CHEAP Train Sets

Lakeshore.com has a hundred piece set for like $50. They come with trains and track plus city building I am getting it for my daughter for Christmas.

We have started buying my kids trains for Christmas and the best deal we have found for Thomas trains is at Micheals. Sunday's paper has 40% or 50% of anything not on sale and they have Thomas trains that get you get half off. We have purchased several $50.00 sets for only $25.00. Not a bad deal for Thomas and you know that they are going to last.

I was going to recommend IKEA as well. A friend of mine has a boy who got the ikea set, and he got one real Thomas train, and they ran perfectly fine on the tracks. Worth looking into.

They are expensive, however, I would keep an eye out on craigslist, e-bay and check your local re-sale shops like Kid to Kid. HTH

I've seen cheap trains and sets at Target and Walmart, especially at Christmastime. HOwever, like one mom said, they are "cheapey". I would definitely buy the trains at resale stores or check on ebay. Also, Toys "R Us has sales often. The bigger trains ARE expensive... we always stuck to the smaller ones that were $10 or $12. They are a good idea for birthday presents from relatives - just the right price amount. I also used them as reward during potty training for keeping pants dry for 3 days in a row, or whatever. Good Luck.

I share your feelings on how expensive Thomas is. I found that at Toys R Us, they have Thomas DVDs on sale for $10 and they come with a train. (As of Saturday) We got Percy and a couple special ones that way. You still have to spend $10, but you are getting a lot more for your money. If the sale isn't still on, I would just watch for more sales like that!

I would just keep an eye on resale sites (ebay, CL, kids resale stores) like other's mentioned. We bought our son the Imaginarium set from Toys R Us..it came with table, track, and over 100+ pieces for $60. It's regular $120 or something but they had it on sale and then every once in a while they send out coupons for an additional percent of certain items. With both deals I paid $60 for the entire thing. It's not Thomas but he could care less and the pieces have been very durable. We got it for his 2nd bday and he just turned 3 and it still looks like new.

I have to echo what a couple of others have said. Yes, I totally freaked out about how much Thomas trains are when my MIL bought my DS a Thomas starter set and table. But I am abolutely a believer in the wooden Thomas sets now :) I know some people honestly cannot afford these trains, but if you can manage, even at the expense of other toys, then do it. My 2 1/2 year old plays with his train set about 90% of his play time! He absolutely adores it. The trains get pretty rough treatment, but are holding up perfectly. Plus it makes it really easy when family ask what to buy him for birthdays and Christmas :) Check out ads for Michaels Craft stores. They often run 20% off coupons that you can use on Thomas items there. Also, Toys R Us sometimes runs Buy 1 Get One Half Off for the engines and accessories. And of course, don't forget Ebay.

We have the Thomas train tracks and trains, but I think that imagine trains might work. I think that is the name anyway you can buy them at Toy R Us I am not sure if they are any cheaper. Christmas is coming soon so maybe you can buy them few or have family purchase them as gifts. They don't need to many to start with and I agree keep looking on craigslist.

We have lots of Thomas and Brio items that were bought 10-12 years ago. They have lasted thru both boys and now that they are 8 & 14 I cant part with them because they are still in such good shape. Plus both sets have a lifetime warranty. If a piece of track or train break, you can send them back (supposedly) for replacement. One warning, all of these sets of paint or stain on them which may contain lead. If you buy used sets make sure that the pieces aren't recalled by going to http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/category/toy.html. Good luck.

IKEA- my son has track from Thomas and all the IKEA trains run on it just fine. I think we got a 3 car "express" train for like 3 dollars once. Haven't been out to IKEA in a while- check their website maybe. Hope this helps!

Ikea. They have wooden train sets that work with all Thomas/Brio tracks. And they're around $10.

A., You don't want to hear this, but, the cheap trains are exactly that,
C H E A P!
I have a train table and trains that are "Thomas," very cheap ones from Walmart and some middle-of-the-road trains and accessories from Toys R Us, their brand; the "Thomas" trains and track and accessories are BY FAR the BEST quality. I would have NEVER SPENT A DIME ON THE CHEAPER BRANDS had I known how poor the quality was; the magnets that connect the trains are SO MUCH WEAKER and the wheels don't turn as smoothly and they BREAK. Nothing from the "Thomas" brand has broken. I would never, ever buy anything but the Thomas and Brio trains, with Thomas being my absolute favorite.

I was a Nanny for about 12 years and the boys I took care of had all the Thomas stuff and played with it SO MUCH, that when my first grandson was born I began to purchase the trains, videos, etc. for him. I now have eight grandchildren, the first two boys, then five girls and now we have an eight month old boy; all of the kids have played with these trains and the table is still standing! These toys will still be around when my last grandchild is finished playing with them, and then I CAN SELL THEM. Other than some of the trees from the cheap sets, nobody uses the cheap stuff, it just isn't as much FUN. It's more fun to have trains with faces and names and a story line that you can "run" with.

So, my advice is to go ahead and purchase only the well made, trains and accessories, let others know that your kids are into these and thus would make wonderful birthday and Christmas presents. I know personally I would like to know what a child really wants and will actually play with when I'm purchasing a gift. Be sure to take pictures and even video to BLOG or send to grandparents, aunts and uncles of the children playing with the trains and talk about their fun and imagination use while they are playing. Soon everyone will get excited for your children and want to get in on that fun by sending them another "Thomas" book, puzzle or train!

I was able to purchase many of our trains with a book & DVD set at Sam's. Let everyone that knows you be on the lookout for these items and call you from a store when they see a bargain. Don't be afraid to purchase used trains, etc. as long as you are getting the real deal, not the cheap brands.

Since you are about to have your third child in less than three years (with possibly more to come along), you will absolutely get your money's worth out of the quality products.

Don't overdue with hundreds of different kinds of toys that seldom get played with, that get broken, etc. Your children are still very young and you can actually save yourself a lot of money by sticking with quality made toys and toys that will last through ALL of your children, both boys and girls.

There are many wonderful toys stores on the Internet where you can shop without having to take three little ones to the store. (http://www.constplay.com/family/default.htm) If the link doesn't work, you can google Constructive Playthings.

My grandchildren LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the toys that I have at my home: a large, quality set of wooden blocks, wood puzzles, balls, books, games that we all play together, Chevron Cars (http://www.chevroncars.com/), dolls with lots of changes of clothes, dress-up clothes, table and chairs, toy kitchen with lots of food and accessories, paints, playdough, outside toys, etc.

So many moms and dads don't play WITH their children, I think everyone misses out! You can't spend all of your time playing with them of course but try 15 minutes out of every hour. ENJOY your little ones! Make lots of awesome memories. Don't get frustrated when your house doesn't look perfectly cleaned. Your children are young and they NEED you. Smile and laugh with them and share your joy.

try ikea. The have cute and cheap train sets!