Brio and its clones is the way to go. They last and can be reused by multiple grandkids and you can find for sale online as well as in store. My kids loved them and ours are still in good shape.
Note that there were better approaches to 'children's' wooden railroading. One company I patronized made special long-radius curves and long-frog switches, and one (possibly the same) made relatively-well-proportioned 'modern' freight and passenger locomotives and cars with railroad paint schemes. These were easily motorized and easily adapted to simple RC.
You can also scratchbuild more 'scale length' wooden railway vehicles by using wood blocks with the appropriate kinds of wheels to track, with foam between them and a molded flexible foam skin to 'scale', with added details, over the whole. While I admit this looks a bit like those scenes from the Polar Express movie at times, it was nice to be able to have a GG1 that looked like a real outline rather than a Lionel version ... and to have a real Pennsylvania Torpedo as 'the fastest locomotive in the world' for the continued adventures of same, more believably than the excuse Lionel tried to foist on us... There were, perhaps are, still methods of making wooden flex track.
Some of this stuff might still be available on the Web or come up on eBay. I do think it should be remembered in this discussion, even if only to stimulate some alternative building...
Brio trains and a playmat with a city scene printed on it... the classic!
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Brio is cheap on e-bay, kids grow out of that stage.
I am glad to see Brio is still around. I had a set of actual Brio stuff, mixed in with a bunch of the wooden railways Thomas stuff, when I was a kid. Looking at their website, it sure looks like Brio expanded their line offerings, but I am afraid to look at the price now haha. Honestly, I would approve of Brio as well as TStage said above. Or one of the American brands that Walthers has listed on their website.
(My Model Railroad, My Rules)
These are the opinions of an under 35 , from the east end of, and modeling, the same section of the Wheeling and Lake Erie railway. As well as a freelanced road (Austinville and Dynamite City railroad).
In my experience, BRIO-style trains are great for that age. They want to do something, not watch something. When our child outgrew them, they were still in great shape and went to a friend's family for more years of enjoyment.
Layout Design GalleryLayout Design Special Interest Group
Cedar,
For a 2-year old, I think Brio is the way to go, IMO. The pieces are large enough for small hands but not "swallowable". The magnets make it easy to couple-uncoupler the locomotive and rolling stock. The track is equally constructed to allow a youngster to use and develope their imagination by arranging it in whatever configuration that catches their fancy. They also learn dexterity putting the pieces together.
Granted Brio sets are not inexpensive but they do hold up well - especially for those kids who are still trying to comprehend the difference between petting the cat and banging a drum. I would think that you could also find it used online or at a swap meet/train show and - with a bit of clean-up and sanitizing - have a very nice birthday present for your grandson that doesn't break the bank.
And #1: If there should be additional grandchildren in the future, the Brio sets could easily be passed down to them as they come of age.
And #2: It doesn't require any electricity, nor make noise - i.e. other than the glee and any prototypical train sounds that might spontenously emanate from your grandchild, which also makes for a cheap child monitor.
Consider it a worthwhile investment enjoyed over years. Your family can also chip in over time with the plethora of add-ons.
My ...
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
For my kid, I had a 5' x 10' sheet of plywood of the wooden Thomas stuff. It got a lot of use and the wooden turnouts could be switched and that was cool because while most of the engines were push along we had four or five that were battery-powered and ran on their own meaning the kid could run around the layout flipping switches as the train went along on its own.
The cars had the magnets to hold them together so trains could only be so long before the magnet would let go, that is until you added a pusher and mid-train helpers.
That whole Thomas setup got more use than I could have ever imagined and is currently in a trunk size Tupperware container. Before I packed it up for the last time I did an audit and figured there was about $2500.00 worth of the stuff. All the friends and relatives spoiled the kid rotten buying him stuff for his wooden layout.
And yes when the house was quiet late at night after the kids had gone to bed I would get a glass of wine and sit and watch battery-powered James ply his way around the layout. I had been out of the hobby for decades but that Thomas layout lead me to this shortly afterwards.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
I have my first grandchild-a boy- and am looking into getting him an age-appropriate train. I anticipate he will be able to play with a train toy effectively when he is about 2 yrs old-not too long from now. I remember having a set of Brio wooden trains and tracks back in the mid to late 1950s, but when I looked into that the price was extremely high. I remember seeing a setup of Brio trains at an IKEA store last year . I also have seen LEGO train layouts at local swap meets and they appear to be reasonably priced.
If anyone has experience with these- particularly the LEGO layouts-in the context of a toddler's use, please comment.
Cedarwoodron