My nephew loves playing with trains. I wish his Thomas trains were not so commercial, but I do love watching him play with them. He makes train sounds and sings songs about them. It is also fun to watch him interact with other children playing with the trains. He shares very well and can entertain himself with his trains for HOURS…and, that means HOURS of no television and even more importantly, HOURS of no loud and annoying toys with bells, lights and whistles. The whistle sound Nathan makes for the train is so much better than anything that uses a battery…along those lines, my favorite toy site is Ooompa Toys. They have a large selection of some of my favorites…Haba…Vilac…check it out…really great gifts and the parents will be so happy to have some quiet toys…