All Aboard for “Thomas & Friends™: Explore the Rails” at Minnesota Children’s Museum

Special exhibit featuring popular children’s series opens Jan. 17

SAINT PAUL, MINN. – Jan. 16, 2026 – The world’s most beloved blue engine is rolling into St. Paul for exciting fun and adventure. “Thomas & Friends™: Explore the Rails,” an interactive exhibit inspired by the popular children’s series, opens at Minnesota Children’s Museum on Saturday, Jan. 17.

Developed for kids ages 2 to 7 and featuring popular engines and destinations from Thomas & Friends™, the exhibit engages children and families in foundational skills that foster STEM literacy through playful learning experiences.

Visitors will be delighted as they find themselves surrounded by the Island of Sodor’s iconic locations, including Knapford Station and Sodor Steamworks. Children will help Thomas and his friends solve a variety of challenges, from a simple sorting and shape identification activity to more complex engineering obstacles, such as completing a train track using track pieces with different levels of elevation. As children encounter new challenges and test their abilities, the smiling faces of Thomas, Percy, Victor and others are there to offer encouragement.

Inside the exhibit, visitors will:

• Climb into Thomas’ cab and explore the engine’s inner workings. Flip levers and investigate other movable parts that trigger train noises such as braking, whistles and steam.
• Fix Percy’s wobbly wheel by removing and replacing parts and experimenting to find a combination of wheels, rods and bolts that work.
• Explore favorite Island of Sodor destinations including: Tidmouth Sheds, Brendam Docks and the Sodor Search & Rescue Station on an over-sized Thomas Wooden Railway train table.
• Work with old and new friends loading luggage, livestock and other freight into the coaches of two train cars.
• Collaborate with others to get Percy moving by loading coal into his coal box and filling his tank with water from a water tower.
• Suit up as the conductor to exchange money and sell tickets to other visitors taking a ride on the train.
• Wander through a Thomas & Friends retrospective featuring model engines from the original live action series produced in London, copies of the original drawings and manuscripts from show creator Rev. W. Awdry and a collection of memorabilia documenting the history and evolution of “Thomas & Friends” through books, television and toys.

“Thomas & Friends: Explore the Rails” was designed and developed by Minnesota Children’s Museum in partnership with Mattel, Inc. Fisher-Price, the leading manufacturer of infant and preschool toys, is the exhibit’s presenting sponsor. The exhibit runs through May 10, 2026.

Museum admission includes the “Thomas & Friends: Explore the Rails” exhibit. Tickets are available at www.mcm.org/tickets. Museum members get in free.