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Brio wooden railway

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      David Locomotive Fireman

    Location: Eastwood, Sydney, Australia
    How many people - or people's kids? - here collect Brio wooden railway, or one of its competitors (Eichhorn, Thomas wooden railway)?

    I personally have quite a large collection, and I'd be interested to see how many other people collect it - I've only ever met one family that does [which isn't saying much].

    If you don't know what Brio is, check out this page. Most of my sets are much older than these, however.
    Posted: 19 Apr 2004 20:30

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      S 301 Chief Commissioner

    Location: in front of the computer
    I collect the learning curve Thomas series.
    Posted: 19 Apr 2004 20:47
      B 67 Chief Commissioner

    Location: Central Gippsland
    Goodness. First Lego, now Brio.  Shocked
    When I was a kid (1970s) I had a lot of Toltoys trains, which are basically the same thing, only in plastic. The track was red and had points, double slips, turntables, bridges etc. There was also a matching roadway system with blue roads. Don't see a lot of it around anymore, but I do have a small amount of it aquired a few years ago.
    Posted: 19 Apr 2004 20:48
      David Locomotive Fireman

    Location: Eastwood, Sydney, Australia
    I collect the learning curve Thomas series.
    "S 301"


    Is that the wooden one? Sorry, I'm not familiar with Thomas sets Smile

    @b 67: I just discovered this site by accident, so I figured I might as well ask! After all, IMHO a wooden train is just as fun as a more mainstream model - especially mine [if I do say so myself!], since it fills four rooms of my house when it's out.
    Posted: 19 Apr 2004 20:54

    Last edited by David on 21 Sep 2017 21:59; edited 1 time in total
      B 67 Chief Commissioner

    Location: Central Gippsland
    Hey, I'm not complaining David. It's just that I hadn't thought I'd see these types of trains being discussed here. But I do have a few of these kinds of things.
    I still like the Toltoys trains. Had quite a big system that filled a room (not 4). But it's all gone now. I bought a few bits a few years ago that were going cheap, so it's a nice reminder.
    One of the primary schools's I went to (Bentleigh West) used to have a box full of similar trains, though somewhat smaller (about TT gauge) that had electric locos with pantographs, a level crossing with 4 gates. I always wanted to take it home on the weekends. I have no idea who made it, and have never seen another like it.
    Posted: 19 Apr 2004 21:05
      David Locomotive Fireman

    Location: Eastwood, Sydney, Australia
    Fair enough Smile

    I'm told my pre-school had some Brio trains, but I don't remember them unfortunately. They had these cute little carriages that you just couldn't buy for love or money downunder - until last year, when MTA [the distributor] ordered some in. I bought 16, but obviously nobody else did, because they've stopped carrying them again this year Sad

    Speaking of never seen again, for a while there was a wooden Sesame Street railroad, whose track was about half the price of Brio, and just as good (it was a different wood though). I bought heaps of it, but they discontinued that too. And now David Jones is discontinuing Brio as well, as of November. That sucks!
    Posted: 19 Apr 2004 21:15
      S 301 Chief Commissioner

    Location: in front of the computer
    wooden thomas trains. look on ebay UK for some of the Brio thomas trains.
    that littlecarriage is like some of the thomas trains.
    Posted: 19 Apr 2004 21:25
      mars Chief Commissioner

    Location: Rail SA
    I have a figure eight set with cross over, passing loop and engine shed in the garage somewhere...
    Posted: 19 Apr 2004 23:17
      Ben-P19 Chief Commissioner

    Location: Greensborough, Vic
    My pre-school had Brio, I used to make city loop tunnels for it out of blocks  Very Happy

    At home I had the toltoys one with the red track, it has since gone to live with my brothers kids in NSW.

    My nephew (other brothers kid) has an ever expanding wooden thomas set.

