Backdating Bachmann's Thomas the Tank Engine

Today I worked a little bit more on the running plate for Thomas. I first began working on making the holes for the wheels (since I'm now doing a Railway Series style Thomas, I'm thinking of going back to the larger wheels), but what I had glued together pretty much broke apart in my hand, which was frustrating. I decided that maybe 3d modeling (and exporting to ShapeWays) might be easier, but after watching tutorial videos, it seemed like it would be even more trouble, so I eventually decided to persevere. I then watched a video about boiling plasticard to make it easier to form into curves, and I began my first experiment with it, which seems to have been successful (I'll find out when I actually am able to glue it to the running plate). I also decided to try again with cutting holes for the wheels, and it's going much better this time, even if it's a little rough at the moment (like usual). I also was able to take apart my broken James, and I'm thinking of using his splashers for Thomas, since if I were to make James, I would start completely from scratch. Here are a couple of pictures: