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A system of small trains running on a wooden track is called a wooden toy train. The toy trains and their wooden tracks are over a hundred years old.
Wooden figure-8 train sets (from BRIO) were introduced in 1884. Brio is the world’s largest manufacturer of wooden toys with more than 3.5 million trains, cars and trucks rolling off the assembly line.
BRIO Corporation is named after the Ivarson brothers of Osby. The three young brothers started making high-quality wooden toys in Osby, Sweden, but initially they started making woven basketry. BRIO makes good toys that are safe and durable and encourage open-ended play. There are many other companies around the world now making good quality wooden trains and tracks.
Due to the number of toy train companies that make wooden trains and rails, a standard they have agreed to abide by is known as the Vario-System. By sticking to this system, wooden train tracks made by one company will easily connect to track made by another company. Most people refer to the Vario system as Brio compatible, after the Biro company. who, as can be seen with their production, are the most famous wooden train manufacturers in the world.
The most famous wooden train in the world is Thomas. Thomas the Tank Engine was a character in a children’s book series called The Railway Series that first appeared in the UK in 1945. In 1984, Thomas made his acting debut in a television show called Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends in the UK which was narrated by Ringo Starr of The Beatles. Thomas the Tank’s popularity was great enough that manufacturers began selling patterned sets that included most of the other characters seen in the Thomas The Tank Engine and Friends series.
Today’s wooden toy trains have hardly changed from years ago, but probably the biggest change has been their safety. Instead of the (sharp) hook for coupling the train and wagons, there are now magnets.
There are now numerous styles and designs of wooden toy trains, some with tracks and some without. There are types to sit on and types that you can push across the floor. There are rockers and pedal types. But whichever type is chosen, they will last for generations if cared for carefully.