Train tables and train sets - Kidkraft, Imaginarium, Nilo, etc.

[Anonymous]

I'm overwhelmed by the choices. What brand(s) are the best?

Thanks!

P.S. Saw a review on Costco that the Kidkraft tracks weren't great. Is that so?

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure what's the best or not, but we've gotten a bunch of different wooden track sets, from cheap no-name brands to the expensive Thomas stuff, and they are all fine. I'd probably buy cheap tracks, then spend more money on the cool stuff like bridges and tunnels that you can get separately.

As for the tables themselves, we got a fairly inexpensive Target brand one, and it's been fine. It hasn't broken even though the kids have climbed on it (although if they continue to do so, I have no doubt it will break).

[Anonymous]

Target/IKEA wood tracks are pretty much indistinguishable from the Thomas brand ones, so we go with the cheap ones. They all fit together and the wooden railway trains of Thomas or Brio or Target or IKEA all work with those rails.

Cheap table from Target has been great - particularly like the side storage compartments for tracks, etc. That said, my kids prefer to build elaborate tracks on the floors (we inherited a lot of track) and have had NO interest in being confined to the space available on the table.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Target/IKEA wood tracks are pretty much indistinguishable from the Thomas brand ones, so we go with the cheap ones. They all fit together and the wooden railway trains of Thomas or Brio or Target or IKEA all work with those rails.

Cheap table from Target has been great - particularly like the side storage compartments for tracks, etc. That said, my kids prefer to build elaborate tracks on the floors (we inherited a lot of track) and have had NO interest in being confined to the space available on the table.

PP here - this is my kids too. They like to turn the hallway into a giant train track.

[Anonymous]

We got a nice set of tracks/accessories/trains by Melissa and Doug...it is similar to the Thomas sets you see out at toystores and bookstore for $120.

[Anonymous]

Ikea, Target, Brio, and Melissa and Doug have nice wooden tracks which are compatible with Thomas tracks and sets. Imaginarium is also ok, although some of their trains and sets aren't as high quality.

We have a combination of all of the above, and so far don't use a train table. I think not being confined to a small space to build tracks is less frustrating overall, plus allows more room for creativity. But it depends on your needs and what your child prefers.

[Anonymous]

Imaginarium table is great - sturdy (my 3 year old climbs and plays trains on it all the time!) and has cool bridges, mountain tunnels and noises and lights that go off as you move around the track - keeps him amused for hours. Agreed, the trains that come with the track are not as cool as the Thomas trains but for the price I am very pleased with our set - TRU, on sale - super cool!

[Anonymous]

We have the imaginarium one and this one (in our very small living room):

http://www.amazon.com/Step2-Deluxe-Canyon-Train-Track/dp/B000AM03TQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1279139383&sr=1-3

I love them both. They have both been climbed on- the imaginarium one for the past 3 years. The Imaginarium one was hard to put together- there was a small part missing and there were some missing drill holes. I would buy cheap trains or get Thomas stuff on ebay.

[Anonymous]

IMHO, the Target table is just as nice as some of the more expensive ones, and has bins underneath for storage:

http://www.target.com/Kidkraft-17940-Circo-Train-Table/dp/B002VHZYMO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&searchView=list&qid=1279147732&frombrowse=0&fromGsearch=true&node=1038576|1287991011&keywords=train%20table&searchSize=30&id=Kidkraft%2017940%20Circo%20Train%20Table&searchBinNameList=subjectbin,price,target_com_primary_color-bin,target_com_size-bin,target_com_brand-bin&searchNodeID=1038576|1287991011&searchRank=target104545&sr=1-1&searchPage=1&rh=

[Anonymous]

OP here - thanks for all the responses.