Ornament Review: Locomotive - Advance to Go #3 - 2002 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Good version of the locomotive token

Cons: Lesser known token; could use a tad more detail

The Bottom Line:

Train chugs on your tree

As this mini series ends

Game fans will like it

All Aboard for the Final Advance to Go Ornament

Railroads have always been a huge part of the board game Monopoly, so it makes sense that Hallmark would choose the Locomotive token as part of their Advance to Go series of miniature ornaments.  It’s just sad that this is the final entry in the series.

Now, if you are like me, you are probably wondering where the train token comes from.  With all the versions of the game I have, the deluxe version was never one of them, but the train is one of the tokens in that version of the game.  Even so, it’s easy to picture this as a Monopoly token.  The ornament itself is pewter, and looks like a locomotive.  The details on the sides could be a bit better, but Monopoly pieces aren’t known for their detail, and it is still easy to tell exactly what we have.

As I said earlier, this was the final entry in this particular miniature series, ending it at 3.  Only one of the three was from the classic edition, and I do wonder if it would have helped the series live longer if they were more of the classic game pieces.  Having said that, I certainly don’t think any piece would have been better to end the series.  While this doesn’t grab me as a nostalgia piece since I haven’t played the version of the game it comes from, I love the connection to the four railroads on the game board.

This is an ornament of a game token, and as such, you can easily set it out to be displayed year round.  Or maybe even use it as a game piece if yours is missing.  I haven’t measured, but these strike me as roughly the same size as the game pieces themselves.

But this is an ornament, and as such, it’s supposed to be hung.  You’ll find a loop in the middle of the train, and that means that yes, this ornament hangs straight.  It is slightly heavier than you might be expecting, but because of its size, it still isn’t that heavy.

And since this was a series piece, you’ll find the 3 in a Christmas tree on the train’s bottom.

It’s sad that the series ended with only 3 pieces, but the Locomotive token sends the series off on the right track.

Be sure to get a monopoly on the rest of the Advance to Go ornaments.

Original Price: $8.95