An Overview of Wooden Train Sets and Their Use

Even though wooden train sets have been around for a very long time they have had something of a resurgence of late.

Originally developed as a commercial venture in the 1930's in the USA by Marshal H. Larrabee for his company Skaneateles Handicrafters in 1936 wooden train sets haven’t changed in their design much since then. The main difference between the style of todays wooden train set and one back then is the way the track pieces were connected together. They were clipped together with small wooden pegs whilst today’s wooden track is put together with a “peg and hole” system. The original train sets systems would have a much more rustic feel to them. The wooden train’s were made out of woods such as maple, once manufactured they would be left with an unfinshed surface and unpainted. In contrast to today’s wooden train sets that are always highly finished and detailed with particularly attention paid to the paint detail on the wooden trains.

In the late 50’s and early 1960’s the Jack-Built Manufacturing Company marketed it’s own range of wooden toy trains under the name “Jakc Built Snap Trains”. This had a different track connection system which was also compatiable with the Skaneatles track. So the “vario system” was born. This has been a common theme where by one manufacturers wooden train track will be compatiable with anothers even today. So BRIO train track will fit with Plan Toys train track and IKEA (although very tight fitting) for example.

The 1970’s and 80’s saw a bit of a luu in the wooden train set market as computer games and gadgets crept into the market place.

The 1990’s saw a resurgence in the wooden train set market which lead to new imarketing idea’s such as branding for example. Thomas the Tank Engine.

Into the new millenium and wooden tain sets are still going strong having found a new lease of life in a world that eco-friendly toy moving away from plastic and throw away goods.