TrainDad

This is part 2 of a series.

I’ve reviewed the various Thomas sets elsewhere, so I’ll not repeat that now. Each type has good and bad characteristics, but I’ve never been completely satisfied with any of them. Since model railroads aren’t good options for young children, I’ll drop them from the discussion and address the others. Here are some reasons for my dissatisfaction, in a vague order of importance:

• Ease of use.
  • For young children — my two-year-old being a good example — the way track hooks together and cars couple up is critical. In my experience, the Take Along track is virtually impossible for these young ones; the Tomy track is very difficult. Magnetic couplers often repel each other, if you don’t get them right; the plastic Tomy hook connectors are ridiculous. No possible way most kids could work them.
  • Features not well-engineered and tested. The popular Take Along Roundhouse, for example, has bay doors that I can hardly open. The turntable can slide at an awkward angle and get stuck or just refuse to “snap” into the correct position.
• Quality of build.
  • No argument on the wood sets, but the others are questionable. No: Tomy is frankly awful, made of cheap, thin, flimsy plastic. They look, feel, and act cheap. Take Along has well-build engines and cars, but the track is definitely second-rate, and the structures aren’t quite as well-engineered as they should be.
• Functionality.
  • Magnetic coupling isn’t strong enough to make long consists (lines of cars hooked together).
  • Take Along uses two totally different types of track with different connectors. That has become a confusing mess of adapters and strange track.
  • The wood set works best on a hard surface; that’s why they are often used with a ridiculously-expensive train table. The Tomy sets are quite difficult to use on carpet.
• Price.
  • All sets are relatively expensive. Compare a Take Along cast engine to a comparable Matchbox™ vehicle, and the price is typically 5-8 times higher. The wood sets are priced extremely high.
• Interest over time.
  • I’m sure there are exceptions, but my experience shows that most kids start losing interest in these sets relatively quickly. For the most part, they do one thing only; i.e., they aren’t designed to grow with the child and provide intellectual challenges and extended playtime enjoyment over a wide range of ages.
• Realism.
  • None of the three are realistic in some critical ways. In fact, none of them even use rails — they all have wheels that ride in ruts. The Tomy sets minimize car derailments by letting the wheels flop, which looks like they are broken.
  • Thomas is modeled on the British railroad system. My little guy, with his only experience in American railroading, wanted toys of the big trains he was seeing in real life. I know that’s not a fair argument for other people, but it’s big deal to this one.
• Not following the crowd.
  • Have you seen the Thomas aisle at Wal-Mart?! You mean to tell me there is no other kid’s train out there?

Now, on to part 3…