These are the guidelines on how to format pages on the wiki.
Subjects
The Thomas Motorized Wiki covers the following ranges.
- Plarail [1]
- Tomy Trains [1]
- Battery Operated Rail System
- Tomica World [1]
- Thomas Motor Road and Rail
- Thomas TrackMaster (Motorized)
- Thomas Motorized Railway
- Thomas TrackMaster Push Along [2]
- Thomas Motorized
This is how they are meant to be referred to in pages. They must be spelt correctly (such as the M in TrackMaster), and must not use unofficial names or the company names instead. The Thomas in any of the names can be removed when writing them in pages.
Naming
The primary name for articles should be taken from the English name on the box. Pages on Plarail items with Japanese names should be rough translations from the Japanese title. Articles for Tomica World and Motor Road and Rail items must use their most recent UK name. Articles for TrackMaster items are titled with their most recent US name. Products with unknown names should not have pages made for them until their name is known.
Infoboxes
Infoboxes should contain the following features.
- Image: An image of the most recent US version of the product (e.g. Motorized), if applicable. Vehicle articles like engines can use a gallery tab leading with the most recent US version and another tab with the most recent Plarail version.
- Range: A list of the ranges the item has been released in chronological order.
- Theme: The name of the theme the item has been released in if applicable, such as Greatest Moments or a movie. If the item has not been released in a theme, the section remains blank.
- Batteries: A list of required batteries grouped by number and type i.e. "2 x AA". If there are no batteries required, the section remains blank. If the item has been released in multiple ranges with different battery requirements, abbreviations of each range are placed next to their corresponding battery.
- Released: The date of release. If the item has been released in multiple ranges, the years are arranged chronologically with abbreviations of each range next to each year.
- SKU: The stock keeping unit or item number used for the item. If the item has been released in multiple ranges, abbreviations of each range are next to each chronological SKU along with any specifications such as years or assortment names like Big Friends and Little Friends.
- Components: For sets and track packs, the number of pieces in the item.
For batteries, release dates, and SKUs, the following abbreviations are used for each of the ranges.
- (P): Plarail
- (TT): Tomy Trains
- (TW): Tomica World
- (MRR): Motor Road and Rail
- (TMHTC): TrackMaster (HiT Toy Company)
- (TMFP): TrackMaster (Fisher-Price)
- (MR): Motorized Railway
- (TMR): TrackMaster (Revolution)
- (M): Motorized
Articles
All articles on products should first describe the range that it has been released.
Engines
If the article is on a character, there should be a very brief basic description of who they are, such as the type of engine, their personality, or their type of work. Articles should not be produced for characters until their individual release. This also includes vehicles that only have Greatest Moments releases.
Changes
A table which lists the individual releases of each product in all the ranges in chronological order, along with images. The notes section should be written using bullet points listing information such as the type of release (e.g. Big Friends), any included cars or track, and details about the first occurrences of changes to the item. This is the specific table which should be used:
| Image: | Range: | Released: | Discontinued: | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Variants
A list of variants of the item along with their relevant range in chronological order. Greatest Moments are included in this even if the item was first released in that line and there are no differences between this and the individual release.
Vehicle Packs
Packs such as Greatest Moments or Trucks and Track can begin with stating things such as the story inspired by it or their features.
Product Description
If applicable, this section features a transcribed description from the back of the box.
Contents
A description of what is included in the pack. One line can be used for the engine and cars, as most packs usually include these. Certain items where the contents are self-explanatory, such as See-Inside Cars, do not need a description.
Destinations
Articles on destinations should begin with a detailed description of how the item works.
Product Description
If applicable, this section features a transcribed description from the back of the box.
Contents
If applicable, a list of what is included in the destination.
Sets/Track Packs
Articles for sets and track packs should begin with a description on how the set works or about its' features.
Product Description
If applicable, this section features a transcribed description from the back of the box.
Contents
All articles should have a list of included items. For sets, the pieces should be roughly listed in the following order:
- Vehicles (engines and their included cars can be mentioned on one line)
- Destinations
- Track (comprising of a list of the pieces used)
- Accessories
For track packs, it should only be a list of the included pieces.
Trivia
The Trivia section should be the second last part of the article. This section can be used for interesting facts or notes about the item, such as differences between prototypes and final versions. It should not be used for common information that can be placed earlier in the article such as changes.
Gallery
The Gallery is the last section of the article and the images should be arranged in chronological order. Preferably, images should have captions identical to the image file names.
Images uploaded must use titles beginning with the range name, year, name of item, and if applicable, a further description such as "box" or a number. If it is a prototype image, then "Prototype" should prefix the name of the item. Here are some examples:
- Plarail2003Thomas
- TrackMaster(HiTToyCompany)BigFriendsEdwardTargetbox
- MotorRoadandRailPrototypeEmily
The gallery images should be arranged in the following order:
- Prototype
- Main item image
- Additional images (applicable for notable elements unseen in the main image with a number at the end of the file)
- Box
- Box back
The ordering system should repeat if there are multiple versions. Multiple images of the same thing from different angles are not allowed. A separate "Variants gallery" with a heading can follow the gallery with an image of each variant arranged in chronological order.
Galleries may be separated into an individual page if there are an excessive number of images. There is no minimum number of images to warrant a separation, but a page with around less than ten images shouldn't require a separate gallery page.
Categories
Items should be categorized mainly by how they are officially designated, such as "Engines", "Packs", or "Sets". They must also have additional categories with the range they were released in, such as "Plarail Sets", "TrackMaster (Revolution) Track Packs". The year category of the item's first release is also used.
All TrackMaster motorized items must use both the generic TrackMaster category for that particular item, and their specific range category such as HiT Toy Company, Fisher-Price, and Revolution.
Categories for TrackMaster, Motorized Railway, and Motorized items based on movies must only use their relevant movie category if the movie's logo and branding are used on the packaging.
New categories should not be made without permission from a staff member.