TRU (Imaginarium) Train Table...is it a mistake?

[lisajay]

My parents bought my 2.5 yr old the TRU (Imaginarium)train table for Christmas. It's the one that has 115 pieces and 2 storage drawers, on sale for $129. The price range is right, but I'm wondering if this table is sturdy enough. I've read some mixed reviews. I don't want to disappoint my parents but I don't wanting them waisting their money either. It would be a mistake if it were to fall apart. It's nice that it comes with all the track and extra's but I have time to add those. My dd is big into Thomas but we haven't bought any yet. We were hoping to use the table and tracks and then just buy Thomas pieces a little at a time.

We thought we would buy a battery powered Thomas to go with it for Christmas.

Anyone have experience with this train table. Should I tell my parents they should return it?

Are the tracks good?

I've heard that people are impressed with one at Costco, but there aren't any around us.
TIA,
LJ

[ekbecker1]

Hi there. I just bought this for DS for Christmas but I haven't taken it out of the box yet. So I can't comment too much, but I can tell you why I chose it over the Costco table. I've seen the display of the Costco set and the TRU set and I think the TRU set looks like higher quality. The Costco tracks look like they have a lot of splinters and the TRU ones look nice and smooth. Also, the Costco trains and figurines look a bit rickety - like the wheels could come off easily and there are lots of small parts that don't look like they are attached very securely. The TRU trains and figurines look more like Thomas and Brio pieces. I'm concerned about that because my one-year-old likes to play with her big brother's toys all the time and I don't want her to eat a wheel!

All that being said, I do like the table in the Costco set better - the bins underneath would probably hold a lot more than the TRU drawers will. But I was more concerned about the pieces themselves than the table.

Hope that helps!

[ajmom]

We've had the TRU table since last Christmas and honestly, I can't give it that great of a review. THe table itself has held up, but the top of the table has a thin film covering it (for durability, I suppose) that's peeling up. The tracks are smooth (as the PP mentioned), but the other pieces that come with the table are not well-made at all. The helicopter broke the first day my boys played with it, and several other pieces have broken since then. Although they are boys, I would not say they are typically hard on toys, either. The accesories are just cheaply made. I eventually put most of the pieces away except for the tracks and the trains. The trains are fine and we haven't had any problems with them.

I think this is a case where you get what you pay for. I don't think $100 is an exorbitant amount for the table and the pieces (and we personally didn't have the funds for a more expensive one), just be aware that the pieces won't last long and the table itself will have a limited life span. My boys still use the table daily for toys other than trains, and I think we got our money's worth, but it's not the best quality child's toy available. We'll leave it up as long as it holds up, but it doesn't have a real aesthetic appeal, if you're concerned about style.

In a nutshell, I'd say it's decent for the price, but not particularly nice or high-quality.

[kellyotn]

Mine kids got the Imaginarium last Christmas. Do a search, too, there have been a couple threads.

Anyway, its held up great for us! :) We did break one wheel on one train right away, but we have tons of other Thomas and Brio trains, so it wasn't a biggie.

The surface of our table still looks great. Last week my daughter spilled a full glass of water on it and didn't tell me right away. The edges of the board where the water spilled were puffy and I was certain the "design" (the screenprinted roads, water, etc.) would pull up from where the water wicked inside the board. I tried drying it with a blowdryer for a few minutes and then left it. It remained dark for about a day and now you can hardly tell. I was so pleased!

The trains themselves are pretty cheapy, but the track and all the other stuff has been great! Both kids, but my son especially, play with it daily. Sometimes we put all the trains away and its a construction site table or a farm table or a little people table or a lego table. It lives on our kitchen and is a godsend.

