Conference moira::parenting

I bought the wooden trains from the Lillian Vernon for my nephews and they
are compatible with the Brio stuff that they have.  I was also thinking of
getting the Thomas things, but I haven't ordered them yet...

                                           Tracy

    
    I have several Thomas trains and they are completely compatible with
    Brio and T.C. Timber train sets (magnet and all).  They're adorable, but 
    the way my children lug them around they get banged up pretty quickly!  
    I had heard that there was a problem with the manufacturer (the wheeels 
    on the engines weren't functioning properly) but mine have been fine.
    
    As for Lillian Vernon, I bought some track from them but sent it back
    because even though it connected with my TC Timber/Brio set, the actual
    grooves didn't seat properly and the train would get "stuck" when it
    tried to ride those pieces of track.
    
    Learning Express has the Thomas "Brio-type" trains.
    
    -dorothy

    FYI, the "Hero" line, available at the Early Learning Center, is
    compatable with Brio (and cheaper, to boot!) For comparison, a 40 pc
    Hero set (oval layout w/switch and bumper,  engine and 3 freight cars)
    was approx $25 at the ELC, while a comparable 40 pc Brio layout
    (figure-8, engine & 3 cars) was $40.
    
    In fact, I prefer the Hero pieces to Brio because they seem to fit
    better (we find Brio to be a little snug). Unfortunately, we haven't
    found a source for Hero accessories (tunnels, switches, bridges, etc.),
    so we stick with Brio for those. 
    
    FWIW, there's a place in Waltham (E.M.Holt?) that opens their warehouse 
    to the public on the first Saturday of the month. Although selection is
    limited, they sell Brio sets and accessories at a 20% discount from
    list price. (Their list price is the same as the ELC prices, by the way.)
    For Christmas, we bought Nick a ton of accessories here, while adding
    a couple of 40-pc Hero sets from the ELC ($19 on sale...less than the cost
    of a Brio tunnel or bridge!). A cost-effective way of expanding his
    (our) layout...
    
    Good luck.
    
    Freddie

    Does anyone have an update to this?  We are thinking about getting some
    type of Brio-like (or even Brio, if we must...) set for our 18 month
    and 5-1/2 year olds.
    
    They both seem to really like these trains when we go into stores that
    allow them to play with them.  We are concerned that it is something
    they like when they don't have access to them, but once we shell out
    the $$, the trains won't have the same interest.
    
    Thanks,
    
    judy

We bought a Brio-compatible train set for our two children, a 20-month old
boy and 5 1/2 year old girl, and they have been playing with it everyday.
We have added a few extra pieces like a garage and some people to make
things more interesting.  I'm not sure if it will still be holding their
interest a year from now, but so far it certainly is.  Sometimes they
fight over the pieces.  We were thinking of building a short table for
the train, similar to the ones they have in the stores.  Matthew seems
to like having the train up so that he can stand rather than sitting on
the floor to play with it.

    --Cida

>> <<< Note 449.5 by DSSDEV::ZEEB "Cada ser humano faz o seu proprio destino" >>>
>>                           -< It is working for us >-

I'd skip the Brio stuff and go for the DUPLO train set.  With Brio,  it
looks like the track will be constantly falling apart.  With the DUPLO
track, you can use DUPLO blocks to hold it together and build with the
rest of the DUPLO blocks.  They even have a neat battery operated engine.
I got the set for my son and he loves it!  

Garry

    We've gotten more use out of our wooden train set than *anything* else
    we purchased.  I have a 4 year old and a 2 year old.  I have mostly 
    Brio track, some TC timber.  The only engines that get real use are
    the Thomas ones.  I don't like the Thomas track.  The quality isn't
    as good as the Brio.  My boys have the train set up on my coffee table
    all the time.  It prevents the 2 year old from walking all over the 
    track.  I order the Thomas playboard for Christmas.  We may or may
    not build a table depending how it works out.
    
    BTW, Brio seems to have lowered it's prices on the starter type sets.
    They are cheaper now than when I bought them 3 years ago.  There is
    also a battery operated engine available(not Brio) and a Polar
    Express Engine(Brio).  Many of the stores have 20% off sales this
    time of year. 
    
