Total brand compatibility?

The Wooden Railway also got a track redesign that made them incompatible with older Thomas and other brands of track, like Brio. The whole “natural wood” aesthetic of that redesign was also awful. So bad in fact that the traveling Thomas museum exhibit continued using the older, more realistic looking products after the new designs came out!

Mattel, believe it or not, actually thought they were being "trendy" with the exposed wood Thomas (which was also a way for them to save money by cutting back on paint, making the trains smaller, etc.)