Thomas Land (Drayton Manor)
| Thomas Land | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Drayton Manor Resort | |
| Coordinates | 52°36′46″N 1°42′48″W / 52.6128°N 1.7133°W |
| Opening date | 15 March 2008 Staffordshire, England, U.K. |
| Replaced | Robinsons Land |
| Ride statistics | |
| Attraction type | Themed area |
| Theme | Thomas & Friends |
| Rides | 18 |
| Website | Official website |
Thomas Land is a themed area at Drayton Manor Resort in Staffordshire, England, based on the popular long-running children's television series, Thomas & Friends. It stands on the former site of Robinsons Land, a themed area sponsored by the soft drinks brand of the same name. The construction began while the park was still open in September 2007, and many of the Robinsons Land rides were moved to other areas of the park for the remainder of the season. Many of the rides housed in Robinsons Land except the Veteran Cars (now Sodor's Classic Cars) were sold to Funland in Hayling Island. Thomas Land officially opened to the public on 15 March 2008. An expansion of Thomas Land with additional attractions and private party rooms opened on 8 April 2015.[1]
Rides
[edit]Thomas Land is set in 3 acres (12,000 m2) of parkland and features many themed rides, alongside outdoor and indoor play areas and the "Discover Thomas & Friends Exhibition".
| # | Name | Opened | Manufacturer | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bertie Bus | March 15 2008 | Zamperla | A Bertie-themed crazy bus ride. In partnership with Arriva. Formerly known as Crazy Bertie Bus |
| 2 | Blue Mountain Engines | May 2011 | Zamperla | A junior regetta ride with cars resembling Skarloey, Rheneas, Sir Handel and Peter Sam. The ride was originally located in space where Terence’s Driving School originally stood, but was moved to the Thomas Land Expansion in 2015, where Merrick was added to the middle of the ride until sometime in 2018, when he was moved next to it. |
| 3 | Captain's Sea Adventure | April 8 2015 | Zamperla | A watermania ride with Captain-themed vehicles. |
| 4 | Cranky Crane’s Drop Tower | March 15 2008 | Zamperla | A Cranky themed 8m high sky drop ride. |
| 5 | Diesel's Locomotive Mayhem | March 15 2008 | Zamperla | A demolition derby ride featuring 6 themed cars based on Diesel, Mavis, Iron Bert, Salty, Dennis and Rusty. Originally known as Diesel's Locomotion Mayhem |
| 6 | Flynn's Fire Rescue | April 8 2015 | Zamperla | A fire brigade ride with Flynn-themed cars. In partnership with West Midlands Fire Service. |
| 7 | Harold Helicopter’s Tours | March 15 2008 | Zamperla | A Harold-themed samba tower ride, formerly known as Harold's Heli-Tours. It is located within Tidmouth Sheds, where guests can gain photo opportunities with Edward, Henry, Gordon, Toby, and Rosie (repainted red in 2019). |
| 8 | James and the Red Balloon | April 1 2017 | Zamperla | A samba balloon ride based on the Thomas & Friends episode of the same name from the sixth season. |
| 9 | Jeremy Jet’s Flying Academy | March 15 2008 | Zamperla | An aero top jet ride with Jeremy the Jet Plane-themed jets. Relocated to the Thomas Land Expansion in 2015. |
| 10 | Lady's Carousel | March 15 2008 | Zamperla | A junior carousel ride with Lady and a train of carriages instead of horses. |
| 11 | Rocking Bulstrode | March 15 2008 | Zamperla | Bulstrode-themed rockin' tug ride. |
| 12 | Sodor Classic Cars | 1972 | Supercar | A car ride. This is the only ride in the area not themed to Thomas & Friends, and was left over from the Robinsons Land area. |
| 13 | Toby's Tram Express | April 8 2015 | Zamperla | A Toby-themed barnyard ride. |
| 14 | Troublesome Trucks Runaway Rollercoaster | March 15 2008 | Gerstlauer | A junior roller coaster located in Thomas Land with Troublesome Truck-themed cars. The height limit is 1m with an adult and 1.2m alone. |
| 15 | Winston's Whistle-Stop Tours | July 19 2013 | Zamperla | An aerial ride with Winston-themed cars. |
| 16 | Thomas and Percy's Submarine Splash | April 29 2023 | Intamin | A 455m long water ride based on the All Engines Go episode of the same name. |
| 17 | Thomas, Rosie and Percy Engine Tours | March 15 2008 | Metallbau Emmeln | A themed train ride. The ride first included Thomas and Percy engines. Rosie was added in 2009.
A CGI face was added to Thomas in 2014, while CGI faces were added to Percy and Rosie in 2015. Rosie was later repainted red in 2019. |
| 18 | Terence Tractor’s Driving School | March 15 2008 | SB International | A driving school ride with Terence-themed cars. Relocated in May 2011 to the Farmer McColl's Farm area. Relocated in February 2024 to the Main Thomas Land Area. |
| 19 | Spencer's Outdoor Adventure Play | March 15 2008 | Unknown | An outdoor adventure play area. |
| 20 | Emily's Adventure Play | March 15 2008 | Unknown | An indoor soft play area. |
| 21 | Discover Thomas & Friends Exhibition | July 2009 | HIT Entertainment | An indoor miniature model railway exhibition with the original models from the first to twelfth series of the television series. Relocated in 2023 in the Thomas Land Shop near Winston's Whistle-Stop Tour. |
Train rides
[edit]
Models of Thomas, Percy and Rosie are used on a 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge[2] railway that takes visitors through the park. The line features Tidmouth Sheds with stationary facades of other engines, Knapford Station, which serves as the main station and a refreshment stand, Dryaw and Tidmouth Hault. It also has many sidings and sheds along the way, one of which used to feature a "sleeping" model of James, which was moved to where the James and the Red Balloon ride is in 2017, akin to the ride's opening.
See also
[edit]
- List of theme parks in the United Kingdom
- Thomas Land (Fuji-Q Highland), a Thomas & Friends theme park in Japan
References
[edit]- ^ "Thomas Expansion Announcement". Drayton Manor website. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
- ^ Tourist and Enthusiast Railways - West Midlands
External links
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