Thomas the Train 101 [Archive] - CookingLight.com Community

DanaSD

03-19-2007, 10:50 AM

jellyben

03-19-2007, 11:00 AM

Mom of 2 former Thomas junkies checking in!

Brio and Thomas pieces are interchangeable. We stuck with the wooden railway stuff because I just liked it. Anything with a battery or plastic tracks I avoided. The magnetic trains for the wooden tracks are just great. I would throw a few in a bag and they could play with them anywhere even without a track. As they got older they would make elaborate railway systems with all the different pieces. to save money I would buy non-Thomas or Brio pieces and they held up well(A Thomas bridge or tunnel can set you back $40!!!). My boys are 6 and 9 and they still play with the stuff occasionally.

clairea

03-19-2007, 11:01 AM

There are a lot of new pieces (take along, battery operated, etc.) since I had a toddler boy, but I can at least answer the question about compatability. The Thomas wooden tracks are compatabile with Brio trains and tracks. The Brio wooden tracks are the ones that just have the two runners for the wheels, and don't have the horizontal lines running across the tracks (does that make sense)? There are also adapter pieces available to connect some kinds of plastic track to the wooden track. I know we had some for the plastic track that came with the battery-operated Lionel trains (there is a series of trains and related books -- The Mighty Mogul, The President Washington, The Torpedo, etc. -- which I recommend when your son gets a bit older).

Barrie

03-19-2007, 11:01 AM

Our DS just turned four and we've had all of the various Thomas sets. We used to have Take Along (sold primarily at Target) but sold that on ebay. We have a ton of the wooden trains, track, etc. (sold at TRU and everywhere else), and we have the entire set of Thomas Legos (although that will likely be the next set to go up on ebay). One of DS' birthday gifts was the Tomy motorized airport set. Well, of course that didn't come w/ enough track to do much of anything, so now we're heavily invested in the Tomy set, too.

I will say that we are enjoying the motorized set right now b/c it's more entertaining to watch the trains go around the track by themselves. They sell buildings that do different things too, like we have the quarry, the train wash, and the airport.

The wooden set has the most trains, buildings, etc. It is true that the Take Along is not compatible with the wooden. I don't think any of the sets are compatible with any of the others. TRU sells track and, I think, buildings, by another manufacturer (Brio?) that I believe is compatible w/ the Thomas-brand wooden set. I'm not 100% certain, though.

You can get good deals on everything Thomas at www.allaboardtoys.com.

You may be interested in going to the Day Out With Thomas - it's coming to the Grand Canyon Railway in Williams the 2nd weekend in May. Your son may be a little young for it this year, but I think it comes every year. We did it last year and had a blast.

Just be prepared to spend a lot of money as you build your Thomas collection!

TKay

03-19-2007, 11:04 AM

You're right. There are lots of Thomas sets that are not compatible. They make small metal ones, larger battery-operated ones, etc. The ones we went with (and the ones I think are most versatile and usable) are the standard wooden ones. It sounds like those are the ones you're going with as well. The standard wooden set is compatible with the Brio set, I believe. But we didn't get any other brands. While pricy, we stuck with the Thomas stuff.
It's worth the investment. Since we have two boys, we got lots of use out of the set. We got a standard starter set at the beginning, then just kept adding pieces. The boys now have a giant boxful that they only occasionally use. They do not, however, want to get rid of it (they're 5 and 7). Truthfully, I think they'd still play with it if my older son wasn't in such a big-kid phase. He calls Thomas a "baby toy" now (even though I think he'd secretly love to set up a track again).
One thing I really like about the wooden set is that there are some battery-operated engines you can get for it. So even though it's a "manual" toy, you can get an engine or two that's self-propelled. We only had one, but it was really fun for the boys to use.
We toyed with the idea of getting a table, but never did. The boys just set it up on the floor--and had a great time doing it.
If your ds is like most boys I know, he'll love it. You won't regret the investment either. It provides hours of entertainment and helps them with their imagination and creativity. A really great toy to have.
Enjoy!

misskitty100

03-19-2007, 11:06 AM

this is for moms of toddler boys

DS got some Thomas trains for his birthday and he is just now starting to like to play with them (he's 14 months). He's still young but we had planned on getting him a set for Christmas or his birthday so I want to keep an eye out for some good deals.

