Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends: Figure 8 Set which includes
This classic wooden railway set contains Thomas the Tank Engine, his coaches Annie and Clarabel, and a complete figure eight of track with bridge. Thomas and the coaches hook up with magnets. It looks like such an innocent toy, but the set and the included catalog are the launch-point for a life that will never be the same again. Every child will find pleasure pulling Thomas and his coaches around, but what child is not then going to pine for Terence the Tractor, the Tidmouth Milk Truck, Sodor Bay Bridge, a special play table, and a couple of thousand miles of extra track? Parents be warned: there's a world in here. Winner Dr. Toy Best Children's Vacations Products. (Ages 3 and older)

Extra trains and track are available

This Thomas the Tank Engine is almost a foot long, and is clearly designed to be pulled around on the floor while making really loud choo-choo noises. Properly decked out in blue and black with red trim and the famous red and yellow "1" on the side, the pull toy is made mainly of wood and six sturdy rubber wheels. Thomas is powered by a high-tension connection between your child and a foot of nylon string, and has a solid, traditional feel. The toy is a nice change for parents (and children, perhaps?) who are sick of plastic toys that flash and bleep. (Ages 2 to 4 years)

Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends Big Loader will bring out the train conductor in any child. When the big loader is running, use the control buttons on the track to make the train change direction. Itsy-bitsy engineers control whatever it does next. The track includes hoppers, loading docks, and transfer ramps. The motorized chassis fits under Thomas, Percy, and Terrance, the toys' included companions. After parents take a few minutes to read the simple instructions, make sure a 2- by 2-foot space is available for construction. Requires one AA battery for operation. (Ages 2 to 8)

This Thomas the Tank Engine puzzle is cut from thin plywood and housed in a plywood tray. The picture shows Thomas and Gordon waiting steamily at a station while Harold the Helicopter hovers overhead, and several other chubby-faced denizens of the iron road puff along in the background. The bottom of the tray contains a black-and-white line drawing of the colored scene on the puzzle pieces. This puzzle has been made extra easy for small kids: the pieces have straight or slightly wavy sides instead of the notches usually found in jigsaw puzzles. (Ages 3 and older, but simple enough to try with an ambitious 2-year-old.)