Image: Fisher-Price (Mattel) · source
Fisher-Price · Mid-range
A battery-operated Thomas & Friends set from Fisher-Price with a motorized Thomas engine, a crane with dock, 14.5 feet of track, an electronic console and more than 325 songs, sounds and phrases; the maker states it is for ages 3 and up.
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We have not tested it ourselves: strengths and weaknesses below come from the tests cited.
For a parent or grandparent buying a train toy for a child who likes the Thomas & Friends characters, this set puts three of them on the layout: Cranky the Crane, a motorized Thomas engine and a Troublesome Truck, which Fisher-Price says recognize and talk to each other on the track. The setting is Brendam Docks: the crane spins 360 degrees, its claw loads and unloads three cargo pieces, and a kid-powered hopper is included. The maker lists 325 or more songs, sounds and phrases from the All Engines Go! series.
Mattel's page lists the contents as 1 engine, 1 cargo car, 1 crane with dock, 17 track pieces and 7 play pieces, with 14.5 feet of track in total. The instruction sheet linked from Mattel's product page says two AAA (LR03) and two AA (LR6) alkaline batteries are included; the engine uses the AAA cells and the electronic console the AA cells, and the engine's front light blinks three times when battery power is low. The sheet states that adult assembly is required, that a Phillips screwdriver (not included) is needed for battery installation, and that some assembly steps are marked as permanent. In play, the engine stops at a stop track and talks with the console, and the sheet says to press a red button to continue the conversation; the sheet says the engine goes to sleep after about five minutes of inactivity and wakes with its button, and that engine and console must be no more than six feet apart. Mattel says the set connects to other Thomas & Friends track sets, except wood.
Strengths
Weaknesses
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Model | HTK90 |
| Track | 14.5 feet |
| Sounds | 325+ songs, sounds and phrases |
| Assembly | Adult assembly required; Phillips screwdriver not included |
| Batteries | Engine 2 AAA (LR03), console 2 AA (LR6), alkaline, included (instruction sheet) |
| Brand line | Thomas & Friends by Fisher-Price |
| Characters | Cranky the Crane, motorized Thomas, Troublesome Truck |
| In the box | 1 engine, 1 cargo car, 1 crane with dock, 17 track pieces, 7 play pieces |
| Recommended age | 3Y+ |
Parents and grandparents buying for a preschooler aged 3 or older who recognizes the Thomas & Friends characters, likes sounds and phrases, and enjoys working a crane, and who are happy to do the adult assembly. Families with wooden Thomas track should note that Mattel says the set connects to other Thomas & Friends sets except wood.
Hape Intercity Battery Powered Train Set (E3774): a battery-powered intercity train with a passenger figure and working headlights, listed by Hape as suitable for 3Y and above.
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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