Thomas & Friends trains. Wooden or diecast? Which is better? Wooden or diecast? Which is better? I have started collecting some wooden trains for my young son, but they are so expensive. I noticed the diecast are cheaper. Thomas & Friends trains. Wooden or diecast? Which is better? Wooden or diecast? Which is better? I have started collecting some wooden trains for my young son, but they are so expensive. I... » Read More Thomas & Friends trains. Wooden or diecast? Which is better? Wooden or diecast? Which is better? I have started collecting some wooden trains for my young son, but they are so expensive. I noticed the diecast are cheaper. « Show Less
1737643
Thanks for your input Melanie! I agree wooden tracks seem more available. The wooden tracks also seem more durable than the plastic tracks because my son is pretty tough on his toys. Buying wooden engines & cars even though they cost a little more than the diecast.
678357
We did the same thing. We started collecting about 6 years ago for our oldest son and now our youngest is enjoying the trains. We collected pretty much all of the diecast trains. We LOVE them...however, there seems to be more tracks and set ups for the wooden ones. We have a small amount of plastic track that works with the diecast but there isn't much else. We are considering collecting the wooden ones now!
1844331
The trains are solid wood and have a good weight to them. Not sure what type of wood because they are painted with nice detail. I bought two sets of these trains and are happy with them. My four year old grand kids play with these trains and show no wear.
2003178
We have two sets combined and with two boys, they have so much more they can build. We started with the small set as a gift and then bought the bigger set! The one with wheels is great because they love to build it as a car or train!
1898994
All I know us the wooden type Thomas trains do go thru. My grandson loves it!
908656
LOL NO its not that heavy! my son got this for his 3rd birthday and he can carry it anywhere! I do believe though that is the shipping weight cause its in a big box with bubble wrap and packing material and also the toy itself is in a big box! so it was heavy when I received it but the toy itself is not that heavy. Also if you do buy this toy dont forget the extra trains! the set comes with 1 thomas train but you have to have James and Percy too :) My son still plays with this toy everyday!! its an excellent choice for the Thomas fan!!!
1817345
im not sure. i dont have any thomas trains. i dont think so. its compatible with the trains sold at target though. i had a lot of those already, but i probably would have gone out to buy them, since the ones that come with the set dont ride so smoothly. the target trains are very inexpensive! hope that helps.
1953310
No. Most trains in this collection are kid powered. Some of the accessories are battery powered for lights, sound, etc. There are very few battery powered Thomas trains that are compatible with the Wooden Railway system.
1019732
They are about the same size but the wheel base is different. This means that the diecast trains do not fit on the wooden track because they are slightly too narrow. The wooden trains do fit on the take'n'play track.
164458
No my 4 year old finds it difficult with genuine Thomas track because it is wider than Brio or Ikea or Chinese cheap stuff.But with a lot of detailed work they can be made a lot easier to slide on and then they are great. Really great clips. I want more. Still a bit of a challenge for the grandson.Better to avoid the melt downs when riser blocks keep falling over. Good luck.
1533248
Yes the track fits with some thought, but I suggest you get the TrackMaster FlexiTrack kit also (about ten $) that really makes it easier to put tracks together, esp. for little kids. Also, I'd get one of these and then the Talking Sodor Sounds Track Pack, then buy one of the cheaper trains... or one on sale. (Trackmaster Talking James is always a hit with the kids and usually a good price. Of course, they love Percy but he seems to be costly unless on sale.Kids would rather have 2 different trains instead of two Thomas' trains, and there's usually one on sale here at Amazon.
541834
BRUDER displays a better attention to detail and quality of casting pieces. But the durability of the piece is not as strong as Tonka. So that is the choice to be made. Tonka in my opinion is for younger children who show more wear and tear on their toys. I have this displayed on top of my entertainment unit and it looks great like a diecast piece almost.
1019736
I have bought both. Looks the same size to me. In fact, I bought this birthday train for my 2 year old grandson. It looks really cute.
969348
This one, for $199, is this year's model. The more expensive one is actually last year's. More importantly, this one has a remote control that is pared to this specific locomotive. This means you don't have to be at the transformer to run it AND if you ever get another engine, you can easily run 2 trains independently of each other. The more expensive set does NOT allow you to do that.
2029619
I do not expect they match because the take'n play do not match trackmaster or the starter version. The engines are a different size from other Thomas and Friends trains also with wheels at different widths. I don't know about the Mega Bloks but I suppose they're even larger than Take 'n Plays.
1428858
i'm sorry, i don't have an answer for this. i bought this item as a gift for my great-nephews at Christmas, and i watched them play with them on the tracks they already had, which i believe were compatible with Thomas. so i felt safe buying the engines/train cars set. they worked perfectly. if Melissa and Doug track say they'll work with Thomas engines, then they "should" be ok, i would think. but i can't say for certain, sorry!!! but i will say that this particular train set is really nice, the pieces are fair sized and easy to play with, and the kids absolutely loved them!! good luck to you in whatever decision you make!! i'm sorry, i don't have an answer for this. i bought this item as a gift for my great-nephews at Christmas, and i watched them play with them on the tracks they already had, which i believe were compatible with Thomas. so i felt safe buying the engines/train cars set. they worked perfectly. if Melissa and Doug track say they'll work with Thomas engines, then they "should" be ok, i would think. but i can't say for certain, sorry!!! but i will say that this particular train set is really nice, the pieces are fair sized and easy to play with, and the kids absolutely loved them!! good... » Read More i'm sorry, i don't have an answer for this. i bought this item as a gift for my great-nephews at Christmas, and i watched them play with them on the tracks they already had, which i believe were compatible with Thomas. so i felt safe buying the engines/train cars set. they worked perfectly. if Melissa and Doug track say they'll work with Thomas engines, then they "should" be ok, i would think. but i can't say for certain, sorry!!! but i will say that this particular train set is really nice, the pieces are fair sized and easy to play with, and the kids absolutely loved them!! good luck to you in whatever decision you make!! « Show Less
1223328
Not sure what Millie or Stephen are, but we have a number of Thomas trains. The electric one we have seems to have trouble with the turns, but we got it used, and it might not be in perfect shape. The nonelectric ones work great. If it works with the standard Thomas and friends wooden track, it will work with this set. (And if you have some of the Thomas brand track, you can use it interchangeably with the track here.
1202089
The small die cast take n play trains do not fit this track. The wooden railway (chuggington and other brands included) DO fit on this track included the battery powered wooden trains. We have several of each type, brand, style. The Take n play are so specific they are not interchangable with anything or any other brand.