Reviewing – the Step2 Deluxe Canyon Road Train & Track Table

This thing was a “top 5 preschool toy for 2005″ on The Today Show, so I got the boys one for Christmas 2005. The Today Show kept hammering and hammering on how frequently the kids played with it in testing; that it was constantly played with. The *first* thing I’d like to point out is that “constantly played with” is a relative thing here. The product was placed in a daycare/testing situation. Okay. So? So, it wasn’t right there in front of the kids all day long. They went home, the train table stayed at the testing center.

While this is indeed an awesome piece of kids furniture, it has some cons that really need to be addressed in future editions of the table.

• Decals. Okay, they’re great for the scenery. The roads/train tracks, however, are a totally different matter. Say you have a curious 3 yr old that finds a corner or bubble and picks at it, tearing the decal. Say you ALSO have a 5 yr old that likes to drive SUPERRRRRRR FAST!!!! on the roads. Now, let’s have the super-fast 5 yr old hit that tear in the decal with his car – further tearing the decal (it’s now completely ripped in half, and curling up, fouling the vehicle wheels with stickiness).
• The bridges. The joints between the road and bridges are a mess, and whoever thought of “tacking” the bridges down with those fasteners should be straitjacketed and left in my livingroom to watch my son YANK the bridge up off the table and then get upset because those @&3%#() fasteners won’t let him put the bridge back the way he wants it done.
• The lid. Nothing more than a piece of particle board with a “whiteboard” covering on one side, cut to “sink” into the tabletop, and a fingerhole in the middle to facilitate lifting. It has held up reasonably well to being climbed/jumped/stomped on. They didn’t carry the idea far enough in my little world. If you can put a whiteboard coat on one side, why not put a coat of magnetic chalkboard paint on the other?
• They don’t specify that the SMALLER “Thomas”-type trains fit. (Okay, so that’s more of an annoyance. Still…)

Okay, Em – so what did they get RIGHT on this thing?

• It’s the perfect height for the boys to play with.
• They love it so much they fight over it (Okay, so maybe that should be in the “cons” list LOL).
• If you avoid using or otherwise remove the fasteners from the bridges, there’s a GREAT engineering lesson in there. (If a train is moving superfast, and a curved bridge is where a straight bridge should be, what will happen?)
• This table is STURDY. I came out of the kitchen one day to see both boys standing AND JUMPING on the table. While this obviously isn’t recommended by the company, it’s important to note that this table isn’t likely to collapse under “off label” use/abuse. Do not try this at home. Your Mileage may vary. Batteries not included. Heh.

Despite the cons, I’m glad this table made its way into our home.

Addendum, Nov 21, 2006: The Decals have left the building. I repeat – the decals have left the building. The ripped/curled decal I mentioned earlier? Yeah, Daniel tried to “fix” it. I’ll spare you the window-shattering shriek that came along shortly after. It took a few minutes, but ALL the decals have now been pulled off (even the “scenery” ones). The table isn’t quite as pretty, but we can live with that.

The bridges also have that “stressed plastic” white crease along the tab/fastener part from being repeatedly yanked and replaced. The “one way” fasteners are long gone – I had to take them off to keep the bridges from being broken. This makes for a MUCH less sturdy driving track.

Addendum II, January 19, 2007: Step2 now has my undying adoration. They replaced the decals, bridges AND fasteners at no charge.

**Disclaimer: I am not in any way/shape/form being recompensed by Step2 for my review of this oh-so-awesome table.