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Original poster

Wooden Train Sets

35 replies

Emmam · 01/10/2001 15:50

Can anyone tell me if the Brio train sets are compatible with the Tesco wooden train sets?

We're thinking of getting our son a set from Tesco for Christmas, but my Mum is planning a big shop at Toys R Us and was going to pick up some extra track and things like level crossings.

Do the two go together? Thanks in advance.

OP posts:

Robinw · 01/10/2001 16:26

message withdrawn

Jessi · 01/10/2001 17:16

Emmam, yes the Tesco track does fit with Brio and is alot cheaper. It does sell out quickly though so get your order in now!ELC are offering money off vouchers in their catalogue at the moment, so it might be worth getting Brio stuff from there too. Happy shopping!

Ems · 01/10/2001 17:27

Emmam, most train sets these days say "compatible with other brands" they know we must swap, add and buy other bits.

Tesco set is great, saw Dawson & Co had 100 piece in box for £79.99 and Bridge and Station set for £24.99. We have a mixture of Brio and ELC, and they fit fine.

Rhiannon · 01/10/2001 21:58

It's nice to have a few 'special' bits of Brio and just get the bog standard track more cheaply. We've got a lovely Brio suspension bridge.

My Dad made a big wooden board with edges which slides under my little boy's bed. This keeps it all tidy and keeps the mess off the carpet.

We bought some track, I think it was made by a company called Timmy or it was Timmy track. It wasn't very good quality.

It's the sort of thing you'll start to see for sale in the local paper approaching Christmas.

Original poster

Emmam · 02/10/2001 07:43

Hurrah! Thank you! I know the Tesco one sells quick (I got my nephews some pieces last Christmas) so I am planning on buying a set in the next few weeks. The Tesco set I saw was 37 pieces for £14.99 - definitely my price range! The Brio extras look lovely and would be just the sort of thing grandparents could buy to add to the set.

I like the idea of having it set up on a board for instant use and tidiness too.

OP posts:

Sis · 02/10/2001 08:37

Emmam, I've been to check with a piece of tesco track at ELC and as well as being compatable with Brio, it is compatable with the Thomas and Friends trains and track.

Bells2 · 02/10/2001 09:30

Can you buy the Tesco track online or is it only available from the bigger Tesco's?

Original poster

Emmam · 02/10/2001 12:46

Sis - you're a Star!

Bells - yes, you can buy the Tesco track online! I looked yesterday!

OP posts:

Cawthorne · 03/10/2001 01:15

Ikea have started doing some really cheap track as well. It does fit although the curvey bits aren't great, okay-ish for the straight track though given the choice I'd go for Tesco. We've taken the grandpa Brio option as well !

Tigermoth · 03/10/2001 09:24

A small word of caution to all you train track people. Not all wooden tunnels are high enough to take every wooden train. It's OK if you stick with the same set, but if you mix and match, it's worth checking.

Debsb · 03/10/2001 12:12

Costco have got a big set in at the moment, and cheaper than the Tesco one I think. We bought the Tesco road & rail set last year & its been great.

Cos · 04/10/2001 10:17

have you seen the brio bob the builder stuff in toysRus? it compatible with our rag bag of traks from IKEA and ELC. It definitly
on my kids wish list for rellies this christmas

Willow2 · 04/10/2001 16:24

Friend has just bought a great first train set (wooden) from M&S for £20 - god knows if it fits other trains though.

Modaddy · 05/10/2001 12:57

emmam
we also went along your route. we started with some second hand brio and then got tesco stuff. the only other comments i would make are that the tesco stuff is only one sided, so if like us you make a board for permanant set up use that and not the brio! (it sticks better and is not as wastefull!)we bought a large piece of chipboard and some spray paints and wood glue and did a diy job which has had a lot of use.

Robinw · 05/10/2001 16:08

message withdrawn

Lisaj · 07/10/2001 20:03

Having read about the Tesco's train sets selling out quickly, hurriedly went to Tesco's to buy one. None of the £14.99 ones in stock, but did buy the Road and Rail set for £29.99, which seemed a good buy. I went into ELC yesterday and see that their R&R set is £50 and it didn't seem much different.

Original poster

Emmam · 10/10/2001 11:39

Thanks for your help and advice. Hubby brought the £14,99 train set at Tescos yesterday. It looks excellent. I'm impressed by the size of the train - its got loads of carriages! I can't wait to give it to our son!

OP posts:

Tigermoth · 05/11/2001 16:37

Just a thought. Brio-type train sets definitely last longer than one childhood - or so it seems. My sons have a secondhand one generously passed down to me from a friend. After 5 years of abuse, it's still going strong. Orignal Brio is expensive - wouldn't it make sense to recycle it?

There must be masses of long-redundant Brio out there. Is there a Brio exchange or a specialist retailer of used Brio on or off the internet? If not why not?

Suedonim · 05/11/2001 16:48

We bought a Brio train and track for our eldest child and it's still going strong, 25 years later.

Jodee · 05/11/2001 17:04

Can any of you please tell me what age your kids first got their train sets? Mine will be 22 months at Christmas and I wanted to get him one, but most seem to be aimed at age 3 plus, even though I've got toys for him that are probably more suited to older children anyway. Are there any small pieces with these train sets that he could swallow, or need I not worry?

Suedonim · 05/11/2001 18:33

Our son was about a year old when he had his first Brio train set. There was no way he could swallow either an engine, a carriage or piece of track.

Twink · 05/11/2001 18:33

Dd got hers for Christmas when she was 15 months old (from grandparents !) and paid no attention to it until relatively recently (she's just been 2) but it is currently top toy with both her and her similarly aged friends.

I guess a very determined child could perhaps force a wheel off and swallow it but none of the kids that play here have tried anything like that. IMO, toy manufacturers find it easier to stick a 3+ age guide on things to cover themselves as toys for under 36 month children are covered by such onerous legislation

Jessi · 05/11/2001 18:44

Tigermoth, you can get second hand brio on Ebay, there are loads of auctions on there for track and accessories, often alot cheaper than new.

Anibani · 05/11/2001 22:14

I'm definitely a Brio fan. You can often find nearly new Brio advertised in papers advertising second hand goods (We have a paper called 'Tradeit' here in Bristol which is great for bargains but I don't know if all places have an equivalent). We bought ds's first Brio set new (cost a fortune), but have since added to it by acquisitions through the paper. You do have to be quick though - Brio usually gets snapped up the same day as its advertised. Generally, I've found you can pick Brio up second hand for about a third of the original price. The beauty is that if you want to sell it on at a future date, you should be able to get back approximately what you paid for it!

Jodee · 06/11/2001 08:32

Thanks for your replies, it sounds like I've got nothing to worry about so I will get on the Tesco website and get one there PDQ.

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