Hornby Playtrains range refreshed for 2025

Initially launched in 2021, the original Playtrains range was aimed for 3-to-6-year-olds and contained named trains with faces, vibrant colours and simple operation. Fast forward to 2025, and the designers at Hornby have had a little rethink. 

Now intended for children from ages five to eight, with radio-controlled trains running on bespoke plastic track. The stick-on faces are now gone, with Hornby stating that, following insights, it found the age range (5-8+) prefer a more realistic appearance/something they might see on the tracks in their day-to-day life, with steam engines proving especially popular. There are no more batteries in the locomotives either, the latest additions feature USB-C recharging. 

A high-speed train set is already available in the range, plus express goods wagon packs, track expansion packs and buildings. 

Now the range has been bolstered with the arrival of a new starter set, priced at £49.99, which includes a newly tooled small black 0-4-0T steam locomotive with an open wagon and van, together with Playtrains track, which, like before, clips together and has a footprint of 1590mm x 786mm. 

The steam locomotive can also be purchased separately in green for £24.99, featuring working lights, multiple sounds and 3x speeds in forward and reverse.

A new track expansion pack and a solo handheld radio controller also join the range, priced at £9.99 each. 
More is planned to be released over the coming months, so children will be able to keep on adding to their Playtrains collection. 

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