Mystery Elephant train

This is my first post here, Im hoping someone can shed some light on this toy I once had.

In the photos are myself as a child, I was born in 1983 in the uk. What I am playing with is a motorised elephant which would travel on its own section of track, then it would climb on board the train and it would then power the train for a lap of the train track and would then climb off and back to its own track. In one photo you can see that I am holding the blue wagon that the elephant sits on.

It seems very similar to the Tomy Playrail trains but I have not been able to find any exact match.

I have always had toy trains/ model trains and have kept most of them to this day but this was lost many years ago. My father recalls it vividly. My love of trains continues to this day as I am now a train driver. 

Please can someone help with some information. 

Many thanks in advance.

Mike
   

   

[Super]

Hello MichaelD and welcome to BluePlasticTracks

Hopefully one of our UK Members might recognize this unique Toy set.

I've spent several hours on this, and come up with nothing. Was it new when you had it, or was it old then?

[Super]

I did some searching around myself and did see a similar looking elephant but thats the closest I came.

MichaelD
You say that your Father recalls the set vividly, maybe he can come up with a little more info to help with search results.

the pink elephant in the photo looks very similar to the tomy merry go zoo from around the same era. https://sunstomyandfriends.weebly.com/to...-sets.html

it might have been based off these sets?

I noticed the Merry Go Zoo similarity as well, and we know Tomy did occasionally provide locomotives for things like Kiddie Land and the Shuttle Train, and the whole transferring to a car which (presumably) the wheels on the elephant power around the track and the little automatic drawbridge does seem very Tomy, but the track system is throwing me off.

I also looked around for a while trying to find a similar elephant or zoo train, but didn't find anything close...

Many thanks for the replies. 

I think back then toys could sit in a toy shop for longer than they do nowadays so it could be a late 70s toy.

[Super]

And quite possibly a UK only release???

Ive asked my dad and he recalls it was purchased from a small supermarket, (possibly CO-OP) but he cant recall anything else.

From watching clips of the Tomy Merry go zoo, the Elephant driving other things by its own wheels is the same concept, the train itself wasnt motorised. It turned the wheels on the blue wagon.

Also note the elephant is shorter at the back than the Merry go zoo one as it doesnt have to carry a figure.

[Super]

If we could find something similar then we might get a maker which would help further.