Thomas And Friends Wooden Railway - Water Tower Figure 8 Set

This is by far the best deal I've seen on a Thomas set. The water tower retails alone for $24.00 and the bridge for $18! My son is absolutely wild about Thomas and the water tower and bridge are the two things he plays with the most. I am thrilled that they have combined them into a set along with track, and plan to give this as a gift to my nephew.

The water tower contains liquid that appears to "drain" when you lower the spout (this alone is worth hours of entertainment for a toddler). The bridge has 3 parts and is very easy for young hands to assemble. It's reasonably stable, although the top piece is not held in place with anything other than gravity and can be knocked over accidentally. There is plenty of room underneath for trains and track. Some cheaper sets have bridges that are so low that the trains don't fit underneath.

Thomas brand track is excellent quality and features indented "ties," unlike less expensive versions. However, it's fully compatible with Brio, Imaginarium, and several generic brands on the market. This set also includes a Thomas train and cargo car to start your Thomas collection (Watch out! It's addicting). These would retail for about $10 apiece if you bought them separately. If your child already has a Thomas train, don't worry. To a 2 or 3 year old, two identical trains are more fun than one.

A simple figure-8 track layout is best for young children who are being introduced to wooden train sets for the first time. You can also rearrange the pieces to make a loop or simple circle. I highly recommend this set as a first train set for any boy or girl age 2 and up! A great companion is Thomas Wacky Track, which allows for a wider range of curve diameters, and reduces the frustration level of beginning engineers.

I purchased this set and the Figure 8 Expansion Set for my son for Christmas 2005. He is just over 2 years old, and he loves Thomas the Tank Engine in particular, and all things train related in general, so this was a very easy decision to make. The quality of Learning Curve's wooden track is very good; the pieces are made from hardwood, and are quite sturdy. While we have expanded using other generic tracks which are compatible with Brio/Thomas track, there is a noticeable difference in the quality.

I would offer one caveat. This set is very similar to the Conductor's Figure 8 Set, which is typically offered for the same price. While the water tower that comes with this set is a pretty neat accessory, I think that the Conductor's set offers a bit better value, as it comes with Thomas and two cars (Water Tower set only comes with one engine and one car), as well as an additional switch track and a conversion ramp. These offer a bit more flexibility in layout and play, especially since my son is not terribly interested in the water tower right now (though this may change when he gets older).

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Tons of stuff come in this set, for a super price: a Thomas, cargo train with cargo piece, a tree, a Sir Topham Hat figure, two signs, a 3 section bridge, a water tower, and tracks that form a figure 8.

If you add up the price of the red water tower, one train with attached cargo train, a bridge, and several track sets and accessories, you would be at a price 50-75% more than the cost of this excellent Thomas starter set.This set is even worth it if you already have other pieces in the line.My son wanted a water tower, and I figured why pay the price of a single one, when for a few dollars more, you get 2 trains, a bridge, signs, a figure, a tree, and tons of track.While some of the larger Thomas sets don't really save you cash and can be very pricey, this one is probably the best value out there.

One other note, the differences between the red and yellow tower are not just the color.The red one, sold by itself, has the train track piece attached to it as one unit.The yellow one in this set does not have a track attached, but comes with two little magnets in front, and there is one straight track piece that has the two magnets on the side, so you can make it stay put.It may take a few minutes when you disassemble it, to find the right track piece with the magnet, and if you have a lot of track like we do, it can take several minutes!! In a way, it's better than the red one, in that you can place it where you want, even around a curve, by just using it alone.On the downside, if you lose that magnetic piece of track, you won't get it to attach to anything anymore.

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This is a great starter set that I bought for my children.The water tower is a big hit--it looks like the water runs out when you move the handle down.

The set up: younger kids will need help putting it together.

Adults will want to find a safe place to keep the paper that tells you exactly how to set it up.It is a figure 8 shape and if you don't put the right pieces in the right place it won't make it all the way around.

FYI: I also did not know that the Thomas the Train pieces you buy at Target do not fit all Thomas tracks.

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I bought this for my grandson for his birthday and he loves it!He had another Thomas set that had grey plastic track which is horrible.The track will not stay together and he was very frustrated.I think the carnival set is that same track so beware.This set has sturdy durable wooden tracks and he plays with it EVERY day!He has fun moving the track in different designs and is mystified with the water "disappearing" from the water tower.This is the best Thomas set to start off with and it appears additional extension sets are very reasonably priced.I recommend this highly and suggest you stay away from the grey plastic track Thomas sets.