| | |  | Trains & Train Sets | Home » » » » » » Smart Track Engine with Track | | | | | | | Product Details: | | | Product Length:
| 4.72 inches | | Product Width:
| 1.22 inches | | Product Height:
| 1.97 inches | | Product Weight:
| 0.66 pounds | | Package Length:
| 13.94 inches | | Package Width:
| 9.37 inches | | Package Height:
| 2.2 inches | | Package Weight:
| 1.28 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 3 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 3 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
25 of 25 found the following review helpful:
 Programming 101 for toddlersOct 21, 2007
By Stefan Brunner
This is the reader engine to the smart track program from Brio. Instead of buying this set, you can also buy the Brio Smart Track Starter Set, which in addition to the engine with the Stop and Toot track also includes normal tracks, the smart track tree, and a crane. The Starter Set may be the better value.
I bought the Brio Smart Track system for my 1 year old daughter as an introduction into programming. Brio's Smart Track is a system out of a reader engine and track pieces with an embedded RFID chip. When the engine runs over this piece of track, then an action and a sound is triggered. The current actions are: Stop, slow down, speed up, and reverse direction. The are also 9 different sounds. There are 9 different track pieces available, including the smart track station, a repair shed, and a falling tree. The different track pieces combine sometimes multiple actions and sounds. Like with the station the train stops with a squeak, buzzing train station sounds sound, then the engine starts again with an engine sound.
This reader engine is the only one available. None of the other engines from Brio can read the smart track. But there is also a smart track capable wagon available, which makes all the sounds when towed by a legacy engine. You can combine the smart track pieces with other vendor's train sets, such as those from Thomas, Maxim, or Eichhorn. But you need the Brio track reader engine or the smart track wagon to make use out of the smart track pieces. The smart reader engine appears to be similar to the legacy Mighty Red and Green engines from Brio. They are all two-wheel drive but can easily tow a bunch of wagons up the hill. The engines shuts off after a few minutes automatically to save battery. It takes two AA cells.
What I liked about it is that my daughter can put the different pieces anywhere in her layout and observe what the engine does. This is like writing a program without having to know how to read and write, yet. My daughter in particular loves the sounds and loves trying out what happens when she puts the engines at different parts of the layout.
For those people who want to tinker around a bit, the RFID chip is coded by an 8-bit jumper. It is easy to build a little bit of logic to change the function of the chip on the fly. You could have a computer controlled wooden train system. Or you could just observe your child discovering the world of programming by changing the location of the smart track pieces.
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
 BRIO Smart engineFeb 26, 2008
By Grumpy Grandpa
We bought the BRIO smart engine for our 5 year old grandson, along with the reversing and speed-changing track sections. Our grandson has an extensive set of Thomas the Tank Engine pieces, along with track from BRIO and "Thomas". The track sections are compatible with the old track, but the engine will not negotiate the sharp turns on some track sections.
The 3 "driver" wheels on each side of the engine are too close together, and force the lead wheels off the track. This is disappointing, since the toy is well-made, and could be very exciting.
choo, chooApr 23, 2011
By Carolyn Abram
"traveler"
The Brio train keeps my grandson busy and attentive for quite some time. I can't say enough about the Brio products--they are wonderful and durable.
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