My son got this set as a gift for his 1st Birthday. He is now 6 and we he played with it from day one, firstly just holding Thomas, then as he got older he learnt to wheel him along and then to build the track. We have added loads over the years and now have a massive collection of wooden trains, tracks etc which he still plays with. We still have the original Thomas, who is a bit chipped with age but is in pretty good condition considering the amount of play he has had! I have just bought this starter set for my godsons 2nd birthday. I hope he enjoys it as much as my son did. Its a nice, hardwearing traditional toy and worth the money.