    I've seen cheaper versions of Brio with a heap of track for a fraction of the cost (about $20). I think I know what someone in my family is getting for their birthday if I can find it again. I think it was in Big W.
    Posted: 19 Apr 2004 23:28
      rhino Chief Commissioner

    Location: Oakbonk SA
    My kids have got a Tomica train set - blue  Exclamation  plastic track and grey roads with a really neat level crossing - boom gates & all. They keep buying more track (mainly second-hand) from used-toy shops. The trains can be operated by hand or with batteries, with which they can move quite fast, and the boys get a real kick out of trying to operate the points in time before the train reaches them. All the points are hand operated so with more than one train running it's quite good fun. Some sections of track have a little lever on the side which raises a section between the rails, thus stopping the train there when it arrives. I have two young boys and they set this thing up so it takes up a whole room and stays set up for days, getting re-arranged every few hours.

    Brio is also a great system, particularly because the size of it allows tight curves and therefore heaps of operation in a small space. Some of the toyshops have a Brio set permanently on display for kids to play at while parents buy their birthday presents - they are completely unaware, it's so engrossing.
    Posted: 20 Apr 2004 08:51
      David Locomotive Fireman

    Location: Eastwood, Sydney, Australia
    I've seen cheaper versions of Brio with a heap of track for a fraction of the cost (about $20). I think I know what someone in my family is getting for their birthday if I can find it again. I think it was in Big W.
    "Ben-P19"


    I've seen it. Unfortunately the set is of shocking quality compared to Brio. Eichhorn and Thomas are better though.

    @mars: is it real Brio or an imitation - and might you be interested in selling it?
    Posted: 20 Apr 2004 17:20

    Last edited by David on 21 Sep 2017 21:59; edited 1 time in total
      mars Chief Commissioner

    Location: Rail SA
    David,
    All the packaging that i can remember had Brio (TM) written on it.

    David, not selling YET. will one day tho....
    Posted: 20 Apr 2004 17:29
      David Locomotive Fireman

    Location: Eastwood, Sydney, Australia
    Well, it was worth asking, then Smile
    Let me know if/when you are!
    Posted: 20 Apr 2004 18:21
      mars Chief Commissioner

    Location: Rail SA
    Will do David.
    Posted: 20 Apr 2004 18:26
      maybenever Deputy Commissioner

    Hey,

    I was playing with a plastic set (sounds like what someone called a Toltoys set) with my nephew on the weekend.  I used to have one but have not seen it for years,

    As for the wooden sets, there is a place at Seven Hills in Sydney that imported a heap of sets (not brio, although they look pretty good) and are now selling them at basically cost price.  If anyone is interested PM me and I can give you the details.

    Later

    Wesley
    Posted: 22 Apr 2004 14:50
      DavidB Moderator

    Location: Canberra
    As a kid I had what was called the Child Guidance Railroad made by Questor. These were soft plastic trains with plain wheels and ran in grooved sectional track. AIUI they originally had silver/grey track when first made in the 60s (this type is now quite valuable) but by the early 70s when I got it they had red track. The range available was almost as wide as some "real" model railways, and they even had double slips!

    Cheers
    David
    Posted: 22 Apr 2004 15:36
      David Locomotive Fireman

    Location: Eastwood, Sydney, Australia
    maybenever:  Shocked that's the sort of news that gets my undivided attention! Check your PMs shortly.

    The good thing about wooden trains is that they are fairly robust (within reason). Kids can drop them or bash them accidentally without destroying them, which is good. That said, a relation of mine has a small Duplo (think bigger Lego) train set buried away in her cupboards someplace. They're great fun, and we still get them out occasionally.
    Posted: 22 Apr 2004 18:30
      B 67 Chief Commissioner

    Location: Central Gippsland
    Here's a sample of the Toltoys trains for anyone not familiar with them.

