In 2005, Disney and Apax Partners were in negotiations for Disney to purchase the rights to Thomas the Tank Engine. Disney walked away from those talks when the two parties couldn't agree on a price.
Now Deadline.com is reporting that Apax is hoping to offload Thomas early next year and is eyeing Disney as a possible buyer. They've even cut the asking price by more than $300 million.
But my understanding is that right now Disney's just not interested. As Deadline's report notes, Disney's invested in the upstart Chuggington series and many in the industry view Thomas the Tank Engine as a dying brand.
Never say never but don't expect Disney to do more then due diligence.