Tugs: The Exhibition

This article is about The owners of the TUGS props. You may be looking for The Star Fleet.

The Star Tugs Company Ltd is a trust founded in early 2013, and sets out to exhibit, preserve and maintain the original model props used for the filming of TUGS.

History

Various cases containing face-masks and buoys for TUGS characters was put up for auction on eBay in mid 2012. Soon after in December of that year pictures of the model props for the face-masks were posted by the owner on this Wiki and equally were also placed for sale. However, the owner of the models agreed to trade to members of the Sodor Island Fansite (commonly known and short for SiF) so that they would be in safe hands and with suitable owners. The official handover of the models was in January 2013, and four months later on May 7th, The Star Tugs Trust was officially launched. Plans and intentions for the models' well-being and the trust's aims were thoroughly discussed, and the original name 'The Star Tugs Trust' was changed to 'The Star Tugs Company Ltd.' due to copyright reasons.

From January 17, 2014 to February 16, 2014, The Star Tugs Company had held a 'KickStarter' campaign. They were in the need to raise money, in order to refurbish the 18 TUGS models that they had held and place it in a well decorated ex-British Railways MK1 coach. The coach will serve its purpose by being a museum for the TUGS models and hauling it from place to place in it's outings. The Star Tugs Company has succeeded by funding £11,350 with 79 people who had helped along the way.

Although O.J. was the first model to be on public display on the 22nd May, 2013, the first official outing for the Company was on 8th-9th March, 2014 at The Battlefield Railway, UK.

The Models

The Star Tugs Company Ltd. currently own the following models:

Key: Models that are marked with a slash are models that have been used for two different characters in the show.

Star Fleet:

Z-Stacks:

Other Characters:

Lillie Lightship
Billy Shoepack
Bluenose/Sea Rogue
Boomer/Sea Rogue's Uncle
Burke & Blair
Fire Tug
Sally Seaplane (In the form of the character's spare model prop, "Phoenix".

Total: 19 models (21 characters)

Events

Past events/Exhibitions:

2013

22nd May - The Battlefield Railway, Leicestershire, UK. Only O.J., in his current 'Lakesider III' guise. He was showcased along with a large collection of TUGS and Thomas The Tank Engine & Friends merchandise.
21st November - Gloucester Docks Museum, Leicestershire, UK. Zug had an unplanned day out raising awareness of the trust and the TV show.

2014

8th - 9th March - The Battlefield Railway, Leicestershire, UK. Launched the 25th Anniversary tour events, the trust took on its first official outing. A fundraising campaign (which ended succesfully at a sum of £11,350) was organised to support the exhibition and future intentions for the models.
17th - 18th May - Moira Canal, Leicestershire, UK. A different selection of the 18 models available would've been on display, and preview clips from the fan run 'TUGS CGI' project, all part of the Moira Canal 14th annual festival.
22nd June - Midway Railway Centre - Butterley Station, Nottinghamshire, UK. A different seclection of the 18 models would be on display, with Tugs being on TV and included some mechandise to sell.
11th July - The TUGS make it into the Model Boats Magazine once more in the August 2014 issue.
12th July - Leadhills and Wanlockhead Railway - Leadhills, UK. This marked the first time that the Tugs models were on display in Scotland
13th July - Midway Railway Centre - Butterley Station, Nottinghamshire, UK. The Star Tugs Exhibition will be open in this location.
13th -14th September - Summerlee Museum of Scottish Industrial Life, Heritage Way, UK. This event featured the models Ten Cents, Sea Rogue and Zip. This will mark the last event held in Scotland for their tour before heading back home to the Midway Railway Exhibition.
27th - 28th September - Midway Railway Centre - Butterley Station, Nottinghamshire, UK. This event celebrated the 25th anniversary since Tugs has premiered. All 18 models were all be on display, including "Phoenix", Sally Seaplane's spare model prop.

2015

20th - 22nd February - Brighton Model World - Brighton Centre, Brighton, UK.
6th - 7th June - The Didcot Railway Centre, Oxfordshire, UK. All of the current models were on display over that weekend and a new variety of merchandising items were available for sale. Top Hat, Grampus and Sea Rogue's face masks were also on display, as was an unpainted copy of one of Zorran's face masks. Fire Tug was on display without a face.
2nd August - Steam Tug Brent of 1945 - Maldon, UK. Four of the current TUGS models were on display alongside the model of Steam Tug Brent during the day.
26th - 27th September - Midway Railway Centre - Butterley Station, Nottinhamshire, UK. This is the second big event like last year with the return of Boomer and the Top Props Co. as guest stars.

2016

19th - 21st February - Brighton Model World - Brighton Centre, Brighton, UK. This is the Star Tug Company's second joint event with the Top Props Co.
26th - 28th March - Midway Railway Centre - Butterley Station, Nottinhamshire, UK. All of the current models were on display at the refurbished exhibition coach, along with props and face masks to celebrate the trust's second year at the railway since the exhibition coach's opening in March 2014.
9th - 10th April - Tanfield Railway, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK.
23rd - 24th April - Nene Valley Railway, Peterborough, UK.
25th - 26th June - The Didcot Railway Centre, Oxfordshire, UK
24th July - The TUGS Exhibition Coach was re-opened at Midway Railway Centre - Butterley Station, Nottinhamshire, UK.
27th - 29th August - Midway Railway Centre - Butterley Station, Nottinhamshire, UK.

Current exhibitions/events:

2017

Trivia

The group intends to invest in a 'Bigg City' Diorama in the future, which will be an interactive display for events.
There are possibilities for The Star Tugs Company to make replicas of the original models for multiple purposes.
The Star Tugs Company is now attempting to locate the models for Top Hat and Grampus.
- These models were lost after the TUGS TV series ended, their whereabouts currently unknown. Their face masks (apart from Top Hat's scared face and Grampus' thrilled face), are now the only part that is last left of them.
- Boomer's face mask was molded onto his model. They only found one piece of his actual original face. It's unknown which face it belongs to. Nobody knows if any of his original faces still exist.