In defense of Thoma (not that he needs it).....I was going through some boxes of books from my childhood and ran across a very dogeared copy of "The Little Engine that Could", my absolute favorite story as a child. That book did more to get me started as a railfan than any other, I think. We didn't have TV in those days, so the "LETC" was the Thomas of my day. I think Thomas has done more to interest youngsters in railroads in recent years than any other media presentation. IMHO, more power to Thomas and friends. -- Ed