Bigjigs Alpen Mountain Train Set (BJT016) assessed after 1 year of use!
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This train set from BigJigs is really great. I love the fact that it's such an elaborate train set. It has everything, with a mountain, a viaduct and even two bridges.
But there are also a lot of train tracks, which my son is especially fond of. You can actually change things up and create your own train track.
We've had this set for a year now and it's still in one piece despite intensive play. The small train station is especially sturdy, you even have to assemble it with screws.
- The train has a steep slope to drive down
- Very nice landscape details
- Big set
- Pricey
- Higher rails on supports are not for little ones
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From: 3 years
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Best: 4 – 6 years
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Up to: 7 years
- Material: Wood, MDF
- Theme: Vehicles, Train
- Play Mode: Cooperative
- Price at time of writing: €100,95 – $123,99
- Sustainability: Sustainable production
- Production: Manufacturing
- Storage: Tricky
- Safety parts: Rounded corners
- Playtime: Extended (30+ min)
- Gender inclusiveness: Gender neutral
The play value of this mountain set is extremely high. The degree of open end is enormous due to all the accessories supplied. You can build the train track, play with it, there are dolls for fantasy play and everything appeals to the imagination.
For example, there are children and a grandpa and grandma, and my son plays that the children go to visit by train. The possibilities with the set are endless, but it is also easy to combine with other train tracks. For example, I expanded it with a Brio track. In addition, a train set can also participate in almost any other fantasy game. That also makes the replayability high.
Only when the ease of use was higher could the set have an even higher play value. Building with the bridge pieces and the mountain is fun, but playing with it is difficult because the bridge often collapses. Sometimes this causes frustration, but luckily it usually becomes part of the game.
Social interaction is high. I like to play along and because it's such a big set, friends who come over can always join in without getting in each other's way. Furthermore, there are some interactive elements such as the crane that can hoist, and the figures have a nice appearance.
It's not for nothing that they have already won the Independent Toy Awards, and with a versatile set like this you can't miss for hours of fun.
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Educational games and coloring pages for 3 to 6 years
Your toddler and preschooler will love this e-book, along with the accompanying printables. He or she can play with it at every stage of development, together with mom and dad.
Buy at Bol.comWhat we discuss in this comprehensive post:
Specifications
- Recommended minimum age: 6 years
- Weight: 5926 g
- Material: Wood and a few plastic pieces
- Number of parts: 112
- Includes: Mountain, crane, 3 switches, 2 bridges, train station, train, 3 wagons, trees and figures
- Electric: No
What makes the Bigjigs Alpen mountain set so much fun?
The BigJigs Mountain Pass Railway Set is a complete and impressive train set that guarantees hours of fun.
With its extensive selection of 112 pieces, this set offers a variety of possibilities to create your own train track and experience adventures.
What is immediately noticeable is the wide variety of pieces that come with this set. In addition to the usual train tracks and wagons, the set comes with a mountain, a crane, three points, two bridges, a train station, trees and figures.
This creates a realistic and lively play environment in which children can let their imagination run wild.
It is very educational and very comprehensive because the train travels through different landscapes to the next station. Mountains, forest and village all come along, it is therefore a long train tracks.
And along the way, your child will not only encounter traffic signs, but also figures in various professions and vehicles.
Quality wooden toys
The quality of the materials is excellent. Most pieces are made of sustainable wood, which ensures strength and an authentic look.
There are also some plastic parts, such as the small attachment at the bridges and the turnout that can rotate.
The wooden toy design ensures that the set can withstand intensive play and long-term use.
Although the recommended minimum age for this set is 6 years old, I have found that children from 4 years old can also play well with it, my son certainly loved it.
The pieces are large enough to hold securely and the set offers plenty of challenge and play opportunities for younger children.
It's great to see their imaginations stimulated as they create their own train routes and drive the train over the bridges and through the mountain.
Best aspects
Our favorite part, of course, is the little crane that lets you pick up various accessories from the train.
The crane construction is all wood with a simple turning knob that allows you to wind up the rope. It also has a small magnet that you can use to pick up the train's accessories.
The set comes with three train carriages with freight designations such as sugar, milk and grain. These can be lifted off the wagons with the magnet and swung aside.
I think having something to do other than just riding around on the train makes the set more fun to keep playing with, even after a few plays.
Less strong aspects
I would have liked to see a bit more variety, rather than just trees and small figures, but it really is a complete set that you can enjoy together.
Having a bridge and floating rails is the most fun, but it can also cause some frustration as they are quite wobbly.
My son, who is now four but started playing with this set when he was three, always manages to knock over the rails and then you have to rebuild them.
Sometimes this becomes part of the game, where the train has to find a way across the fallen bridge, but sometimes it can also be frustrating.
Combine with other wooden train sets
You can also combine this with other train sets (best wooden ones reviewed here) that you may already have. My parents had some old Brio train tracks and wagons, so we could easily add those to the set and make it an even bigger track.
Combining the Bigjigs brand
BigJigs also has lots of fun accessories you can add.
This BigJigs train set is compatible with all major brands such as Hape, Janod and Brio.
Best wooden toy train set
The train track is a fun challenge to assemble and with the help of support pillars the rails even go up in height. Very spectacular, the train travels through mountains, valleys and over bridges!
Conclusion
Despite intensive play and all this time, this train track is still in one piece. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking to purchase a first train set.
With 112 parts for this price, it's a no-brainer. It is a complete train set for hours of fun.
Always something to do for the holidays or rainy day?
Play Choice now has the ultimate activity book collection, with over 60 pages of fun coloring pages and educational puzzles.
Joost Nusselder, the founder of Speelkeuze.nl is a content marketer, father and loves trying out new toys. As a child he came into contact with everything related to games when his mother started the Tinnen Soldaat in Ede. Now he and his team create helpful blog articles to help loyal readers with fun play ideas.
