As someone who spends far too many hours shivering on the local railway bridge, feeding my grandson’s train addiction, these Hape toys are a joy. Hape always provides fabulous quality and these trains are typical examples – they are made with traditional wood, but have magnetic couplings for compatibility with other train sets, and they run on standard rail tracks, so your child can use them with his other toys. They are beautifully painted in bright colours and a perfect size for your youngster to enjoy.
The Steam-Era passenger train comes with two detachable bright red carriages and the Diesel Freight train comes with two orange trucks, which are filled with coal. The coal lumps have magnetic attachments which can be used with the magnetic hoist on the Hape Large Boom Crane. Both the steam engine and the diesel are in matching green.
After a cold and windy day at the station, my grandson loves to take both trains out and play with them, reliving the steam trains and diesels he has just seen. OK he hasn’t really seen steam trains, but he thinks he has, and whilst Grandma is warming herself up with a cup of tea, she’s happy to let the misconception run.
The Diesel Freight train costs just £9.99 on Amazon (including the two trucks) and the Steam-Era train is also £9.99, including the two carriages. A good price for such beautifully-made toys. I can really recommend them as a birthday present, or simply as a surprise gift for your little one.
By Dr K Thompson, author of From Both Ends of the Stethoscope: Getting through breast cancer – by a doctor who knows
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01A7DM42Q
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A7DM42Q