Playing with toys is an important part for kids who are growing up. Not only does it promote fun and camaraderie between playmates, playing also allows children to learn about many things in life.

Aside from interactive toys and games, children also love toys that are replicas of the real thing. Toy airplanes, cars, and ships hit the list. Some of the most enduring favorite replicas are toy trains.

Toy trains can be made of different materials. Plastic, metal, and wooden trains set are available for kids to choose in many children’s toy store. These toy trains are usually sold in sets. A set usually includes the train itself, modular tracks, and maybe some toy sceneries, such as, trees or buildings.

Among these, wooden trains take first preference. That’s because wooden trains are cheaper than plastic ones and are quite sturdy. The train itself comes in a set, that is, it includes several different cars. Most toy trains depict the old styles of trains rather than new ones due to the variety of cars that comprise them.

Let’s see what are the cars that comprise a wooden train set:

1. The locomotive – This is the first car in a train set, the car in front. Just like the real train, the locomotive provides the necessary power to pull the other cars along. Without the locomotive, a toy train can’t move along the tracks.

If the train set is powered, the locomotive is usually battery operated. A motor attached to a set of gears that turns the wheels allows the train to move. Sometimes, the locomotive has certain parts that allow it to emit smoke from its smokestack (after adding oil or some other fluid) or turn on its headlamp.

2. The coal car – A wooden train for children set comes with a coal car which attaches just behind the locomotive. In the real thing, a coal car carries the fuel, in this case, coal, to fuel the boiler, which is integral to the locomotive.

In a toy train set, this is either just an accessory or the place where the batteries go if the locomotive does not have any battery compartment.

3. A container car – Usually, a train set also comes with a container car. This can be either an open container or a flatbed. It is hooked up behind the coal car and cannot move on its own.

However, kids can have fun with it since they can load up things on the container car. For example, they can place pencils, twigs, smaller toys, etc. The things that can be placed in this train set for kids car are endless as long as they don’t overwhelm the toy.

4. The caboose -  The last car on a simple toy train set is the caboose. In real life, this acts like an office for the train crew. Like most of the cars in a wood train toys set, it does not move on its own.

Children can put toy soldiers on it, representing officers and the humans who run the toy train.