    			Good luck,
    			Mary

    In our house, the Brio/Hero/Thomas trainset has incredible staying
    power. My sons have just turned 6 and 3 yrs old, and they play with
    it a couple of times per week. They're at the stage now where they like
    to build massive layouts that use *every* piece of equipment in their
    collection. We store it in a large Rubbermaid storage box that's always 
    kept in a handy location. In fact, when we go away on vacation, we 
    always manage to pack a smaller box with enough track/trains to make a 
    decent-sized layout. 
    
    As far as durability goes, we've been building the collection for 3+
    years, and we add a bunch of new stuff every Christmas. You'd be hard-
    pressed to tell the difference between the older stuff and the newer 
    stuff. The only piece that's ever been damaged is a Hero freight car 
    that Mom stepped on, breaking off one of the magnets. I fixed it with 
    a bit of epoxy, and it's as good as new. 
    
    As far as the Brio vs. Thomas vs. ??? discussion goes, we've only
    purchased trains and accessories from the Thomas set (as opposed to 
    tracks), so I can't comment on durability/compatability. As far as the
    boys' preferences are concerned, they are just as likely to choose a
    Hero engine as they would Thomas, James, etc...
    
    I'd be interested in hearing people's experiences with the 'house-brand' 
    stuff offered thru Lillian Vernon and other mail-order vendors.
    Specifically, how does it compare quality-wise with the Brio/Hero stuff?
                                        

> My sons have just turned 6 and 3 yrs old, and they play with
> it a couple of times per week. They're at the stage now where
> they like to build massive layouts that use *every* piece of
> equipment in their collection.

  Gee, *I'M* at that stage too! :-)

  In our house, the initial Brio collection arrived with a
  custom "trainboard" built by Santa. The trainboard was similar
  to the one that you could see down at the Brio shop, rectangular
  with part of it painted green for grass and part blue for water,
  but it was slightly larger, and it sat up off the floor by a few
  inches, supported on a sturdy frame.

  It was also just the right height that a Brio "downramp" would
  lead the track down to floor level.

  About a year later, Dad (that's me) built a flakeboard box that,
  amazingly enough, was completely compatible with some notches in
  the frame of Santa's trainboard. This box was about 2'x3' by
  about a 1' deep, and would store all the Brio equipment that was
  ever likely to turn up. Then, the trainboard (and any current
  layout) could be set atop the box for convenient play by growing
  kids of all ages. ,-)

  Brio play goes through some definite stages. There's the "push
  the train round-and-round" stage. Then, the use-all-the-pieces
  stage. Then, the build-very-complicated-yet-technically-elegant-
  and-highly-functional-layouts stage. The may be others...

  Brio is also attractive to kids of both sexes. There's now
  a five-year-old girl getting just as much fun from the Brio
  set as my ten-year-old son ever did.

                                   Atlant

    Well, I've got a lot to think about here.  Thanks for all the detailed
    replies.   And it's nice to know there are so many others willing to
    shell out the bucks...
    
    Thanks,
    
    judy

    
    We have a Brio "figure 8" (Christmas deals have it for $39.99, incl 3-4
    cars), several Thomas cars, and 2 other figure-8 compatible (well, not
    QUITE!) sets.  It takes up my living room floor, and every time I look
    at it, it's different.  I have three boys, ages 10, 7 and 2, and
    they're ALWAYS playing with it (including me and Al (-;), and even the
    2 yr old changes the track around.
    
    My comments:
    
    o The compatible sets, aren't always.  
    o The BRIO bridges aren't QUITE high enough for the Thomas "larger
      cars" to fit under (engines fit fine)
    o The Brio trains, compared to the Thomas trains, stink.  Period.
    o Thomas trains are heavier and have MUCH stronger magnets than Brio. 
    o The Brio engines only have magnets on the back, which gets
      frustrating for a small child.
    o Thomas trains/cars/bus have magnets on both ends
    o The Thomas track, compared to the Brio track, stinks.  Period.
      The Thomas track that I have, has peg-sort-of things that attach the
      tracks together (vs Brio, which is one solid piece of wood).  The
      pegs come out of the track, which make a LOVELY choking hazard for
      little kids.  I have a couple Thomas "switches", a tunnel (the tunnel's
      nice), and 2 bumpers.  I wouldn't buy more Thomas track unless it was
      a specific piece that Brio doesn't make.  Also, the Brio track is
      deeper, which helps the trains stay on better.
    
