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In this 2012 photo provided by Edaville USA, a father and son watch Thomas the Tank Engine roll down the track at an annual Day Out with Thomas event at the Edaville USA theme park in Carver, Mass. Groundbreaking for the first permanent Thomas Land in the the United States is set for July 2014 at Edaville USA, and is expected to be open for business in the summer of 2015. (AP Photo/Edaville USA) Image Credit: AP

Two children’s favourites are joining forces with the construction of a Thomas the Tank Engine theme park at Edaville USA Railroad in Massachusetts.

Groundbreaking on Thomas Land is scheduled for next month. The 4.4-hectare park in Carver is expected to open in summer 2015.

The permanent theme park will consist of 14 rides based on the television show’s characters, including a 20-minute train ride on a life-sized Thomas the Tank Engine. Children will be able to meet Sir Topham Hatt, the railroad’s administrator.

Edaville owner Jon Delli Priscoli says the partnership is a natural fit. The travelling “Day Out with Thomas” tour has been a favourite at Edaville for more than a decade.

Edaville will continue holding all its old favourite events, including the Festival of Lights at Christmas.


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In this undated photo provided by HIT Entertainment, children take a spin on a Harold the Helicopter ride, one of Thomas the Tank Engine’s friends from the Island of Sodor, at Thomas Land at Drayton Manor Theme Park in England. Groundbreaking for the first Thomas Land in the U.S. is set for July 2014 at the Edaville USA theme park in Carver, Mass., and is expected to be open for business in the summer of 2015. (AP Photo/HIT Entertainment) Image Credit: AP
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