invitation: I designed the invitation to look like a ticket and the front had all 0f the information designed like an actual train station: The ticket numbers were my son's date of birth and the date of the party. On the back of the ticket we included and ititernary. The invitations read: All aboard the birthday express to celebrate _______ 3rd birthday. you special ticket and itinerary are enclosed. The party information (date time, place etc went next) and then it read please contact Lorren, the station master t reserve your tickets. Decorations: I rented a pavilion at our local park and used red, blue, yellow, and black balloons hung all around the pavilion. The tablecloths were blue for the stations, red for the guest tables and yellow for the food table. I used tape to place tracks all over the floor starting at the check in station and leading to the baggage car. We also used paint sticks from the local hardward store to create mini railroad crossing stations at each table. We used railroad crossing balloons throughout the room as well.  Each table had a tiny bucket on it that had balloons tied to it but also had Thomas the train fruit snacks in the buckets. i also had wooden trains on the food table along with lanterns hung around the pavilion. I also took a old piece of wood and created a sign that stated _________'s Station #3"   Activities: Party guests were asked to arrive at 11:15 for the check in- at the check in I had a guest list of all of those tht RSVP'd along with a scratch off ticket and a boarding pass. Each guest was explained that the party was developed into stations and they needed to place a sticker on the boarding pass to go to the next station. Once they scratched their scratch off they started. They were also given an engineer hat and their picture was taken with the hat. Pictures were then emailed to the parent sto use with the frame they received. Station 1: was a train puzzle that the guests were asked to decorate a piece and sign so my son could keep a specialized item from his party. (It now hangs in his room!) Stations 2: was frost your own train shaped cookie. Station 3: was decorating a prepainted wooden train piece to make a magnet. Station 4: were the shops at the tracks: each child could go shopping and "buy" train themed items (i had tattoos stickers party poppers caboose shaped cups a train frame and train rubber duckies) Station 5 was the pinata. Train 6 was story telling: to help calm the children before we ate we read a book called Chugga chugga toot toot. Then all of the guests were sent to the food car. Station 7: was train rides; for one hour the guests were given train rides around the park. I used a tractor to make the engine and cars were made out of buckets and then station 8 was the baggage car: where they received their favors.  Food: All of the food was train themed we had hot dogs (toot toot dogs) hamburgers (choo choo burgers) chips (chugga chugga chips) pasta salad made with the wheel shaped pasta chocolates shaped like trains railroad crossing signs. For drinks we had soda for the adults (train oil) and the youngsters we had juice boxes (conductor power juice) Cake: The cake was a round three tier cake with train tracks all around the levels and a cake that had my son's name as the middle cars. At the top of the cake was Station Number 3 as it was my son's third birthday. Each level was a different color red blue and yellow.  Favors: Each adult guest was given a chocolate bar with a personalized wrapper. The children were given party boxes that contained a train whistle a bandana bubbles train stickers train suckers.  For Costumes: I hd my adult helpers were overalls engineer hats and bandanas.  it was a great party and i am still hearing about it and it is almost two years later!"