My official "first plarail" and a question

Last week, I got a Cross Thomas in the mail from another user on the forums, that could be the JP version, or the UK version, I'm not sure. I have tons of US and UK Tomy items from my years of collecting, but no JP Plarail. I've been getting some in the mail recently, but I can't use them until Christmas (;3), so I don't really count them as mine yet. However that Cross Thomas may be my first official Plarail I can use. However, if it's not, I found this red engine at a street vendor today. I knows it's likely JP plarail, and it works, albeit with semi loose, fresh-looking, traction tires. Can anyone tell me more about it? Here's a pic of Thomas and the red engine.

It looks like you can use the other train to make Bear from the Railway Series

I don't know if he looks quite similar enough, but it's an interesting proposition none-the-less.

Holy Hecc! I'd like to get one of those cross Thomas'!

There is no difference between the plarail and tomy versions of the angry thomas as far as I know and that red diesel there was also released as a tomica train in the us so it is highly likely that it is not a plarail train, just a tomica train

Oh, okay then. Thanks though. I'd still like to know what it's from though, if possible.

the angry thomas or the red diesel? The angry thomas was from the mirthiful freight cars set and i dont know where the red diesel is from

angry thomas was my first plarail thomas as well, though i didnt know it at the time. i only bought it cos i loved the face. paid more than its worth, as i got in a bidding war. this was way back, before i ever knew there were other collectors out there.

I know the sets that that Thomas was in, but I'm more curious about the red diesel, as my main area of expertise is Thomas, and not the other Tomica items.

[Super]

What you are calling a 'Diesel is actually not as it is an Electric Hybrid (EH) Freight Engine. Normally when we see a Hybrid it is an electric-diesel but I believe in this case it is because it runs on both AC electrical current (overhead wires) and DC (battery). They apparently did this for the train to make it through some tunnels in Japan. You only have half as it also came with a reversed dummy engine too. Recently it has been re-released (2017) with the updated Plarail AA battery chassis and motor as the first release (2003) was C battery. It also was part of a large freight train set with container and tanker cars. Yours appears to be the original 3 piece C battery release that came with one tank car.

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10430003

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10048713

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10048774

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBPQRL_ZjV4