Trainspotting

Vivi loves to play at the train table when we go to toy stores. It’s great as it keeps her in one place but bad when it’s time to go. Once in Hoboken, NJ she threw such a fit that she climbed under the train table, refusing to budge. We had to drag her out. Despite the scene she caused it made us think maybe we should get her a train set. We looked at them and were overwhelmed at the various brands so we just didn’t get her anything. Then her birthday came around and her cousins got her this really great figure 8 set by Nuchi! Adorable, classic and not branded like Thomas & Friends (although I have slowly been warming up to Thomas as they have all the cool buttons for lights and sounds – train cars at right are Thomas & Friends).

After Vivi showed interest in the train set (she loves the magnetic crane that lifts the cargo cars) I started looking more into different accessories, like train tracks and bridges, thinking they could make good stocking stuffers at Christmas time. It was unclear if the different brands were compatible or not. I looked and researched and it was really hard to get a straight answer. So here it is: KidKraft, Nuchi, Thomas & Friend, Maxim, Plan Toy and Brio wooden train sets are all compaitable. This makes mixing and matching so muchmore fun. My favorite brand is Brio, an old Swedish company established in 1884. Brio is the world’s largest manufacturer of wooden toys, exporting to over 30 countries. They have a lot to choose from like the collapsible bridge and different tunnels pictured below.

Maxim is also a brand worth checking out. Thomas & Friends to be the easiest brand to find in stores from my experience so far. You need space for a train set. We don’t have a table so it is a bit of a challenge setting up, but a fun challenge at that. I would also recommend getting the supports blocks for ascending tracks. We have tried blocks we have but nothing fits just right. As I was looking for train accessories I came across this glow in the dark alien train set by KidKraft, which I have to say is pretty cool! KidKraft also has an Amusement Park themed set with a roller coaster that looks very fun too. (pictured at top of post). Plan Toy Road & Rail Adventure train set pictured at right.

Visit Mamalaide’s Picks: Wooden Trains