Steam locomotive rushes on rails: TOP-5 children's railways

A scattering of toys from the Chinese brand Yako Toys has more than 200K different items. An important place in the company's wide range of products is occupied by toy railways, in particular, one of the most affordable sets among peers under the name Yako Trains Y1699023.

A three-car train driven by a self-propelled steam locomotive travels along the railway track. He, in turn, receives energy recharge from AA batteries, which will need to be bought in a separate order. The locomotive is equipped with a searchlight, and the movement of the train along the rails is accompanied by sound effects.

The route of the railway train does not shine with diversity — the locomotive pulls a tender wagon with coal reserves and two passenger cars in a circle. The total number of parts for the construction of a circular rail track is 8 pcs, all of them are made of plastic and are fastened together quite reliably.

The railway set is designed to help develop the child's fine motor skills of the hands (when connecting elements of the rail track), imagination and ingenuity. But Yako Trains Y1699023 hides its main trump card up its sleeve — it is the democratic cost of a toy product, on the purchase of which parents certainly will not go broke.

The Blue Arrow brand is ready to offer a large railway set for little money. The GS-87177 kit includes many elements from which you can build an entire game world.

The main role in the set is assigned to a self-propelled locomotive with two freight cars. One of the trailers is loaded with bricks, and the second with coal. It is possible to empty the wagons or throw even more cargo on them with the help of an overhead crane, which is installed in any part of the railway track above the rail bed.

The standard train route runs along a large oval. It additionally includes a “figure eight”, to which the freight train is sent when manually switching the arrows. Along the way, the locomotive with wagons crosses a small bridge, and there are also a couple of trees and road signs in the railway configuration in order to diversify the environment with static decorations.

To give the locomotive self-propelled qualities, you will need to separately purchase two AAA batteries. The movement of the train is accompanied by sound effects. Last but not least, thanks to them, playing with the railroad turns into an exciting process, which, in addition, will help the child develop imagination, spatial thinking and creativity.

The Swedish company BRIO was one of the first to produce miniature railways from natural wood. They are rightfully considered the safest for babies, because. well-polished parts made of environmentally friendly materials will not allow the child to get hurt.

The set with the digital designation 33511 is the simplest version of the railway line, laid in a circle of 8 prefabricated elements of the track superstructure. A two-car train must be rolled by hand, since there is no motor in the equipment of the locomotive. A magnetic mount is assigned to the role of the coupling of the diesel locomotive with the passenger car, thanks to which the child will be able to couple the train without outside help. At the same time, the magnetic mounting method cannot be called particularly reliable.

Both the locomotive and the carriage have places for figures of little men: a train driver and a passenger. They are included in the set, along with a semaphore and a traffic sign "Attention". Also in the box with the product, a wooden bench is found, on which a little man-passenger will wait for the train to arrive on schedule.

BRIO Travel Circle Set 33511 will fit the role of the first railway for the younger generation. In the future, the set can be expanded by adding additional buildings and trains or linked with other models of the line. Fortunately, the products of the Swedish brand are often interconnected.

Good to know. A children's railway made of wood is safe for a child — it does not have sharp and prickly parts, and it is also impossible to scratch it. In addition, wooden elements (track structure, wagons, etc.) are durable and able to survive not the most careful handling.

A large set of 120 parts from Balbi takes up quite a bit of space when assembled (171x109 cm). However, if it is possible to allocate the necessary piece of free space for him, the child will be involved in the game process for a long time.

The thing is that little railroad workers are given the opportunity to create a huge game world with their own hands. It has everything to build a full-fledged steel line in miniature with a developed train connection — from the station building and the depot hangar to many directions of train movement with artificial structures along the route of trains and car crossings over rails.

Two trains are moving along the road at the same time, which must be rolled manually. In total, the set includes 2 locomotives and 5 wagons with magnetic couplers. On the one hand, they are easy to connect with each other, and on the other hand, with sudden movements, the train can disengage. All elements of the toy railway are made of solid wood, and the painted parts of the product are covered with natural paints that are safe for children.

Additionally , the Balbi Railway WT-041 package includes figures of people, animals and trees, so that the child will be able to simulate a wide variety of situations in the game. For example, pick up passengers at stops, cross the barriers of railway crossings, etc. In addition, there is a turning circle in one of the corners of the railway track. On it, you can turn the cars in the opposite direction, as is done in many real locomotive depots, where "adult" diesel locomotives and electric locomotives live.

Miniature railways from the Slovenian brand Mehano are among the best of their kind. The company produces both models of the legendary locomotives of yesteryear, as well as smaller copies of modern trains, such as the four-car high-speed train of the French Railways (TGV) in 1:87 scale.

The express train is rapidly moving through urban areas with skyscrapers, picturesque lakes and highways. At one point, the railway line passes through a tunnel, at another point a small footbridge is installed above the rail track. The railway intersects with highways at different levels in four different places.

More realism is given to the set by people, cars, buildings, road signs and markings, dispersed throughout the city in miniature. And the metal rails and wheels of a high-speed train add similarities with a real railway. The train is set in motion by a command from a wired remote control, which also allows you to smoothly adjust the speed of movement of cars along the track. Power is supplied to the product through an adapter from a 230 V network.

The train can travel along a large radius around urban areas, and when the switches are switched approximately in the middle of the route, it is able to deviate into a small circle. Owners of other Mehano sets will appreciate the fact that all the brand's railways are compatible with each other. This opens up truly limitless possibilities in the construction of new stations and the laying of train routes.