Chuggington Interactive Railway Wash & Fuel Set Review & Giveaway

We were more than happy to review the Chuggington Interactive Railway Wash & Fuel Set by Learning Curve.   First, I have to admit that we hadn't actually heard of Chuggington before but I am interested in watching the TV series now...we just don't happen to have the channel it's on in our area.  Connor has a slight obsession with trains, and Thomas and Friends in particular, so I have no doubt that he'll love this series of trains too.  I kind of like having something a bit different around because as much as I love Thomas, Percy and the rest of the gang, variety is good.

This train set is a bit different than the others we have so it took Connor some time to get over the fact that he has to actually push the train around and that the "train has wheels".  However, he seemed to get over that quickly once he realized that the train talked.  He turned into a little parrot and excitedly repeated the things the train said like "I'm big and strong" and "Ready to roll".   He also likes the wash and fuel stations as they make beeping sounds and even have lights which I tried to capture with my camera but didn't succeed at.  Of course, we just put this toy together for the first time yesterday so I have yet to see how long the batteries last..hopefully a long time because I used about 5 AA batteries between the two stations and the train that is included (Brewster) also required two batteries although those ones were included.

The whole set was quite easy to put together. I'm not particularly great with directions for these kinds of things but all the pieces are clearly marked and the instructions were easy to follow.  It maybe took a half an hour to get everything unpacked and put the actual set together.  Taking the items out of the box took the longest!  So far, Connor has been much better at taking the set apart than putting it together but he doesn't seem to mind if it's not exactly as it was intended.  He is still happy to push Brewster around the track that he has left intact and then stop at the stations every once in a while to play with them.

The set is called interactive because the trains can detect the other trains and the various stations when you buy multiple sets.  Obviously, I can't speak to that since we only have one set right now but I noticed the train says different things at the stations than it does on its own so that must be what it means.  The stations are kind of neat in that the fueling station offers different options including water, electricity or gas so there are some good educational aspects to the toy.  As far as the track itself, it clicks together nicely but it also flexible enough so that it's hard to break even when a two year old sits on it or bends it which may have happened a few times already.

Connor putting Brewster through the wash station.

The set is actually for ages 3+ which I assume is so they can put it together more easily on their own and because there are a couple of smaller parts.  The train we received is very solidly built and a bit bigger than his other trains.  I like that there aren't any loose parts on it that could fall or break off since Aleena is crawling around the floor too.  The only parts I put away when she was around were the road signs as they were much too small for a baby to be around.

Overall, this is a very well-made toy and I like the fact that it's different and includes the various stations that encourage additional creativity.  If he continues to play with it, I could see us investing in another set or at least another train to see how they interact.

Just a couple more notes:  The interactive railway sets are available exclusively at Toys R Us and this particular set costs $39.99.  There is a larger set which includes more trains and stations and there is also another smaller set available that could be combined with this one.

The Giveaway:
Learning Curve is giving away a Chuggington Interactive Railway Wash & Fuel Set to one lucky blog reader!

I will use www.random.org to select a winner from the entries and remember that each entry must be made in a separate comment.

How to Enter:
1.  "Like" Learning Curve on Facebook.
2.   Visit the Learning Curve Website and tell us what you like the best.
3.   Follow A Sophisticated Mommy via Google Friend Connect (in the right sidebar).
4.  "Like" A Sophisticated Mommy on Facebook.
5.   Share this giveaway. (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, Forum, Blog)

This contest is open until Saturday, May 7th, 2011 and I will announce the winner the following day.

Open to Canada & the US.