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Thomas the Tank Engine banger makes it to the Med

Tom MacDougall,North East and Cumbriaand
Matt Bailey,BBC Radio Newcastle
News imageSupplied The four-door car with Thomas the Tank Engine frontage. The car has been sprayed blue with red stripes. Thomas's smiling face is stuck to the front with a funnel poking out the top and imitation wheels have been stuck to the sides of the car to complete the look. He is in a car park in the Alps and huge tree-covered mountains rise behind him.Supplied
Thomas, a 16-year-old Citroen Picasso, completed the Monte Carlo or Bust rally without busting

A well-used family saloon car which was transformed into Thomas the Tank Engine has completed a rally across Europe - minus one of his screw-on wheels and whistle.

The 16-year-old Citroen Picasso was given a makeover in the style of the famous steam engine by a team from Haltwhistle, Northumberland, for the Monte Carlo or Bust rally over the weekend.

The group took part in the challenge, which encourages people to source a car for less than £500 and hit the road to Monaco, to raise money for the South Tyneside Railway Charity.

Competitor Martin Campbell said: "It's been an absolutely fantastic couple of days and the car's held out really, really well."

News imageA wide shot of the blue and red Citroen Picasso car as it was driving through Haltwhistle en route to the rally. It has Thomas's face on the front and the cylindrical front of his engine. Between the car wheels are two stuck on images of steam train wheels.
The three-day rally encourages competitors to do up cars costing under £500

The Island of Sodor banger chugged across about 1,000 miles (1,600km) in three days to reach Monte Carlo, passing through Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and France on the way.

Campbell said Thomas had taken minor damage from the journey, but "his face is still there, with a bit of a facepack of bedflies".

"He made it up to 4,000 metres above sea level crossing the Alps, so Thomas has done really well," he said.

The group are now homeward bound, which Campbell said will involve a "fairly easy" route through France with the aim of returning to the North East on Wednesday.

News imageMartin Campbell, a middle-aged man dressed as the Island of Sodor's Fat Controller, complete with a black jacket, yellow waistcoat, and black top hat. He is standing next to Thomas, who has been parked in a cobbled street.
Martin Campbell said it had been "an absolutely fantastic couple of days"

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