train set suggestions?

[RainySunday]

Ds is turning two and we are thinking about doing trains for his bday. he loves his woooo wooooooooos very much, and since DD got her kitchen at 2, we are thinking we will build him a table, and get trains for him for his 2.

 

Now...I was never into trains, DH wasn't a train guy, my brother wasn't either...In other words, I need suggestions. We'd rather good quality over "characters," but are not ruling out TtT, either. We like wood and things that last. We are not, however, made of money... So, who has great train suggestions?

 

Thanks!

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

The wooden Thomas set was worth the money, imo. My boys got a substantial amount of use out of the train table and cars, and we were able to pass it along to a friend's little boy in relatively good condition.

[BarbecueMom]

We have wooden trains out the wazoo. I think we have Melissa & Doug, Circo, Imaginarium (whatever the TRU brand is), and Thomas. My boys are extremely, EXTREMELY destructive, but the Thomas pieces are the only ones not broken yet. Not for a lack of trying! After seeing Misty Island Rescue, apparently everything needs to dangle off a cliff or two...

[justasque]

The wooden Brio/Thomas trains are sturdy and last a long time. They are mainly about vehicle play - the trains, the loads they carry, moving loads from trains to boats or trucks. Plus of course setting up the community - the track, the station, the train shed, etc. Building the track is often a problem-solving exercise, which I like. The original Thomas stories, and the TV stories, are mostly about feelings, etc., and the kiddos can reenact them. Brio can fit on a table, though doing so seriously restricts layout possibilities and I don't recommend it as you lose the problem-solving inherent in building new track set-ups. Brio is wood, which 1) is a more natural material for those who would prefer less plastic, and 2) means that home-built accessories can blend right in.

 

Lego's DUPLO line has a train; not sure if they still make it. People can ride this train, as can zoo or circus animals, all kinds of cargo, etc. There are also more things that you can set up in the community - we have airplanes, boats, etc. that can take passengers or cargo to/from the train. For "people play" the Duplo offers many more people options, wheras in BRIO/Thomas the trains essentially *are* the people. You get the same track-building experience as BRIO. Plus, there is the added activity of building the various structures - station, etc. - which can change every time. The scale is larger, so it takes up more room. It is plastic, which is not as nice as wood, however many pieces can go in the dishwasher, which can be a plus.

 

Brio (and the other compatible brands) as well as DUPLO generally have a strong resale value, and hold up extremely well.

 

There are various electric trains (Lionel, HO, etc) but these are for older children (and their grandfathers).

 

Lego has had some nice trains over the years, but again, they are for older children.

[craftymama]

Another vote for Thomas. I just went with what he was drawn to. Every time he got anywhere near a Thomas set it was a fight to get him away. They held his attention so well. Still do.

[T'smom]

We got the cheaper brand of wooden train tracks and the Thomas train cars. I think all those wooden train sets are interchangeable and that saved us some money. It's a good investment, though- ours were played with every day for at least a year.

[ApronMama]

We love TtT! It definitely lasts and is worth the money. We try not to get into overly commercialized characters, but Thomas is the one exception. I would still watch the TV show if the boys would :lol:

 

Because Thomas is spendy and you want to have lots of track to work with, we started with a Thomas starter set and my friend bought the big imaginerium track set. At that time, at least, the two were compatible, although the Thomas track pieces are stronger and better looking. For the money, though, it was a great way to expand the set.

 

My husband built our train table to fit the Thomas table top, if the design is important to you. Since its now a Playmobile/Lego table, a plain color might have been a better choice.

 

Have fun! We're saving our Thomas set for the grandkids. The kids still play with it for now though.

[Mama Geek]

Dh and I put up our childhood trains for our dd this past Christmas. Yes we had to watch her around them, but she really enjoyed them. They are something that we will be able to enjoy for many years into the future. Yeah dh is old enough to be a grandpa and I am almost old enough to be a grandma;), but we enjoyed playing with them with dd.

 

You can get used Lionel trains on Ebay. I would probably look for something more than 30 years old. My brothers train was about that old and not nearly as well built as mine was.

