Trains Archives

Adventures on Trains: My Favorite Middle-Grade Book Series in 2021

April 14, 2021April 13, 2021Sophie Brown

This month I picked up the next books in the Adventures on Trains series: ‘Kidnap on the California Comet’ and ‘Murder on the Safari Star’.

Deluxe Board Game Train Sets, Image The Little Plastic Train Company

Kickstarter Alert: Deluxe Board Game Train Sets Upgrades

April 7, 2021April 7, 2021Sophie Brown

Deluxe Board Game Train Sets are high-quality replacement train sets for many popular train board games inspired by traditional locomotives.

The Eurostar by Hornby, Image Sophie Brown, Logos Eurostar and Hornby

Hornby Brings Traditional Toy Trains Into the Modern Age With Eurostar

December 11, 2020December 10, 2020Sophie Brown

Bring an element of international travel glamour to your holiday season with the Eurostar electric train set from Hornby.

2020 Middle-Grade Books for Back to School, Background Image by Michael Schwarzenberger from Pixabay, Cover Images as Below

5 Fantastic Middle-Grade Books Perfect for Back to School

August 21, 2020August 20, 2020Sophie Brown3

I’ve put together a bunch of fantastic middle-grade books covering a variety of genres and styles that I hope will inspire your young readers.

Hogwarts Express Electric Train Set, Image: Hornby

Hornby’s Hogwarts Express Electric Train Set Hits the Tracks

September 1, 2019September 1, 2019Sophie Brown1

The Hogwarts Express electric train set is a model railway starter set designed for older collectors and model railway enthusiasts.

Hogwarts Express Wrebbit 3D Puzzle, Image: Sophie Brown

Build Your Own Wizarding World With Wrebbit 3D Puzzles

March 19, 2019March 22, 2019Sophie Brown1

The Wizarding World Wrebbit 3D Puzzles are a range of 3D puzzles that allow you to build famous Harry Potter series buildings and vehicles.

Brio Toy Trains for the Tech Generation, Image: Sophie Brown

Are Brio’s Smart Tech and App-Enabled Toy Trains Worth The Cost?

September 20, 2018September 19, 2018Sophie Brown

We spent some time with the Smart Tech system and the App-Enabled Engine from Brio to see what these tech-enhanced toy trains are all about.

The Brain Train, Image: The Happy Puzzle Company

‘The Brain Train’: All Aboard the World’s First Mathematical Railway!

July 24, 2018July 23, 2018Sophie Brown

The “world’s first mathematical railway,” ‘The Brain Train’ from The Happy Puzzle Company is an easy-to-understand single-player puzzle game.

3yo plays with a Thomas the Tank Engine while his 1yo sister looks on closely

Goodbye, Thomas: Train Geeks Growing Up

September 1, 2017December 12, 2017Amy Weir6

True train geeks don’t really outgrow their early childhood obsessions. They just change the focus to more grown up styles of train.

GeekMom Holiday Gift Guide #1: Toys

November 8, 2016December 9, 2017GeekMom

Welcome to the start of this year’s holiday gift guides! The GeekMom guides will run each week on Tuesday mornings. We start it off this year with Toys, with a few of the GeekMom writers’ favorites.

The Cost of Licensing a Birthday Party

February 27, 2014December 15, 2017Sarah Pinault1

A birthday party using licensed characters is no mean feat, as GeekMom Sarah found out while planning her son’s Thomas themed party.

GeekMom 2013 Holiday Gift Guide: TOYS!

December 6, 2013November 24, 2017Cathé Post1

Toys that push, toys that inspire art, toys that look like famous geeky characters, and more!

HIT Entertainment’s 2013 Holiday Preview

July 9, 2013January 13, 2018Jackie Reeve3

HIT Entertainment was in New York City last week to preview their new Thomas the Tank Engine and Mike the Knight toys.

Map of London Showing "Live" Positions of Underground Trains © Matthew Somerville

“Live” Maps of UK Railways to Aid Your Procrastination

April 12, 2013November 24, 2017Sophie Brown1

A collection of maps at Train Times show the approximate real-time positions of trains on the London Underground and those at and surrounding many major UK stations.

App Review: All Aboard the Toca Train

July 31, 2012Melissa Wiley

Toca Boca delivers another quality kids’ app with Toca Train.

Are You the Parent of a Train Geek? Throw a Birthday Party at a Tourist Railroad!

April 21, 2012Patricia Vollmer4

I almost didn’t post anything for Birthday Week. It wasn’t until GeekMom Kelly posted about banning the goody bags that I remembered a clever goody bag idea… which was in itself part of a wonderful birthday experience for my oldest son. In 2006, when the family was living in Apex, North Carolina, we had the […]

Spending Time With Walter Wick

November 25, 2011Andrea Schwalm1

Back in our preschool years of parenting, my family spent a great deal of time with Walter Wick’s books. To be truthful, we spent a great deal of time with a great many books–almost universally those that created anthropomorphized-machine worlds filled with earnest steam engines, recalcitrant backhoes, or steam shovels of derring-do. Mr. Wick’s I […]

The Rise of the Play Center

October 26, 2011GeekMom4

In Maine we are housebound for much of January through March because of snow. Often this can include April, and it can also include the restrictive cold weather of December. Last year was my first year with a toddler, so gone were my housebound days of curling up in front of the woodstove with a […]

Ode to a Great Geek Dad… and his Geek Hobby

June 19, 2011Patricia Vollmer2

No, he isn’t one of those GeekDads… although he’d certainly fit the bill. After all, he’s getting Brian Greene’s latest book for Father’s Day! My Dear Husband Dave is a great Air Force professional, husband, and father to our two Geek Spawn sons. He has several other great hobbies, from art to Civil War reenacting. […]