A recall was announced today of various Thomas & Friends wooden railway toys sold from January 2005 though June 2007. Pictured are the pieces we have that are being recalled: James Engine and Coal Tender, stop sign, railroad sign and the 2006 Day out with Thomas car.

Here is a complete list of each piece being recalled:

* Red James Engine & Red James' # 5 Coal Tender
* Red Lights & Sounds James Engine & #5 Coal Tender
* James with Team Colors Engine & #5 Coal Tender
* Red Skarloey Engine
* Brown & Yellow Old Slow Coach
* Red Hook & Ladder Truck & Red Water Tanker Truck
* Red Musical Caboose
* Red Sodor Line Caboose
* Red Coal Car labeled "2006 Day Out With Thomas"
* Red Holiday Caboose
* Red "Sodor Mail" Car
* Red Fire Brigade Truck
* Red Fire Brigade Train
* Deluxe Sodor Fire Station
* Red Coal Car
* Yellow Box Car
* Red Stop Sign
* Yellow Railroad Crossing Sign
* Yellow "Sodor Cargo Company" Cargo Piece
* Smelting Yard Ice Cream Factory

More information can be found at the recall website. There is also a helpful list with pictures. And, here is the form you will need to send in your recalled pieces to be exchanged.

Lead is very useful in paint as it speeds drying, increases durability, improves appearance and resists moisture. In fact, it's still commonly used in industry and by the military. But, as everyone knows lead is extremely toxic and is especially dangerous to small children in which it causes nervous system damage, hearing loss, reduced IQ, kidney damage and other developmental problems.

So, guess where the lead painted Thomas toys were manufactured. Any idea? Take a wild guess. I'll give you a hint, the country just recently exported poisoned pet food all over the world resulting in the death of thousands of pets and the recall of 5300 pet food products. Yep, China. Anybody else getting a little sick of that country?

[Update:] I noticed there are a number of reddish pieces in our set that are not included in the recall, but that there is a tree which is the exact same color as the pieces which are included in the recall. A little after 6 pm, I sent the following email to the manufacturer, RC2 Corporation:

I have the Deluxe Sights and Sounds set and will be exchanging a number of pieces from the set as part of the recall. I could not help but notice that at least one of the trees from the set appears to be the same shade of red as the other recalled pieces. Would you please confirm that the red tree should not be part of the recall.

Don Danz
Tulsa, Oklahoma

Just after 8 am the next morning, I received this reply:

Dear Don Danz:

The red trees are not part of the recall.

Consumer Service

I imagine they are being deluged with inquiries so I'm pretty impressed with their response time to my question. The Danz Family will remain big Thomas fans!