We recently purchased a train table that is still in the box. My son plays w/Thomas the Train and Geo Tracks. My husband wants me to return the train table because he thinks it is a waste. I know that when you build the tracks, they usually are larger than the table fits. Ok, what do you think? Train table or no?
We have had our Brio train table for 12 years. Yes, sometimes the tracks are bigger than the table. Sometimes it's been an action figure guy table, sometimes a lego table and sometimes a train table. I think it's well worth it!
Ours was worth it. My parents got one for my boys a few years ago and they love it. It is in the toy room of our house, before that it was in the family room. They use it for so much more than just tracks. My boys will play with their trains on it without tracks, play with their cars on it, play with other action figures on it, use it for playing games, use it for building with legos, for drawing and coloring... It's wonderful! If you're main reason for using the table is just for setting up the track, I would return it- the table doesn't allow for extravagent set-ups, but we use it for so many more uses that it was worth it for us.
J., my grandson has one. He plays with it. sometimes. But it takes up a lot of space. What my dad did for my brothers when we were kids was to get a pc of plywood and cover it with the green felt covering. then atached the train tracks to it. this was great for them. they slid it out from under the bed when they wanted to play and put it back when they were done. with the geo tracks they will want to make different configurations all the time. i would suggest a big bin to keep that in and a big open play space to do it. that way they can play when and where ever the mood strikes them without being contained to the space the table is in.
Ours sat for a year without the boys playing trains on it. Finally it became a junk collector table and space hog, so we gave it away. Other friends of ours had the same experience.
My mom set up a large piece of wood and covered it on her floor, and my nephew plays all the time with his geo tracks. As another mom suggested, We just have the rug and they seem to like that well enough.
J.-
I would say to return it! That sounds so terrible to say but we bought my son the table and he played much better on the floor! The one that we bought I couldn't even figure out the tracks for setting it up with the instructions in front of me. My son would get so frusterated that he would just play on the ground. For christmas this year we got him a rug that is rather large and it has roads and houses and stuff and he plays with it everyday. And the best part is that it's not in the way. Good luck on what ever you decide. I don't mean to steer you away from the table it just didn't work out so well for us and we were so excited to give it to him. Right now it's in the basement covered with toys. Good times!
Good luck-
