Explain train tables to me, please.

[bubbaray]

If you have a Costco, they usually have a train table every year that is a great deal. I haven't seen one this year yet, though. I don't know about the TRU one, but as PPs said, they should all be compatible and interchanable. We have the Costco one from a couple years ago (made by KidKraft, I think). Then I added stuff from Brio, Maxim, IKEA and another generic one. The IKEA stuff is OK, but in the end I weeded it all out and donated it because the plastic connectors didn't always work well.

I love having the storage drawers. You could go without them, but think about where you will have it. Ours was in our living room at the time and doubled as a coffee table. The matching drawers looked nicer than just plain tubs. I did put plastic bins in the drawer to divide and organize, but you could only see the wood from the outside.

We have the Costco one from about 3 years ago. Its held up OK -- DD#1 and DD#2 recently stood on it (hello, DH, not appropriate parenting skills) and it collapsed. DH fixed it and I could probably stand on it now (well, I might break the wood, but not the joints).

Definitely get the drawers. LOVE them. We use them for books -- each DD has a drawer of her "downstairs" books (they each have a bookcase in their room).

[MamaKath]

Ditto on the drawers or bins! They are great for the tracks, trains and other toys. Our version had 6 plastic bins with it. The only thing I dislike about them is they are specific to that table. I wish they were generic so I could replace them more easily.