I'm confused because there seem to be a lot of different lines. wooden railway, battery operated, take along, etc. Which is the most popular? I think the ones that we have our wooden railway and I had picked up an easter take along at Target but it says they're not compatible. I also found some wooden railway pieces at Michaels on half price clearance.

Also, I've heard that Thomas trains are compatible with one of the other train sets - which set? I'd rather buy some of the non licensed character stuff too.

I had posted last year about buying the Costco train table but we didn't end up buying it. Some people had concerns about the quality of the trains and we had a play table for DS that the trains could be placed on.

TIA

I can answer some of your questions but I am sure there are some real "experts" here!:rolleyes:

I believe the wooden Thomas's are compatible with the Brio trains.

We have a train table from Toys R Us but the thing is a piece of junk in my opionion. It basically ends up being a little table piled high with DS's toys. The nice thing about Costco's was that it had two large drawers underneath so it doubles as a toy box. Our train table has two small drawers built in but you can only fit small stuff in them. DS takes the panels off of the top of the table and likes to pertend he is snowboarding on them. He doesn't play trains very much with the table. Although if we go to PB kids he plays with their train table every single time - go figure!

DS has the plastic Thomas set that has blue tracks and battery operated trains. He does play with this a lot and has had them for several years and they are surprisingly sturdy.

We also have the wood trains (came with the train table from Toys R US). The set came with tracks, trains, people, trees, buildings, street signs, airplane, runway etc. ( I think the pieces are the same that Costco sells but just a different table). Anway, LOTS and LOTS of pieces that are spread around our house. DH wanted to super glue the tracks together so they would stay put together but I didn't think that was a good idea (hindsight, I wish we would have done that). I did try duck taping the bottoms of the tracks together but DS took them apart and now we have sticky duck tape residue on all of the tracks so I don't recomend that.

cchhbb

03-19-2007, 11:08 AM

I would add try to check out consignment sales or shops for Thomas train stuff. I have also purchased off of Ebay. I would be really scared to add up what the collection we have would cost new.

I have been lucky and was able to pick up some buildings at TJ Maxx and Ross at Christmas time.

We had a few battery operated ones and I really detested them. My sons were too young at the time to really operate them properly.

I would recommend buying Thomas wooden. A few months ago we went to a model train show and purchased some knock off track that was compatible. If I can find the contact info I'll post it. This track is nearly identical to the Thomas track for about 1/3 the money.

RunnerKim

03-19-2007, 11:16 AM

I think it might be Toys R Us brand - but Imaginarium is also compatible with Brio and Thomas tracks and cheaper than either one but still good quality. I think I bought it via Amazon but it seems Toys R Us has split from them now.

We don't have room in our house for a train table but I wish we did and had glued down some track as I think the kids would play with the track a lot more. They flock to the table at the community center. We have a lot more flexibility but we also have to build the track each time (and right now with an almost 2 year old - that means a lot of "Jamie don't touch").

Kim

misskitty100

03-19-2007, 11:23 AM

Yes, Imaginarium is who made out table/trains/track.

BeachBum

03-19-2007, 11:23 AM

I would recommend buying Thomas wooden. A few months ago we went to a model train show and purchased some knock off track that was compatible. If I can find the contact info I'll post it. This track is nearly identical to the Thomas track for about 1/3 the money.

I would be really interested in this too.

