Thomas And Friends Wooden Railway - Roundhouse

The Thomas train and train collections are durable toys. Their real value, though, is that playing with the toys allows children to act out the great Thomas and Friends children's stories they read and watch.

Kids' imaginations can remarkably supply buildings and water towers and cranes, etc., so that they won't even miss what might be lacking from less expensive sets. And families can build some of these items themselves out of old boxes, etc.BUT I HAVE YET TO MEET KIDS THAT LOVE THOMAS THAT DIDN'T WANT A ROUNDHOUSE.

This is the 'official' Thomas roundhouse, but it is very expensive. YOU PROBABLY CAN FIND A GENERIC ROUNDHOUSE FOR A LOT LESS (MAYBE EVEN 2/3 LESS!) WITH A LITTLE LOOKING.

Purchasing recommendation:

* Choose which type of Thomas trains you will 'standardize' on. There are three kinds: This size of wooden trains from Learning Curve; larger, plastic, battery-operated trains from Tomy; and smaller, die-cast metal trains from Ertl. The wooden trains have the most products and accessories available.

* The clickety-clack (grooved to look like real railroad) track in the Thomas series is great, but it's expensive; I recommend buying generic track. ... You can literally save hundreds of dollars by buying these kinds of sets.

* Buy the Thomas and friends engines separately--and wait for sales. The kids care about the characters, so no short-cutting (ie., Brio or generic trains) here.

* Look for trains bundled with VHS videos. You can get a video and a train (on sale) for about the same price as a train alone.

* Only buy the official accessories (buildings, tables, etc.) if you cannot find generic substitutes for less or cannot make them yourself.

The Thomas train sets are great modern versions of the classic indestructible wooden train sets.Simple enough to avoid the toddler age frustrations of getting the cars to run on the track yet complex enough to engage a wide range of ages (up to and including Grandpas).All the stories help with the imagination part....the books & videos provide an endless source of adventures that can be acted out, although most kids are perfectly capable of inventing their own episodes.

Here is my advice, if you are trying to work your way through the maze of start-up options:

First of all, you can spend a fortune on a huge set....even if you can afford it, I would start with something small and give the child the joy of receiving a chain of small but intriguing presents over a long period of time.It fosters the joy of giving/receiving and helps teach them to come back again and again to the same toy...watching it grow, asking for specific items from the stories they hear, etc.Several reviewers suggest painting an old coffee table and this is a great idea.

I suggest the Figure 8 set (the most popular one) or if you want to spend a little bit more, the Conductors Figure 8 set.Both are complex enough to be interesting, but simple enough to give lots of room for growth.Almost immediately I would add a new present of one of the inexpensive engines (you can ask the child which story they like best and get that engine for them....or buy the engine to go with the video or book in the same gift)....these would be Percy The Small Engine, Bill The Yellow Engine, Treavor, (or a bit more $ for:) The Lady Engine, James The Red Engine, Gordon The Express Engine (he's one of the best stories, I think), or Henry The Green Engine.

Now for the good stuff!Give it a month or so, and then reward the child with something really cool like the Barrel Loader or Rusty the Construction 3 Car Set.

I honestly can't see the point in the huge multi hundred dollar system sets.If you want to impress the neighbors or something, go for it, but I'm telling you.....most kids will enjoy a large number of small thoughtful gifts, not a "keep-up-with-the-Jones" effort on your part.

Good behavior can be rewarded with a pick-your-own trip to the store (there are sometimes when a real time shopping trip can't be beat)

By the way, the Thomas stories are based on real restored engines that run in England on the Mid-Hants Railway Watercress line near Winchester (you can read about them an even plan a trip to ride on the real Thomas trains by checking outwatercressline.co.uk).They are a day trip from the London rail stations, although I recommend using a B&B in the Winchester area and staying overnight if you decide to go.Winchester was the center of the old Saxon kingdom of Wessex of King Alfred as well as a major early medieval site (the Cathedral has the tombs of many of the Saxon Kings as well as Jayne Austen and Izaac Walton and it was where Richard the Lionhearted was crowned.)

Buy Thomas And Friends Wooden Railway - Roundhouse Now

My three-year-old son loves Thomas & has many of the wooden railway sets & pieces.We thought he would love the Roundhouse, but this is the least played with item in his collection.In fact, I can't say that I've seen him play with it more than a couple of times and never for long.He'd much rather spend his time moving his trains around the tracks and over mountains and bridges (a much better way to spend your Thomas money, if you ask me).This piece is overpriced for what it is and you really need the round-about turntable to go with it (so, add an additional thirty to the cost).It is well constructed like all of the other Thomas & Friends wooden pieces by Learning Curve, which is why I gave it 2 stars.

So...gauge your child's interest before purchase by watching how he or she plays.Your little conductor might have you spend the money on other items (mountains, extra tracks, a water tower, etc.) than on this piece.I know the Roundhouse is one we could live without, though maybe my son will develop an interest in it later.Go to your local toy store where a configuration is on display & see if your child uses the roundhouse much before making this purchase.

Read Best Reviews of Thomas And Friends Wooden Railway - Roundhouse Here

As an avid Thomas fan, my son (4) loves this roundhouse.For the unenlightened, this is the house where the trains "sleep." It is durable and easy to put together and immediately adds to the complexity and fun of any track combination.It allows my son to engage more easily into pretend play, as he can put differnt trains back to the roundhouse to take a rest while he plays with others.The only minus of this building is its size--it is quite big and cannot be put apart.But again, as all the Learning Curve Thomas series toys, it is durable (wood), fun, easy to put together and a long term favorite.

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When I ordered the roundhouse I believed that the red 5-way switch track was also included, especially when it is pictured on the box, but was disappointed to find that it wasn't. As my 4 year old son believes, as I am sure most do, that this is a very necessary piece of the building he will have to wait until his birthday to receive it (...). A little upsetting.

Apart from this one thing the Roundhouse is a fantastic piece to have on any Thomas layout, my son loves it and plays with it for hours.

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