arliemaria Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 My son who is 2 has a basic eight track wooden Thomas train set. It makes a small circle. I really dislike the character toys and prefer wooden toys. I would love a recommendation for a wooden non-branded train set. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In The Great White North Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 Brio. None of the track/bridges etc had the Brio sticker on it. It will connect to the Thomas set too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 Ditto Brio. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 We bought some at Toys R Us that were unbranded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 We've had good success with the Toys R Us brand as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbecueMom Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 Their first "big set" was Melissa and Doug. He also has Imaginarium and Thomas brand, and they are all compatible. When DS is building bridges and hills, he gravitates toward the Thomas brand. The blocks and hills on the Thomas set are sturdier and wider, hence easier to use. I don't notice a huge quality difference in the "flat" pieces though. None of the tracks have visible brand names. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maus Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 (edited) My oldest is a train lover. Brio can be just as expensive as the Thomas trains, but they aren't branded. He says the new Chuggington wooden trains are also compatible (but, again, they are branded, and just as expensive.) Melissa & Doug trains are also compatible (though we don't have any of these), as are the trains at IKEA. (Though the connection on the IKEA tracks can be a little snug when attached to the other tracks. My son says especially when attached to the other non-branded tracks.) He also has a smaller version of this set from Target, and it's completely compatible. (He is reading over my shoulder and insisted that I add "completely" before "compatible.") He says it's this one, though we got it at Target. He's even got some of these "Name Trains" alphabet pieces, though the wheels fell off right away. One advantage of the Thomas tracks is that they are scored inside the grooves. If you have a battery operated train, this does help the train not jump the track, especially on curves and hills. Lots of options, really. Edited August 23, 2011 by Maus added extra info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roxanne23 Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 (edited) . Edited January 4, 2023 by roxanne23 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maus Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 Here's a nice analysis of various brands I just ran across while finding the links for my above post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arliemaria Posted August 24, 2011 Author Share Posted August 24, 2011 Here's a nice analysis of various brands I just ran across while finding the links for my above post. Thank you so much for posting that. I just found out about the whittle wooden trains through that site and know exactly what I want know. I am going to go look at them tomorrow!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maus Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 Thank you so much for posting that. I just found out about the whittle wooden trains through that site and know exactly what I want know. I am going to go look at them tomorrow!!Glad I stumbled across it. There is one piece of Thomas track that I have to enthusiastically recommend as a mommy sanity saver, even if you mostly have another brand. I can't even guess how many hours I spent down on the floor trying to make my son's creations connect up ("Mommy! Fix my track! It doesn't work") before we found this. It's called Wacky Track, and it's flexible, so you can get around strange corners. I haven't seen anything similar from any of the other manufacturers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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