This is a Magic Railroad adventure. That means that while it uses characters from the Thomas stories by Rev. Awdry, they have been lifted from "reality" and moved to a world that includes magic.Diesel 10, a strange mean engine that is, for some unknown reason, equipped with a giant claw, has decided he wants to get rid of the steam engines. Mr. Conductor has been left in charge of the yard but he has lost his sparkle and needs more gold dust. Are you with me? Well, Toby and Thomas get involved, there is a chase and we meet Lady, who Thomas has brought back from the Magic Railroad. Lady is the source of the gold dust Mr. Conductor needs.Our kids like this book but we (parents) don't like it as much as the more "real" Thomas adventures. This book uses drawings instead of stills from the show so it has a different look from the other softcover books. If your child likes Thomas and the Magic Railroad, they will probably really like this one.