    The track was red, road pieces were light blue. Locos, wagons and passenger carriages came in combinations of red, light blue, yellow and green. Wheels being black. The points came in moving and 'solid state' varieties (no moving parts - make the loco go one direction and the carriages generally followed). There were double slips (again, no moving parts) bridges, turntable, stations, buffer stops and also ramps that allowed the trains to go off the track (as a kid I didn't like these pieces  Very Happy ). Anyway, I can see similarities with this and Brio trains. Just these weren't made from wood.
    Posted: 23 Apr 2004 00:54
      S 301 Chief Commissioner

    Location: in front of the computer
    I got a suitcase full of that stuff. great fun in sand pits. the only things that i dont have are the turntables and road peices in good condition.
    S301
    Posted: 23 Apr 2004 09:40
      David Locomotive Fireman

    Location: Eastwood, Sydney, Australia
    Nice! I still don't like the down ramps - I always use them on siding ends (when I've run out of buffers).
    Posted: 23 Apr 2004 10:38
      K160 Minister for Railways

    Location: Bendigo


    "B 67"


    I have a loco from one of these sets. No track though  Smile
    Posted: 23 Apr 2004 22:25
      David Locomotive Fireman

    Location: Eastwood, Sydney, Australia


    When I had the railway out last week I added three more sets of these to the mix - as you can see, they are slightly more "detailed" in some ways, but at the same time less so in others.
    Posted: 24 Apr 2004 18:43
      Ben-P19 Chief Commissioner

    Location: Greensborough, Vic

    The track was red, road pieces were light blue. Locos, wagons and passenger carriages came in combinations of red, light blue, yellow and green. Wheels being black. The points came in moving and 'solid state' varieties (no moving parts - make the loco go one direction and the carriages generally followed). There were double slips (again, no moving parts) bridges, turntable, stations, buffer stops and also ramps that allowed the trains to go off the track (as a kid I didn't like these pieces  Very Happy ). Anyway, I can see similarities with this and Brio trains. Just these weren't made from wood.
    "B 67"


    Wow that brings back memories! I can also recall there were short adapter pieces that had a hole at each end (instead of a knob at one and a hole at the other).  I too hated the ramps, although I usually put them on one of the turntable roads as a means of getting rollingstock onto the railway Very Happy Of the things you mentioned I had:

    -2 locos (one was yellow, the other was the same as the one in the pic)
    -2 pass cars (one red, one blue)
    -1 goods car (same as the one in the pic)
    -2 sets of points (1 left, 1 right)
    -1 double slip (may have had 2)
    -1 turntable
    -1 station (the building broke off!!)
    -1 bridge (may have had 2)

    Another thing I just remembered was that I had another set that was compatable (track fits) but had a darker coloured (burgundy?) track. The train I had for that was a small 'American' style loco and two end platform passenger cars. I think the couplers were also compatable. It all lived in the same box anyway. Maybe this was an updataed version of the original?
    Posted: 25 Apr 2004 14:18
      S 301 Chief Commissioner

    Location: in front of the computer
    the small one would have been the original and the large ones would have been the newer one.
    S301
    Posted: 25 Apr 2004 15:40
      B 67 Chief Commissioner

    Location: Central Gippsland
    Wow that brings back memories! I can also recall there were short adapter pieces that had a hole at each end (instead of a knob at one and a hole at the other).
    "Ben-P19"


    Ah yes. You're right. I never had any of them, but friends did. Actually, now that you mention this, I recall there was also a double 'knob' section for joining two sections of track at the 'hole' ends. It was just a '8' shaped piece of plastic.


    I too hated the ramps, although I usually put them on one of the turntable roads as a means of getting rollingstock onto the railway Very Happy Of the things you mentioned I had:

    -2 locos (one was yellow, the other was the same as the one in the pic)
    -2 pass cars (one red, one blue)
    -1 goods car (same as the one in the pic)
    -2 sets of points (1 left, 1 right)
    -1 double slip (may have had 2)
    -1 turntable
    -1 station (the building broke off!!)
    -1 bridge (may have had 2)

    Another thing I just remembered was that I had another set that was compatable (track fits) but had a darker coloured (burgundy?) track. The train I had for that was a small 'American' style loco and two end platform passenger cars. I think the couplers were also compatable. It all lived in the same box anyway. Maybe this was an updataed version of the original?
    "Ben-P19"


    Which reminds me that I also had some sections of curved track that didn't have the sleeper / ballast detail between the 'rails'. It was just plain smooth red plastic. I think these came from cheaper sets or sets with a battery loco. I never owned one of those. Probably got the track secondhand.
    Posted: 25 Apr 2004 21:28

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