Thomas And Friends Wooden Railway - Figure 8 Set Expansion Pack

by Learning Curve

Product Features

• Realistic railway design
• More twists and turns encourages creativeness
• Open-ended play system develops physical, social, cognitive skills
• Traction Rails improves battery-powered engine performance
• Recommended age range from 3 to 5 years

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 9.8 x 3.1 inches ; 2.2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0001MIPXQ
• Item model number: LC99951
• Manufacturer recommended age: 36 months - 5 years
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #853 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)
  • #2 in Toys & Games > Preschool > Pre-Kindergarten Toys > Activity > Trains & Train Sets
  • #2 in Toys & Games > Play Vehicles > Play Trains & Railway Sets > Train Sets
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)

Product Description

Editorial Review

This expansion track throws some additional curves into the train table layout, offering plenty of possibilities for new and exciting routes Thomas and the other engines and cars can take. The 15-piece set includes 2-inch (1), 3-inch (2), 4-inch(1), 6-inch (1), and 8-inch (3) female straight track; 2-inch male straight track (2); 3-1/2-inch curved track (1) ; Switch-T track (1); 3-1/2-inch curved switch track (1); 6-1/2-inch curved switch track (1); and 6-1/2-inch action switch track (1). Like the original track, these expansion pieces are crafted of high-quality North American maple. Little engineers can boost their cognitive and physical skills by exploring different track configurations with this kit. Alternately, kids can refer to the included Builder’s Guide, which instructs them on how to combine these pieces with other popular Thomas track collections to make more intricate railway designs. --Cristina Vaamonde

Product Description

This expansion track throws some additional curves into the train table layout, offering plenty of possibilities for new and exciting routes Thomas and the other engines and cars can take. 15 pc set. Like the original track, these expansion pieces are crafted of high-quality North American maple. Little engineers can boost their cognitive and physical skills by exploring different track configurations with this kit. Alternately, kids can refer to the included Builder's Guide, which instructs them on how to combine these pieces with other popular Thomas track collections to make more intricate railway designs. Ages 3 yrs. +.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

89 of 90 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Starting out with wooden railroads?, January 18, 2006

By 

C. Hashimoto (Cambridge, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Thomas And Friends Wooden Railway - Figure 8 Set Expansion Pack (Toy)

I purchased this expansion set, along with the Thomas and Friends Water Towr Figure 8 Set, for my 2 year old this past Christmas. The expansion set was an afterthought, prompted in no small part by the manufacturer's promotion running at the time (50% off this set with the purchase of a Figure 8 set).

With the conclusion of many initial hours of intense playtesting (an ongoing process, with no termination in sight), my son agrees that this is an essential choice for any but the most basic (read: boring) wooden railroad layout. This expansion pack comes with switch tracks, and allows little train engineers (and their dads) to reverse directions or explore different parts of the railway. In retrospect, I think that I would have been dissatisfied had I not purchased this set to complement the basic Figure 8 layout, promotional price or not.

As far as the quality, the Learning Curve wooden track is made from hardwood, and is more substantial than many other brands of compatible track (i.e. Maxim, First Learning, etc.). This is a consideration when your child insists on taking the track apart by him/herself to put away. We have already broken a couple of pieces of generic track this way, since the male end of the connectors is a bit weaker than the rest of the track.

Overall, we are quite satisfied with this set, and look forward to many more hours of enjoyment.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Purchase!, February 8, 2008

By 

Robyn Funkhouser (Bethesda, MD) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Thomas And Friends Wooden Railway - Figure 8 Set Expansion Pack (Toy)

Most Thomas sets are constructed in such a way that require you to buy additional dual ended pieces in order to be able to connect them to other sets and this expansion set was the only thing I found that included a couple of these extra linking pieces. Not only does my 3 year old son have endless hours of fun putting the tracks together, but my husband and I also really enjoy putting them together in a variety of ways. These tracks act like a puzzle that grows with your child as he develops. Our son started learning to connect them end to end, then he began connecting them in circles and ovals, and he is beginning to experiment with layering in figure eights and using bridges. I highly recommend this set to anyone who wishes to make Thomas track building easier while enhancing their child's ability to learn through building.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Figure Eight set plus Expansion Pack - Exceptional Value, October 9, 2007

By 

Jeff (New York) - See all my reviews

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:4.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Thomas And Friends Wooden Railway - Figure 8 Set Expansion Pack (Toy)

My three year old son received the Water Tower set plus the Expansion Pack for his birthday. He also has a sizeable collection of the trains themselves, as they have been rewards for potty training. He has found at least one hour of enjoyment out of them every day for the past three months. Every night comes 30 minutes of dedicated train and track time, more if time permits. Then, he makes sure all of his trains are with him in bed so he can play school with them or throw parties for them or whatever for at least another 30 minutes.

The inclusion of the expansion pack allows us to create a wide variety of layouts to retain interest. The combination has a healthy number of switches that allow for interesting loops and even loops within loops. We also have the roundhouse, which helps.

The personalities of the Thomas character set (Henry, Gordon, etc etc) and the associated storylines provide a rich world for the little guy to step into. The combination of these two products helps him realize it.

I hope that helps!