Customer Reviews

01202 Amtrak Acela Set HO

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Read the box if you are wondering why the train won't go when you first put it on the track. It has a choice of running train with pantographs or rail power. The train comes set up for pantograph (not sure why, seems like more people would use rail), and you have to remove a small almost square cap off the top of both the powered and dummy locomotives (it's located at rear of car behind pantograph). Then the cars will have power and they will run and the head/tail lights will work. I have to admit this fooled me for awhile until I read the box. Only fault is that manufacturer says there is an internal switch, but doesn't say where. After a moment of panic, I looked on Bachmans website under ask Bachman and searched the discussions to find where other purchasers said the switch is. No biggie, but definately an inconvieniance.

Train however is AWESOME! Looks like the REAL train, including detailed interiors with tables and chairs, even a bar with barstools! Unbelievable detail! We are absolutely thrilled with it, and my four year old put the trains on the track himself! Some children may need help with the coupling, but this is not a train to be taken apart as the Acela only pulls its own cars and is not meant to be separated anyway. This is the best train out of all the ones we have purchased ever!

This is my favorite HO Scale trainset.
It consists of 1 Powered locomotive and 1 nonpowered (with no motor) and 3 passenger cars. It consists of 1 locomotive on the front and 1 on the back. Just like the real Acela.
It runs a scale speed of 150mph the speed of the real Acela. It is wery detailed from the Pantographs on the top of the train to the tables inside the passenger cars. The lighting is great. All passenger cars light up and the locomotive has a working directional headlights, ditch lights and markers meaning that the locomotives on both sides have lights that switch when they go in different directions. Passenger cars light up to. The locomotives have small doors you can press open. The locomotive features 5 pole, skew-wound, precision balanced motor capable of speeds over 150 mph scale speed. The passenger cars feature a tilting chassis to travel smoothly around curves at high speeds, flush windows, blackened RP25 wheels, photo etched, blackened brass inserts on air ducts, and an awesome photo etched, blackened brass inserts on air ducts.

This set was designed using the blueprints of the Real Amtrak Acela Express, theres more to see when you own it.

My son purchased this train with the money received from his "first communion" and anxiously awaited it's arrival.

When my husband removed it from the box, the wheels fell off of one of the locomotives. My husband reattached and built the track with my son. While trying to couple the cars, two couplings broke off the cars.

My son was very disappointed with this train and I am very upset with the quality, construction and durability of this item.

I read the previous two reviews and was hoping that Ian's mom had experienced bad luck; see review 'Cheaply constructed train'.

On my son Thomas's birthday I open up the Bachmann's Acela box and removed the trains and carriages carefully. Then set up the track and connected the controller. Placed the Acela engine on the tracks and turned up the power. The train sat there. Well maybe I had a short as Bachmann instructions suggested. I placed another of my son's trains from a different manufacture on the track and turned up the power. Off it went fast and smoothly; so the Bachmann Acela engine is faulty.

Well I pick up the engine to inspect it and woosh the coupler snapped in half. I wasn't even trying to couple the cars as with Ian's dad. It should be noted the coupling system is not as easy as the instruction claim. I think the coupling is impossible unless you remove the carriages from the track, defeating the purpose of 'easy' coupling.

So now at 4:30pm EST on a Friday the Customer service lines are closed. We will see what Saturday brings.

So be warned if you are going to buy this as present for child they could end up disappointed...

These peoples reviews where great and me and my mom are thinking about geting one.This is a great toy!

A train set of this type is more than a toy to me. I belong to a modular model railroad club that doesn't have a home. Instead, we set up and operate at train shows and provide entertainment for the visitors. My goal is to create "trains of history", run them periodically on the module/layout, and have information sheets with facts about the consist. Some consists will be military and/or circus themed; historical steam locos: DeWitt Clinton, John Bull, Hudsons, etc. etc.; trolleys and electrics; to name just a few. A product such as Spectrum's ACELA will surely add to my historical stable while educating young and old alike by using the railroad as the central theme.