What is about trains that are so cool?
Is it the roaring engine chugging down the tracks? The
billowing smoke that puffs in the air? Or maybe it’s that all familiar, echoing
whistles?
In any case, trains have always possessed a certain kind of
magic that sparks imagination and endless possibilities in the hearts of
children for generations. As a young child, I remember getting my first taste
of this magic when my father bought me and my older brother our first model
train set. I have many fond memories of assembling that train set and
pretending to go off to faraway lands. Because of this, you can only imagine my
happiness in learning that my son also shares my love for trains. From Thomas
the Tank Engine, to The Little Engine that could and even to the hibachi chef
that creates a smoking train out of a stack of onions, it has been a blast for
me to watch his interest blossom.
So when I was contacted my Toy State to Test out their Iron DieselTrain set, I didn’t hesitate to sign up. The day it came in the mail, I walked
into the house and the box that it was delivered in was also opened. I barely
got the change to take kick off my shoes before my little guy grabbed me by the
index finger and led me into the living room. From there, we opened the box and
took out all of the pieces:
·
(1) Motorized Caterpillar engine
·
(1) Transport car with (2) detachable
Caterpillar toy trucks
·
(1) Magnetic crane car with movable box
·
(1) Loading car
The
first thing that struck me about the train set was the realistic look.
Visually, the pieces look exactly like the larger scale Caterpillar trains that
you would see at most construction sites. The set itself is made of plastic,
which is far removed from the die cast of some higher end train sets; they
certainly couldn’t take too much of a beating. My son and I then laid out the 7 feet of
track, which in my experience with other toy sets is about the average
length. On the front of the box, the
company advertises that the set is “easy to assemble”. The term “easy” I
suppose can be open to interpretation. While the design of the tracks were
simple enough, they took a little more elbow grease to make each one snap together than I probably would have liked. In an ideal
scenario, my child should be able to pull the train out and assemble the tracks
himself. I would advise that you do take the time to show your child how to ensure the tracks are connected correctly., because if the tracks aren’t
aligned just right, there’s a strong chance that the train will derail. While
that isn’t a complete deal breaker, it’s something to keep in mind. 
While
the tracks might be a slight hindrance, there are plenty of other features that
are pretty simple. The first of which is the motorized engine, which runs on
(2) AA batteries. The bottom of the engine
unscrews with a Phillip’s head screwdriver and once the batteries are inserted,
you push the red button on top and it pulls the 3 other cars around the tracks.
It doesn’t make the bell and whistle sounds that some train sets make, but
depending on what you are looking for, that may or may not be an incentive to
purchase (Hey, some parents like a quiet toy in the house every once in a
while). The individual features of the others cars are fun and easy to use as
well. As I mentioned in the beginning, the transport car comes with a mini dump
truck and backhoe, both of which easily detach from the transport care and are
operational. The magnetic crane is pretty cool and easy to operate too: It
comes with a boxcar that you can pick up and move around with the crane. The loading
car has a hinge that pulls out and snaps back together. My son really enjoyed putting
random items in it (matchbox cars, action figures, etc.).
Overall,
the Caterpillar Iron Diesel Train Set is a great buy. The durability concerns a
parent might have are offset by the low price, multiple features and relative
ease of use. I would absolutely recommend this set to a parent who has a child
who has fledgling love for trains, but is not quite mature enough for the
larger, more expensive trains that are on the market. This toy can be purchased
at multiple locations, including Target and Amazon. 
