Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 31
 BRIO Thomas August 21, 2009
Vera H. Olcott (USA)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I'm getting this train for all of my grand children when they turn 3!! So much fun! You need a star screw driver to open the battery chamber.
Fun addition to train set May 23, 2009
Mom of 2 (New Hampshire)
My 4 year old has enjoyed his train set for years, and loves having a train that he can make stop and go on its own. For what it is, its a good toy for a good price.
 Does not work well April 6, 2009
J Smith (Williamsburg VA)
Having 2 young boys we have been into Thomas for quite some time over a 4 year span. This was about the 4th battery powered engine I have bought for them. The other ones have been durable and fun to play with and the batteries last for quite sometime.
This one has a very sticky on button which is so tight my 4 year old can not even turn it on. Not much fun for him.
 Great toy, doesn't last March 29, 2009
T. Michaels (Bethel, CT)
I got this toy for my 2 year old son. He loved it for about 2 weeks. Many complain about the noise it makes, but I felt it was a train and should make some noise, that's what trains do. Others complain that it sucks up batteries. My response was to get rechargeable ones so that I wouldn't go through them every day. I saw complaints about the inability to use the push option on the train. If you turn the power button off, it rolls fine. Some people even complain that it detracts from the child's imagination. We had 2 Thomas trains and when we felt he needed to push the trains instead of watching it, we just took out the battery or gave him the other one to play with. However, if you have a child that does not know how to take care of his toys and it gets a little beat up, it won't last. Physically it's fine (the body is made out of metal and is very durable), however, it stopped working after 2 weeks of getting thrown about a bit. Now it is just a $20 push train. Too bad, he really liked it for a while. Maybe when he is older.
 Various Issues... August 23, 2008
B. Robertson (Germantown, MD)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
As others eluded to, it states that you can switch into a freewheeling mode, but even following the directions on the Learning Curve website's FAQ page, 2 of these did not work. I returned the first one after speaking with Learning Curve. They told me that if it won't freewheel, then it is defective and to return it. Replacement unit did the same thing, click every time I push it.
Some off-brand wooden track also is not very compatible with this train. I had some Imaginarium track, and the grooves in the track are about a millimeter narrower than the Thomas and Brio track. Battery-Powered Thomas doesn't quite fit with all wheels in the grooves, so it derails on this track constantly.
I have had pretty good luck eliminating other derailments of this train (with Brio and Thomas track) by using SureTrack clips on areas of my layouts that tend to not stay very straight. These clips are pricey, but they help avoid a lot of frustration when a toddler is destroying the track layouts with every other push of a train. I bought 1 box, which is enough to keep key pieces aligned on most layouts.
Overall, it has been fun for the few days we have had it, but I am very disappointed that it won't enter free-wheeling mode. I guess I will have to buy the wooden Thomas now as well.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 31
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