Thomas the Tank Engine – G-BXND

Written by Tom Orpin

Test inflation at Ashton Court, Bristol in 1998.

Ahead of the 2026 Midlands Air Festival, let’s take a look at one of the largest and most spectacular balloons in the Bristol Balloon Collectors vault; the iconic Thomas the Tank Engine special shape.


​First appearing in Rev. W Awdry’s Railway Series in 1946, Thomas the Tank Engine went from being a storybook character in a series to a global children’s icon, with success across books, television, merchandise and theme parks continuing to this day. Whilst Thomas is known worldwide, he remains especially popular in the UK, where the franchise holds deep cultural roots, and in Japan, where the combination of railway enthusiasm and character culture has made Thomas a long-standing favourite.


It was in 1998 that a special shape balloon was commissioned by The Brit Allcroft company for global promotional events for the brand. Built by Cameron Balloons as a ‘Cameron Thomas-110’, Thomas started out life under Flying Pictures, one of the world’s leading hot air balloon marketing companies in the 1980s and 1990s, before ending its commercial life with the Virgin Airship & Balloon Company; a transfer that was made in 2000. Weighing in at 366kg, Thomas is the biggest balloon in the Bristol Balloon Collection.

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From 1998 – 2002 the Thomas balloon toured widely, appearing at festivals and public events across the UK, Germany, Japan, USA and New Zealand, amongst others, becoming a crowd favourite wherever he flew. Notably, it appeared at the launch of Thomas Land in Japan, reinforcing Thomas’s strong popularity there.

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Thomas flying in New Zealand in 1999

Thomas visits a Toys R Us in the USA

​As he reached the end of his commercial life, Thomas went into storage for several years before passing through several collectors. It was eventually donated to the collection in 2023, and at the Midlands Air Festival in 2023, Thomas made his first public appearance in over a decade. 

Since then, the Bristol Balloon Collectors have displayed Thomas at events across the UK and it’s full steam ahead for Thomas at this weekend’s Midlands Air Festival, where Bristol Balloon Collectors are hoping to tether him once again for the public, back at the location of his first appearance in his new life three years ago.

Next stop, Ragley Hall.