    IF I had to do it all over again, I'd buy 2-3 of the $40.00 "starter"
    sets, from Brio, and several Thomas trains, and a few switches and
    bumpers, and you'd have an awesome layout for YEARS to come, with
    amazing "staying" power and flexibility.  Also, Brio has a new tunnel
    out, which is large enough for an adult's arm - important when the
    little ones get the train "stuck" in the tunnel.
    
    Hope this helps .... I love it, and don't even mind donating the whole
    living room to it - heck, they're just kids!!  (-:
    
    Oh - and as for being stepped on - well, that just gives them the
    opportunity to rebuild it all! 
    
    ... Santa's looking at a turntable for Christmas .... and a shed.  And
    Peter Sam (-:  (santa should start looking for a 2nd job! (-;).
    
    Patty

    BTW Patty,  If you are looking for a turntable big enough to 
    accomodate Henry and Gordon... Brio now makes an awesome one.  It
    is very large compared to thier other and has half male and half
    female adapters.  Don't buy the Thomas one.  It is made of particle
    board and my son (4) broke it within 2 hours.  Neither of my kids
    have ever managed to break any of the trains before that.  I returned
    it without a problem and exchanged it for the Brio one.  It is
    rather expensive though.
    
    				Mary
    
    			

    re: .11
    
    Patty touches on a couple of good points...
    
    	- Some sets use those little 'dogbone' connectors to join tracks.
    	Try to avoid them, as they are a choking hazard for younger kids,
    	a walking hazard for grownups :^), and will tend to get lost.
    
    	- Plan to spend a least $40-$100 to get started. Add-ons will cost
    	you anywhere from $5 for small pieces of track or switches to $50
    	for some of the larger pieces (ex. suspension bridges, large
    	turntables, etc.). Your investment will only be limited by your own
    	enthusiasm. Our collection is worth probably $250-$300; we'll
    	probably keep adding to it for a while, and I suspect that it will 
    	likely be handed off to our grandchildren in 20 or so years, but you 
    	can build quite a nice, flexible system for less than $100 that
    	will last forever.
    
    Also, one of the educational toy chains (possible Early Learning
    Center, but I can't recall) keeps a registry of stuff you buy there, so
    if a relative wants to add some pieces to your collection, they can go
    in and find out what you already have and what you might need.
    
    Good luck... 
                                                         

    One question my husband asked is what keeps kids interested in Brio
    when they could get a nice HO set that is more complicated and runs
    with a transformer?
    
    By the way, for anyone else in the market for this stuff, Learn & Play
    (a NH-based toy store) in the Phesant Lane Mall is having a 20% sale on
    Sunday, Nov. 19 (charity night).
    
    judy

    
    Brio vs. electric train - We have both.  For the younger ages, it
    is infinitely more fun to be able to push, pull, etc. that train
    around the track then it is to simply watch an electric train go
    round.   Also, HO trains are difficult to use and set up for the
    little ones, so they typically can't do it by themselves (if that
    matters to you).  
    
    Carol 

    >One question my husband asked is what keeps kids interested in Brio
    >when they could get a nice HO set that is more complicated and runs
    >with a transformer?
    
    Because it's more complicated and requires a transformer ...
    
    We have "real" trains too - though they're for the most part N-Gage
    (smaller than HO).  They're okay, but the enthusiasm dies out pretty
    quick, and when the trains derail, it takes a careful hand and a good
    eye to get them all back on, exactly right, and make sure all the track
    is exactly right.  
    
    Basically, the Brio is pretty forgiving of kids being a little "rough"
    with it.  "Real" trains require a lot more patience and a more sedate
    Engineer.  AND, our Brio/Thomas trains are driven EVERYWHERE, usually
    end up going to bed with them, work fine on the track, the kitchen
    floor, the carpet, up and down Mom's arm etc.  Electric trains work on
    track.  Period.
    
