BRIO My First Railway Battery Train Set

For a parent who wants a child to meet trains in a hands-on way, this is the starter set of the BRIO wooden railway system. The track is the classic BRIO wooden profile, and the trains carry the usual BRIO magnetic couplings, so the set is a first step into a larger system rather than a closed toy. The layout is built from ramps, slopes, supports and stacking blocks, which means the train climbs and descends instead of circling a flat oval. That gives a small child a reason to watch the train move, and gives the adult something to build alongside them. The wagon carries a spinning reel, a small moving detail that keeps the load interesting to watch.

At home, the set is built on the floor or a low table. The maker suggests starting with the mountain blocks and the tunnel, then laying track up and over them. Pressing the arrow button on top of the engine sets the train moving by itself, so a young child can start it without help, while an adult handles building and rebuilding the layout. On a trip the pieces pack back into the box, though the complete layout measures roughly 48 by 70 by 10 centimetres, so it needs a clear play area. The set is wood and plastic and should be used under adult supervision with a child of the age the maker grades it for.

Parents, grandparents and relatives choosing a first train set for a toddler, who want track that can be expanded later with other BRIO wooden sets. It suits a household with room to leave a small layout on the floor, and an adult willing to build it together with the child. It is less suited to someone who wants a long, sprawling layout straight out of the box, since the set is deliberately compact.

BRIO's Battery-operated Steaming Train, listed by BRIO next to this set, adds a second motorised engine for a child who has already mastered this one, and runs on the same wooden track. Families who would rather extend than replace can add BRIO track packs such as the Ascending Tracks or Stacking Track Supports, which the maker sells for the same system.