My son is just a bit older than yours,DanaSD, and we are just starting to get into trains here as well. From what I've heard from my friends, kids as young as ours get really frustrated with the track breaking apart. For the most part they are too young to build and put it back together. Although I haven't done it yet, my plan is to hot glue 1 figure 8 set together. It may not come apart easily but I thought it would be a good starter set and I will not have spent much $$ if the glue wont come off.
Another idea is that my friend started with a $30 plastic Geo Tracks set for her 18 mo old. The trains are battery operated and magnetic. Her plan is to use that until age 3, or until he can assemble the track himself. Additionally she wants to be sure that he is "into" trains before spending the big bucks on the wooden sets.
I have also heard that people have had good luck using the 40% off coupons from Michael's to buy Thomas stuff. From what I've seen Brio is compatible. I think your choices depend a lot on if your kid watches TV and knows about the characters. :) Ignorance is bliss at my house ;)

clairea

03-19-2007, 11:25 AM

DH wanted to super glue the tracks together so they would stay put together but I didn't think that was a good idea (hindsight, I wish we would have done that). I did try duck taping the bottoms of the tracks together but DS took them apart and now we have sticky duck tape residue on all of the tracks so I don't recomend that.

You can hot glue the tracks (either together, or to the train table). You can peel the hot glue off when you want to move them, but it would slow little fingers down. DH and DS used to spend hours setting up new configurations for the track, and then I would have to hot glue it all in place so DD couldn't come along and destroy it!

I'm another who thinks you won't regret an investment in the wooden tracks and trains. My kids still pull them out and play with them sometimes, only now the tracks wind all over the playroom (and sometimes beyond!). That doesn't bother me though, because I know how much planning goes into figuring out how to make all the pieces go together to wind around elaborately and still close a loop, so if they want to figure all that out, more power to them!

hrk

03-19-2007, 11:29 AM

The wodden Thomas stuff is compatible with Brio tracks (which you can find at small independent toy stores) or Imaginarium (which Toys R Us sells) As for finding the Thomas stuff itself, in addition to toy stores, they are sold at Michaels, AC Moore (another craft shop), ebay and all over the internet.
We started DS with Thomas stuff when he was about 1 1/2 and today (almost four) he still loves it.
There are battery operated trains that are just like the manual ones and are made for the owdden railway set, and DS has one that he likes to use to watch it go around the track but he has a ton of "manual"ones that he likes just as much. He also has about 3 "thomas" engines as we find it helps quell arguments when he and his friends are playing together.
I don't know how much room you have in your home, but I think a table i really nice for the stuff. My DH is rather handy so he built a table for the trains with 4 drawers underneath that are really deep and we can store, the trains, track and buildings in. So we usualy set up one layout and when DS gets tired of it we take it down and do another set up. And he is now getting to the point where he wants to design his own layouts.
HTH
Heather

beacooker

03-19-2007, 11:40 AM

My boys have been very into their wooden train set recently. We have a few 'Thomas' pieces, but most of ours are cheapie off-brand stuff, and I am just as happy with them as I am with the more expensive name-brand set. I think our first set was like a 70-piece set from Target for about $20. We have had it for over 3 years now, and it has held up well. We've also purchased some pieces from http://www.woodentracks.com and been happy with them.

RunnerKim

03-19-2007, 11:41 AM

My almost 2 year old is putting wooden tracks together himself and has been for a couple of months. Not in the best way (he doesn't always have them face up or use the connector pieces for the bridge) but he gets a lot of enjoyment out of the tracks and the trains (sometimes together and sometimes seperately). I know my DD was doing the same around that age. Now that DD is 4.5, she is much more frustrated about the track coming apart (we have carpet in most of the house). You can get a starter set of the wooden tracks fairly reasonably so if you think you're going to go that way, that's what I'd suggest. Our local non-chain toy store also sells individual pieces so I was able to pick up a few connector pieces to make life easier (2 female ends or 2 male ends).

We have an enjoyable large/thick board book that covers many of the Thomas characters. It's poems about each train and that really helped us (particularly me!) learn the different stories. We don't watch much tv and only have a few Thomas DVDs and I was having a hard time remembering who was who.

Kim

leebee

03-19-2007, 12:01 PM

DS is 6 and has been playing w/ his Take Along set (metal trains, plastic track) since before he was 3. He loves it still. I chose the Take Along so we could take it along on trips. He had a small carrier & would pack it up himself (still does!).

