In today's electronic driven society, it seems that the once popular toy train has become yet a thing of the past. Today’s children want iPods, video games, and even cell phones before they're even 10 years old. There is however a little toy train you may have heard about that continues to bring smiles and happiness to children all over the world, even in a time where toy trains seem to have been long forgotten.

Thomas the Tank Engine!

Thomas the Tank Engine was introduced in 1946 in the second book of a series called "Thomas the Tank Engine." Thomas is a tank engine, painted blue with red lining, and displays the number one. All of the trains portrayed in The Railway Series were based on prototypical engines; Thomas has origins in the E2 Class designed by Lawson Billinton in 1913.

Thomas and Friends started as a children's show in 1984 and has since grown into a huge lucrative business of toys and merchandise for children. The shows main focus is on teaching young children to count, spell, and even learn some basic history lessons they wouldn't learn until entering school. Since Thomas is a train, children have a better ability to exercise their imaginations and gain appreciation for simpler activities that many adults once knew as children.

The little toy trains in Thomas were designed with young children in mind as a unique way of grabbing their attention. Today the wooden toy trains found in Thomas the Tank Engine resemble the same basic wooden trains played with by adults when they were young. The cars can be seen painted eye-catching shades of red, blue, green, and yellow, and often come with cute little wooden blocks to carry as "freight".

Thomas the Tank Engine makes a wide variety of other accessories to go along with the toy trains. Some of their more Deluxe Stations are very popular among children as they engage small minds with realistic sounds of whistles and movement helping children’s imaginations to run free.

The Deluxe Stations also come with several friends children love to play with such as Max and Monty. These two twin brother dump trucks teach children the importance of sharing. The brothers think they’re experts in construction and have a tendency of bossing around the smaller machines, but in the end they always learn to share their space.

My children have been fans of Thomas the Tank Engine. He is just one of the many great toys that will last a lifetime. Toys should be fun and educational experience for our youngsters. Children many times don’t realize it, but they learn a number of things-- colors, shapes, small motor skills, communication, real-life experiences, etc. while in play.

Thomas has been bringing joy to children for many generations. Maybe it’s the simple layout of the show and story books that captivate small minds or maybe it’s the simple character faces easily recognizable for small children. Nevertheless I think Thomas the Tank Engine may continue to win the hearts of many more generations of children to come!