Invitations are shaped and worded like tickets, personalized with each guests name. Destination signs will be placed along our driveway directing our guests to the "Train Station." We are assembling a ticket booth from a large card board box and creating a life-size train set by cutting holes in the top of large boxes, placing straps on them so the children can "be" the trains.  Traffic signs will be painted from these discarded card board boxes as well. We will even be painting a white track on our grass in the backyard for the children to play on(the grass will grow and the paint should be off our grass within 2-3 weeks) and finding dress-up clothes for children to pretend to be conductors.  For a craft, I found bread dough train engines in a craft book. I'll make these ahead of time and let the guests paint them to take home as a favor. The cost is minimal (flour, hot water and salt) just a little time consuming on my part (creating and assembling the trains).  Our games include "Red Light/Green Light" (the traditional game of an "it" who decides when the guests can/cannot go); "Chugga Chugga Choo Choo" (divide the guests into two teams and then divide again. The first child on one side "chugs" like a train to the other side where the next child links on like a train.  The game continues until the train is completed!); and "Box Car Relay" (use the two teams from the previous game.  On your command, two children will push a box up to a pile of "cargo items." Once there, they will place one item in the box and push it back to their team.  The next child will repeat. First team to complete the relay, wins.) We will also be conducting a "Thomas the Tank Lost Cargo Treasure Hunt."  There are gifts for each member of the party of Thomas has lost the cargo.  Clues will be hidden over the birthday location leading the entire party to the lost cargo.  Older children will read the clues but all children will help solve the riddles and can run to the next clues.  Our lost cargo will be candy apples wrapped in cellophane.  The local grocery store bakery will work with me to make a cake if I bring in the trains for it (they'll create hills, trees, tracks, etc. and even order Thomas Balloons for me.) Finally, after the gifts and cake, our guest will receive blue lunch bags with a Thomas face drawn on the front filled with their train engine, candy apple, a train-shaped pencil sharpener, pencil and perhaps a whistle.