He spends hours playing with his trains. Sometimes he sets up elaborate track systems (he has several of the buildings), but sometimes just uses the trains on the floor. He also likes to set up his trains to merge w/ his Hotwheels setup. It's pretty amazing what he can do!

mrswaz

03-19-2007, 12:36 PM

I admit that I'm surprised that people like the Take-Along Thomas and the motorized railway. DS is a HUGE Thomas and train fan. We've tried everything, and his favorite Thomas is the wooden railway. Like others have said, Brio and Imaginarium train track is perfectly compatible. The take-along trains are not very sturdy, and we keep losing the pieces for one, and second, they really don't pack up like they say they do. I'm really disappointed with them actually. They don't come out very often, and I'm thinking of passing on these sets.

The motorized railway is kind of boring to watch. There's no real interaction, you just watch the trains go back and forth. If you're looking for motorized, I can't recommend GeoTrax enough. We have many sets and pieces to the Geotrax and the entire family has fun playing with it. We took the motorized Thomas to Goodwill after we bought the first set of Geotrax. You can get a good look at the Geotrax and the possibilities with those on the Fisher Price website.

But mostly, it's the wooden track that gets played with. I would never glue the track down, DS is always coming up with new tracks or adjusting this and that. He's three, and has had the table since before his second birthday. It's scary to say, but we do have almost all of the Thomas friends for the wooden track. They are so durable, and just so fun to watch him play with. When we spend a day away from home, we always tuck a few into my purse to bring along so he has something to keep him occupied. Quite often he will set up his trains and act out a scene from one of the movies or books.

Barrie

03-19-2007, 12:45 PM

One BIG word of caution re the wooden track. Twice DS has gotten his finger stuck in the "female" (for lack of a better description :p ) piece of track and we have had to take him to the fire station for them to cut it off. The opening is the perfect size/shape for little ones' fingers.

buffygirl

03-19-2007, 12:47 PM

Thanks Dana for asking this question. Rex is in love with trains, but I wasn't sure where to start in regards to Thomas. Thanks for the input everyone!
Kim

leebee

03-19-2007, 12:49 PM

The take-along trains are not very sturdy, and we keep losing the pieces for one, and second, they really don't pack up like they say they do. I'm really disappointed with them actually. They don't come out very often, and I'm thinking of passing on these sets.

I have to say I don't agree with this at all! Our trains, and the pieces that go with them, have had hard (and I mean HARD!) use over the last 3+ years. He has one train that we've replaced because the paint wore off, but that's because Gordon doesn't REALLY need to take a bath when DS does. We do mostly leave all of the extra parts--Cranky the Crane & his little set up, the sawmill, etc--at home all the time, the Round House has been great for packing up and taking along--it limits what he can take and we don't leave things behind. I think the wooden ones are great, but I know my son doesn't like them much (cousin has a set)--he hates that the tracks don't stay together well and when he tries to pull a whole line of cars, they won't go--they split apart if the line is too long. I think it's just a matter of what one is used to and what one has. I would never get the battery operated ones, myself, but I suppose another family will love them.

One caveat--the metal Take Along trains hurt like the dickens when you step on them!

LA98

03-19-2007, 01:00 PM

but that's because Gordon doesn't REALLY need to take a bath when DS does

LOL!!! :D

DS got a wooden set for his second birthday. Oh how he loves it! We've added to it with Imaginarium pieces. I wouldn't recommend gluing the tracks together: it's been fascinating watching him get creative with laying out the tracks in different ways over the past year or so. I think the wooden sets are so much more interactive than the battery-operated. He lays on the floor for hours playing with them, making up stories, changing the track around, etc. I can't imagine it would be as much fun to just watch the trains going around the track by themselves?

And I agree with Barrie about Day Out with Thomas if it comes to your area: DS loved it! The look on his face all day was just priceless...

DanaSD

03-19-2007, 01:06 PM

wow I wasn't expecting soooo many responses so fast. I think I will continue with the wood ones and keep searching for more good deals. Glad to hear that there are other young ones already playing with the tracks - I love trains (the hobbyist kind) so I'd like DS to have fun with them too.