[Desert Rat]

Does Fisher Price still make GeoTrax? These are perfect trains for little guys. My little man adored his trains. They are easy to click together and have fun features available. It's sold as a main set then extra add-ons.

I highly recommend them.

[bettyandbob]

The wooden train set my dc had was Brio (made in Sweden) and Brio compatible tracks and trains made in Germany. They have held up well. Before making this kind of investment can you take your boy somewhere that has a wooden trainset out for kids to play with. Barnes and Noble used to have Thomas trains in their kids reading area.

 

At the time we were first into trains and accumulating parts Brio and Thomas were the same price, but Thomas was made and China and Brio was not. I do not know that Brio is still made in Sweden, but that was part of my decision making at the time. I knew that my expensive purchase was going toward an actual living wage. I do not believe workers in Chinese factories are paid a living wage. Another issue that was big at the time was that many toys in China were being recalled because lead paint had been detected or some other poison issue.

 

Those were my considerations. You may not have the same issues.

[Corraleno]

The wooden Brio/Thomas trains are sturdy and last a long time.

:iagree:

Ours is about 12 years old, has taken a serious beating over the years, and still looks great. The kids won't let me get rid of it because they want to save it for their own kids. It gets pulled out every once in a while when younger kids come to visit, and even the adults can rarely resist getting involved. It was a big investment (although we got a lot of the pieces and extension sets from relatives for Christmas & birthday presents), but it was well worth it because the components are truly heirloom quality.

 

Jackie

[Corraleno]

The wooden train set my dc had was Brio (made in Sweden) and Brio compatible tracks and trains made in Germany. They have held up well. Before making this kind of investment can you take your boy somewhere that has a wooden trainset out for kids to play with. Barnes and Noble used to have Thomas trains in their kids reading area.

That's a great idea — our B&N has the Thomas set, too.

 

Our track, buildings, and all the accessories are Brio (made in Sweden) although we have both Thomas trains and Brio trains. We bought the Thomas stuff in the UK, though — I wonder if a different manufacturer has the license in the US?

 

We once bought some wooden track at Ikea, which was supposed to be compatible with Brio, but it didn't fit properly and wasn't remotely the same quality — the wood was rougher, some of the pieces were slightly warped or had small cracks, and they didn't fit together as well (the joining bits were plastic inserts instead of being an integral part of the wood). The Brio stuff was well worth the extra money — perfectly smooth wood, no warping, and all the pieces fit together perfectly. We chucked the Ikea stuff.

 

Jackie

[nukeswife]

My youngest was BIG into Thomas from age 2-5, at 6.5 he'll still bring them out, just not as often. We love the Thomas wooden trains, they hold up really well. We have them in a large bin in dh's closet and will hold on to them for grandchildren.

 

My son also has the geotrax remote control trains, airport and Lightning McQueen sets. Those are nice, but they seem to not be as easy to find anymore.

[RainySunday]

Thanks! I knew I could count on you all to guide me! I will have to look into those more, and see what we come up with.

 

Thanks!

[Lucy the Valiant]

One idea I would offer is this - the tracks are actually kind of difficult for the average 2yo to configure, especially within the limitations of table. We got our older son some tracks and a table when he turned 2, and he loved those tracks (still does, at 6yo), but the table was a real hassle.

 

We got rid of the table and kept the tracks, and are now getting MORE tracks for our younger son (who just turned 2 and has birthday money!). They spread them out ALL OVER the floor, and then when they're done, pile them back into a huge basket.

 

I don't know how you feel about buying used, but we're buying used TtT tracks (and Brio) this time, rather than new off-brand tracks (which did not hold up to Destructo-Child's creativity).

[MrsBear]

I you have the money to get it, I'd go with a large NILO table and a couple of stools. You get a train mat insert that flips (comes with the purchase) to plain white (protects the table from scratches), you can also later buy a lego insert to allow building on the table when he's older.

