train experts -price?

[cricketwife]

So I think it's going to be a train Christmas for DS (he will be two). I can't believe how expensive they are /can be!  I know there are lesser brands, which I'm not opposed to, but it sounds like Thomas and Brio make the best quality.  I found this on CL for $75. Her pics aren't great, but does that seem reasonable? I thought it did. It's really hard to find used trains. I've been casually looking for a while and they don't seem to come up that often. What do you think? Worth $75?

[Deleted]

I got the big M&D track set for about $70 new. It was 50% off. I got a bunch of Thomas wooden railways trains for $2 each off of cl.

Then I used AC Moore coupons for 50 or 55% off to get some of the battery operated and talking ones.

[Deleted]

We have A LOT of trains and related track, stations, etc at our house.

$75 seems about right. It looks like there are some Thomas brand wooden railway trains in the collection. Those suckers are expensive.

I'm looking for something similar to donate to DS1s classroom and it is running around $200 on Craigslist here (VHCOL Canadian city).

[arch01]

That seems pretty reasonable for all of that.

[Deleted]

Also, the IKEA train stuff is good, cheap and fits with Brio and Thomas wooden railway.

[cricketwife]

Sept 23, 2015 19:23:43 GMT -5 @awinter said:

I got the big M&D track set for about $70 new. It was 50% off. I got a bunch of Thomas wooden railways trains for $2 each off of cl.

Then I used AC Moore coupons for 50 or 55% off to get some of the battery operated and talking ones.

Yeah, I'm kind of wondering what kind of deals will be running at xmas. I have price watches set on a ton of sets.  I'm I pressed you found the Thomas trains on CL. They seem scarce around here. I don't think we have an AC Moire, but I will have to check. That's a good idea. 

[cricketwife]

Sept 23, 2015 19:31:16 GMT -5 @bandwife said:

Also, the IKEA train stuff is good, cheap and fits with Brio and Thomas wooden railway.

I know that this advice is very MMM, and as frugal as I generally am, there is just no amount of savings that makes it worth a trip to ikea for me, lol. 

[momin2013]

For Thomas, I think that's an excellent price - that is a LOT of trains and tracks. IME, the Thomas ones are the best quality (and DS has played with a lot of sets at various places). Those "station" pieces you see in the picture are expensive all by themselves, actually. DS has been playing with his Thomas sets since he was about 18 months old, and he plays with them literally every.single.day so for us it's been money well spent. I would go for it at that price.

[mainelyfoolish]

Very reasonable price. That little railroad crossing in the foreground of the second photo alone retails for $25. BTW, that piece makes a ding-ding sound and flashes lights when you push the red button; my DS loves it!

You can get deals at A.C.Moore with coupons and sales, but their regular prices on Thomas items are grossly inflated, so while it's a savings, it's still not incredibly cheap.

[hymen]

I would snatch that up for $75 in a heartbeat.

[Mushe]

Yes, definitely! Even just that big covered bridge in #2, my ILs bought for DS, and I think it was like $25 new.

[cricketwife]

Thanks, everyone! And Thanks to mainelyfoolish's link, I saw that the one item (the quarry mine piece) retails for $40, in addition to the $25 piece. I've texted her and I'm hoping I'm not too late! I'm nervously waiting for her reply, lol. I'll update if I get it. I also hope she doesn't live too far. She didn't post her location. 

[momin2013]

Good for you! Seriously, those big pieces alone are probably worth $75.

When I think of how much we've spent on Thomas trains and tracks already, I feel sort of queasy.

[auntie]

It's a steal.

A couple of those pieces, the bridge and the station with the clear roof are about $75.

IME, the Brio stuff is the best made of this genre but most of the others are fine. Some of the Thomas stuff which was stored in bins is chipped a bit.

LOL, I have 2 large bins of wooden trains; I spent about $1500 on it easily. Still less than his LGBs and his HO brass engines.

[imimahoney]

Actually I paid $75 for that plus more trains and the actual table over a year ago so I'd keep looking. But if nothing else is posted then I'd buy it.

[jackie011]

Not to thread jack- but what age did you all start with the trains? DS will be almost 21 months at Christmas and the ILs are so excited to buy him a train set as his big gift this year. I kind of think they should wait until next Christmas, though. We can hear trains from our house and he says "toot toot" when they blow the whistle, so in their minds that means he must have all the train things ASAP!

[anaps28]

That looks like a great deal. DS1 started loving trains around 16 months or so?
Just a note that the metal Thomas trains don't work on the wooden tracks. We learned that when we bought tracks AFTER we were given a bunch of metal trains. The plastic trains will work with the wooden tracks though.

[cricketwife]

Sept 24, 2015 5:53:09 GMT -5 jackie011 said:

Not to thread jack- but what age did you all start with the trains? DS will be almost 21 months at Christmas and the ILs are so excited to buy him a train set as his big gift this year. I kind of think they should wait until next Christmas, though. We can hear trains from our house and he says "toot toot" when they blow the whistle, so in their minds that means he must have all the train things ASAP!