I think he's too young for the Thomas train ride this year but we'll try it next year. We are going to the train park over in Scottsdale this week.

thanks everyone - I feel more educated now.

Costco carries some DVDs that come with trains but I didn't check which type of trains - I'm guessing they're the wooden ones.

MrsReber

03-19-2007, 01:07 PM

DS loves Thomas- still. Got his first wooden railway set before he was 2. Even then, he could easily assemble the track. The peices can be expensive, but we have the coupons for Michael's and The Rag Shop (the ones in NJ carried Thomas wooden rail sets). I believe Target is now selling the wooden set, too.

I got a great deal on a set at Barnes and Noble. They had a Thomas round the tree set. Before Christmas it was $50. After Christmas, we got it for under $20.

However, the pieces make great gifts. DS gets peices for holidays and that works well, especially for relatives who just don't know what to buy. DS will act out certain Thomas episodes that he's seen, too. DD joins in as well. We have a cheap table from Target. It does limit your ability to build a big track, though. We have gone to Day out with Thomas 3 times now. We took pictures of the track set ups they had there so we could try them at home. I think it was a great investment since it encouraged my kids to use their imagination. They came up with all kinds of stories.

About the finger getting stuck- this happened to DS recently. DH told me to pour dish soap on it. I poured a ton of dish soap on his finger and, sure enough, his finger came right out.

Barrie

03-19-2007, 01:10 PM

We tried dish soap, as well as lotion, and neither worked.

Dana - you will love the Railroad Park. We had Matthew's birthday party there three weeks ago. It is his favorite place on earth, and we are there all the time.

Lrimerman

03-19-2007, 01:16 PM

We have the wooden set. I also have some Geotrax sets, but I must say they don't get much use. My kids love the wooden set. They know the characters and make elaborate track designs. The trains do break apart when there are too many attached, but the kids enjoy trying to find the breaking point and mixing and matching pieces. My 2 year old even builds tracks and plays with them quite well.

I tend to buy at TRU when they are on sale or clearance (got some great deals on clearance sets around the holidays) and my favorite place is on line at All Aboard Toys. They always have coupon codes you can search online for and free shipping at $70 usually.

We have the Costco train table (an older version) and I love the drawers to hold pieces. We have filled them up to capacity at this point. I do have a couple of the battery operated train pieces for the set and they are nice because they will pull a few trains behind them, so it is like having the electric or plastic feature with the better quality wooden trains.

Lisa

Molli526

03-19-2007, 07:46 PM

Charles is starting to really get into his wooden train pieces lately. We have a hodge podge. A friend found some Brio/Thomas pieces with track at a garage sale last year and then I got the starter set of the knock-off at Target last year on clearance, which fits, and then we also have a few pieces that fit from our small train table we got from Wal-Mart. Both boys love playing with it.

We are going to Day Out with Thomas this year. I think Charles especially will love it. I was able to buy the tickets today and I got the time and day we wanted - yay!

cchhbb

03-20-2007, 03:05 AM

Day out with Thomas is terrific. We've been 4 times and are going again next month. I would advise buying your tickets as early as possible if you want a weekend time. Ours is the last Saturday in April and I didn't get my 1st choice when I bought my tickets in January. I just moved up an hour and was able to get them though. Last year when we went, DS1 was 3.5 and DS2 was just under 1. Both enjoyed it a lot. I do think it is a one parent/one child event as it is so crowded with little children.

gertdog

03-20-2007, 08:03 AM

I'm enjoying this thread! DS has two Brio sets- the My First Brio, which is just a circular track with small train and soft-sided "tunnel" and the Zoo set which he loves. At Christmas I found a cute Polar Express add-on- a segment of track with a Christmas tree that lights up when the train is rolled past. I can't tell you how excited Ryan was about that! But so far he is more enamored of just pushing the trains along on the floor rather than doing anything with the track.

Can someone say more about Day Out with Thomas? What is it, what do you do there?

