The newer line of Wooden Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends toys for preschoolers and young children is one of quality and durability. The track and engines are fun and easy to build and play with, especially for  little hands, and are easy to clean and are very durable. The engines and other buildings are huge favorites with the younger crowd, and the sets are able to grow with the child. Children love to read and watch the Thomas stories, which in turn makes it fun for them to be able to play with their favorite characters. The best thing to start out with is a figure 8 track set and a few engines. From there, build upon what your child likes - eBay is a great place to find cheaper items, but toy stores also are a great place to visit when purchasing Thomas items.  I cannot tell you how many people have told me they started their child out with Thomas items at ages 2 or 3 and they are still favorites at 7, 8, and 9.

Our family now has approximately 200-250 track pieces, 25-30 engines, 40-50 cars, along with about 25 different destinations and sheds. One of our favorite destinations is the clock tower draw bridge. The red top of the clock tower turns and the draw bridge goes up and down - and is a great developmental toy for young children, because they can do the bridge action or set the clock - as the hands on the dial also move.

In conclusion, I feel that the Wooden Thomas line is a very good investment and for the money is quite durable. It is something that your child can grow with by adding new pieces, while still playing with the old pieces too. Nothing goes out of style with Thomas and His Friends.

Recently questions have arisen on compatability issues. Wooden Thomas items and Brio items are compatable with each other, easy way to tell - wood = wood.

The Take Along Thomas items which are die cast engines/cars with square magnets are not compatable with Wooden Thomas and Brio sets. The Take Along Thomas items have a narrower wheel base and do not work on wooden tracks - T.A.T uses plastic track with a narrow wheel base. The Take Along Thomas items are available at most big box stores. T.A.T has plastic destinations, and the boxes are clearly marked Take Along Thomas. Take Along Thomas items are cheaper in price, smaller - for smaller hands, and I have found that they are perfect car or travel toys.

However, there is an older series of plastic destinations that is Wooden Compatable - it is clearly stated on the box that they are not Take Along Thomas compatable, but the plastic cars that came with these destinations do not line up well with the wooden cars, they work but not perfect (magnet heights are slightly different).  Wooden Thomas items are generally found at Toys'R'Us and specialty toy shops and are more costly.

Please feel free to ask me questions, I do my best to answer very quickly.