This is a sponsored article on behalf of Trainyard.
Looking for a Christmas gift for the tube enthusiast in your life? Try Trainyard's TfL-licensed London Underground train set which accurately depicts the tube carriages we're all familiar with, in a fun and interactive package.
Rather than being just a train set, it doubles up as a 3D puzzle too. Each carriage is built from individual pieces which slide together, and can be built again and again, meaning that children interact with it far more than they would with a battery-operated, ready-made train set.
Happy kids and value for money — what's not to love?
The packaging too, is well thought out. Like all parents, Trainyard are familiar with the quandary of kids being more interested in the packaging than the toy itself, so they made the box part of the fun. Working with a professional illustrator, they created a carton that resembles a Leslie Green tube station, and it connects to wooden tracks so that trains ride right through the station. Genius!
Trainyard began as a personal project, and remains a family business — albeit one with the official TfL stamp of approval — so it's a great way to support an independent business as you do your Christmas shopping this year.
It came about when the founder's son became obsessed with tube trains at the age of five — the colours, the sounds, the quirks — but none of the London Underground toys available had the accuracy or level of detail he desired. So, the family made their own. After much experimentation with different methods, materials and colours, they settled on the current design, and managed to get the TfL licensing required to make it a commercially-available product.
Even better, Trainyard's products are produced with the environment in mind. The toys are made from a wood plastic compound, literally reusing wood sawdust from the factory floor and mixing it with a recyclable plastic to create a toy that's durable, but uses less plastic, and makes use of material that would otherwise be swept up and sent to landfill.
In short, this toy is made to last for years and won't end up smashed in the bin a week after Christmas as other cheap equivalents often do. It works with most standard wooden train tracks (Brio, Ikea and Bigjigs tracks are among those compatible) so no need to splash the cash on extra tracks if you've already got some (though they're readily available if not).
Oh, and Santa — we're not kids, but if one of these ends up in our stocking this year, we wouldn't mind at all...
The London Underground Train Set is available on Amazon Prime with next day delivery for £26.95.