DanaSD

03-20-2007, 08:18 AM

Here's the link to the one at the Grand Canyon

http://www.thetrain.com/dayoutwiththomas/

mrswaz

03-20-2007, 08:25 AM

We went to Day Out With Thomas last year, and had a blast. The highlight of the day is a train ride with Thomas pulling the train, but they have other stations with activites and things to do that highlight trains and Thomas. When we arrived, our kids were each given a passport with five areas to visit and get their passport stamp. One area was meeting Sir Topham Hatt, one area was a coloring/activity page and temporary tattoo area. Another area was the movie screen, where we could take a break from a hot afternoon and sit and watch a few episodes of Thomas with some popcorn. I'm drawing a blank on the other areas, but our set up also had an outdoor activity area with large bubble blowers, a putt-putt course, and large inflatable jumpers. There is the snack bar area and then the largest Thomas gift shop.

There's also the areas where they have several train tables set up with many different layouts for playing with, plus they had table upon table of the motorized Thomas sets going, and then there was an entire area devoted to model railroading, and they had model railroad enthusiasts on hand showing off their setups and answering questions.

Our Day Out is at a train musem, so there's also the museum to visit, and real train cars to explore. I don't know if that's how it is everywhere, but we're certainly looking forward to going back.

cchhbb

03-20-2007, 11:36 AM

We've been to Day Out With Thomas in three different places and each one has different set-ups. By far we liked the one in Chattanooga best. They had their trains and we even ate in the dining car. You only pay to ride Thomas, the other stuff is generally free. They have tattoos, a petting zoo, visit Sir Top Ham Hatt, Videos, Story Time, things to buy, train tables, motorized trains, Thomas legos, coloring, ect.

I think our tickets were $16 plus a service charge. I want to say the train ride is about 30 minutes or so.

You can also get your picture taken in front of Thomas. My kids loved that.

hrk

03-20-2007, 01:30 PM

Can someone say more about Day Out with Thomas? What is it, what do you do there?

Stephanie-
I don't know how far you are from Strausburg, Pennsylvania, but we have gone to Day Out with Thomas there twice and I know Susan Mrs Reber has gone there as well. Their day out with Thomas includes pretty much what everyone else has said, but you can also buy a combo ticket where you get one train ride pulled by Thomas and a second on one of their short line rail roads. They also have little pull cars the kids can ride for free, they have all the train tables, Thomas legos, etc.
I just looked at the schedule for Strausburg as we are thinking about taking the boys this year and Day OUt with Thomas is being held in mid June and also again in September.
HTH,
Heather

DanaSD

05-04-2007, 01:53 PM

thanks everyone - we're going with the wooden trains. He already has the birthday train and in the last few weeks has been really playing with the train. We're going to get a starter set of tracks soon.

***bumping this up because Toys R Us is having a sale (buy one, get 50% off second) for the Thomas accessories. We might get a few to put away for christmas.

Also, there's 1 Micheals around here that carries the trains - they have great prices on the clearance ones and you can use your 40% coupons (and they even have track sets).

Most of the discount stores (TJ Maxx, Ross, etc) and discount toy stores have the take a longs sets.

testkitchen45

05-04-2007, 02:02 PM

I don't have time to read the whole thread, but wanted to say that although the Thomas sets can be pricey (but not nearly as bad as Brio), they are well worth it and will last for many years. My kids loved theirs! When they got older, they loved reconfiguring the sets (we had lightly glued down the tracks at first) all over the carpet or a table; doing so was such fun that it made the trains last a few years longer. Not a bad bang for your buck.

fci5767

05-04-2007, 05:55 PM

Also, there's 1 Micheals around here that carries the trains - they have great prices on the clearance ones and you can use your 40% coupons (and they even have track sets).

.

AC Moore carries a lot of the wooden trains and tracks. They always have a 40% off coupon and a lot of weeks there is a 50% off coupon. We also get a lot of our Thomas tracks and trains at Learning Express. They accept competitor's coupons so the prices are pretty good.

I think C. has the Thomas Yearbook (the free catalog you can pick up pretty much anyplace that sells the trains) completely memorized. He knows almost all of the trains by sight, even those that are essentially identical.