    Though a _permanent_ electric setup might be an okay alternative (ie,
    the track's nailed down) - but then you can't change it, so that's no
    fun....
    
    YMMV
    

    re: Brio-Thomas trains
    
    Are the Thomas trains for Brio available in stores anywhere? I know
    I've seen them in catalogs, but I wasn't sure if I'd seen them in
    stores. ( My kids have metal Thomas trains, but I don't think that's
    what's meant here)
    Thanks,
    Sue
    

    
    The Learning Express has them.

    Everyplace that I've seen Brio, has Thomas right around the corner. 
    They usually have a much larger selection of one than the other, but
    most stores will order whatever you'd like....
    
    Patty

    I was in the Concord Toy Shop (Concord, MA) yesterday.  I had to pull
    my 18 month old son from the Brio/Thomas train display, kicking and
    screaming.  My 3 year old daughter was also pretty interested in the
    trains.
    
    They are having a 25% off Brio (and Playmobil) sale the 3 days after 
    Thanksgiving (in reponse to the Learning Express sale at the same time).
    
    Carol

    Learn & Play at the Phesant Lane Mall has the Thomas (and Brio) stuff. 
    And on Sunday, November 19 they are having a 20% off sale for charity
    night.  (This is from 6:00 to 9:00 and you have to buy a $5 ticket to
    get into the mall, which you can buy at the door.)
    
    judy

    Anyone find a catalog that has Hero/Brio-compatable stuff at reduced
    proces? I have not fond any specialty toy store yet that carries
    anything but Brio and the Thomas stuff. 
    
    Thanks,
    Jerry
    

    I Have a TC Toy catalog at home.  They have good quality compatable
    trains.  I'll try to remeber the number on Monday.   You could
    try to get it from the 1-800-555-1212 operator.  They are located
    in upstate NY.
    
    				Mary

    
    Well, I got caught up in the Bradless "Family shopping night" last
    night, and was able to get a couple Sesame Street brio-compatible sets
    for ~$22.00 .... what a steal!!
    
    The track seems to be identical to BRIO, and the only complaint about
    the trains is that the engine doesn't have a front magnet.  And the
    bridge it comes with is a suspension bridge that rests on supports, it
    looks like it might be a little tippier than a "normal" bridge, but for
    the price, you can't beat it.  42 pieces in all ... I'm having a REAL
    hard time saving it till Christmas!
    
    Patty

    
    As long as I'm shopping Nashua for Brio, I figured I'd post my latest
    "findings".
    
    BJs wholesale has a compatible set, that's a real bargain if you're
    looking for shear volume.  For $40.00, you get;
    
    30 pieces of straight/curved track
    2 bumpers
    3 over-under bridges
    1 straight piece with "railings" on either side
    1 straight double?switch (2 side-by-side tracks, that cross and connect
      4 pieces of track)
    1 all-plastic turntable (I think it has a total of 6 connections to it)
    1 or 2 railroad "stations" - just the rain-cover things.
    a circus train, complete with animals
    I *THINK* another smaller train as well
    a billion little people, telephone poles, signs, trees, etc.
    a wooden whistle that sounds JUST like a train.
    	There's 100 pieces in all, made from black oak.  BEWARE: The
    bridges may be too short to allow brio/thomas to fit under, but they
    work great for hills.  The engines don't have magnets on the front, and
    the trains are a little on the light side.  The pieces are connected
    together with plastic "dogbones", so it might not be good for under 2.
    *IF* they haven't changed the design any since the set I bought ~4
    years ago, you might have a little trouble getting the brio "male" ends
    into the female pieces of this track - but it's certainly do-able, and
    usually just choosing a different piece of track solves it.
    
