we also met with a rep at work and while looking through his catalogue, i spied the fake set i saw at another dollar store. it doesnt come with a thomas-style engine, but the tracks are compatible with tomy. he will send the set when the order gets shipped, so i get it for free. gotta love free trains.
we got some "snow mats" in at work too, so ive bought one to put underneath the christmas show layout.