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Original poster

Is ERTL Thomas the Tank Engine compatible with Brio?

20 replies

Lorien · 07/07/2004 16:12

I am just about to make my first bid on ebay for some Thomas the Tank Engine trains. They are described as ERTL. Does anyone know if these are compatible with Brio and the wooden tracks? I think they are probably not. But I get all confused with the various permutations of Thomas the Tank Engine. Anyone in the know?

OP posts:

WideWebWitch · 07/07/2004 16:17

Ertl are cheaper but do fit on brio track IIRC. Hope someone else can confirm as I'm not 100% sure. 99% though as we had Ertl stuff and I can't imagine I'd have bought it if it didn't fit the track and we've got Brio track.

gingernut · 07/07/2004 16:18

No, they're not. You can get lots of ERTL track and accessories to make up a nice set though. But if you already have some Brio, you can get Brio-compatible Thomas engines, they are sold in ELC amongst other places. See here .

WideWebWitch · 07/07/2004 16:20

Oh really sorry, I was wrong! Glad gingernut came along quickly though before you spent any money.

gingernut · 07/07/2004 16:20

Oh, I thought they weren't www! They are nearly the same size but not quite I think (we don't have any, but one of my friends does, and they never put them on their Brio track).

ladymuck · 07/07/2004 16:23

Not the same - ERTL are plastic-ish, though cheaper.

"Learning Curve" are the manufacturer of the wooden Thomas stuff.

tamum · 07/07/2004 16:25

We had lots of both at one time, and the ones we had were definitely not the right size for Brio, they were too narrow. God knows we tried

WideWebWitch · 07/07/2004 16:26

I know Ertl aren't the same as Brio (they look similar but are about a million quid cheaper) but I could have sworn they fitted on Brio track. Maybe I lied and told ds they did at the time, who knows! I'll check later if I can find the track box.

tamum · 07/07/2004 16:28

Honestly they don't www! They kind of teeter on the edge in a very unsatisfying way. It may be that they've been redesigned since ds was small, but I guess ones on eBay could be old anyway, so a bit of a risk I think.

WideWebWitch · 07/07/2004 16:45

I believe you tamum, honest! We must have just lived with it or something at the time, or ds must have just put up with it, it was ages ago for me too, so my memory's obv pants Damn Thomas, that theme tune still does my head in!

tamum · 07/07/2004 16:52

duh duh duh duh duh de duh, dede duh duh dedededed duh duh-duh duh.....

moniker · 07/07/2004 17:07

I thought the ERTL ones were the die cast metal ones - any way we have loads and they definatly do not fit on Brio track - we have tried and tried just like Tamum!!

tamum · 07/07/2004 17:11

I'm beginning to wonder if Ertl do different sorts. I was talking about the die-cast metal ones too- I had a look on eBay and that's what they seemed to be, like the ones we had, but maybe they did another sort that are the same size as Brio? Either way, Lorien, you would have to be quite careful with eBay. If they are metal then they're not compatible but I may have been leading everyone up the garden path if they do plastic ones too.

WideWebWitch · 08/07/2004 01:12

tamum! Dammit, I'm going to have to go and check this in the morning - the Ertl we've got and the track we've got - for my own peace of mind, how sad am I?! Mind you tamum, you've been thinking about it today too so that makes two of us

Original poster

Lorien · 08/07/2004 05:32

Many many thanks! The ebay offer was for 55 ERTL trains. I thought a job lot would keep the kids busy for a while. But I do have a lot of wooden track and really don't fancy buying MORE track that would suit the ERTL lot. (I live in Malaysia where Learning Curve make the trains that fit on the wooden track and Guillane (or something like that) make another range, which are slightly smaller and DONT fit on the wooden track agggghhhh! I guess they must be the same as the ERTL ones)
Anyway, bidding on the trains has now got to 51 quid including postage, so I don't think I'll get into the fray...

OP posts:

Original poster

Lorien · 08/07/2004 05:34

And just a thought -- anyone got lots of the wooden thomas trains they want to sell? I'll be back in England for a month from mid-July and I'm looking for a few toys I can have on the go. (Train set just won't fit in the luggage, and anyway we haven't many trains, just lots of track.....)

OP posts:

whizzz · 08/07/2004 22:41

Can't help about ERTL - but Early Learning fits with Brio - as does Tesco (cheapest of the cheap & really good !)

mrsforgetful · 08/07/2004 23:13

as a mum of an autistic boy i am happy to say that we have just about all the types of thomas tracks there are.....!!

Brio....well we all know that one!
fits with......
Tescos....yep! Fantastic value especially the bridges and signals...
which fits with
Learning Curve
which fits with
Early Learning Centre

All those above are similar wooden tracks and have encines which are magneticly linked together

Now for the ERTL....

Fantastic value and though i suppose you canjust about 'keep them on the tracks of brio'....far from compatible though!
They suppy a grey plastic track which is in longer lengths and also loads of accessories.....so a really great alternative....but not something to plan on using with brio.....however my son would sometimes 'manage' and use an ERTL train on his brio if he 'needed' that particular engine to act out an episode he watched...WARNING....if your child is likely to chew the toys then be warned that the 'couplings' (bits that join the trucks etc to the engines) are easily chewed off and i spent many an evening fixing fuse wire on to make new connections so he could join the engines to trucks!

Now finally......TOMICA
Brilliant 'easy to build track' and battery powered engines.....very 'child proof' and enourmous fun! the wheels even have moving side rods which make them just like the characters on the shows. the trucks easily connect and disconnect and we even have engines that go on special track which cause them to 'peep peep' or talk!
Now......these tomica trains will run on brio track!!!! However they are too big to go under bridges and will not clime slopes!!!! But if you made a basic flat track then they will go round and around!!

having an autistic child is challenging....but certainly makes you an expert in whatever they are obsessed with too!!!

ScummyMummy · 09/07/2004 00:00

Fantastic exposition, Mrs F!

tamum · 09/07/2004 00:05

mrsforgetful · 10/07/2004 01:48

Awwwwwww!!!

Seriously.......i have ended up being able to recite chunks of his favourite TTT videos etc!!!!
Its funny really.....how you end up being 'dragged' into their 'passion' for something!!!!!

sometimes i sell odd bits of 'the collection' on Ebay....however it takes me ages to decide what to part with as i have so many lovely memories of the hours he would live and breath it all....however i also live in hope he will return to it again...however he is almost 8 now....so i have to accept he won't!!!!

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