When T first started his love of trains, we never really knew what this would involve. Sure there would be the occasional trip to a steam railway (or the level crossing if we were skint!) and of course obtaining a fair few toy trains a long the way. Over time, however, we have in the region of 30 different trains. Ranging from plastic to wooden to even a soft cuddly train.
It’s quite the collection, and I now dread to look at how much we’ve spent over the past three years on train related items. T has an engine driver hat, an array of whistles, and a variety of tickets kept from different journeys. And when I come to think of it, why not?
I like LEGO, T likes trains.
Wooden Railways
As mentioned, one of our main concerns is funding this habit of his, which is why finding a good resource for all things locomotive is imperative. Wooden Railways does just this.
Established to help customers start and add to existing wooden railways easily and affordably, Wooden Railways stock a number of wooden railway tracks and accessories compatible with big name brands such as Big Jigs and Brio, as well as stocking the brands themselves.
We were recently sent a few items from their collection to test out how compatible they were with our current tracks as well as compare the quality. Within our box of goodies, we received:
- The Big Red Brick Tunnel
- The Wooden Expandable Tunnel
- A ‘Mallard’ Train with Coal Tender
- A Milk Tank
- An Oil/Gas Tank
- A Red Train Wagon
- A 24-piece ‘curves and straights’ expansion pack
- A 25-piece track expansion pack
- A ‘Diamond’ Crossover Track
Despite regularly looking at Brio and other known brands online, I was amazed at how much I didn’t know was out there. My biggest surprises were the variety of tunnels now available, and the crossing tracks – both of which are from smaller brands that I also didn’t even know existed.
Looking at the rest of their site, I was surprised to see how affordable the track is whilst still being compatible with leading brands. For example, the two large expansion packs that come with unique pieces such as crossroads and a number of junctions costs under £16! Trains are also just as affordable (I already have the Flying Scotsman in our basket).
Compatible!
When we eventually connected all the different tracks, apart from the change in colour, I couldn’t tell which tracks were Brio and which tracks were from the smaller company. All the pieces fit together smoothly and were of the same quality as other brands. Likewise, all the trains connected without issue. I was really pleased with the quality.
T’s favourite pieces were the crossroads and the tunnels – it added something different to his track. (Tip: You can never have too many junctions and crossroads!) He especially liked creating ramps so that they ended in the tunnel! Speaking of which, the expandable tunnel is probably the most impressive accessory as it can be adapted to any size track and is a nice mixture of fabric and wood.
Knowing that Wooden Railways exist has certainly given me new options if we ever need to buy train related gifts or purchase more track for T, although going on our current situation I don’t think that’ll be happening anytime soon!
Their shop is affordable and there is tons of variety available. I would be happy to pay their prices and if I happen to spot something elsewhere it’s likely I will now check to see if Wooden Railways have an alternative version.
Disclosure: We were sent the items mentioned in the post for the purpose of an honest review, however all thoughts, opinions, and images are our own.
Please note: All prices mentioned were correct at the time of writing.
