Thomas the Tank Engine : Toy Review

Can I just tell you how much I adore Thomas the Tank Engine! All things Thomas are fantastic in my eyes. If you have never seen Thomas, let me encourage you to check out a book or a movie.

Thomas the Tank Engine originates from the Reverend Wilbert Awdry, as a way of entertaining his young son Christopher as he recovered, in isolation, from scarlet fever.  Eventually, the oral tales were turned into books and then into movies, toys, and an entire aisle at Toys-r-us. :) 

My boys love the smiling faces of Thomas and all his friends and I love what Thomas represents. Each character has a specific personality and each story illustrates how the engines interact with moral dilemmas, and biblical concepts.

As mentioned before, there is quite an array of Thomas products. For today, I'm going to focus my attention on the Thomas the Tank Engine Wooden Railway

Things I love about Wooden Trains (especially Thomas the Tank Engine):

• Classic:   Unfortunately, sometimes the classic toys get pushed to the side while the toys that light up buzz and ding demand the most attention. I adore the quiet imagination that emerges from my boys when the trains are brought out and set up. The conversations that begin to take place as the
  boys choose the personality of the train they become.
• Sturdy: As most Classic toys are, the wooden nature of the train and accessories is very durable. The paint may get chipped a bit, but those are just "love dents".
• Compatibility: I have yet to find an off brand wooden track that is not compatible with the Thomas tracks and Trains. However, I do love the name brand and they do seem to be a bit more sturdy, it's nice to have an alternative.

Things I do NOT love about Thomas the Tank Engine.

• Price:  Ok, here is the deal. Actual Thomas the Tank Engine Wooden Railway Products are a bit pricey. You will pay $10-$25 for one engine. But in our house, we had to step back and look at it this way... Our Trains are an INVESTMENT!! This is a toy that we will keep for generations to come. They are a special toy that carry special memories in our house, and we will continue to purchase them! 
• I really do believe that the Brand Name Tracks are best, but we do quite a bit of store brand tracks and brand engines and bridges.