    Of course I can't remember the company - the box is mostly green.  Toys
    R Us also carries this brand, but it's considerably more expensive
    there.  This is a great set especially if you're more interested in
    just adding a lot of track/hills, and a turntable.  I bought one! 
    Almost two! (-:
    
    AND, back to the sesame street set .... Toys R Us carries it - made by
    Tootsie Toys, and has sets ranging from an "oval" for $23.00 (yawn) to
    a Cookie Monster 42-piece set w/ suspension bridge, for $35.00 (best
    deal).  *ALSO* all you Brio lovers - they sell the Tootsie-track boxed,
    and it's almost free compared to Brio - averages about $5.00/box.  And
    they have trains w/ Sesame Street characters for ~$2.00/ea.  I already
    have too many trains, else I'd have snagged some of them!  They seem
    comparable to the Thomas quality. 
    
    Now if I could find some Tootsie-switches, I'd be in 7th heaven!  BTW -
    Toys R Us does not (and WILL NOT!) carry Brio, nor the Thomas "trains"
    (they do have the plastic 'cars').
    
    Hope this helps!
    
    Patty

    
    p.s. - and the proceeds from the Tootsie-Toys, Sesame Street sets, go
    to CTW ... I thought that was cool!

    "The Whistlin' Dixie Line" is the brand you refer to from BJs.  We
    bought it for Christmas last year and we are not at all happy with it. 
    The quality is not nearly as good at Thomas or Brio.  The connectors do
    not work well on the track, and the train does get hung up on it.  The
    bridges do not stay put well, etc., etc.  
    
    I would recommend spending the extra $ and get the quality to withstand
    the abuse it will get.
    

    
    This information is great.  Thanks so much for sharing. I'm planning to 
    get a starter set for my 2.5 year old and you saved me so much time and
    money!
    
    Kathy  

    re .27  Yup - that's the brand.  It's definitely NOT a top-quality
    item, but you also could never dream of getting 100 pieces of BRIO
    anything for $40.00, and that's why I said "if you're looking for
    volume".  I've never noticed any problem with the "operation" of the
    tracks themselves - a little difficult fitting it to BRIO since BRIO
    male ends a little on the larger side, but it's not impossible to do.
    
    The bridges are too short to fit Thomas/Brio trains under, but they
    make good hills.  And the cars are a bit light, but it works.  And if
    you're not trying to mix sets, it works great. (IMO)
    
    ALSO, on the Sesame Street set - I couldn't wait, and opened the one I
    got.  It seems similar to the Whistlin' Dixie Woes .... the suspension
    bridge isn't high enough to even fit all of the Sesame Street cars
    (there's 1 car that's too tall to make it), and the silly thing falls
    down all the time - nothing a little nail couldn't fix, but still a
    _little_ aggravating.  I think it bugs me more than the kids .... (-:
    they haven't complained yet!  And the track has the same problem - the
    Brio track, while LOOKING identical, is actually a little larger for
    the "peg" pieces, so it's a little tight to fit together.  The two
    "compatible" sets fit together better than any of the Brio pieces fit.
    
    So, ANY set by itself, I'm sure would be fine.
    
    It depends on how much you want to spend, and how fussy you are that
    everything looks absolutely PERFECT.  If I were to start all over
    again, I'd get 1 or 2 of the 100-piece Whistlin Dixie sets, a couple
    Thomas bridges (they're the highest) and trains (they're the heaviest),
    and leave Brio out altogether.  For the money, there are just too many
    other options, and the kids are more impressed with quantity than
    quality (and of all of it, I've only ever had trouble w/ 1 piece of
    "whistlin" track, when I tried too forcefully to pull a Brio track out
    of it, and caught a piece of the wood - it still works fine though). 
    Oh - and maybe add some Sesame Street trains at $2.00/ea from Toys R
    Us.
    
    Of course - YMMV!

    I want to thank everyone for their input into this note.  We did bite
    the bullet and got a set of Brio trains, plus the table.  The table was
    mostly for me, since I'm not crazy about lots of toys lying around and
    getting a major guilt trip for ruining a layout is not my idea of a
    good time.
    
    I sure hope they like them, but it sounds like other kids like them for
    a long time.
    
    judy

Just curious if we make the investment, how
long your kids played with the Brio train sets.

  My 6 year old son has an extensive brio train set (it helps to have Swedish
grandparents :^) He is still very interested in it.  It is not something that
he plays with everyday but when he does play with it he plays for hours.  He
also usually wants an adult to play along.

