Thomas is on the search for buried treasure!

Thomas is on the search for treasure!

Pirate treasure, Thomas the Train, a Skull Mountain, a pirate shipwreck, and a hidden treasure map? Seriously, where can you go wrong with this one.

We got our own Thomas the Train Pirates Cove to review. This was my first experience with the Thomas Wooden Railway toys and I am beyond impressed. I am sure it will be one of many Thomas Wooden Railway sets we own in the future.

The very first thing I noticed when I got the box was the fact that it was surprisingly heavy. I knew in advance that the Wooden Railway toys were made of wood but I didn't expect just how sturdy the pieces would be. When given the choice I prefer wooden toys over plastic but there have been times where I was disappointed as to how the wooden toys fit together or the quality of the wood. The Thomas Wooden Railway set did not at all let me down, the pieces are very well made, and everything fits together perfectly.

The set itself is based on Thomas's "Thomas and the Treasure" story and this 41 piece set has more action in it than I have seen in most of the Thomas Wooden Railway sets! The pirate shipwreck alone is pretty cool, Thomas goes up the incline and into the pirate ship disappearing from view for just a moment, then he picks up a bit of speed and comes out the other side! Depending on how you set up your track the next stop is the Treasure Tunnel, somewhere near here there is a secret hidden treasure map!! There is a rumor that the secret to the treasure map is hidden in the rock ledge. (If you turn the rock the secret treasure map is revealed.) Then Thomas is off to Skull Mountain, home to the mysterious pirate treasure. Once Thomas goes over the Bridge the secret treasure appears though Thomas can't see it from the bridge. Thomas, his friend Salty, The Admiral and Sir Topham Hatt are included!

In all there are 28 pieces of track and three buildings included in the Pirates Cove set which is a perfect way to get your Thomas Wooden Railway set started or an awesome way to expand your collection. If you are new to Wooden Railways and your concerned about the price, I will tell you now that these toys will last a zillion times longer than any plastic sets you may find. Especially with households of multiple children its a bargain. Also buying Wooden Railways in a play set like this one is far cheaper than buying pieces separately. The tracks usually sell for about $9 for two medium pieces or one large piece. You would pay at least the cost of the Pirate Cove playset just to buy that much track not to mention you get the great extras!

One tiny thing I should mention. If you already have a Brio play set and want to add Thomas to the mix, the Thomas trains and tracks do play nicely with Brio.

The Thomas Wooden Railway play sets as well as Thomas Wooden Railways Pirate Cove is available directly from Learning Curve or on Amazon!