ISO Deals on Train sets - Thomas vs. Imaginarium

[CCY]

I am looking for a train set. Toys R Us is having a sale right now, some train sets are 40% off. Does anyone know if the sale gets any better during the holidays ?
How about Imaginarium, it's sold exclusively at Toys R Us. The sales person says it's compatible with Thomas train sets (wooden tracks and trains) but at a fraction of the cost. Does anyone know which is a better train set to get ?
TIA !

[jvs195]

Search the toy threads for tons of information about trains. We started with the Imaginarium Train Table with basic setup and added Thomas items and others. They are compatible. The best deals we got on Thomas were 50% off coupons at Michaeal's or AC Moore (but you have to buy them one at a time). 40% off is good if you want to buy more at a time. Costco usually has a really good train table setup for Christmas. There are also some good online spots for sales. Allaboardtrains.com, trainsgalore.com, and learningcurve.com.

[WatchingThemGrow]

Sometimes AC Moore will run BOGO on all Thomas, so I think you'd have to match pieces with that cost the same for each trip through the register. Still, we used 50% off coupons that we got online or that came on our register receipts for almost all of ours.

[sewarsh]

we did the same as above. got imaginarium track for around $140 which came wtih lots of trains and added thomas trains. my kids LOVE the train table and could care less about thomas name brand so it works great for us. it comes with everything and is extremely durable. its played with multiple times every single day and in excellent condition. we've had it for 3 years i think.

[GraceH]

Yes - get the 'generic' Imaginarium (or Circo @ Target, Melissa&Doug, IKEA, Classic Wood @ Walmart, etc.) track - it's all interchangable, but I would spend the extra $$ on Thomas or Brio trains as the generic ones don't seem to roll as well or hold together as strongly and generally have more hangups and derailments leading to frustration for DS.

ETA: it is my understanding that Michael's no longer carries Thomas stuff :-(

[AlbrightRC]

We have a mixture of Thomas and Imaginarium trains..we have an imaginarium train table and track. My 2 year old has no problems with any of the trains and I haven't see any difference in how they work. If you child doesn't care about Thomas I would go with other stuff.

[MommyofAmaya]

The M&D track is a really good deal right now on Amazon @$60.
http://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-Deluxe-Wooden-Railway/dp/B000FIN2E8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1284305498&sr=8-1-spell

We have it and don't have any complaints. Was just looking for Suretrack to keep the tracks together and ran across the low price. Paid alot more at Xmas for this last year.

ETA: Not crazy about the M&D engines, but think of them as a bonus considering the price of the set.

[MSWR0319]

Is it better to have a train table or just put the tracks on the floor? We're thinking about getting DS some train stuff for Christmas and aren't sure what to get!

[christiedavid3]

Is it better to have a train table or just put the tracks on the floor? We're thinking about getting DS some train stuff for Christmas and aren't sure what to get!

DS does both. He has a Kidkraft train table at my parent's house, no table at home. He plays with both equally. In fact, I think he plays with his tracks and trains even more at home, because the options are limitless.

I would recommend scouring thrift and consignment stores for tracks and accessories. I have picked up tons of wooden tracks (all different brands but they are interchangable), bridges, tunnels, etc. for next to nothing. I'm talking like $5 for a big plastic bag with 30-40 pieces. Can't beat the price, and DS adores creating different combinations each time he plays with them. We end up with a living room full of tracks and such, and he is in heaven. He doesn't miss the table at all at home.

[MommyofAmaya]

I just saw a smaller Kidkraft set for $24.95 at Costco.

[emschwar]

We have mostly Thomas, with some imaginarium and some circo (which is made by kidkraft). I'm not impressed with the quality of imaginarium, but the circa stuff is fine.

[edurnemk]

We have the Imaginarium train table, and most of the Thomas trains, the tracks look almost the same and are perfectly compatible. We got it for $129 almost a year ago, but I've seen it as low as $99. I think it's totally worth it, even at full price, since a comparable set up with the Thomas sets would be around $500. The Imaginarium table includes everything: table, track, accessories, some trains, etc. We're very happy with it, DS spends around an hour a day playing on it, he never grows tired of his trains.

[edurnemk]

Is it better to have a train table or just put the tracks on the floor? We're thinking about getting DS some train stuff for Christmas and aren't sure what to get!

I love having the train table, since our family room looks more tidy (and I don't have to pick it all up to vacuum), and the drawers are great for holding all the trains and extra track. He can put the extra tracks together on the floor if he wants to, but it's not there permanently like it was before we got the table.