Elizabeth

    
    I think I wrote this already, but we have a large layout that's played
    with every day, by all 5 kids (well, when they're there), ages 10, 9, 7
    4 and 2.  I think it'll be considered part of the furniture for many
    years to come.
    
    Usually by the end of the day, the track has gotten trashed a bit, so
    I'll spend a few mins and change the layout around a little.  Each day
    they have a new track to drive on.  I kept it the same for a week once,
    and after a couple days, they started getting bored with it (and ripped
    it all apart and made it different themselves).
    
    

>>                              -< Ages 3 to 103! >-

Yep, my 104-year-old grandmother has decided to stop playing with hers...

Has anyone tried to make a felt base for the Brio/Thomas setups to be put on?
I'm thinking of a base that would have blue sewn on green for water and land.
Maybe even some felt with stuffing under it to make little hills.

Do you think this would be an unstable surface to put the tracks on since 
there might be multiple layers of felt on some parts, where there is blue
felt on top of green for example.  Of course the track would have to be
set up around the hills.

I don't have a place where I can build and paint a wooden base for the brio 
so I thought this might be an alternative.  I do have a large coffee table to 
set the felt base on for playing which could add stability as opposed to the 
carpet.

Has anyone used other alternatives from the store bought wooden bases?

Any input would be appreciated.

Marianne

    You'd probably be better off with a canvas/denim base, and then add the
    felt, as you'd like.  If I were doing it, I think I'd glue the felt
    down instead of sew - it'd be simpler, and seems like it'd be flatter
    as well.  Felt takes glue quite well.  Just regular Elmer's should do
    fine.  
    
    The track can probably withstand the height difference, as ours is on
    the carpet all the time, and seems to tolerate that okay.  Sometimes
    your have to encourage the trains a bit, but not a lot.
    
    Another alternative is to think about using those pre-cut iron-on
    patches.  Then you don't have to "seal" edges, and the material is
    thinner than felt would be.
    
    Good Luck! (and let me know what you used!!)
    
    Patty

Patty,

Thanks for your ideas.  As I was reading and thinking about this it occurred 
to me maybe the children would like their base setting to be changeable just 
like the train setup is.  I could make a felt or denim base for the coffee 
table and cut out freeform lakes and rivers out of blue water colored felt 
and the kids can place them where they want. I could make a river just big 
enough to fit under a bridge and so forth.  Felt generally doesn't fray so 
you don't have to seal the edges, and as you said glue works well if there 
were parts that I would want to glue down.

The truth is, I say children, one of them is me! My 3 year old isn't that 
into Brio, unless I play with her --- my eleven year old - "baby toy". I 
think it's the neatest stuff around.  She loves the Playmobile, but it has 
small parts that are ever so fascinating to a three year old, and she's still 
tasting most toys - so Playmobile is out for now.  I thought making a base 
for her Brio might stimulate interest, so I could have an excuse to buy the 
bridge that I want so much!  Actually the base could be for all kinds of toys 
a doll house or Playmobile or Brio or whatever she (or me) is using at the 
time. I'm so glad I have kids for my cover.  And just think, everybody thinks 
I'm so grown-up because I have two kids!  It's too perfect.

Marianne

    Next/unseen just happened to bring me into this discussion about
    bases for Brio, and I thought I'd add my observation.
    
    My son, who is now just a month short of turning 10, together
    with a friend, pulled out the Brio for the first time in several
    months.  We have a *large* Brio collection, and at one time
    acquired a wooden Brio base.  They started building on the
    base, but ended up running track over a large area, extending
    maybe 10' away from the base.  With the houses, etc, they built
    a real city, and took over a major portion of the family room.
    
    I'd think BIG.  If you plan on steadily adding to the Brio, and/or
    have friends who will give your kid(s) lots of it, the base is going
    to become too small quite quickly.  In other words, spend the money
    that you'd spend on a base on more pieces of Brio.
    
    Also, I'm wondering if Brio might be a good financial investment,
    especially with the prices!!! :)

    FYI - the Sesame Street stores are going out of business.  Brio Trains
    and accessories 30% off.
     