I'm sure there are more high quality ones out there, but for $100 I'm thrilled with it, everything it comes with, and how it looks. They've clearly gotten $100-worth out of it! ;) If we'd have known how popular it'd be, maybe we'd have spent more..., but given that they'll be past this stage in a few years, I'd guess we probably wouldn't change a thing. The Costco one looked great this year too. But, it had a lot of identical pieces to ours, so I was wondering if the train stuff at least wasn't the same?? I didn't compare track smoothness, but the people and the "bridge stays" and other small stuff were identical. We liked it because it had a lot of construction stuff, and that's what DH does. Oh well, too late now!

[lisajay]

Thanks everyone for the reviews. You really do get what you pay for. I guess I'll just tell my parents what I've heard and let them decide. I think it will suit our needs fine, since we weren't getting it for the trains or accessories. We mostly want the tracks and table anyway. I'll just tell my parents that it will probably last for my 2 little ones but it isn't going to be an heirloom.

My sis has all the Thomas track and trains but didn't have a table. She says she is keeping it for her Grandkids though, and her youngest will occasionally play with it. It cost a fortune even without the table.

Thanks Again,
LJ

[lisajay]

AJMOM,

Would you buy it again, given the problems you have had?

I don't have the money for the really nice tables and train sets, but I'm considering just buying Thomas pieces slowly over time and just getting the Kidcraft table just for the table itself.

I have time my kids are 2 yrs apart and my oldest is only 2.5


Thanks,
LJ

[kboyle]

we got the imaginarium one from last year too and it's held up GREAT!!

the tracks don't seem any different than brio or thomas & while the 4 or 5 trains that come with it aren't WONDERFUL, they do their job and haven't broken on us yet and i've got two rough boys playing with this!

oh, and the table can hold a 1y & 3y old standing on top! i've even sat on it and it was fine :)

and yes, i'd probably buy it again, though i'm thinking of selling and getting the step2 canyon rd table because max keeps taking the track apart and making charlie mad. i don't want to deal with that right now.

[ajmom]

Overall, like I said, it's a decent table. I wish I had $$ for a nicer looking one, but since we don't/didn't I am glad that we have it. If I had it to do over, I would probably try to get the Costco one, but the Imaginarium suits my boys just fine.

[onjbj]

I bought the Step 2 Canyon Train table for my 2yr old twins for Christmas. Its still in the box but I liked that the tracks do not come apart and that it comes with a cover so that it can become a table when the kids aren't using the tracks. It fits the Thomas trains perfectly. It was just under $100 w/free shipping from JC Penney- I don't know if they are still doing free shipping though.

Karin

[kellyotn]

We have an older set of Brio tracks, too, and I cannot distinguish them from the Imaginarium tracks. I've examined them closely and cannot tell which are which! I don't want them mixed up, so they just stay in separate rooms. The Brio trains are way nicer though.

I also have a Target set of track that I keep in my office. (My 2 year old comes to work with me.) That track is rougher, and the trains are pretty cheapy, but it was $20 for a large layout and HE loves it just as much as the expensive Brio set.

Thomas is the hands down favorite of his though. He loves any Thomas item. Sigh. So, we just buy a Thomas thing here and there and its all good. We have two battery operated Thomas trains that work great on the Imaginarium track.

When they outgrow this stuff, we'll likely keep the Thomas items and the Brio setup for his children, but the other stuff we'll get rid of. ;)

I do like some of the PBK-look play tables. Something more "furniture" like. But, after the train table stage is over, we don't have room for a big piece of furniture like that anyways. :)

ETA - I keep meaning to buy SureTrack to keep the setup together, but haven't gotten around to it. I've read rave reviews though. http://www.creativetrains.com/suretrack1.html My son is pretty good about keeping the train table set together. The Brio set he builds his own ever-changing layouts.

[lisajay]

Thanks everyone for the info. I'm probably going to go with the imaginarium table that my parents already have. I was having trouble deciding, but now I feel pretty good about it. I like that fact that the tracks and trestles are decent. I would have gone with the Cosco one, but people didn't seem to be very happy with the tracks, and that's more important to me. Also, I thought that we had a Costco store in the area, and turns out we don't. Although Toys R' Us apparently had them, but there were none left on the floor when I got there.

