I wonder if this will ultimately have any impact on Days Out With Thomas:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvan ... ngine.html

National Public Radio picked up on the theme (or, if you prefer, passed on the leftie agitprop):

http://www.npr.org/2015/05/12/406157611 ... rs-economy

Rebuttal by Christopher Awdry, son of Thomas's creator:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvan ... ngine.html

Formal warning: This is likely to be the reaction most of you have to these articles:

Comment withdrawn

*Redacted*

“The curious task of economics is to demonstrate to men how little they really know about what they imagine they can design.”

― Friedrich Hayek

To me, Sir Topham Hat is the most incompetent manager in the history of railways. You want to talk about derailments! Personally, I would immediately sell all the engines for scrap. Only Diesel seems to be able to keep the freight cars in line anyway. You can stuff and mount Thomas at the local Sodor Park but the rest...razor blades. That goes for the obnoxious helicopter too! By the way, what does that stupid fishing song have to do with trains anyway?

Must be a s-l-o-w news day--nothing better to print, supposedly--and of course we always have an uphill fight, trains are dirty and smoky, trains are unsafe (spectacular wreck in Philadelphia with eight fatalities, vs. the apparently invisible 90 or so per day on the highway system), trails are better, etc.--but slow news day and no sense from the editors, that's my take--

A bit "lefty" in opinion perhaps, but it does explain a lot:

https://scontent-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot ... e=55BF77DD

Simple, because he's

and when you take your kids or grandkids to an event, you'll feel like you're personally expected to provide at least $1K of that if not more.

Been to a Thomas event lately? Seen the giant circus tent with Thomas branded anything you can imagine? It looks like a small Walmart, and your kid wants it all.

Undoubtedly some lefty got his credit card bill and said "What can I do to squish this thing like a bug? I'm going broke!"

As a railway museum member who has helped out on the "Thomas Photo Line" and been the "aide de camp" for "Sir Topham Hatt", I am reminded of the time my older daughter (who worked in retail sales as a manager for many years) volunteered for the Thomas merchandise mart. After spending all day running parents' and grandparents' credit cards through the data terminal, and seeing some rather eye-opening charges racked up, she said to me, "Aren't you glad they didn't have Thomas when [my sister and I] were little?"

Some of our members tend to look askance at the whole Thomas business, and make themselves scarce when that "little blue so-and-so" arrives on the property. In their eyes, a TV cartoon character has little to do with railway preservation, and they'd just as soon not be around when the museum is full of "rug rats". But those of us who do believe in Thomas, and answer questions about "Does he really pull the train?" with "Yes he does, but he has get some help from the diesel locomotive on the other end. He's used to pulling two or three lightweight English-style carriages, and he needs some assistance with those heavy North American cars" welcome Day out with Thomas as a chance to show our museum to guests who might not have heard of us, and who are otherwise not interested in historic railway operations. The money we net from the Thomas program is used for capital improvements, making the museum more attractive for visitors during the rest of the year. And one never knows, but among the young families who bring their kids out to see their "Hero of the Rails" there may be those who will find a calling to restore and operate vintage railway equipment, and keep the museum going when us old-timers have gone to the "Big Rock Candy Mountain".

Thomas the Tank Engine has been an icon since Britt Allcroft created him in 1984 and the railway series books in 1945 by Rev. W. Awdry. Since Britt left the franchise in 2002 or something the current owners Hit En. and the move from scale models to CGI his fame grew far beyond it's creators could imagine. Kids love him and want everything. I was one of them growing up in the 90's so i know and understand why parents hate him because they're going broke. Kids need to be kids and yet parents need to understand that that is the price of having kids. If I have kids I would want them to get into Thomas like I have and besides they could become future rail fans you'll never know. if your kids love Thomas the Tank Engine and an event is coming up take them have a good time make some memories and you could become their hero you'll never know. If your kids are about 4 or 5 years old you could have them do some chores around the house and they could earn the merchandise that they want like I have. I tell the politicians to f themselves and leave Thomas alone for cry sakes and turn the question around them and ask them the questions that they aren't answering. food for thought