Wooden Toy Train

Made with care, from Wisconsin hardwoods

wood toy train

Many years of toymaking experience show in these smoothly sanded wooden train cars. You'll see my love of small details in a sliding door on the box car, an opening gate on the circus car, a drive-away automobile on the auto car, giraffes that hop out and a working hook on the crane car. Most train cars have movable and/or removable parts and are assembled with wooden dowels, not screws or nails. All are designed for children to manipulate and explore, but durable enough to stand up to the most energetic play. Click on any single image below to see a larger, more detailed picture that shows the care I take in making each car. I include at least 8 hardwoods in each train, (Sugar Maple, Tulipwood, Beech, White Ash, Red Oak, Hickory, Black Cherry, Elm and Black Walnut often appear). Many people begin by purchasing a few train cars and rekindle a child's enthusiasm each birthday or holiday with additional cars. Each 10 inch long car has a leather hitch as shown and is finished with safe to eat food grade Walnut Oil.

Each train car is   40

except the Circus Wagon car and the Piggy-back

which are  46.

Orders ship FREE to 48 U.S. States.

 

 

Consider my train car club.

I will ship two cars every other month wherever you like for as long as you like. Imagine the delight when a child receives a new present in the mail. After the first two or three they begin to anticipate each new arrival, often pestering mom or dad with questions like, "When is that delivery truck coming back with a new train car?" Arrival often results in an excited phone call. The cost including U.S. shipping is $77 every other month, billed to your charge card.

Learn about the toymaker and see all my hardwood toys at Woodentoy.com Or listen to my rather ancient interview on PBS's - To the Best of Our Knowledge.

Train day for Ollie

A cute youtube video featuring my train

John,

Our California boys love their Wisconsin hardwood toys - including what has become a very long string of the wooden trains. When not being hitched together and run under the table, through a tunnel of spread-apart legs, and then around the kitchen and into the living room, the trains are housed on the bottom shelf of a bookcase in our family room. Adult guests often see them and remark on what gorgeous objects they are - but visiting kids know instinctively that they are to be enjoyed, not just admired from across the room! Particular favorites are the giraffe car and the circus wagon, both of which have housed their fair share of animals of all sorts, and also the fire fighter car, which sometimes doubles as a dog on a leash. We've been so pleased with these trains, as well as the block set, that the side effect has been a frustration with the quality of other toys - especially other toys made of wood. They don't fit together or feel the same in your hand. These are real treasures and our family will enjoy them for years to come.

Katie

 

Click an image below for a more detailed or larger picture. Use your browser's back button to return.

 

container train car toy

Coal Tender

Train Engine

Click any image for a larger picture

Container Carrying Car

 

Box car - with sliding door

Giraffe train car

Circus car - with opening gate
firefighter train car
Gondola
Auto car
Firefighter car
Sleigh train car of cherry wood
Sleigh Car
Passenger car
Tanker train car (tank is removable)
Crane car (age 4 and up)
Piggy-back car - w/ 18 wheeler
Searchlight car
 

Log Train Car

Pickle Barrel car (8 hollow barrels on pegs)

Bulldozer Car
Lumber train car
Milk Can car / 8 cans in holes

Can train car

Lumber car

toy train car

Coal car
Tilting Hopper Car
Train Caboose

 

 

Orders ship free to 48 U.S. States.

 

container train car toy

Container Carrying Car

 

About leather train car couplers -

Early in my career I used a wooden peg fitting into a hole as a coupling method. I quickly learned that toddlers will lift a train car off the ground trailing 2 or 3 other cars into the air. This created stress on the pegs and they sometimes snapped. Not good. I then switched to the leather connections you see today. This allows a rambunctious youngster to lift, twist, and pull to their heart's content and the connection keep on connecting. A small design change can sometimes make a much better toy. This was one. Thankfully similar changes happen frequently and my toys get a bit better each year.

3 kids playing with toy train

Click to watch video of 3 cuties playing with my wooden train

 

 

 

John,
We just placed an order for 2 more train cars, which will bring our count to 16 cars! We bought 4 of your train cars years ago. My husband and I loved the beauty of your train cars and bought them as art pieces. We have had them in front of our fireplace in our living room for years.

We now have grandchildren and great nieces and nephews. The trains are the first toy that they play with when they arrive at our house. In fact they fight over the trains! Two years ago we bought a 2nd engine so that there could be 2 separate” train lines.” Now they fight over who will have more cars and which cars in their train line.

Even after years of play they look like they are brand new. Thank you for producing such a wonderful line of toys that are not only fun but beautiful to look at.

Diana

 

 

Hi John,
We bought our first toys from you—wooden block cart and rocking horse- when I was pregnant with our first child. We met you then—27 years ago this summer—in State College Pa. This Christmas we are delighted to be able to buy the same toys for our grandson and granddaughter. Is there still time to get them for Christmas?
We still have those original toys as well as several others we have bought since and they have been well loved by all .


Thanks for the many years of enjoyment.
Beth

wooden train

 

Dear Mr. Linck,

We have been very happy with your trains over the past three years. The colors and textures of the woods are lovely, and they have been virtually indestructible. My grandmother has been buying 2 cars for our older son (now 4) for each birthday and Christmas, and he is starting to have a close to complete collection. He plays with them almost every morning, as he gets up early and has "quiet" play before his 2 year old brother wakes up. They've taken a lot of hard use from both of them and still look Great.

These are heirloom toys, and we want our younger son to have his own set to pass on to his children, so my grandmother has started to give him his own set. Its great for her too, as she can't shop easily and feels good about giving them hand-made toys that will stay with them for years.

Thank you and best wishes. Eric

 

Mr. Linck: I showed this picture to my son and husband who were as amazed as I at its beauty and simplicity. I’ve been sending my grandson train cars for the last three years and he loves them!!

It must be wonderful to know your legacy will live on for generations and generations of children with these beautiful trains.

We all appreciate your artistry and talent.

Kind regards,
jv

Hi John,

Oscar has been really enjoying looking at your catalog recently. Today he asked what parts on the train cars were made of wood. I said all of them except the string and metal hook on the crane. He said - "and the paint". When I told him you don't paint your toys, that the colors came naturally from the wood, he said "Woah! No way! So cool!" That's my boy...

jenny

 

Hi, once again John,

Received your number 6 train car today, and it looks really great. Please keep them coming. The workmanship and different kinds of wood are really beautiful. Can't wait for the end of December.

Thanks again John, Walter

 

 

 

The great French Marshall Lyautey once asked his gardener to plant a tree. The gardener objected that the tree was slow growing and would not reach maturity for 100 years. The Marshall replied, 'In that case, there is no time to lose; plant it this afternoon!'

As told by John F. Kennedy

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Fine Hardwood Toys For Your Children's Children 

John Michael Linck - Toymaker - 2618 Van Hise Avenue - Madison, Wisconsin 53705

Web site catalog at - www.woodentoy.com

Telephone ( 608 ) 231 - 2808

email - john@woodentoy.com

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