    Where are the Sesame Street stores?
    
    Kathy

    one at pheasant lane mall in Nashua... nice stuff :)
    sesame stores that is...

    
    If you're more interested in the sesame street trains, I've seen them
    at the following stores:
    
    ToysRUs
    Wal-Mart
    Bradlees
    
    I'm sure that others carry them as well ....
    
    -Patty

    Actually I bought a few sesame street trains which are very nice, but my
    son doesn't even notice they are there.  I started the Thomas/Brio
    investment at Christmas hoping Alex would be interested in them (and
    become less obsessed with cars/trucks, et al.) and now he is obsessed
    with Thomas/James/Terrence/Edward and the gang. Trains are all he talks
    about now.  He even stops strangers and tells them stories about James,
    Thomas, etc.  of course people have no idea what he is talking about
    and probably think something is wrong with him!  I brought a train
    video home from the library and there is NO talking in this video.
    There is just 30 minutes of various real trains running along tracks,
    blowing whistles and steam and showing engineers working.  He is in
    heaven. Sits there transfixed the entire program.  
    
    So, I was interested in a store - any store - that sells Thomas/Brio
    on sale.  I have stopped into the store in Pheasant Lane Mall and
    shortly after Christmas they had a sale which we benefitted from.
    However, that sale depleted their stock of Thomas and even a few
    months later they never had more stock. I haven't been back since March
    or so.  
    
    Alex's 3rd. birthday is June 30. A few learning type stores around me
    have had 20% off sales and I got him a turning table (which is all he
    talks about) a train shed, some track, and a new train.  Even with 20%
    off all this cost a fortune, in my opinion.
    
    Off on another tangent, I am very disappointed with Thomas track. It
    was mentioned in here that they aren't as good as Brio but the problem 
    we had is within a month or two of buying some Thomas track (which have
    grooves in the wood) little pieces of wood broke off.  Now we only buy
    Brio tracks but Thomas trains.  Alex loves Shining Time Station and the
    Thomas videos and books so he is sucked into the characters the Thomas
    line offers.
    
    Kathy

    
    We have Thomas trains, Brio trains, and Sesame Street trains.  Jonathan
    hogs ALL of the Thomas trains, and will set up a Sesame Street train
    for me to play with.  He won't let me have any with a face on it )-:
    
    I haven't seen them on sale in a long time, and the last time I looked
    at the mall for them (same store) they were still totally depleted.
    
    If you're just looking for some of the characters, and don't care that
    it'll fit on the tracks, Erich Fuch's, across the hall, has the ones
    that you just drive on the ground/table/Mom's head/whatever.  But they
    don't fit on the track (too small), which can be aggravating.  We
    bought a Terence and Duck in this.  Terence isn't a big deal - he's a
    tractor anyway, but Jonathan frequently has a canary trying to make
    Duck drive on the track .... he ends up flipping over the straight
    track, and driving it on the smooth side.
    
    I still think the Thomas track is awful, and the Brio trains are awful.
    Sesame street track is pretty good, and a LOT cheaper than Brio.  I try
    to buy Sesame street track pieces when I want/need more track (which'll
    be about 100 years from now!)
    
    We have a huge bucket full of tracks and turns and switches and
    bridges.  The switches are the best thing for flexibility, and 4-6
    switches, plus a "T" seems to give a never-ending layout - pretty much
    the size of our living room (-:
    
    If you buy one of the smaller Sesame Street sets (which I believe is
    cheaper than separate track), it comes with a nice suspension bridge,
    and quite a lot of track.  It fits great and is of very similar quality
    to the Brio.  
    
    Our train set is:
    
    1-$40.00 Sesame Street Set (I think it's the Big Bird set, but Iforget)
    	Includes Suspension bridge and lots of track
    2-Whistlin' Dixie sets, each was a figure-8 w/ over/under bridge (these 
    	bridges are too short to allow any other trains to pass under, but
    	they make nice 'hills')
    1- Brio figure-8 w/ over/under bridge (our favorite bridge by far!)
    
