please educate me on trains

BottomStar

I'm trying to finish my Christmas shopping early, and I'm almost done with the kids with the exception of buying a train set for M.  There are so many out there and I'm just overwhelmed.  We're not big Thomas fans in our house, so I don't think I need to spend the big bucks to get a name brand set.  I don't want a train table b/c we don't have the space, plus we have a really big coffee table that M uses for her toys already.

From what I've looked at so far, I'm leaning toward Kidcraft or Imaginarium so if anyone has any experience (good or bad) on these, let me know.  I'm looking for a good size starter set for less than $75.  I want something compatible with the Thomas trains just in case either of the kids ever takes an interest. 

HELP!

slwprincess

We went with the IKEA train set and have been so happy.  They are ridiculously inexpensive and have been perfect for our needs.  Gavin has never been really into trains like some kids but he goes through a train phase every few months and loves playing with these.  He also likes to play with his cars on the tracks so they are dual purpose.  Not sure if they are compatible with the Thomas brand ones... so I'm no help there.  We also do not have a table- we have one of those cube shelf storage things from IKEA and Gavin just has a bin in there for all his train parts.  Works great. 

lrn327

We don't have one yet but was going to suggest the Ikea one too. It's really reasonably priced and we've been really happy with most of the other wooden toys we've bought there.

decaturbride

It is hard because there are so many different brands, plus different sets within each brand. Just pick one and stay the course if they decide they like it and want more. We went with a wooden Imaginarium set that had the table too because we needed it. We have had it for almost 2 years and it has held up well. It is compatible with wooden Thomas ones also. I don't know about Chuggington or any other ones really though. Thomas had different plastic sets too and those trains don't fit the wooden tracks and vice verses. That's why I have just refused to let Owen have any of the other ones that don't fit the set we have. He did get one Thomas playset for his birthday last year that has a smaller train with it, but I will not be buying more track for it. Not worth it IMO.

mlhhomier

IKEA is cheap and appears reliable but I believe it is the only one that does NOT fit with Thomas trains so keep that in mind. We have types of wooden tracks and they all work together but IKEA is a smaller scale. We have walmart brand, Toys R Us Brand (Imaginarium), Thomas the Train wooden tracks, and Target brand and they all fit together. Keep your eye out for tracks and trains at yard sales, consignment sales, etc. You can get great deals there, especially since you are not particularly concerned with style, type, brand, etc.

remote_girl

we were going the ikea route (good quality and a reasonable price), but my scored some hand me down thomas and tracks and my son decided he LOVED thomas. with thomas and lotso fother sets there are compatibility issues, so just go with what you like. there are usually great deals on folks getting rid of their train sets on craigs list too.

BottomStar

Thanks for all the suggestions ladies!  I have been stalking craigslist, and I can't believe I didn't think of IKEA - I love their toys.  I'm still not sure which route I'm going to go, I might just wait to see if there are any cyber-monday holiday deals.

lowkeybride2be

I really wouldn't get the IKEA set if it's not compatible with Thomas. Our son has gotten a ton of Thomas trains as gifts from friends and family members. I'm very glad that we went with an Imaginarium set, which is compatible with Thomas and Brio. But maybe the IKEA sets are compatible. I would do some googling.