Train Sets?

We got the wooden train set from Target last year. The one this year looks pretty cool. It seems that all the wooden ones are interchangable, although a friend of mine had a hard time with the Ikea track fitting with other models. While my son likes his train set, I have found that he would much rather play with his friend's Geo Trax. They run with a little remote and they are colorful and plastic. They are not the "classic" train, but are so much cooler to him... Something to consider.

This was also a question and subject of discussion earlier this week. You might want to try the Mamasource website to look it up and see the advice people gave then. I personally like the Brio or Thomas track and the Thomas cars and engines (beware the recent recall though) and think the track fits together much better than the Target brand. My kids got frustrated playing with their cousin's Target set because the track didn't fit together well and didn't stay together. That was several years ago so maybe it's changed since then. Oh, most of the brands are compatible so you can mix and match if you want.

We have a Brio table and wodden train set that we are thinking about selling. It is in great shape and we put Lego plates on the opposite side of the table top. It has been great entertainment. Let me know if you are interested in this.

H.
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I would recommend the Brio sets. They're better made - we received some Thomas pieces and they fell apart. The Brio farm we have has had its doors ripped off a dozen times and they just pop back on.

Brio is far far more expensive than any of the other options. You may want to decide if you're looking for an heirloom set (my 34-year-old sister still has hers) or for a short-term set.

The other part of the decision is number of pieces - because of the expense of Brio, we have fewer pieces than we would with another set. This is good for us because I prefer a smaller set of pieces, but if you're envisioning large meandering train tracks, you may want to try something cheaper.

And finally there's the made-in-China debate, but I won't get into that. =)

We have Geo trax and just love them! Very durable and easy to put together.

We have 3 boys, and trains are the big thing at home (for the past 4 yrs actually!) We have done the wooden Thomas trains,(they also have metal ones, at Target and other places) my boys like the personality/faces that come with it. After watching a couple of the Thomas DVD's they love to create their own adventures with the trains. The Brio sets are nice, and all the wooden tracks work together. If you watch for the 40 % off coupons for Michaels, they carry Thomas so thats always a good savings!
We have invested in the trains for our boys, but have never regretted it! They hold up well and are the favorites at our home. I have not bought the Thomas brand wooden track, however, I usually buy the store brand (Target, Toys R us). It works the same and much cheaper! I do have to say though, that no one plays with the store brand trains that come with it :) They know the Thomas trains and like them.
Hope this helps!

We bought a train table from Costco 3 years ago...it was a lot cheaper, and it works with Thomas which my oldest became obsessed with shortly after...we just added trains and pieces...he loved DVD's and repeating the adventures with his trains...my youngest son now has the train table and loves it just as much. (Actually so does my daughter, it turns out Polly Pockets loves visiting the Island of Sodor.) I have never met anyone who invested in a table who did not just love it.
Good Luck!
C.

If you specify wooden train sets only then you don't have to worry about compatibility as they are all compatible. Thomas, Brio, Imaginarium, Melissa & Doug, and a number of other companies all make wooden train sets that work together. We have some of each and have liked them all equally. My son plays with all the train cars no matter what brand. They make great gifts as you can add to his collection each year. My son is 4 and still plays with his set everyday.