DS has loved them at bookstores and museums since around 18 months. If we don't get this or another good deal on a used set, I'm going to buy a small starter set for Xmas. He doesn't need a huge set, but he does enjoy them. I have no expectation that he will be able to set up the track for a while, but he does LOVE to push the trains along an Already set up track.

[meij]

Sept 24, 2015 5:53:09 GMT -5 jackie011 said:

Not to thread jack- but what age did you all start with the trains? DS will be almost 21 months at Christmas and the ILs are so excited to buy him a train set as his big gift this year. I kind of think they should wait until next Christmas, though. We can hear trains from our house and he says "toot toot" when they blow the whistle, so in their minds that means he must have all the train things ASAP!

My son is 18 months and has become obsessed with trains this month. We already had a table and a ton of tracks and trains from DD and he's been playing with them everyday.

[auntie]

jackie011

DS got his first set of trains from my parents for Christmas at 4 1/2 months old. He fell in love.


www.trainsetsonly.com/page/TSO/PROD/426-72403?gclid=CLmUsfvaj8gCFYuRHwodarYM5w

He got a couple Thomas pieces when he was about 8 months old. He sort of carried them around and rolled them on the floor.

A friend gave him the Brio figure 8 set at about a year which started him on really "playing with" the set. We had to set it up at that age.

We added Thomas, Lionel's historic trains and Brio's real trains of the world as he got older and more into trains. We had a mix of track. We never did a train table, IMHO the beauty of this kind of toy is that it's open ended and his play evolved as he got older. I remember him at about 4 with his 13 yo cousin using every bit of track he had to create layouts in my IL's humongous living room. I think he played with them longer because they weren't glued down to a table. 

If you're mixing and matching pieces, be aware that while they're all compatible, the magnet polarity on some engines is different on different brands. DS was chill with this because our local tourist RR sometimes runs with the engine in the back and backwards, but it pissed some other kids I know off. 

[momin2013]

By 18 months, DS was well into trains. We bought him his first Trackmaster set last Christmas when he was 22 months and he loved it; by that point he'd already been playing with his wooden set for a while.

We debated getting a train table for a while, but ended up decided against it, and I'm so glad we did. One of the most fun parts about the wooden set for DS is taking the tracks apart and building super long and convoluted tracks all over the family room.

[thebreakfastclub]

jackie011

My H bought a ton of Thomas stuff from his friend's sister this past winter, so we have maybe 20 trains and cars, as well as a huge tote full of tracks. The whole thing was $100, a real steal. Just one train is $15 at Target.

DS loved the engines and cars and started playing with them right away. He turned 2 this past winter, and they really kept him busy. We bought a Thomas themed mat that has tracks on it and various Sodor landmarks. That is a great first step, because he can play with the trains and his other trucks/vehicles on the mat with ease.

When I PTd DS, I needed to keep him inside for day one, so I pulled out the tracks. He likes to build them, but he needs help to get them to make a logical loop. And I actually need help with it too. My tracks never really meet up well and I have constant derailments.

We gave DS a Cranky the Crane as a goodbye to overnight pacifier treat, and he loves Cranky.

I don't think we will get a table. No room and the trains run on the carpet just fine.

[ilikedonuts]

I think that's a good price. I'd personally get it! I need to find a nice used set to start our collection.

DH is making the girls a train/lego table for Christmas. DD1 wants the Tidmouth Sheds. I was like seriously right out of the gate you pick a $$$$ piece.

[momin2013]

I was thinking we might get the Roundabout station piece for DS for Christmas but it's $149 at Toys R Us right now. Hoping it goes on sale...

[redheadbaker]

That station with tree green top in the upper corner of the first pic runs about $75 by itself. So, yeah, good deal.

[luckyno7]

Sept 24, 2015 8:28:37 GMT -5 momin2013 said:

I was thinking we might get the Roundabout station piece for DS for Christmas but it's $149 at Toys R Us right now. Hoping it goes on sale...

I ordered mine from this site.

m.happyhentoys.com/lc99370.html

[momin2013]

Sept 24, 2015 9:24:29 GMT -5 luckyno7 said:

Sept 24, 2015 8:28:37 GMT -5 momin2013 said:

I was thinking we might get the Roundabout station piece for DS for Christmas but it's $149 at Toys R Us right now. Hoping it goes on sale...

I ordered mine from this site.

m.happyhentoys.com/lc99370.html

Wow, that's a good price! I just checked and it seems that they don't ship to Canada - boo. Thanks, though!

Last year the wooden sets did go on sale at TRU (I think it might have been 40% off?), so I guess I need to keep my eyes peeled.

[momin2013]

Sept 24, 2015 9:24:29 GMT -5 luckyno7 said:

Sept 24, 2015 8:28:37 GMT -5 momin2013 said:

I was thinking we might get the Roundabout station piece for DS for Christmas but it's $149 at Toys R Us right now. Hoping it goes on sale...

I ordered mine from this site.

m.happyhentoys.com/lc99370.html

O.k., wait a sec, they do ship to Canada. It's $46 shipping, though, so with the USD conversion I don't think I'd save much. I'll save the link for future use, though, just in case...thanks again.

[jackie011]

Sounds like this year will be the year of the train! Thanks everyone!