Prior to going into detail about Salty, a little of our own "Thomas" history... As first time grandparents, my husband and I wanted to start some type of collection for our grandson that he could possibly pass along to his own kids one day. Our grandson was 2 1/2 at the time, and had been talking a lot about a certain train named Thomas (a little fella whom - now seems hard to believe! - we'd never heard of.) After doing some research, it seemed the Take-n-Play line might be the perfect investment to engage and encourage his active imagination, as well as provide a fun way for us to interact with him. What a rewarding decision... we've had SO much fun together with this quality line of trains, vehicles and playsets! As he approaches 4, a large portion of our basement has become a wonderful Sodor land of make believe that we all enjoy visiting - and continues to hold his interest, which is quite a feat given the tendency at that age to move in and out of toy phases so quickly!
Known for his seafaring tall tails, Salty first appeared in TV Season 6 (2002), Episode 1 ("Salty's Secret"). He's the easy going dockyard diesel who works at Brendam Docks with Cranky, and that's right where my grandson keeps him - at his Cranky at the Docks playset! Salty is crimson red with silver detailing, black cab roof, and yellow & black wasp stripes on his front and rear; he's got the brim of a skipper's hat on the top of his forehead, and 6 black wheels. He's also got the number "2991" and "SALTY" printed in black on both sides. He's a friendly, practical diesel, and one of our favorites! Salty was first featured on the original (Spring 2010) Take-n-Play Collector Checklist, and with Fisher-Price's December 2011 MSRP of $6.00 is well worth that price (I found my grandson's for $5.97!) As of 12/2011, the non-talking version of Salty is included in the Cranky at the Docks playset, and in a themed pack (Salty's Catch of the Day), and there's Talking Salty as well! Salty is one of only four diesels in my grandson's fleet who DOESN'T "live" with the other diesels (Den, Dart, Norman, Paxton, Sidney, Dennis, D199 and the regular & talking versions of Diesel) at his Dieselworks playset... the others are Mavis (who lives at Rock Quarry Run), and the regular & talking versions of Diesel 10 (they live on a shelf in permanent "time out" because he won't let them near his other trains!)