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Thomas Land Drayton Manor Tour: Thomas' 80th Anniversary

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Thomas Land Drayton Manor Tour: Thomas' 80th Anniversary is a Direct-To-Video YouTube Video in the UK produced by Stedfast Productions in 2025. The video tour of the event is to celebrate the 80th Anniversary of The Railway Series and Thomas the Tank Engine, featuring and produced and hosted by Dennis Baldwin the YouTube Creator of the Stedfast channel.

Plot[]

Dennis Baldwin travels to Thomas Land Drayton Manor Resort to celebrate the 80th Anniversary of Thomas the Tank Engine and the Railway Series where he meets Thomas, Percy, James, the Fat Controller and Rusty and Dusty the Station Sweepers for a day out celebration event.

He also makes a discovery encountering the Thomas the Tank Engine Props in Discover Thomas & Friends Exhibition located at the Thomas Land Shop for the first time and pictures a window to the past where the setting were set in the classic TV Series.

He later celebrates Thomas' Big Birthday Party Bash celebrating the 80th Anniversary in such dedication to the whole history of the franchise with Sir Topham Hatt, Rusty and Dusty.

Baldwin takes experience on the rides and takes a train journey with Thomas, touring around the Dino Park and then back again, celebrating the rest of the fun, excitement, entertainment and the occasion of Thomas' 80th Anniversary and interviews the Fat Controller and the Railway Staff about Thomas and the experience of the Theme Park with interest, before bidding a farewell to Thomas and the Railway Staff.

When Dennis comes home, he suddenly gets an unexpected package and reveals the surprise to be the 80th Anniversary Plarail Thomas the Tank Engine RWS toy model.

Characters[]

Locations[]

Cast[]

  • Dennis Baldwin as The Presenter/Voice of Thomas, Henry, Gordon, James, Percy, Toby & Cranky

Songs[]

Trivia[]