    1 - Thomas Tee track.
    1 - Thomas tunnel (another favorite)
    2 - curved switches
    2 - Thomas straight "forks" (comes in from one, splits to 2 tracks)
    2 - Bumpers (1 male, 1 female)
    And somewhere along the line we picked up some sharp curves, and short
    straight pieces - they may have been in the Sesame Street set.  Or
    they're Brio.
    
    Pile of trees/people/houses (most that came with the Whistlin' Dixie
    sets) that pretty much sit in the bottom of the bucket, and go unused.
    Aside from the Thomas trains, most of the other trains go unused, but
    when we have company, most kids could care less what train they're
    pushing around - they just think the track's pretty awesome.
    
    For Trains we have:
    
    Bill &
    Ben
    Thomas
    Gordon w/ coal car
    James w/ coal car
    Oliver
    Percy
    Diesel
    Sodor Caboose
    Boco
    Donald &
    Douglas
    Daisy
    Troublesome freight car?
    Rusty
    
    Not trains:
    Harold
    Terence
    Duck
    Sir Topham Hat (but of course!)
    
    It seems to me that there's more, but I can't remember who ....
    
    Toys R Us mentioned, around Christmas time, that they were going to
    start selling the trains, sometime soon - haven't looked since.
    
    Good luck!
    

    Classic Toys on Main Street, Shrewsbury is going out of business and
    all toys and Brio are 25% off.

    Patty, thanks for sharing.  I got a real chuckle out of your note cause
    I can truly relate.  We don't have the amount of track you have (yet)
    but have many of the trains/characters. Alex knows them all and uses
    them all. He seems to have a new favorite every few weeks.  Not that
    this makes a big deal, but I thought Duck is a train. We have a green
    train (I don't think it's an engine) he calls Duck. I bought it for
    him so probably went by the name on the box but can't remember for
    sure.  At one point I noticed all these engines are males and mentioned
    it to my sister. She has now taken to buying him the female trains
    (although there aren't many which are the leaders!!) He does like Terence 
    and even though he isn't a train and his catapillars fell off almost
    immediately, he uses him on the track.  Speaking of track, lately he
    hasn't even bothered assembling track.  We have tiles in the family
    room and he has been using the grooves/grout between the tiles as
    track as well as the spaces between floor boards on the deck.
    
    He is telling everyone within earshot he is getting a turning table for
    his birthday. Now, thanks to a parenting noter for telling me the
    Thomas party stuff exists and where, he will have a Thomas party. We
    are extatic about that. 
    
    Kathy

    
    Kathy -
    
    Sorry for the confusion - Duck is a train (his real name is Montague,
    but they call him Duck because they say he waddles (-:).  But the one
    that we have doesn't fit on the track.
    
    There aren't too many female ones at all ... I THINK that Daisy is the
    only engine - although I'm not sure if Mavis is a girl or boy name. 
    All of the coaches are females - Annie and Clarabel etc.
    
    I bought a pile of Thomas pillow cases (they're flannel) from Building
    19 in Jan, and cut them open, then sewed them together flat, and made a
    couple quilts for the boys.  They LOVE them!!  Thomas, Sir Topham,
    Edward, Rusty and James.  Maybe Gordon and Percy too .... sleep with
    them every night. Really cute.  Jonathan's taken to 'singing' the
    little Thomas tune .... doo-doo-doo-doo-do-do-dooooooooooooo  Doo doo
    do doo etc ... it's pretty funny.
    
    We shied away from the turntable .... mostly because the kids play with
    LONG trains, and to use the turntable, you can really only have one, at
    most 2, trains connected together - the "T" worked better for us, since
    what they really wanted to do was change direction.  
    
    Have fun with the party!!
    
    -Patty

    
    By the way, Building 19 (I saw them in Burlington) is selling Shining Time 
    Station videos for $1.99. Last year I bought a 5 pack for $9.00. They split
    the packages and are now selling them individually.  Each video has 1 
    episode of Shining Time Station and incudes a Thomas or his friends train 
    story. They also have Thomas coloring books 2/$1.00, as well as $.59. 
    
    Kathy