MasterPieces · Budget
MasterPieces' three-car Polar Express toy train set has an engine, a hopper car and a passenger car, is magnetic, and is made to run on most 1-inch wooden train track, which is not included.
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We have not tested it ourselves: strengths and weaknesses below come from the tests cited.
The maker presents this set as a detailed wood version of the train from The Polar Express, and calls the story a Christmas classic that remains a favorite of kids and adults, year after year. The box shown on the maker's page lists three pieces: The Polar Express steam engine, a hopper car and a passenger car. That gives a family a steam locomotive and two different kinds of rolling stock. For a railfan household that already owns wooden track, it adds a Polar Express train to the layout.
This is a home toy, and the first question is track. The page says the cars are compatible with most 1-inch wooden train tracks and states that track is not included. The box shown on the page repeats it: fits most wood tracks, track not included. A family with an existing wooden railway can put the train on it, while a family starting from nothing has to buy track separately. The maker does not promise compatibility with every wooden system, and the page gives no list of compatible brands, so if you own track, compare the pieces. The same maker page also lists a 2-piece Polar Express toy train set, a Deluxe Edition and a Polar Express toy train engine as separate products, so read those pages if you want a different number of pieces.
Strengths
Weaknesses
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| SKU | 41985 |
| UPC | 705988419850 |
| Maker | MasterPieces Puzzle Company Inc. |
| Track | Compatible with most 1-inch wooden train tracks; track not included |
| Pieces | 3 (engine, hopper car, passenger car) |
| Feature | Magnetic |
| Construction | Described by the maker as a wood version of The Polar Express train |
| Recommended age | 3 and up |
Parents and grandparents who already own 1-inch wooden track, or plan to buy it, and want a Polar Express train for a child aged 3 or older. Anyone who wants a complete circuit in one box should look at a boxed track set instead, because this one contains none.
BRIO World Cargo Railway Deluxe Set 33097 is listed by the maker at 54 pieces, including 30 pieces of track, for a family that wants the track in the same box; it is a freight set, not a Polar Express one, and it is in this catalogue. MasterPieces also lists a Polar Express 2-piece set and a Deluxe Edition as separate products on its own site.
Image: BRIO (Ravensburger) · source
BRIO · Mid-range
A compact wooden BRIO layout with a battery-powered engine that starts at the press of a button and climbs ramps, crosses supports and runs through a tunnel.
Image: BRIO / Ravensburger · source
BRIO · Premium
A 54-piece wooden toy train set with a battery-powered freight engine, cranes, a suspension bridge and a storage box.
Image: BRIO (Ravensburger) · source
BRIO · Premium
BRIO's 87-piece rail-and-road set combines passenger, freight and metro trains with stations, a cargo ship, a metro tunnel, bridges and figures in one wooden railway world.
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