Thomas the Train HELP!

[rlu]

There are more experienced moms on the site, but my understanding is that wooden Thomas and plastic Thomas (the Target ones) do NOT work together. Wooden Thomas and Brio match. I have also found that Brio and the wooden trains at Walmart (not sure of brand and box has been recycled) work ok, although the walmart brand track is softer so if you're pushing the train along the track and you hit the softer track, the train is harder to push (but I don't think DS has noticed, just super-anal mom). DS just woke up, gotta go.

If you search for Thomas trains in the archives you'll get more information than you could imagine.

[kijip]

Wooden Railway series match each other and are Brio compatible. You can add on endlessly with multiple brands of track- Thomas, Brio, IKEA, Imaginarium, Little Tree, Melissa and Doug, Maxim and other brands. The knock-off brands will often say Brio or Thomas Compatible right on the box.

The Take a Long Thomas with plastic track are not compatible with anything else.

There are also larger plastic Thomas sets from Tomy which are not compatible with anything else and a now discontinued line called "Interactive Learning" Thomas which is not compatible with anything else.

Just wanted to add that the Take Along Thomas sets from Target recently underwent a "track change". The old tracks are not compatible with the new tracks, but there are adapters (the track set DS got for Christmas included the adapters) that will make them work.

The trains for Take Along are too narrow for the wooden tracks. My DS has both and likes both at different times. He calls the Take Alongs "golden trains" and the others "wooden" or just "Thomas". The Take Along trains are a bit less expensive than the wooden trains, but the wooden sets are available in more places (I've seen the Take Along trains only at Target and Walmart) and like the PP said, other tracks and trains are compatible. We have the Tomy set, too, (several actually) but DS doesn't really care for those because they are battery operated and he would much rather push the trains himself.

[kijip]

>Just wanted to add that the Take Along Thomas sets from
>Target recently underwent a "track change". The old tracks
>are not compatible with the new tracks, but there are adapters
>(the track set DS got for Christmas included the adapters)
>that will make them work.

Now THAT is a PITA. I would be really peeved if we had plastic track instead of wood and that happened- my son builds big tracks and I know he would not be happy if he could not use whatever piece he happened to grab.

[downwarddog]

Thanks so much! You've ALL been very helpful!!! :-)

~Lenore

[downwarddog]

I'm clueless when it comes to Thomas, BUT, can anyone tell me if I buy one Thomas train set/ensemble, would that be interchangeable with other Thomas sets? Like the tracks would fit together, etc?

~Lenore
Mom to Acadia (Cadi), born 9/28/04; Baby #2 due 6/07

I was a little PO'd when I looked at the new tracks and realized that they shrunk the connectors. The adapters work, and my DS is 6, so "gets it", but who wants to explain to a younger child that you have to find the "special" pieces to make the track fit?