  • This is the first Thomas the Tank Engine and Thomas Land Drayton Manor Direct-To-Video Project made by Dennis Baldwin and Stedfast Productions.
  • After completing the filming, Baldwin came home and actually discovered the Plarail 80th Anniversary Thomas Toy that arrived from the mail that actually happened in real life unexpectedly that was shown in the video and decided to add that to the film to give it more effort.
  • Baldwin was inspired by "P-Chan's Hello Thomas & James" 1996 Direct-to-Video to make his direct-to-video style more like the Japaneses video.
  • In the deleted scene video in the channel, there are references to the first series episode, Edward & Gordon and the second series episode, Thomas Comes to Breakfast mentioned by the Fat Controller featuring clips from the classic Tv Series, during the final interview before the finale of the video.
  • The Music by SA Music heard at the beginning, the journey scene to Drayton Manor, Meeting Sir Topham Hatt and the Thomas & Friends Exhibition was a replica music piece from the Tomica World Show 2001 Video that was used.
  • Baldwin's quote "It's Today! It's Today!" was a reference from Stuart Little (1999).
  • This video was uploaded and released on May 12th 2025, the date of the 80th Anniversary of the Railway Series.
  • This is the first video where Baldwin voices the Engine Characters in this Thomas the Tank Engine Direct-to-Video project for the first time.
  • After Baldwin puts the whistle back up straight on the Henry Model, the Henry Model suddenly blew its sound effect whistle in the background behind the sheds by coincidence, unexpectedly which wasn’t an actual sound effect added by Baldwin which looked like he said “Thank You”
  • In the video, this is the first time Baldwin sets foot in the Discover Thomas & Friends Exhibition located in the Thomas Land Shop.
  • In the video, the instrumental music piece “Another Busy Day On The Trains” Song by Chieli Minucci was heard from Thomas & Friends the Big Live Tour and All Aboard Live Tour, including Thomas Saves the Day and A Circus Comes to Town Live Shows, that was used in the Special Preview and Direct-To-Video.
  • At the end of the video, this is the only time Thomas’ chuffing sound effect is heard from the classic Tv Series chuffing through the tunnel before the end credits appear.
  • References to the forth series episode, Special Attraction and the fifth series episodes, Cranky Bugs and Baa! are made by Dennis Baldwin who takes quotes off the characters while encountering with the original prop models from the classic Tv Series behind the glass in Discover Thomas & Friends Exhibition.
  • A reference from The Trouble with Mud is heard from the James model after Dennis departs the area theme of James and the Red Balloon ride area such as: “Peep! Peep! Thank you! Good-bye!”
  • References from Thomas and the Magic Railroad are heard by Baldwin such as; “You Thomas are small. Small, Small, Small. Teeny-Weeny, Weeny”, including “I’m going to the Windmill to search for something important. Now Off you go to work please”, “Keep your steam up”, “Bye James” and “Sparkle, Sparkle, Sparkle”.
  • At the beginning of the video, a video footage tape was taken on the day of Dennis Baldwin’s birthday in early January where he unexpectedly read the birthday card that he was going to Thomas Land Drayton Manor Resort which was an actual birthday surprise that happened in real life which was added to the film to begin with. And set 3 Months Later when filming actually began in mid April.
  • Most of the film footage was shot around mid April before being released and updated to the Stedfast YouTube Channel on May 12th 2025.
  • A reference from “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” was heard by Baldwin walking down the corridor in the Drayton Manor hotel making his way to the Theme Park.
  • Thomas’ Whistle Sound Effect from Thomas and the Magic Railroad is heard in Thomas’ final scene at Knapford Station.
  • The only engines left out of the video was Edward and Rosie around Tidmonth Sheds that Baldwin had forgotten to capture in the film while he was too busy and excited capturing each shot.
  • During the making of the video, Baldwin had forgotten to take a ride on Rocking Bulstrode, Harold’s Helicopter Tours, Sodor Classic Cars and Cranky’s Drop Tower.
  • In making on the first day of filming, after Thomas’ Big Birthday Bash Scene and Touring around the Theme Park and after the last conversation with the Fat Controller on the first day, Baldwin felt tired and decided to head back to hotel to rest after talking to the Fat Controller before the next day of filming.
  • In the balcony live show scene, after the “Best Friends Express Song” performed by Rusty and Dusty, Baldwin’s camera ran out of power and used his iPhone camera to capture the rest of the show and the rest of the scenery of the Theme Park for a backup plan.
  • On the other side of the Thomas Land theme park, Baldwin went looking to see if the old Thomas & Friends Exhibition was still there from its original place during the making of the video, until he learned from an employee that the Exhibition was relocated in the Thomas Land Shop in it’s rightful place.
  • The only rides that wasn’t fully shown in the video was the Troublesome Trucks Runaway Coaster, (except for one small footage take in the Thomas Engine Tour Ride) Jeremy Jets Flying Academy (but mentioned only by the Fat Controller), Terrence’ Driving School, Blue Mountain Engines, Flynn’s Fire Rescue, Captain’s Sea Adventure and Thomas & Percy’s Submarine Splash
  • In the making, the Sodor Airport Cafe had been originally captured and filmed but was never shown in the video.
  • A reference from “Bob the Builder: A Christmas to Remember” is heard by Dennis taking his Ertl Thomas model from his cabinet display for the Journey. “Come on Thomas. You can come too.”
  • Three months before going to Thomas Land, Baldwin was originally going to wear his Mr Conductor costume (which was previously shown in “Home Alone: A Thomas & Friends Christmas Special”) for the occasion, but then decided not to.
  • In Discover Thomas & Friends Exhibition, Baldwin never encountered the Lady model behind glass where the ram was placed, before it was put on display in months time.
  • Baldwin never came across the Gordon, Henry, James, Stepney, Diesel 261, Molly, Harvey and Hank models behind glass in the exhibition.
  • In production, Baldwin tried switching on the control attached to setting in the exhibition to make the models move for more effort, but unfortunately, the controls were switched off underneath.
  • The Rosie Engine Tour Ride model never appeared out anywhere in the Theme Park. It was only Thomas & Percy that was shown.
  • While Dennis talking with the Fat Controller and Rusty showing his favourite Ertl Thomas model, Baldwin didn’t know that Dusty took charge of filming from Baldwin’s iPhone camera which was suitable to capture for the video.
  • The Big Cake Sculpture for Thomas’ Big Birthday Bash wasn’t seen in the middle of the theme park around Knapford Station after being used in February and before it was reused in May.
  • The songs Accidents Will Happen, Surprises, Busy, Rules & Regulations and the Thomas Theme Music are heard in the background on the televisions in the exhibition.
  • The episodes from classic Tv Series heard in the background on the televisions in the exhibition is the fifth series episode, Lady Hatt’s Birthday Party, the sixth series episode, The Fogman and the eight series episode, Thomas and the Tuba.
  • The only episode clip from the forth series shown on the television in the exhibition is the episode Bulldog.
  • In the Knapford Station Live Show, the song “If You’re Happy and You Know It” (with different lyrics) was cut out and skipped to be shortened in the video so it wouldn’t have been too long for that scene.
  • At the beginning and at the end of the Knapford Station Live Show, the Engine Roll Call Instrumental Song is heard from the Thomas & Friends Live Shows by Chieli Minucci.
  • This is one of the first Stedfast Productions Video’s to have Nathan Tiemeyer’s (Upside Now) music pieces heard for the first time in this Thomas the Tank Engine Direct-To-Video Project on the Fat Controller’s Final Scene in the Drayton Manor Hotel (Sir Topham Hatt) and receiving the Plarail 80th Anniversary Thomas model at the end of the video (The Island of Sodor).
  • This is the first Thomas Land Direct-To-Video to have the Engine Character Models talking for the first time in this project.
  • This video features a recreation intro sequence of the Rev. W. Awdry’s letter of the “Dear Christopher note” shown in Baldwin’s Railway Series Collection Book that appeared from the Thomas & Friends HiT Era Tv Series (Season 8-12) that has the very same audio narration by Nigel Plaskitt.
  • In the backgrounds of the theme park and Thomas Land Shop there are songs heard such as: Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining, Toby, Really Useful Engine, Sir Topham Hatt, Thomas You’re the Leader and Harold the Helicopter.
  • This is the first Stedfast Productions video to have Headmaster Hastings two hits “It’s Great to be an Engine” & “Come for the Ride” during the Thomas train ride tours.
  • Despite having heard little of the custom “Thomas the Tank Engine Theme Song” in the Thomas the Tank Engine Die-Cast Series Promo Video in the Stedfast Channel, this is the first Thomas the Tank Engine Video by Stedfast Productions to have the custom Theme Music of “Thomas the Tank Engine” by AceofTrainsMusic, fully heard for the first time in this video with a different pitch in the Exhibition Scene and the End Credits Sequence.
  • During the song “Come for the Ride” by Headmaster Hastings, Baldwin was inspired by the All Aboard Live Tour - Japan Video from Fuji Television where he decided to make a similar feature when the All Aboard Live Tour in Japan celebrated the 60th Anniversary of the Railway Series and Thomas the Tank Engine back in July 16th to August 31st 2005, when the Japanese cast and crew performed “Come for the Ride”, as Baldwin thought it would be worth having to bring back the nostalgia and repeat over 20 years.

Goofs[]

• Toby’s scene at the Sheds, an error occurred with a frozen image of Percy is shown by mistake which had forgotten to be removed.

Gallery[]

Title Cards[]

Videos[]

See Also[]

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