When my son wanted to spend his birthday money on a Thomas track master engine after he has 3 at home from various track master sets we brought I was a little confused. So this review is on the Thomas track master engine you can buy separately rather than part of a track set as there is a difference between the two.

The train

The train is made of solid plastic and has the features of the famous Thomas the tank engine painted on it so it is easily recognisable to children. This is a motorised engine and it has a switch on the back of the train that when you push makes the train moves by itself to stop the train simply switch it the other way and it will turn off. This is very easy to do and my son could do this by 18 months old by himself independently.

Unlike the Thomas engine you receive in the set this one actually has a trailer attached to it. Normally trailers can be coupled and un-coupled at the back of the engine but this Thomas engine the trailer and main part of the engine are actually attached by a plastic loop and cannot be removed. This was a little disappointing for my son as he likes to swap and change the trailers.

The trailer

The trailer is simply a piece of green plastic on wheels it has no interactive parts and the only purpose I can see it holding is for appearance and to hold the battery. The trailer itself does not have anywhere to hold cargo like a lot of the track master engines do it is just a plastic case that covers the battery.

It requires 1 AA battery and to replace this you take the case of the trailer off which clips off easily and then you add the battery. Then replace the case which slips into place and when you press the leaver Thomas will be ready to go.

The case can become loose after my son found how to remove it and re add it when he was a little older so now it rattles as Thomas chugs around the track but this seems to add to the excitement for him.

Moving around the track

The train moves freely around the track the wheels on the bottom do not stick and the grooves on the track master track sets keeps the engine running in the right direction. It moves rather slowly around the track but my son likes that it keeps going by itself.

The rain also runs freely off the track and works well on all surfaces including wooden flooring and carpet. The only thing with using it off the track is it only runs in straight lines as there is nothing to guide it and this means little spends a lot of the time chasing it around to turn it in directions.

Durability

We have had this engine for over 2 years now and it is still in perfect working order there are no scratches to the paint and the only thing that is different from when we first purchased it is the trailer rattles a little. The batteries have only been changed once in this time which for the amount if usage it gets I think is great.

Overall

Although this train has its downsides my son loves it all the same my main thing is that the track master train set often include Thomas in them so I do not see the point of purchasing this separately. Yes it has a trailer that is not available with standard Thomas engines but you can easily swap and change other characters trailers that actually hold cargo. Also you can purchase Annie and Clarabelle for around the same price of this Thomas engine and I would highly suggest these rather than a plain green plastic addition.

This is recommended from 3 years plus although my son used it from a younger age than this as it is chunky and no small parts I do not see any harm in it. You do need to purchase 1 AA battery as this is not provided. It retails at around £10-£15 so do shop around.