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Tot Railroad Sets (1950-1961)

First written April 15, 2024
Expanded and reformatted August 2026

Tot Railroad was a fairly early American wooden toy train system as well as an early toy train system to use plastic, first releasing in 1950 featuring polyethylene rails and wooden trains. Keystone Manufacturing of Boston, Massachusetts was the original manufacturer and produced several different sizes of sets throughout the 1950s until going out of business and selling off their equipment in 1958. Playskool acquired the Tot Railroad toolings and released Tot Railroad under the Lincoln Logs brand in the United States and also exported the standard to Europe under the Playskool brand.

 

Sold	Set number	Description	Photo
1950-1951	408	Medium set with eight curves, three straights, one switch, one two-piece bridge, a bumper stop, and a four piece train	Can be seen here
1950-1951	417	Larger early 1950s Keystone set with 12 curves, six straights, yoke, two switches, two two-piece bridges, bumper, and four-car train
		Unnumbered large set with many curves, three bridges, and two complete trains. Uses new strain-relief track but old coupling system	Can be seen here
1954-1955	402	Smallest set with seven curves, yoke, lead-in, and three-car train
1954-1957, 1958	406, K406	Small Tot Railroad set with eight curves, one straight, one yoke, one switch, one complete bridge, one lead-in ramp, and three car train
1954-1957, 1958	415, 105, K415	Medium set with 11 curves, three straights, yoke, switch, two two-piece bridges, lead in, bumper, and four-car train. Also sold as 105 "Ding Dong School Tot Railroad"
1954-1957, 1958	421, K421	Largest Tot Railroad set with 16 curves, four straights, yoke, switch, three bridges, lead in and bumper, two complete trains, and wooden blocks, station, and tunnel
1958	Son Premier Train Boite 1	Smaller French set with eight curves, two straights, yoke, switch, bridge, bumper stop and ramp and three-piece train
1958	Son Premier Train Boite 2	Larger French set with 11 curves, three straights, two of each switch, two complete bridges, two of each track ender, and a four-car train

Keystone Tot Railroad Model 417 (1950)

The larger of the two initial 1950 Tot Railroad sets, this 417 set comes with two bridges and a nice selection of track and switches as well as a four-car wooden train. This set and the smaller 408 use this similar blue design while later Keystone sets used a cream background with reddish-orange boarders and printing.

Set contents

Quantity	Item	Photo
4 pieces	Four-car train
6	Straight rail
12	Curve rail
1	Yoke switch
2	Switch
2 pairs	Bridge slope rails
1	Bumper

The train includes a steam locomotives and an open-well gondola, flatbed, and an enclosed wagon or coach of some kind - perhaps a caboose? Early trains use the metal ring coupling system shown here. A flat piece of metal runs through a slot cut in the underside of the chassis and is bent up and around at either end to accommodate a ring. The axle pegs sticking the wheels in place also extend over the metal strip, holding it up into a groove so it does not shift around or escape. These rings often come off (the example I have is missing all the originals and was supplied with string replacements by a previous owner, although I formed some new rings out of a paper clip) and the system was replaced with a hook and loop system by 1954. The example shown here is in rough shape with a beat-up gondola and the train missing its funnel.

Most of the rails in my set were marked up by a previous owner, but I did not pay very much for the set in return so I did not mind. I have since cleaned the rails, although some marks still remain, and a closer more vigorous cleaning would probably clean them up for good.

The track included is enough to make up some nice larger layouts. I really like this layout, it seems like the interaction between the yoke and switch was designed exactly for layouts like this. The bridge rail, of course, takes advantage of the relationship formed between the curved rail radius being the same as a straight rail to form nice figure-eights.

Another suggested layout is this one with several different sidings spread around the layout. A third has a nice loop with a yard in one corner. The wooden trains honestly ride sort of rough, especially perhaps these earlier ones, and can bottom out on the hills.

I always love a yard...

The fourth suggested layout is a nice compact loop with an internal yard on one side and a siding extending out. With some other toys like a boat or crane or lighthouse you could easily make a little pier scene.

Lincoln Logs Tot Railroad Model K415 (1958)

The K415 set from 1958 is the Playskool Lincoln Logs rerelease of the previous 415 set. Other than changing the trains to the Lincoln Logs type, it is the same track plan as the previous Keystone 415 set. Lincoln Logs set boxes are more colorful than the older Keystone boxes.

Set contents

Quantity	Item	Photo
8 pieces	Two four-car trains
3	Straight rail
11	Curve rail
1	Yoke switch
1	Switch
2 pairs	Bridge slope rails
1	Lead-in
1	Bumper

A four-unit train is included - the Lincoln Logs era sets have a new design of cars that are finished differently than older sets.

The joints of this system allow for some play, like in this suggested layout where to keep things "on grid" the parallel switch should really be flipped so that the spur gets biased down to meet the spur of the yoke instead of biasing the rest of the loop back onto itself upwards, with the thru line continuing on to meet a point even lower, but it still all works out. Actually, if you look at the cover of the box, it is illustrated more correctly there than in the paper instructions.

Also included is this instructional leaflet showing the suggested layouts and replacement parts form.

Lincoln Logs Tot Railroad Model K421 (1958)

This Lincoln Logs set is a rerelease of the largest Keystone set, the 421 set, with a large selection of rail, two trains, and a selection of wooden accessories and blocks to run rails over. They should have changed the text on the front from "with train" with "with two trains" to better advertise the inclusion of two, although both are shown on the box.

The original suggested price was 8 dollars. Apparently, that would now be about 90 dollars with inflation... This box is a little faded, especially on the bottom, and the left panel is missing.

Set contents

Quantity	Item	Photo
8 pieces	Two four-car trains
4	Straight rail
16	Curve rail
1	Yoke switch
1	Switch
3 pairs	Bridge slope rails
1	Lead-in
1	Bumper
1	Station
3 pieces	Tunnel
	Wooden block risers

This large set includes two of the four-unit trains, allowing for longer trains to be assembled and played with. These trains differ in finish and design from their earlier Keystone counterparts.

Actually, the two locomotives in my set most comfortably couple back to front... the bent rod that makes up the couplings are more open on one end and closed on the other, and connecting two closed loops is impossible unless the ring is opened up, although two open hooks can generally couple just fine. This doesn't really matter on the cars either, just the locomotives, as they are not symmetrical front to back.

Rail is the standard strain-relieved type - Keystone's track would have also had strain relief for most of this set's production, and the research I have done into Playskool buying Keystone suggests that they bought Keystone's toolings, so these rails may very well be from the same molds as the older rails.

There are a good number of curve, straight, and bridge rails in the set as well as one of each of the switch rails and the lead-in ramp and bumper buffer.

This set also includes some wooden accessories for the trains - a small station with stepped roof and a tunnel or perhaps open-backed shed that comes apart with separate walls and roof.

Wooden blocks are also included that can be used to stack rails on top of using the bridge rails to go up and down.

Many large and small layouts can be made including any of the layouts that can be made from the smaller sets.