 

I highly recommend Plan Toys trains and sets; they include wood roads too, so while kids build train tracks, they can add roads, bridges, etc. and also use their small cars (or the cars Plan Toys has). They also have, I think, incredible buildings and other things (trees, etc.).

[Dustybug]

My son just got a train table and accessories for Christmas. The table is from Imaginairum, and we bought it from someone we knew used. She'd had it for several years for her two boys and it still looks excellent. Our trains and accessories are mostly brio and thomas, but I've also looked at Melissa and Doug and been impressed.

[Liz CA]

Thomas the Tank Engine Wooden Set. It can be expanded as you go along, is (or was) of good quality because it outlasted my son. :D

[Annie G]

We had Thomas trains and tracks, and some Brio as well. Ds was VERY into trains until he was about 9. Then he put the wooden trains aside and moved on to HO scale.

We never had a train table. Ds made tracks on the floor and we just grew accustomed to walking around them.

Ours are in the attic, waiting for him to pass on to his kids one day.

[Trilliums]

We have a mix of wooden track brands of varying ages. Some are almost 20 years old (from my nephew). The Brio brands have lasted the longest. The wooden tracks with spheres where the track pieces join together tend to break. From time to time, I see tracks at the thrift store for very low prices. You might start small and slowly build up the collection.

 

My kids are teens but we still set up a wooden train track around our Christmas tree. I thought last year might have been our final time doing it...but DS hauled out the box and set them up last Christmas too. We still have a lot of fun with them.

 

We have had train tables too, but the kids definitely prefer spreading them out on the floor. Tracks can get very large.

 

Sounds like so much fun! Enjoy your time with trains, even as you are thinking to yourself, I cannot go Choo Choo one more time!

[kitten18]

The wooden Thomas set was worth the money, imo. My boys got a substantial amount of use out of the train table and cars, and we were able to pass it along to a friend's little boy in relatively good condition.

:iagree: Definitely our best toy investment. At 8 and 6, my kids still get the trains out and build huge tracks on the entryway floor.

 

I you have the money to get it, I'd go with a large NILO table and a couple of stools. You get a train mat insert that flips (comes with the purchase) to plain white (protects the table from scratches), you can also later buy a lego insert to allow building on the table when he's older.

 

I LOVE our NILO table. My kids don't build track on it anymore (they make bigger track on the floor) but now they use it for legos, puzzles, snap circuits, marble run, etc. We have the rolling storage box that goes under the table, it is great.

[Venia]

We have the diecast Thomas the Train and I hate them. The track is flimsy and the paint on the engines chip easily. Not worth the $$$.

 

I am thinking of selling them and replacing them with the wooden train set from Ikea. Its very cute, very affordable, durable (according to my friend with triple preschool boys) and easily expanded.

 

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30064359/

[annlaura]

We have lots of Thomas, Brio, and Ikea, and love it all. So much fun. One brand we love that I don't see mentioned is Whittle Railroad. They make wooden trains that are the same size as Thomas/Brio, but look just like real trains or the model electric trains. We buy all our trains at a local mom & pop, but Whittle is available online.

[blondeviolin]

We have Thomas, ikea and circo. The ikea track doesn't fit as easily into the other two brands. I can't tell the difference between the Thomas or circo tracks.

[5forMe]

My suggestion is Thomas the Tank Engine and Brio.

 

Also skip the train table. It is too restrictive. Our train table has been in the attic for years. The boys would rather have open ended play with the train tracks and build them to go from room to room on my main floor. We have stepped over train tracks for years.

[sbgrace]

The wooden Thomas trains and track we got were very well worth the money. My boys still play with them now (in spurts) and did absolutely constantly when younger. They like them on the floor...I might put the money into the track and trains rather than a table. Whittle trains are really nice. They are created like actual trains so no characters if you really don't want the Thomas character angle. I think little kids really like the character aspect. My train nut loved the Whittle because he was very much into real trains but his twin seemed to prefer Thomas when younger.

Edited March 6, 2012 by sbgrace

[momtoamiracle]

my son has loved and played with his thomas set for years.