Brio: Most solid wooden toy train sets

by Joost Nusselder Updated on: November 1, 2022

Brio is a brand that was founded in 1884 in Osby, a small town in southern Sweden. Since their inception, they have been making toys with simple designs that boost children's creativity and imagination.

The wooden toy items are produced from traceable FSC certified wood. Since 2015, Brio has been owned by Ravensburger, one of the most famous European puzzle and other games manufacturers.

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Why are Brio toys so much fun?

The wooden toys from Brio are suitable for all ages. There is already a wooden train available for children from 1,5 years old!

The brand is best known for its extremely good quality and innovative products.

At Brio you can choose from various train sets, locomotives, bridges, tunnels, buildings, wagons and vehicles. You can even get wooden draft animals there.

BRIO World can be expanded with many themes: the six different themes are Travel, Explore, Countryside, Rescue, lift & load and Village.

A train from Brio is incredibly versatile. Much attention is paid to details. The wagons and locomotives are equipped with a magnet, so you can easily attach them to each other.

The Brio wooden train track has become the standard for many other brands. The train track can therefore also be combined with these other toy brands.

This means that a Brio train can run on the rails of almost all major wooden train brands, and vice versa!

The Brio wooden train track is made of first-class quality beech wood and is robust and beautifully finished.

The brand offers various starter sets that you can expand further with separate rails, stations, bridges and train sets. You can even go to the brand for electric train sets, for even more play variety!

Brio toys are safe, because only materials that have been rigorously tested are used. Brio trains are the brand's best-known toys.

All the wood they use at Brio is beech wood, except in one case where pine is used. Beech trees only grow in Europe; from the south of Sweden to the northern part of the Balkans.

Since 2014, all the wood they use at Brio is FSC certified; this label guarantees that the wood comes from renewable forests and that no unique biospheres have been destroyed.

What it is: a small but perfectly formed train set by Brio with 'action' tunnels that respond to the train passing under it by starting and stopping it, changing direction and speed, honking the horn and flashing its lights.

Comes with motor and car, buffer, 3 tunnels, 9 pieces of track, a bridge and a figure. Requires 2 x AA batteries (not included).

Why we like itOur testers were all impressed with the 'action' tunnels - and we loved the solidity and versatility of the track (made from FSC certified wood).

It's expensive, but a high quality buy.

What our child testers have made of it:

“Esmee likes to play with this train set. The tunnels are very clever in how they make the train make noise, stop and reverse! She plays with it for hours, rearranges the track and the tunnels. ”

Lisette, mum of Esmee, 3

“Sander says he loves his new train and wants to play with it every day. He and his older sister are having a lot of fun moving the tunnels to see how the train will leave. ”

Bregje, Sander's mom, 4

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.