BRIO33757 Lifting Bridge - Engaging Toy Train Accessory | Includes Wooden Track | Ideal for Kids Age 3 and Up | FSC Certified Wood - Red

My son received this bridge a few months ago when he was almost three years old. It's cute, when the battery operated trains run around he needs to remember and run ahead to lift the red barrier gates, or we can direct him, "quick! lift the gates!" and he remembers and runs over quickly to lift the gates, it's fun.This little bridge comes with two ascending tracks. The bridge itself is 9" long without ascending track, with the ascending track on either side it would considered to be much longer. The main part of the bridge sits 3" high, the lifting tower with the red turning wheel is 6" high. It was a male connector on the lifting tower side and a female connector on the other, so the track is straight-through.How it works: The brige has two red cantilevered barrier gates that you lift with your fingers to let the pass over unobstructed. They hold in any position if you let go, so that's nice. The bridge is lifted by turning a little red wheel on the lifting tower that winches up a white string that is attached to the center of one side of the brige. It also holds in any position as you lift it up, but as you turn the wheel to winch it up, the bridge winches up and then drops an eensy bit, so it's a bit toddler-tricky to get used to (preschoolers would likely be ok with it, not tricky for grown ups).There's only an 1.5" of clearance between the base piece holds up the bridge and the red suspension bridge, and the base piece of wood isn't grooved in any way, so I don't know under what conditions Brio thinks the bridge would be lifted. My husband manages to run track underneath (it's a bit awkward and not that pretty), so that in order for a train to pass *under*, my son has to run ahead and lift the bridge, it doesn't look that great, but it does give an impetus to lift the bridge.The only improvement I would suggest to this bridge is to add connector and track grooves onto the the base piece so that you can run a track underneath -- that way the track user would have a need to lift the bridge itself.I'd say this bridge is appropriate for the early preschooler, ie. right around age 3 as knowing how to turn the little turn wheel is a bit tricky, and the user has to learn how the bridge holds as you winch it up. It's well made, Brio quality.

Kids of all ages will enjoy. Quality is good. Easy to connect to the other additions.

The media could not be loaded. After getting his double suspension bridge, my son requested this lifting bridge, and it's been a hit! This lifting bridge is a game-changer! My son's railway adventures just got even more exciting. The crank mechanism to raise the drawbridge adds a whole new level of fun and creativity to his playtime. Excellent quality and easy to use. Highly recommend for any young railway enthusiast!

Works well with his Brio set.

As a mom to five little ones, our Brio train set and all of its accessories have been our MOST used and MOST loved toy ever. I have a 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 year old and some one is ALWAYS creatively building and playing with the train set. The accessories are SO high quality and durable and well worth the price. The perfect gift!

very happy

Not much to say about it - works as expected, performs as expected. Has held up to a toddler and a baby pretty well thus far. My 3 year old can't really figure out how to make the drawbridge work (by using the crank) but enjoys it nonetheless, and she enjoys the 2 red drawbridge "stops". Seems well made and is cute. I got it on a great deal around Christmas-time.Most important (to me) - compatible with Ikea tracks. This comes with a bridge and 2 train tracks that slope up/downwards. One of those train tracks that slopes doesn't fit so great into our Ikea tracks, but the other works perfectly. Not a big deal, though I do always have to connect that on train track when my daughter decides to re-do the train because she cannot make them flush. Not a big deal and even with that, I would still say good compatibility with Ikea train tracks and Thomas Cars.

The bridge is a great product in usual high Brio build quality.The only thing I was missing are the connections and tracks to have trains go under the bridge too.I understand that this is supposed to be a bridge over water.... but still... how much more fun would it be having to lift the bridge when a train passes under the bridge...So I got my drill, saw and Dremel out and improvised connections and grooves for the wheels. Is it perfect? No. Does it increase the fun playing with it? YES!!! :)For those interested:1) use the female connection from a normal track piece as a shape guide and draw the shape to cut on the underside of the bridge bottom part. Do this for both connection parts that you want to cut.2) Drill the hole, using first small then larger drill bits.3) Use saw to cut between the hole and the edge of the piece to finish the negative connection shape.4) Then make the track grooves on top of the plate for the train wheels (trains will derail easily without them) with sanding paper folded over a wooden edge or similar. You don't need to make them as deep as on the standard tracks, slight grooves have a big effect and suffice to keep the train on track.Enjoy!