I’m getting a lot of interest in getting Trackmaster and Geotrax trains and track to work together. Without any modifications, here’s how they work:
- Geotrax trains run easily on both the old blue track and the new brown. They don’t have a traction surface (track top), however, so they can’t pull much.
- The wheels on Trackmaster cars will fit between the rails on Geotrax track, although they have a very bumpy ride.
- Unfortunately, the drive wheels on Trackmaster engines are a tiny bit too wide to fit between Geotrax rails. That means you can’t run Trackmaster engines on Geotrax.
I assume that’s the sticky wicket; I think people are wanting to run Thomas on Geotrax, not the other way around.
I’ve been pondering this for a while, and I don’t have a good solution. There is a cheap Thomas (the $6 Pull-Back) that is approximately the same size and proportions as Geotrax trains, but it’s not a simple conversion to mount the shell on a Geo engine. As Geotrax trains get bigger, due to adding the gear complexities of reverse and the ability to fit little people inside, those pull-back shells seem smaller each day. The trains in the Mail Delivery set have similarly-sized shells: just a bit too small to make an easy conversion. Does anyone know of a Thomas toy that is a little bigger than the pull-backs? For example, how large is the whistle-and-go Thomas?
You can always put a Trackmaster Thomas on the back of a Geotrax gondola, then tell the kids that Thomas broke down and Geo has to save him!
Any thoughts? I’d love to develop a simple and inexpensive conversion that people could easily do themselves.
5 responses so far ↓
1 R Swaim // Nov 2, 2007 at 1:12 pm
Thanks for the info on the GeoTrax and Trackmaster compatibility. I am more interested in using GeoTrax vehicles on the Trackmaster track. So far it seems that the remote control Thomas train is only available in their larger 50.00 set. My son loves the remote Thomas train, but I’m just waiting for it to break. It’s nice to to know that I could buy a GeoTrax remote-control train in case it does break. You stated that the GeoTrax trains work on Trackmaster track, except that their pulling power is limited, correct? Thanks for the research! It helps a bunch.
2 R Swaim // Nov 2, 2007 at 1:59 pm
I also forgot to mention that my son placed his Thomas wooden trains on the Trackmaster track, and we found out that they worked perfectly in case anyone was curious. That made me feel better, cuz now we can continue buying wooden trains AND the less expensive Trackmaster trains, and he can use them on the same track! He still loves his wooden trains, but has lately preferred only the Trackmaster set. That makes me happy since you can buy a full set of the plastic track for less than two wooden Switch T-Tracks.
3 Cynthia // Feb 10, 2009 at 8:31 pm
Do the trackmaster trains work on the wooden track?
4 Ramon // Feb 10, 2009 at 8:33 pm
Check this link out:
http://www.choochootrack.com/TMSets.htm
5 Joseph // Feb 9, 2010 at 11:12 am
I would also be interested in knowing if the Trackmaster trains run on the wooden track? something I discovered: My son has a few of the wooden sets and trains and then just received a “hand-me-down” Geotrax set from my older nephew. I tried the Geotrax engine on the Wooden track and it fits on the track nicely but does not run very well. Because of the design of the wheels on the Geotrax, it does not get any traction on the wooden track so it really can’t move around corners. My son loves the wood b/c it is easier for him to setup and create layouts, but loves the remote control functionality of the Geotrax. I was able to tape some weight to the top of the Geotrax engine to get it to work, sort of, but would really like to find a remote control engine which will work properly on the wooden track. I see Trackmaster has a few, but would they work?
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