Sparklelandia

Ashland must have been a good boy or something because the god/dess of thrifting has blessed him with a big tub full of trains, rails and ramps for $5 (I knew better than to spend retail on it!). He has loved cars and such (and he still does) but I think that trains are his first true obsession. He wakes up excited to play with them and goes to sleep talking about them.

He seems so very happy in his little train world. He makes all kinds of steam and whistle sound effect as he pushes and pulls his trains.

For other parents searching for train sets, here’s my opinion/observation. The set pictured above is part of Thomas the Train Take-n-Play sets.

1. Wheels on Thomas Trains are set ever-so-slightly wider than wheels on Chuggington Trains, but, they are completely compatible on these plastic tracks (I think they are supposed to be compatible on respective wooden tracks too). Even IKEA trains (with wheels set much much wider) work great on these Thomas’ plastic rails.
2. Neither Thomas nor Chuggington Trains work on IKEA wooden tracks (which makes me say…don’t invest much in IKEA train tracks, unless you will never get other trains!)
3. I know that wooden toys of all sorts are popular now (and I appreciate the biodegradability…) but, I’m not actually a huge fan for most part because they are heavy, paints on them chip really easily, and won’t get clean once they are dirty. And who knows if the wood was harvested sustainably or paints are in fact safe on most of the wooden toys on the market. Most of the wooden toys that actually got played with were not fit for donation in about  a  year or so — which makes them, probably, not all that environmental.
4. Having watched Ashland play with both wooden tracks and plastic ones, I think that plastic ones are easier for him to carry around from location to location (which he does all the time). They also work better on carpeted or otherwise non-even surface (like on the bed, for example).
5. …that said, if you will have a dedicated table for it, I imagine wooden ones will be nice to look at and probably sit very well (because of weight). Maybe they are fantastic for older kids who have learned to play with them gently (and not chew on them or touch them with dirty hands)?
6. Actually, Ashland also has plastic Chuggington tracks on which they have been racing matchbox cars on but it’s harder for Ashland to put it together by himself. The Thomas plastic tracks and wooden tracks are both easy for Ashland to put together without any help. Also, Thomas rails are a lot more visually appealing than Chuggington’s counterpart.
7. Personally, I like Chuggington Trains better than Thomas Trains because they are more detailed, don’t have annoying faces on them, and look/feel better quality. BUT, Ashland seems to enjoy Thomas Trains better because they connect with magnets instead of plastic bails (which are hard to dis/connect without taking them off the track).

So there you go.