We do have a BJ's which has a set that is a really good deal at $99 plus a rebate. However that is by Battat, and I haven't heard anything about the tables or tracks. Anyone heard of these?

I also was considering just having my DD play with her train at her kids table. She has a nice wooden table and chairs that has a good sized top on it. However then she couldn't eat on it or color. Also there is no lip around the edge to keep the track from sliding onto the floor

Has anyone heard of any kind of portable table top one that you could leave set up and just slide under a bed or something when you are through with it. I've seen the ones on wheels that slide under the bed, but it seemed to me that it wouldn't be as comfortable to play at with it so low to the ground.

Thanks again for all your input. It's been very helpful. For us even at the bargain price it's a major purchase and once we buy it we won't be getting another.

LJ

[kboyle]

yeah, that's why i'm planning on getting it, that way max can't seek and destroy!!

i actually live 10 minutes from the Step2 headquarters and they sell stuff their, plus their is a Step2 store here too, so i won't need to pay shipping!! woo hoo!!

i'm in love with this table!!

[lisajay]

We decided to go with the Imaginarium 115-Piece Sound City Railway Train Table with Two Storage Drawers and we love it! We have only had it up since Christmas, so we don't know how well it will hold up, but it seems very solid.

The entire family has had fun with it, and dh and I actually prefer it to the Thomas set. The train reacts to sensors at certain points on the track and it stops and starts and makes sounds that correspond to where it is on the track. At the train station it pauses and plays realistic train station noises. When it goes through the tunnel/cave the lights come on and it sounds like it's going through a cave. It also makes helicopter/airplane sounds when it passes the airport, harbor noises etc. We also like the fact that the motorized train really hugs the track. It's center wheels are pivoting so it handles corners much better than the Thomas motorized train. We did get the motorized Thomas Fig. 8, but we are enjoying this one so much we hate to take it down. DD is happy that she has the Thomas trains, and doesn't care that the set is not Thomas. She actually calls the Imaginarium train Gordon.

Thanks for the help,
LJ

[daniele_ut]

> I've seen the display of the Costco set and the TRU set and I
>think the TRU set looks like higher quality. The Costco tracks
>look like they have a lot of splinters and the TRU ones look
>nice and smooth.

We got the Costco Train table for DS for Christmas and all the tracks are smooth with no splinters



>Also, the Costco trains and figurines look a
>bit rickety - like the wheels could come off easily and there
>are lots of small parts that don't look like they are attached
>very securely.

I've found that the trains and figurines are good quality. The figurines are solid 1/2 pine and much too large for a baby to swallow. The wheels are attached to the cars on metal axels so they would be very difficult to remove. I didn't find any small parts that I would be concerned might detach. Everything is very sevure and not rickety at all.

The table went together very easily with no tools and seems very sturdy. A solid wood table would have been my preference, but we couldn't afford $300 just for the table from PBK. I think the Costco table was a great value for what we paid.

[amp]

We have had it for a year and it has been wonderful. MY DS is not terribly tough on his toys, but it's help up very well here. The tracks and all the other pieces have been perfect. I wouldn't return it unless you have your heart set on something else. And we still added to ours w/ Thomas and Brio. It's not a big deal. The more the better in this case. We do lots of layouts and DS plays with all the pieces at different times.

[123metoo]

We got the imaginarium table last year just after the holidays for my son's 2nd birthday. it has held up really well and ds loves it. right now trains aren't set up on it, but a whole construction world is :) it's a great table for next to the couch in the play room. he can play with anything on there and he loves that.
there is one piece of track that broke a few times, the wood split in the middle. i used wood glue and it's been fine. of course the tracks and trains aren't as good quality as the thomas ones, but that's alright. ds still likes them very much. we also bought thomas trains slowly and over the last year he has grown quite the collection. i think we spent $89 on this table and it was a great buy! i would buy it again. the drawers are great and we use the underneath for storage (lots of plastic covered bins under there with toys in each box), so it's great!