Best Toy trains and train-sets for kids. A toy train has a place in every child’s heart, as kids love to travel by train and also watch them pass by. When it comes to toy trains, kids love to push them around, and watch them while in motion as they make the choo-choo sound.
Trains have always fascinated kids from a very young age, and a toy train allows even the youngest train drivers to go on a new railway adventure.
A toy train is a toy that represents a train, although unlike a model train where the focus is on scale modeling, a toy train has more focus on keeping costs reasonable, durability, and incorporating some educational element.
A toy train can be as simple pull toy that does not even need a track, or it can be operated using a battery.
The more elaborate toy railway sets include fun track layouts, crossings and tunnels. You can combine the trains and train sets in endless ways, you can take the train to the countryside, the coast, on safari, or anywhere where your imagination takes you.
Types of Trains for Kids
Ride-on Toy Trains
You get ride-on toy trains for kids that are fun to use, many of them come with their own tracks; these can be driven on normal surfaces as well.
Best ride on (riding) trains for toddlers and growing kids
Wooden floor and wood-track trains
These are quite popular with kids. Companies like Fisher-price and Brio make all kinds of toy trains. If your little one is under 5, these are great fun and requires very little effort on your part.
Diecast toys
Diecast trains, such as The Thomas the Tank Engine are very popular with kids. These are miniature metal trains painted in bright colors to attract kids. These can be used by kids aged 5 and up. The only downside is that these are available in various designs and your little one might force you to buy all of them.
Battery-operated sets
Battery-operated trains are a good choice for kids who are not yet ready to handle electric trains. These consist of a locomotive (powered by batteries), cars, and a plastic track. These are inexpensive and suited for kids aged 4 and above.
Electric Trains
These trains require electricity, which is fed to a transformer (also acts as a controller). Electric trains are available both as scale models and as toys. Electric trains require parental supervision for kids (say under 10 years old); as these are electrical toys
Additional accessories, switches, etc, mean you may require more wiring.
Top Toy Companies
Bachmann, Trix, Athearn, D & L Toy Trains, Arnold by Hornby, Atlas Trainman, American Z Line, USTTC, Walthers, Fox Valley Models, Micro Trains, LIONEL, Marklin, Scale Trains, Fox Valley Models,Tomy Co., Intermountain, Broadway Limited Imports, Kato, Micro Trains.
- Toy trains, also known as play trains, come in various designs and can use different materials.
- You get train, train tracks and accessories. You can buy them as a bundle or individually.
- You get trains with faces of characters like Thomas or Chuggington
- Most battery-operated ones can be operated by a remote control.
- The ones for the smaller kids usually are colorful, make music, have lights, and have some educational element built into it.
- Wooden toy trains are comparatively safer for the smaller kids.
Best Toy Trains
Recommended toy trains:
- Lionel Pennsylvania Flyer LionChief Freight Set
- Peg Perego Santa Fe Ride On Train
- 100-Piece Wooden Train Set, fits Thomas Brio Chuggington
BRIO Toy Trains
Swedish toy company BRIO makes a wide range of toy trains, including wooden toy trains as well as battery operated trains, and expansion packs. Here are some popular toy trains from BRIO:
- BRIO My First Railway: A classic wooden toy train set for the youngest train driver, for kids aged 18 months+.
- BRIO World Battery-Operated Steaming Train: Toy Train with light and steam effects. For ages 3+.
- BRIO Cargo Railway Deluxe Set: Train Toy with wooden tracks and accessories. For ages 3+
- BRIO World Expansion Pack: Wooden Train Tracks for kids age 3+.
Accessories for Toy train
In case your child already has a train toy and is perhaps bored of playing with it, these cool accessories should help.
The good thing is that you get a wide range of accessories and expansion packs for trains, such as cranes, bridges, exciting stations, extended railway tracks, that will provide the much needed extension or makeover to your toy train and motivate you kids to start playing with it again.
About Trains
A train is a form of rail transport consisting of a series of carriages pushed along a rail track to transport passengers or goods. The locomotive or engine in the front powers or pulls the coaches and is powered by diesel or electricity. The train tracks usually consist of two rails on which the train chugs forward.
Parts of a train
LOCOMOTIVE – is a type of an engine which generates energy through the burning of fuel (coal or diesel) or electricity. They are used to push or pull train coaches or wagons, both passenger and freight. The first locomotive was invented-by George Stephenson in early 1800.
PASSENGER CAR – is a piece of rolling stock that is designed to carry passengers. The rolling stock may have a chair car, pantry, dining hall.
GOODS OR FREIGHT WAGONS – are unpowered carriages that are used for the transportation of cargo. Today a variety of wagon types are in use to handle different types of goods.
CABOOSE – At the very end of the goods train is attached a coach called Caboose! It is used to keep a check on the long goods train.
Types of Trains
PASSENGER TRAIN
A passenger train is one which includes passenger-carrying coaches which can often be very long, while a freight train (also known as goods train) uses freight cars (also known as wagons or trucks) to transport goods or materials (cargo) with a caboose attached at the very end of a train.
METROS
Metros are railways that provide a useful alternative to traveling by road in crowded cities. Powered by electricity, Metros are fast but stop frequently because the stations are at a closer distance. While most metros have drivers, some metro trains have no drivers and are operated by computers from a central computer room. Metros travel both underground and on raised tracks above the streets.
TRAM
A tram is a carriage for public transportation powered by electricity and designed to run on rails located in the street. Trams provide several advantages over buses as they move smoothly through traffic and are less polluting than buses.
MONORAI
A monorail is a public transportation system that runs on a single track raised by a beam. The monorail was developed to meet medium-demand traffic in cities.
High Speed TrainsHigh-speed trains, such as the bullet-trains have a maximum speed of around 350 km per hour.
Piko model trains (MAde in Germany)
Useful Read
Funtoyworld is a family-managed website with me (Ben), and my wife doing most of the work. We are proud parents of two wonderful kids and love reviewing toys. We have a firm but friendly “democratic parenting” style and offer several practical suggestions backed by extensive research. Our own experience with raising two children prompted us to share our knowledge. Read more.
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