DAY OUT WITH THOMAS™ PULLING INTO THE CUYAHOGA VALLEY SCENIC RAILROAD

CALLING ALL SLEUTHS TO HELP FAVORITE STORYBOOK ENGINE SOLVE A MYSTERY ON THE TRACKS

Thomas the Tank Engine™ to visit Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, Boston Mills Station

May 19, 20, 25, 26 & 27, 2012

Peninsula, OH - Help Thomas the Tank Engine™ find the clues and solve the mystery!  Our favorite No. 1 engine is set to roll into Peninsula for the Day Out with Thomas™: Mystery On The Rails Tour 2012.  All little engineers and their families are invited to take a ride on Thomas and participate in fun Thomas-themed activities.  The event, which takes place May 19, 20, 25, 26 & 27, 2012, will be hosted by Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad and presented by HIT Entertainment and sponsored by MEGA Brands, a leading toy company.

For 67 years, children have been captivated by the courageous adventures of Thomas and his engine friends.  Pulling out of the station for its 17^thconsecutive ride on the rails, the Day Out With Thomas: Mystery on the Rails Tour 2012 will visit more than 45 cities in the United States and Canada.  Day Out With Thomas is the only place for families to take a ride with a 15-ton replica of everybody’s favorite No. 1 engine, Thomas the Tank Engine, and enjoy Thomas-themed activities at the Imagination Station, including stamps, temporary tattoos and hands-on arts and crafts.  Each year the tour grows, traveling to new destinations, adding new activities and welcoming new visitors.

• A 25-minute (approximate) ride with Thomas the Tank Engine
• Games and activities featuring a mystery element
• The opportunity to meet Sir Topham Hatt™, Controller of the Railway
• A Thomas & Friends Imagination Station; featuring stamps,  temporary tattoos, hands-on arts & crafts, train tables, and coloring sheets
• Commemorative activities, merchandise and giveaways including a special reveal poster previewing new engines and a new destination from the upcoming 2012 Thomas & Friends feature, “Blue Mountain Mystery”
• Storytelling, video viewing. and live music

The approximately 25-minute train ride with Thomas the Tank Engine will depart every hour, rain or shine, with departure times at 9:30 am through 4:30 pm each day of the event.  Tickets for the Day Out With Thomas: Mystery On The Rails Tour 2012 are $18 plus tax for ages two and up.

Tickets are on sale now by calling toll-free 866.468.7630 or logging onto www.ticketweb.com/thomas.html.  For more information and directions, contact CVSR at 800-468-4070 or www.CVSR.com.

For general information or to find a Day Out With Thomas: Mystery On The Rails Tour 2012 event near you, visit www.thomasandfriends.com/dowt.

About CVSR:   Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad (CVSR) provides transportation to and within Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CVNP) under a cooperative agreement with the National Park Service.  CVSR is a private sector, not-for-profit 501 c(3) volunteer supported organization and is dedicated to the preservation of passenger rail transportation in Cuyahoga Valley and along the historic Ohio & Erie Canalway.  The railroad serves 200,000 passengers annually. Scenic train excursions are offered twelve months of the year, along with a variety of special events, including The Polar Express™, Day Out With Thomas™, wine-tasting and beer tasting excursions, and more.  More can be learned about the railroad by visiting the website:  www.CVSR.com.

About Thomas & Friends™

Thomas the Tank Engine was created by a father for his son over 65 years ago and today is enjoyed by families in more than 185 territories and in 30 languages.  The #1 blue engine and his friends invite children to enter a world of imagination through the tracks of a train and the words of a story. Children embark on adventures with their engine friends while experiencing timeless life lessons of discovery, friendship and cooperation.  Thomas & Friends makes tracks to great destinations on PBS KIDS®, Sprout® and with downloadable episodes available through iTunes. For more information about the world of Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends, please visit www.thomasandfriends.com. Follow Thomas on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thomasandfriends and Twitter @TrueBlueEngine.

About HIT Entertainment

HIT Entertainment is one of the world's leading independent children's entertainment producers and rights-owners. HIT's portfolio includes properties, such as Thomas & Friends™, Barney™, Bob the Builder™, Fireman Sam™, Angelina Ballerina™, Mike the Knight™, Pingu™ andRainbow Magic™. Launched in 1989, HIT’s lines of business span television and video production, content distribution, publishing, consumer products licensing and live events and has operations in the UK, US, Canada, Hong Kong and Japan.  HIT is a part-owner of US-based preschool channel, Sprout^®. For more information, visit www.hitentertainment.com.