the popular tank engine and have their picture taken with him. "We doubled the population of Rusk last weekend for the first time since the 1934 oil boom," said Conductor John Garbutt. Thomas the Tank Engine drew more than 12,000 visitors to Rusk over the weekends of Oct. 19-21, 26-28. PHOTOS: LELAND ACKER

"We had good response from our parking," said Lori Kastrop, marketing manager for the Texas State Railroad. "The shuttles worked very well."

Parking spaces were made available downtown during the Thomas the Tank Engine event. Visitors were then transported to the depot via shuttle busses.

Ms. Kastrop said the state railroad enjoyed more than 12,000 visitors during the two-weekend event.

"These weekends, the Texas State Railroad saw more passengers in one single day that it ever has in its entire history," Ms. Kastrop said. "This is the most it's ever had."

She added that visitors came from 22 states and one visitor came from Mexico.

Ian Chandler of Jacksonville entertains children by playing their favorite songs. "Instead of hearing people say, 'Play Free Bird,' I am hearing them say, 'Let's go see Thomas,'" Mr. Chandler said. An employee of the Texas State Railroad, he is best known for his performances with local rock group, The Papers.

"We've had wonderful comments from visitors. Everyone was so excited," Ms. Kastrop said. "The guests were happy with the number of Thomas items we carried in our gift shot. Some of these items normally aren't available in this area."

Ms. Kastrop shared the story of a young boy whose mother had not told him he would see Thomas. When Thomas pulled into the depot, the boy became ecstatic, yelling, "Thomas! It's really him!"

When Ian Chandler took the stage at 10:45 a.m. on Oct. 26, he found his tent empty. Mr. Chandler was the live music entertainer who played children's songs.

"I've been upstaged by Thomas," he said, noting that Thomas had just pulled into the depot. "That's okay, I don't mind being background music."

Mr. Chandler, who is well known for his performances with local rock group, "The Papers," said there were some differences in performing for children than adults.

Kristina Ray, and children Silas (holding orange balloon) and Sami Hassell of Jacksonville, listen to Ian Chandler's rendition of "Old McDonald." Silas said Old McDonald had a chicken, horse and cow.

"Whereas I'd normally be hearing, 'Play Free Bird,' today I'm hearing, 'I want to go see Thomas.'"

When his audience returned from visiting with Thomas, Mr. Chandler led the crowd with rousing renditions of "Old McDonald" and "B-I-N-G-O." His performances encouraged crowd participation.

"He is doing a great job," Ms. Kastrop said of Mr. Chandler's performance.

"We've had wonderful comments, the hotels were all full and the restaurants had success," Ms. Kastrop said. "We're looking forward to a successful event next year. We are very happy with the number of visitors we have had."

Ms. Kastrop said regular train runs should resume at the end of November as American Heritage officials anticipate track repairs being completed by that time. State Sen. Robert Nichols (R-Jacksonville) said TxDOT has located a box culvert to be used for the Bean's Creek Washout.

Laura and l Nathan Lyons of Lufkin meet Sir Topham Hatt. Children were given the opportunity to meet and have pictures taken with Sir Hatt and Thomas the Tank Engine.

He praised TxDOT for their efforts to help the Texas State Railroad.

"The Polar Express will run Nov. 23-Dec. 23 from the Palestine depot," she said.