Customer Reviews

Bachmann Trains Chattanooga Ready - To - Run Ho Scale Train Set

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

 

 

This is a cool toy!! It is fun to watch it go around its loop.BUT sometimes the wheels pop off.They are easy to put them back on and usaly stay on.Still it is a fun toy!.

I wanted a train to go under my Christmas tree. This is pretty basic. It was placed on a firm floor. The major problem is that the wheels come off very easily and the train easily comes off the track. Often it is difficult to get the cars to hitch together. Finally, I wish there was a power switch on the controller so I didn't have to unplug the unit when not in use. The train station roof wouldn't stay on and the supplied light bridge was very flimsy and needs to be glued together.

Now that the holiday is over I want to mount this train on a wood platform and build up the village and characters. I'll be adding some more track. Hopefully it will work OK, but the poor construction of the undercarriage of the cars is not a good sign, and wheels falling off while the train runs is sad. Also, on a level surface, there are still spots where speed reduces significantly.

I bought this train set for my four year old son. Great price and on time delivery. I know that is a bit young for a toy this complicated, but he is a fast learner and needs a challenge. Out of the box the train was impressive - except several sets of wheels had fallen off during shipment. These were easily snapped back on and have given little trouble since.

Track alignemnt at the joints takes a bit of doing. The rail cars are so light that any uneveness in the joints will derail the cars. Once the track is properly aligned they stay true until disassembled again. My son can easily start and stop the train and run it in both directions. I highly recommend this toy to any rail fan.

Train ran for 4 days then would not go backwards called backman was verry rude but heartland america sent me a free mail return. an waiting for replacement train now.grandson ask everday did my train come todayn pappa?

This model train deserves 5.50 in a scale of 1 to 10. As always, you get what you pay for. If you want a train to set around the Xmas tree, this one might work, but other than that... The tracks are the worse and cheapest made ever. The loco is very poor in details. The wheels of the cars and their hooks are plastic. After receiving the set I went to the store and bought a pair of turnouts (I wanted to try one of the track layouts recommended by the manufacturer.) Once in the store, the "experts" advised me with their typical line for inexperts (like me): "Well, you've got a beginners set, you know" (euphemism that probably means: trash.) When I asked for tracks for my set, I was directed to the far corner of the store, where there was a bunch of them. I had a bad hunch, but I bought them anyways. To make the story short: I set the layout by using these Bachman accessories and the train keeps derailing over and over. Furthermore, the electrical derailer mechanism that comes with the turnouts are the lowest quality ever. One of them didn't even work well manually!
If you want to be serious about model trains, don't buy the "You have to start with a beginner set" tale. "Beginner" doesn't necessarily have to mean "a non operational item which you'll never have fun with". Gather all the info you can, save money, don't waste it as I did, and invest more in something you'll really enjoy. A last thought: the manufacturer proudly says that they offer "quality since 1833". This overstatement proves that being in the market for a long time guarantees nothing when it comes to providing a noble product.

I bought this train for my husband who wanted a train for our tree. The train set was poorly designed and ultimately, I was greatly dissapointed with the purchase. The connectors for the cars could not hold the weight of the cars properly and therefore the whole train could never circle the track. The village and people are made of flimsy plastic and broke easily when trying to unpack them and put them together. And, as mentioned by other reviews, the wheels pop off.

I have never written a review before as I am generally pleased with the products purchased. But, I found the quality of this trainset to be so low, that I felt compelled to warn others to save their $100.

My son is turning 5 and loves trains. He has wooden Thomas trains and loves them. He showed some interest in electric trains. I wanted an inexpensive set I could test his interest to see he was ready for something more. He really liked it! There were several comments that said that the wheels fall off all the time.... Not true. If the train is not knocked off track and is not pushed by hand, then it works great. I took it apart and put it back together a few days later. I had some trouble with getting the train back working smoothly...Not exactly sure what to do about that, but I chock that up to inexperience with electric trains. I think it probably needed oiled or something. My son was able to use the controller easily. The smoke was cool, however, if you have asthma it may be irritating to you.

We bought this train set last Christmas for our 4 year old. Definitely needs adult supervision at that age, but he loves it! The detail on the engine and rolling stock is phenomenal. Setup of the track is easy. Don't believe reviews that say this falls apart -- one year later after some pretty heavy use and the set runs well.

If your child loves trains and you want to jump into electric sets, I would definitely recommend this one! Beware -- electric trains are addictive for both kids and adults. :)

I got this set for my Husband - because he had never seen a train set that had smoke coming from the engine - He LOVES it!

...this is not a bad HO set, really.

We found this locally last Christmas on sale, so we bought it to go under the Christmas tree. The track worked well on our shorter pile carpet. No issues of train wheels popping off, or derailments. The engine is just an 0-6-0, so maybe that is why some had issues, not really sure, I've never had the train derail or axles come out of the trucks. I set the set up a couple weeks ago in our basement on a piece of 4x4x5/8 flooring board I had left over, built a frame for it, put it on saw horses. I had to tighten a few of the slip on joints that go between the rails, but my almost 4yo son will go downstairs and (after I plug it in for him) run the train for 30min-1hr at a time. The included buildings should be glued with model cement. The signs, people, telephone poles and some of the other scene items are detailed decently for HO and the cost of the set, but really, if you are serious about building a layout with this included in it, you will have to spend some time painting the people (they are all buff colored head to toe), painting signs, etc. I may take the time when I have nothing better to do this winter.

The controller DOES have an accessory power tap, so you could run lit buildings, street lights, etc. Also, you will need to clean the track and locomotive wheels occasionally to keep it running at it's peak (any train requires this), and check the slip connections (small needle nose pliers, or just put a small dent in them with a small flat head screwdriver until they fit tight). The smoke liquid requires heat to work, the heat comes from the drive motor as best I can tell, so really it makes perfect sense that you have to run it at 80-100% for a few minutes for it to get going. Once it does start generating smoke, you can back the speed down to 65-70% and still get a small steady output.