What is a good train set for a 3yo?

[mo2]

I want something sturdy, non-motorized, preferably not Thomas the Tank Engine. Any suggestions? My shopping will most likely be done online, since all we have is a WalMart. :glare:

[kalanamak]

We had/have non TtheTE Brio. Well made, many parts. You can add TtTE parts if you want (we like the powerstation), and my family liked knowing they could send something for a birthday that would fit the tracks we had.

[Ginevra]

Do you just not like Thomas? There used to be "Brio," but I think that name doesn't exist anymore.

 

I will never get rid of our wooden track and Thomas trains!

[Zuzu822]

Plan Toys! Made with renewable rubberwood and very sturdy. There are also road sets that link to the railway. We love it, and I think it's Thomas-compatible if relatives ever gave you any of that. It's available through many online toy-sellers or Amazon.

 

Otherwise, the Brio recommendation is a good one.

[FairProspects]

We love Brio, but you have to go to small, independent toy stores or go online to find the, since chain stores (Toys R Us :glare:) don't carry them.

[BikeBookBread]

The PLAN train system is great. Ditto BRIO.

[laughing lioness]

Brio. My 3 younger kids just created a HUGE train set-up in one of our empty bedrooms in the past 2 weeks. My boys played for HOURS and HOURS and HOURs with thiers.

[Caraway]

Brio!!!

[In The Great White North]

Brio!!

[Guest ME-Mommy]

Brio or Brio-compatible...they are AWESOME and hold up well. We bought them when our DS was 3 or 4 and he still plays with them occasionally. ;)

 

I won't part with them...we're saving them for the grandkids.

[runmiarun]

The Target/Circo brand train set is a hit at my MIL's house. It also matches the TRU house brand set she got at a yard sale. Between the 2 sets, my boys can build a wooden, non-motorized, non-Thomas train track around an entire 10x10 room. We have a few hand-me-down Thomas' that fit the tracks as well but when they are playing with "nana's tracks", they never miss the Thomas stuff.

[Cindyz]

My son has always liked the wooden trains, but he also really likes GeoTrax by Fisher Price. He was able to put the tracks together starting at 2 years old. They can run them along the tracks by hand or they can run with a remote control. My son never liked the remote control. It put him over the edge when they came out with pieces from the Cars movie for Geo Trax. It's one toy that he still plays with consistently. It does take up a good amount of floor space when they are all set up.

[FairProspects]

Forgot to add:

 

Since we have every train set known to man, we do NOT recommend the Walmart brand & be very careful buying on Ebay. The sets we have from both those places broke within weeks. Also, look for the kind that have the "notches" built in as part of the wood train track piece (like the Thomas sets), rather than as an attached "peg" or plastic pieces. Those pegs break super easily and you don't want to spend hours gluing them back together (trust me :tongue_smilie:).

[Dobela]

Brio is good. We have some of that as well as Thomas, and some generic wooden track. One specialty toy store sells Melissa & Doug wooden train sets that seem to work well with the Thomas. The same store even sells it by the piece - you can buy 1 straight for $1. Most of the good brands are interchangeable and work ok. We did however have problems with the actual train cars from Target and other store brands actually breaking or having wheels come off. The Thomas and Brio have lasted and lasted so for the actual train cars they are worth the higher prices IMO.

 

And Geo track is fabulous! My son started getting it several years ago and we have not had any problems. We did have some track break but that was because his cousin fell on a high part of the track and it broke from his weight.

[MarinesWife]

GeoTrax!!!

[flobee76]

Another vote for BRIO. DS loves Thomas, but I just can't buy it. Too $$ and I hear that the quality is not the best.

[FairProspects]

Another vote for BRIO. DS loves Thomas, but I just can't buy it. Too $$ and I hear that the quality is not the best.

 

I hear you on the expense, but I do have to say of the 5 or so brands we have, the Thomas is the best-made and longest-lasting. Especially for the trains and larger pieces, we have found them to be of excellent quality.

[mo2]

Where does one buy Brio? I went to their website but they didn't have any sets available (unless I was looking in the wrong spot). :confused:

[Dobela]

Here I can buy Brio at specialty toy stores. I have also bought brio online thru Amazon, Overstock,and other places. You can ggole and probably find some great deals out there.

[fhjmom]

Another vote for Brio! We bought DS a basic set for his 1st birthday. He is now 9 and both of the younger ones have loved it as much as he did. They still play with it and it has held up great!

[Catwoman]

I hear you on the expense, but I do have to say of the 5 or so brands we have, the Thomas is the best-made and longest-lasting. Especially for the trains and larger pieces, we have found them to be of excellent quality.

 

So did we! We were completely over-run by Thomas train sets for several years, and I loved them as much as ds did! We also had the videos and books, so it was sort of a Thomas Lifestyle. ;)

 

The Brio sets are compatible, but ds didn't like them as much because the trains didn't have faces.

 

Cat