Trains

[Snips]

Am new to site so hope I am doing it correctly!!

My ds is approaching his 2nd b-day and I wanted to get him a train set. Is it possible to
use the Thomas Tank Engine make of trains on most wooden tracks (e.g. use
them on Tesco tracks rather than the actual (expensive!!) Thomas tracks?

Thanks

Hi there snips, welcome. Do you mean are Brio trains OK on cheap track? If so, I don't know but you could take a train with you when you go to buy the track to check. Ertl do very similar stuff to Brio, i.e Thomas, James etc but it's much cheaper. You'd need to check re whether it fits the cheaper track though - it fits the Brio track IIRC. There was a discussion about this before I think, try a search on Thomas or trains.

Thanks for your help. Will do a search.

This is fab for getting info...and very quickly too. I'm going to get addicted.....

Track from Tesco, ELC and Brio are all compatible with each other - sure they actually say something like 'compatible with all leading brands' on the boxes of the cheaper ones. On the previous thread Tesco got lots of recommendations.

The Ertl stuff is nicely detailed but doesn't run on our Brio/Tesco track I'm afraid. Welcome, Snips!

We have a mixture of Brio, elc,Tesco and Thomas (learning curve?)track and accessories which fit together ok but I think they may vary slightly in length so it can take some adjustment to get a perfect join !

Thanks everyone. You were right, there was a previous discussion so that was really helpful too.

Snips, I've just bought tesco track and trains for my ds (2.5 yrs). I also got a lovely battery operated locomotive (the one that goes forward and backwards) for £10 at Early learning center that fits on the track. The tesco's battery operated one wasn't as nice looking. DS is totally obsessed with them at the moment.
by the way don't bother getting too much track. At this age a simple figure 8 with bridge/tunnell will keep them well occupied and there's less for you to pick up!

Just to agree & confirm. My ds totally obsessed with thomas. I buy the 'character' trains from ELC & have a mixture of cheap track from TESCo, ELC own brand & some from makro. They all fit together & the trains all work on the track too.

Another idea if your son is into Thomas, is the special 'day out with thomas' done at various locations. We took our son for his 2nd b-day & he loved it! A proper go on Thomas, in Annie & clarabel!! & the fat controller was there too!
see website www.thomasthetankengine.co.uk for upcoming dates & places

SORRY THAT WEB SITE SHOULD BE www.thomasthetankengine.com
Then click on the clock icon for events

we have ikea elc siansburys and tesco track

its all ok

Thanks all. Sofia I'm glad you told me not to get too much track...I was getting very excited and would have ended up buying him loads. But you're right, at this age he probably needs very little!!

they love a tunnel tho - try index.

Another question (unrelated to trains!). We want to get a sandpit...which is better, the "starfish" type ones that they sit in or the table ones that you can use for sand and water? Any recommendations?

I'd say the sit in ones.

Snips - big recommendation here for the Ertl stuff as well as the wooden sets. We've got the wooden tracks and trains (from Ikea and Tesco) and DS (now 2.5) gets a bit frustrated with the constraints of running trains on tracks. He'll happily play for a while, but then interest tends to tail off a bit. The Ertl trains (and buses, lorries, trucks, Cranky Crane etc) on the other hand are treated completely differently - as character toys. He talks to them, takes them places, introduces them to each other etc - we've built up quite a collection now, and he never tires of them. They have got me out of many difficult situation - eg when DS is resisting a bath, we'll 'give Gordon a bath' instead etc.

I buy them from www.collectiques.co.uk who are brilliant - delivery within 2 days, no probs at all - between £4-£5 per engine on the whole. HTH

Snips, my son has the stand up one that does water & sand & it is one of the best purchases i made. keeps him amused for ages. My nephew was also quite taken with it, so much so that she went & bought one too. We got ours from Argos, & it comes with several accessories as well...spade, bucket, sieve, pourers, boat etc etc.

But then the sit in ones are just as good, my ds plays quite happily in nextdoors one endlessly.....so I suppose the best way to look at it is from a garden point of view. I found the table one easier to find a 'home' in the garden because its compact & square.

sitiing in - so they can get the sand in thier cute little toes

Snips - back to the train question - Sofiaames is right about lots of track meaning lots of picking up - but my ds (aged 2.5) loves having loads of track and making long railways (accompanied by cries of "more track, more track".

Bother - I knew I'd get a smiley if I didn't preview. I think that winking one creeps in a lot by accident - I'm sure I didn't type a semi-colon and a brackett.