I was more than happy when my son's interest in all things railway led him to start looking at model railways: this Thomas set offers the chance for young and old to get started in the wonderful world of the railway modeller!
The Amazon price can be beaten if one is willing to work a little harder: try the usual online market sites and even your local model railway shop who are usually happy to give a discount with a view to securing your future custom.
The product comes with a simple oval of track, a Thomas engine and the Annie and Claribel coaches. The quality of both the engine and the coaches is reasonable, although parents may want to keep them away from younger children. Details on the engine and the coaches are susceptible to rough play: I'v ehad to replace the couplings on the engine and the coupling bar on both coaches snapped (superglue makes a quick and easy repair).
The controller is the standard product featured in most Hornby starter sets: four year olds should be able to master the switch and the controller 'knob' quite comfortably.
The product also comes with a 'track mat' which was rather a disappointment. Whilst it provides the basis for a layout and collection (at considerable expense) it is made of paper and therefore rips very easily.