Which Thomas the Tank track/train set should I get? How do I know which engines fit which tracks etc? (Age 3+ ones)

[crokky]

There are too many Thomas products! I wanted to pick a track set up in the sales for DS's birthday but have no idea what to get (have been looking at toys r us website).

There seems to be

1. Thomas motor road and rail tracks set(s)? No idea which engines fit this?

2. Take along stuff (is this just minature & what does it fit with?)

3. Tomy trackmaster sets with plastic trains?

4. Wooden engines?

What do most people go for? He has a few plastic my first thomas engines (meant for babies 12m+), but I presume these will be too big for the more intricate tracks designed for age 3+?

I don't want each train to have a battery/be motorised - DS just like ones which push along freely.

Very grateful for any help with this important subject

Get the wooden ones. Most wooden sets are compatible with each other and they feel nicer than the plastic ones.

Yeah deffo get the wooden railway ? Brio is the proper stuff but lots of places (ELC, tesco, Sainbo?s?) do Brio-alike ? Thomas trains for that available in ELC but be warned they cost £££.

The basic wooden track is fab tho and played with for years and years ime. Don?t worry too much about the 3yrs+ - I found them fine for younger children tho I suppose the fear might be swallowing the magnets (I have never known that even be close to happening).

We got both kinds and they have both lasted, but wooden ones are much nicer. Depends on your budget. The wooden ones are expensive but are compatible with cheap ikea copies etc.

My ds (2) has the motor road and rail. The trackmaster is the updated version of the same track so same engines. They do adapters. He also had a wooden one but never got on with it but loves this one especially the stream along Thomas. Personally I can't recommend this enough.

My son who has ASD LOVES Thomas - he has this set here but not all thats on video here - he looooooves it!

Wooden without a doubt. Can be played with from before they are 2, and ds1 is 9 and still enjoys making tracks for ds2.

You can get 2nd hand "brio" and thmas and friends engines, etc from ebay to add to the set bit by bit. We started when ds1 was 18 months - you should see how much we hae

we have wooden and agree is v.lovely but v.expensive engines usually £15ish each. but they will last and be well played with, tracks are easier to put together, we just bought a motor road and rail, i just don't think its as nice as the wooden but ds2 LOVES it esp the motorised trains!

btw the motorised trains in the yuo tube link (used to be called Tomica World, now something like Tomy motorised Road and Rail) also fit on the wooden track They struggle up slopes a bit, and don't fir through some tunnels, but tis still good fun!

we have both brio style and the blue tomy motor rail

They both adore them (19 months and 3.5) and Dss aged 12 still has a go when he thinks no one is looking

the one with blue track is only for motorised ime, but they do prefer that one, though they will play with the wooden one too.

we got a set for £50 reduced from £100 a motor rail and road set that has loads of trains with it...

if you do it invest in rechargable batteries!

wooden ones, from ebay. And keep them for posterity!