A first BRIO railway is one train, one rattle carriage, 11 pieces of track, 4 ramps and a tunnel. That's the Brio My First Railway Beginner Pack, it's £40.49, and it's the place to start.
The page also mentions ascending track for up and down play, so the train goes up and down as well as along. There's a colourful bridge too, and a rattle wagon for sound effects. The finished layout measures 65.3 x 99.4cm, and with a bridge and a tunnel in the pack the scenery is mostly done before the first train moves. The couplings are BRIO's usual magnetic ones, and the pack is for ages 24 months and up.
It's also compatible with other BRIO wooden track and accessories, which is the polite way of saying you'll be back.
What does the starter track pack add?
The Brio Starter Track Pack is £20.69 and holds what the page calls a selection of wooden railway pieces. The page gives no count, so there's no number to quote here. It does say the pieces make five additional layouts, with a leaflet of instructions, or you can invent your own.
One catch is worth knowing. The five layouts are written for the Starter Travel Train Set, number 36079. The page doesn't mention the My First Railway pack. The page also calls the track a great addition to any BRIO World train set, and it lists ages 3 and up where the beginner pack says 24 months. So it's the same system, but the five layouts aren't promised for the beginner pack.
Which train should come next?
BRIO trains and wagons on these pages all use the same magnetic couplings, so whatever you add hooks onto what you already have.
The Brio Battery Powered Engine is £16.19. It goes forward and in reverse, and the headlights light up. It measures 9 x 3.7 x 5cm. Like the rest of the range, it's for ages three and up.
It runs on batteries, and the page doesn't say whether any come with it, so have some spare. With the beginner pack that's £56.68 for a layout and an engine that goes both ways.
The Brio Gemstone Cargo Train is £22.49, and its cargo gems change colour with heat and cold. It's part of the BRIO World range for ages 3 and up. The page says the range uses the same classic wooden track, so it joins up with everything above.
The goods station comes last
The Brio Freight Goods Station is £25.19 and does one clever thing: a red knob on the signal box sends passing trains to the left or the right line. It comes with one play figure and measures 16.1 x 14.4 x 14cm.
A switch only matters if there's somewhere to switch to, so this one belongs after the extra track. Until then it's a station with opinions and nowhere to put them.
I'd buy in this order: the beginner pack, then the track, then whichever train gets argued over first, and the goods station last.
Prices read on Wednesday 11 November 2026.