Suretrack Clips

I recently bought an Imaginarium train table and train set for my son for his 3rd birthday.It has an elevated part that doesn't stay together well at all and fell apart whenever he tried to use it.The real problem though was his 16-month-old brother, who would tear the entire set apart every time he came near it.Then both would be hitting each other with track pieces.

I realized in short order we had no choice but to secure the track somehow, but I HATED the idea of making it permanent.I plan on adding some Thomas pieces in the near future, and didn't want the table/track to be ruined with nail holes or glue.

When I went online looking for alternative do-it-yourself methods, I stumbled across the Suretrack Clips.At first I was hesitant to order them because:

1) There was only one review of them on Amazon.Sure it was a glowing review, but it is difficult to judge a product based on one person's opinion.

2) I had never seen them or heard of them before.If they're so great, shouldn't everyone be using them?

3) I have off-brand track.The manufacturer lists several brands of track the clips are compatible with (including the ever-popular Brio and Thomas) but not mine.

In the end, I ordered two boxes, and boy am I glad I did!They work great!It took me about 10 minutes to do our whole train set, and after that my 16-month old played with the set for nearly an hour without breaking apart a single piece (previous record was literally under two minutes).I am really amazed that something so simple and non-destructive to the set can work so well.

I do have some advice though.Because the product is relatively inexpensive, shipping for one box can be as much as 70% of the price of the item itself. And if you're clipping the whole train set, you're likely to need more than one box anyway.So go ahead and save on shipping by figuring out how many boxes you'll need and ordering them all at once.

Alternatively, you can just clip the elevated parts of your train set, because these are the pieces that fall apart the most.In this case, you can probably get away with one box.

I purchased these to hold together the track on my daughter's Costco train table set.The wooden pieces came apart so easily that I was debating glueing or nailing her track together. I saw the Suretrack set on a Thomas the Train website and decided to order them here on Amazon.I only ordered one set as I wasn't sure if they would fit the Costco set.Luckily they fit like a glove.They work miraculously!They don't get in the way of the trains but hold the pieces together firmly.These hold so well that even the elevated pieces stay together when the trestles are knocked over.I strongly recommend the Suretrack for wooden railroad owners.They give you the ability to change layouts while allowing your child to play with a sturdy, durable track.

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I'll echo the sentiments in the earlier reviews.If you have a young child (say 2-3 years old) they will bump and potentially knock over/disconnect sections of the elevated tracks.ALSO note that if you are using the Nilo tables with the Jax extensions (great for 3'x4' table layouts where you want an elevated section ACROSS the table or want to use a 'T' switch where you need room for just ONE MORE section of track).I basically would not use the Jax extensions with young children (2-3)without the Suretrack clips.After working through a couple of different layouts on train tables you'll see what I mean it's about 4" too narrow to incorporate any of the elevated bridge going *across* the short length of the table without using Jax with Suretrack clips to add that one additional section.

Other hints:

Suretrack clips also help to keep the battery-powered engines on-track particularly on the down-side of the elevated sections where there is typically a curve involved (on train tables anyway).One carefully placed Sureclip will work nicely to keep the wheel from jumping out of the track.I have been able to create a battery-power-compatible train table using Sureclips at the key places where derailments occur.

Use the BRIO Super Supports for elevated sections (Suretrack clips just fit inside of them).For narrow layouts, use the short curves, particularly for the 'Y' pieces but you will need the Suretrack clips if using battery-powered engines as the trains will want to jump the track at the junction between the two pieces of track.

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I purchased a box of this to try with my daughter's Melissa and Doug train-set; now I am purchasing three more boxes.I've never worked with model trains, but I guess that we need a clip for every piece of track because we have to build on carpet.I did find that the instructions didn't tell me everything that I needed to know in order to use the clips easily.You need to slide the clip into place, not snap it into place.

1. Slide the clip completely onto the female piece of track.

2. Place the male piece of track; the clip should not be in the way.

3. Slide the clip back a little so that it is centered over the junction of the two pieces of track.

When I do it that way, it's pretty slick.

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overall I would say that i was pleased, they are durable, they work, easy to use... but,

First off i think they are over priced nearly a dollar a piece! that's too much! it certainly doesn't cost a tenth of that to manufacture. because they have no competitors they can charge that.

secondly, the track still falls apart on occasion and i am back fixing the problem. even when my toddler is trying to "play nice" it still breaks some times. sometime he takes the track clips as a personal challenge to get the pieces apart, but that's not a manufacturing error.

thirdly they don't play nice with the imaginarium spiral train set. they are not compatible, they are too wide for the support columns.

still pleased overall

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