Need a helping hand in finding a wooden train your son or daughter will love to play with? Here are the brightest, most colorful, fun-filled trains from Brio, Bigjigs, and Thomas.
Here are the best wood trains from my toy box picked on the basis of the entertainment value my children and those of friends visiting got from them, their comments, and the time spent playing using them on the wooden tracks.
The Mighty Red Action Locomotive
While I love my Hornby trains there’s one train that tempts me back to playing with wooden train sets more than any other and always grabs the attention of visiting children and this is it.
The Mighty Red Action loco from Brio has it all going for it and will power your child’s imagination to the max.
A built-in motor lets it zoom around the track — forwards and, unusually, backward — under its own battery power even when pulling several wagons.
While it may seem expensive you get a lot more bang for buck than with other wooden engines. Along with the motor, it also has lights, sounds, and a handy switch to disengage the motor — so it can also be pushed around underhand power — all of which makes it pretty good value for money.
The glorious Red livery with Yellow lines, numbering, and domes give it a distinctive finish and make it a firm favourite for every child while its excellent manufacturing quality and strength mean it can withstand toddler play making it a popular choice for parents too.
Highlights
- Sounds, lights, and electric motor
- Forward and reverse power
- Button for push-along play
- Strong engine, able to pull carriages and freight wagons
- Rubber rings around powered wheels to improve traction.
Toddler Score: “Wow!!!”, “It’s my turn!!”
Parent Comment: “All in all – if you’re looking for an electric train to run on wooden track – get this one you won’t be disappointed.”
> Get the Mighty Red Locomotive.
Thomas the Tank Engine
This delightful cheeky little engine will please any Thomas fan.
Bright colours and smooth running ensure hours and hours of play while high-quality construction will keep mums and dads happy too.
The ideal number one train to start a Thomas collection.
Highlights
- Nice detailing
- Bright vivid colours
- Holds up well to knocks, drops and scrapes
- Wipes clean.
Toddler Score: Still holding it when he fell asleep – next to the train set of course.
Parent Comment: “My son is a big Thomas fan and loves trains so I thought I would get him this for Christmas and I wasn’t disappointed. The quality is good and it fits in well with my son’s wooden train set.”
> Get the Thomas The Tank Engine here.
TIP: While these trains are pretty hard-wearing any toddler toy is going to take a battering so to make the finish on these wooden trains last longer add a coat of varnish (available from DIY stores) to them beforehand.
This will protect the paintwork from chips and scratches and extend their life. Obviously, follow the drying instructions of the varnish before giving the painted trains to children and follow the safety instructions supplied.
Bigjigs Wooden Railway Mallard Train
The wooden railway reproduction of the legendary Mallard, the record-breaking steam engine.
Don’t ask steam perfectionists to play with this as it’s flawed in several aspects as a reproduction of the Mallard (the colour is off and the front wheels aren’t right). But let’s face it, this is for kids and is a fun engine for children to play with while learning and being inspired by tales of the record-breaking speeds this famous engine achieved it’s hard to beat.
Highlights:
- Swivel wheels for cornering
- Comes with educational information about the engine’s evolution and working life
- Includes engine and tender.
Toddler score: Two thumbs up.
Parent Comment: “Well constructed and survives all the treatment that it has been subjected to by a 3-year-old boy.”
> Get Mallard Train.
EXTRA: How To Care For Wooden Trains
Looked-after wooden trains will last for years. Here are 3 simple tips to keep them safe.
- Don’t expose to heat or cold: These trains are made of wood which expands and contracts when heated or chilled. Keeping them away from extremes of heat – radiators for example – will help them last longer.
- Keep them dry: Wood doesn’t like humidity or water, warping and distorts when damp and wet, so avoid getting the trains wet (no bath times!) and leaving them outside at night.
- Clean them: Use a child-friendly cleaner and wipe down the surfaces regularly, food and dirt can clog wheels and work its way between parts leading to breakages and disappointment.
Brio High Speed Train
So far my choices have been steam trains but if your toddler likes modern trains this is the one to get him.
While there are quite a few wooden high-speed trains I’ve picked the BRIO Shinkansen Passenger Train for a number of reasons.
For starters, if you’re going to have a high-speed train you want the fastest right? Of course, this Brio train is based on none other than the iconic Japanese Shinkansen Bullet trains, which were and are the fastest trains in the world. Not only does it have a distinctive wedge-shaped nose but Brio has done a great job matching the colouring and livery, with bright white paintwork and blue stripes just like the original.
Secondly, they feature a clever wheel arrangement that allows them to pivot as the train negotiates bends. Without this arrangement, the length of the trains would cause derailments. Its smart arrangement allows the train to be longer than other wooden trains keeping the look and feel of the real Bullet trains.
Finally, this is a great train for older kids for who might be thinking of upgrading to Lego. They can start by playing with this and when the time is right move up to Lego for which there’s a matching high-speed train set.
Highlights
- Looks just like the real thing
- Clever pivoting wheel arrangement for bends
- Distinctive design and paintwork
Toddler Score: Shouts of delight
Parent Comment: “once he had that train, he didn’t want to open other toys, from that day, he considered this train as his treasure.”
Get the Brio High-Speed Train from Amazon.
So which of these wonderful trains have you got or is there another you think I should include, share your child’s favourite in a comment below. And if you’re looking for more help, advice and tips on wooden trains see my guide to children’s wooden trains. Alternatively, if you’re looking for a budget train collection to expand a railway so my guide to the best (and cheapest way) to add extra trains to a kids wooden train set
Andy is a lifelong modeler, writer, and founder of modelrailwayengineer.com. He has been building model railways, dioramas, and miniatures for over 20 years. His passion for model making and railways began when he was a child, building his first layout at the age of seven.
Andy’s particular passion is making scenery and structures in 4mm scale, which he sells commercially. He is particularly interested in modelling the railways of South West England during the late Victorian/early Edwardian era, although he also enjoys making sci-fi and fantasy figures and dioramas. His website has won several awards, and he is a member of MERG (Model Railway Electronics Group) and the 009 Society.
When not making models, Andy lives in Surrey with his wife and teenage son. Other interests include history, science fiction, photography, and programming. Read more about Andy.
Brio high speed train. After reading your friend’s post I decided to buy it for my nephew, hope he likes it. Thank you for writing this article
#1 toy is very cool and with quite realistic sounds. Of fairly robust construction. The little ones love it. The buttons are very intuitive and easy for a two and a half year old to operate.