Thomas and Friends Return to Northland for Family Fun

DULUTH, Minn.- Thomas the train made his official arrival to the Lake Superior Railroad Museum for multiple days of fun.

“My littlest brother Liam, loves trains and so we decided to come here just for him,” said visitor Eva.

It’s the annual family event, day out with Thomas, and a lot of people are excited for its return after missing out on last year’s activities due to the pandemic.

The event has a smaller capacity because of COVID restrictions, even so, more than 9,000 tickets have been sold for this weekend.

“It’s a big activity, a big event for the North Shore Scenic Railroad,” said event director Kelly Cochrane. “It was actually our largest fundraiser of the year and we have not only Thomas the Tank Engine here giving rides but we also have Percy giving rides too.”

From train rides to straw bale mazes, a long list of games and performances are available for all guests to enjoy. Both Thomas and his friend Percy are giving train rides to guests along the North Shore Scenic Railroad.

My son Michael, loves Thomas,” said visitor Gina Heley. “My older kids liked Thomas when they were young and now he loves them, loves watching them on TV, loves watching them on YouTube, loves the books.”

Day out with Thomas is a tradition for several Northland families and museum employees.

“I am actually working with my son,” said Cochrane. “So my son started out coming to this, the first event was when he was a baby, he came to the staff lounge, walked all the way through the event and jumped into the straw bale maze and I had to find him. And now he’s running the boarding.”

For Event Director Kelly Cochrane, Day Out with Thomas is a long time memory for her and her son.

“My mom always brought me and when I was really little; I used to stay in the gift shop,” said Boarding Crew Member Jakob Flaten. “My mom has been running this event for as long as I could remember and I’ve always just kind of helped out when I was younger—12 or 13—I’d help with stations over their end do bubbles. And then three years ago I started to help do boarding and this year I pretty much run it.”

Although this weekend’s events are sold out, Thomas will be available for more fun activities next weekend.