South Elgin: Toys R Us

A kid-sized Percy! 

South Elgin -- On a rainy day, it's always good to know where to find train play tables. For kids, of course, any day is a good day to explore Toys R Us. The train aisle in the South Elgin store is easy to find, thanks to a kid-sized Percy on one end and an "Explore Sodor" hands-on display on the other. The standard retail Thomas play table sits in the middle of the generously-sized aisle. This being a toy store, finding any spot where the kids want to stay put for more than two minutes is a good thing!

Fun for boys of all ages.
(Our resident girl was inspecting art and horse toys.) 

Toys R Us/Babies R Us of South Elgin is located at 486 Randall Road. 

Schaumburg: Trains at IKEA

Train table, IKEA-style

With his back to this very spot at the Schaumburg IKEA, my oldest child said, "Do they have any trains here?" Train awareness had been supplanted by fascination with the store's two great glass elevators and the rather amazing cart-grabbing escalators. He soon realized the answer to his question was right behind him and proceeded to putz with the store display. He had already declared IKEA to be "the best store!" His siblings were too busy navigating the aisles from the drivers' seats of the car carts to investigate the trains this time around. 

Glenview: Abt, a marble run and other fun

Abt's atrium marble run

Good news for family harmony: many railroad aficionados love any display of mechanical engineering. If your train fans enjoy entertainment that isn’t strictly railroad tracks, be sure to make a stop at Abt Electronics in Glenview. This home goods emporium is our go-to place for household appliances, not just for the products and the prices, but for the fun in every corner of the building. For the track-lovers, head to the atrium in the center of the building. Just behind the fountain, a large marble run catches the attention of anyone who loves to see machinery with a Rube Goldberg sensibility. It's a great place to stand while eating the fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies the store offers on weekends and holidays. When your cookie is gone, step into the bubble booth and see if the Hoola-hoop-sized ring and pulley can encase you in a life-sized bubble. Linger long enough and the atrium's fountain may entertain you with a synchronized music and light show. Need more to see? By the customer service counter, a granite kugel ball spins easily on its base thanks to precise design and a thin film of water. Getting your fingers wet by giving it a nudge is just fine. Or meander over to the camera department and check out the 7,500 gallon fish tank. Keep looking around. There's always something else to see and the kids won't complain if shopping takes awhile in this store. 

Abt: A store for "kids" who like all kinds of things that go

Abt is at 1200 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Glenview. 

Geneva: Good Cents treasure hunting yields a Lego train book gem

Shhh! One of Santa's elves made a great discovery at her favorite kids' store this morning. My shopping goal was to find pants for the kids and my first stop was Good Cents Children in Geneva, always my first stop for kids' clothing. Of course, I had to take a peek at their train section. There is always an adorable endcap with railroad books and toys. Being a resale shop, the available merchandise varies from visit to visit but I can say that no small number of our family's wooden trains and books have come from this store. There are always train toys, books, coloring and sticker books and, sometimes, shirts and hats. Anyway, tucked in an assortment of Thomas the Train picture books I found this gem: 

"Getting Started with Lego Trains"
by Jacob H. McKee 

I snatched it up, flipped through it, and did not set it down. It's as if a book had been written just for my 7-year old. Trains + Lego = Bliss. (The fact that it has one of his very favorite engines on the cover just sealed the deal.) It's over 100 pages of full-color Lego-building principles, step-by-step instructions for building several kinds of train cars and custom track layout ideas. Honestly, I'd like to plop myself down amid my son's box o' Legos and start construction right now!

This particular elf tends to be a bargain hunting sort of gal with no qualms about second-hand Christmas gifts if they are in decent shape and a good match for the giftee. So the plan was to squirrel away my $3 discovery until Dec. 25. Then I took a peek at Amazon.com to see if the book, published in 2003, is still available. The kids in this house aren't the only ones I know who love Lego trains, but it looks like the other engineers on my list won't be getting a copy of this title. Not only is it out of print, it's going for at least $40 used on Amazon and eBay. (Not bad for something with a $20 cover price.) So, it looks like, not only did I find a perfect gift, I found an introductory lesson in investing. Trains: the gift that keeps on giving!