Holiday IT Guide 2011: Thomas and Friends Wooden Railway “Percy at the Dieselworks” Set

When I was a carefree 20-something year old, I would have laughed and relentlessly mocked anyone who told me that I would one day be correcting people who call Thomas engines by the wrong name.  Yet there I was not two days ago, correcting our babysitter who mistakenly referred to Edward as Thomas.  That was the moment I realized that I needed to leave for my appointment….like, right that minute.

Thomas is a HUGE part of our household.  Jack discovered his love for Thomas at the tender age of 18 months when he first played with a train table at a local bookstore.  His fondness for Thomas has led to the purchase of countless trains and track sets, and eventually a handcrafted train table made with love by Daddy.  Nate has caught the Thomas bug, but has an independent streak and prefers cars and fire trucks.  But still, he loves to grab a train and play with his big brother almost every day.

Lately Jack has gotten the idea in his head that his Thomas sets aren’t quite fitting the bill anymore.  He has Take-and-Play and Trackmaster sets, but we have yet to splurge on a wooden track set.  Every time we step foot in a store with a toy department, Jack immediately goes into his spiel as to why he needs wooden tracks.  While he hasn’t quite convinced me of the NEED for these yet, I was thrilled when Learning Curve offered us the opportunity to try out their Thomas and Friends Wooden Railway “Percy at the Dieselworks” Set!

I knew Jack would love this set seeing as how he counted down the days this summer until the DVD of Day of the Diesels came out.  I set it up while he was doing “quiet time”, which in this case was bouncing off the walls of his room because he somehow sensed new tracks were in the house.   When he came down and saw the new track set, I was bombarded with kisses, “thank you’s”, and “you’re the BEST Mommy ever!”.  So, all in all, it was a good day for both of us!

We’ve had the track set up for about a week now and the boys play with it every day.  They love how interactive it is, with a talking Diesel’s Shed, the “Happy Hook” (I’m not 100% sure if that’s really the name of the hook, but that’s what Jack calls it), a crane, turn table, loading zones, and a working zip line with a magnet to carry cargo.  The set also came with Percy and Diesel 10 (who, despite being a villain and not very nice, is a favorite among my boys).  The tracks, trains, and buildings that come with the set are of a high quality and seem very sturdy.  My favorite part is that the tracks don’t come apart easily.  I cannot tell you how often I get called to “fix the tracks, Mom!!!” but the wood tracks really seem to stay together once connected.  Another thing I like about the set is that there really aren’t any small pieces to worry about.  Nate isn’t one to put things in his mouth very often, but it is nice to know that with this set, I don’t have to worry about little parts that he might find enticing.

Jack and Nate give this Thomas track set two very enthusiastic thumbs up!  If you have a Thomas lover in your household, this set would make a fantastic holiday gift!  The set is recommended for ages 3 and up, and retails for $129.99. Learn more at www.learningcurve.com.

– Kelly

* We did not receive monetary compensation for this review. That’s IT Mommy received the train set in this review  from Learning Curve free of charge to facilitate this review. Giveaway item will be provided by sponsor. Sponsor has the right to refuse filling prize for duplicate winners from other blogs. This will in no way sway our opinion of the product or service.
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