Geotrax: a great Thomas alternative

When our one year old started becoming obsessed with trains we weren't exactly thrilled with the prospect of adding a Thomas the Train table to our home decor. We delayed getting anything train related as long as possible until finally we caved a few months ago.

One night while we were toy shopping we stumbled upon a train set we fell in love with: the Fisher Price GeoTrax Rail and Road System. It appealed to us for several reasons: 1) we could set it up on the floor in a corner and 2) it was expandable and looked like so much fun with all the available accessories. We bought the Workin' Town Railway when our son was 21 months old and he, as well as us, have been totally hooked ever since!

He seriously plays with this toy every day! For his birthday just recently we expanded the set and he loves the bridges and elevated tracks. Being able to add to this toy and change the tracks around to different layouts means this toy's novelty stays fresh! The tracks are also easy to manipulate, so easy in fact that our child mastered putting them together himself. Your child can also either choose to push the trains OR he can use a remote control and watch the train propel itself around the tracks. The remote even emits the realistic sound of a train's whistle and the sound of a train chugging down the tracks. Fisher Price also has a website that provides track layout ideas.

The Workin' Town Railway is a thirty piece set which includes a three car train, remote control, two "factory" sites, and the bonus set comes with an additional water tower, steam engine and brown train. It can be purchased at Amazon for $39.99.