Customer Reviews

Bachmann Trains The DeWitt Clinton Ready-to-Run HO Train Set

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am 57 years old and building my first model railroad in my garage. I still have my HO train set from childhood but wanted somethiong different to start a new. This will be the center piece for my new Railroad City. Remember to be gentle with this product. It has many very tiny pieces and is delicate. This is not a toy for young children without adult supervision.

This is a nice little train. It's well detailed though the connects between the stage coaches and engine are just tiny plastic pins and that concerns me over time. The track is great with the EZ N/S. This train is really cute though. It would not be good for under, say, a 9 foot Christmas tree (which we have), but around a tabletop tree, in an actual train layout, or something where you can see it up close is great. This is not a kid's train, but a really cute and nice simple train. I like it. It's not "beefy" enough for my husband who promptly went out and bought a smoker locomotive and a slew of passenger cars to run on the same track. I pull the husband's tempermental and complicated train off when he is gone and run this nice little train. Just bear in mind, the whole train is something like 5 or 6 inches long. But it is really nice and runs really well.

For HO scale train enthusiasts who are into historical trains, this is a wonderful set. For whiz-bang bells and whistles train collectors, this one is a snooze. Even the box states it...it's just like the historical original...no light, no "bells & whistles." Still, there is very nice detailing and Bachmann has done a good job of recreating the original. Like most Bachmann sets, this one comes with the EZ track and transformer. Personally, I do not care at all for the EZ Track; for a historical train, it looks extremely out of context to see the plastic roadbed. Overall, a nice set. NOT recommended for children as the pieces are extremely tiny...even for HO.

My basic train layout theme is "Fun." The DeWitt Clinton train runs with Big Boy and Thomas and Friends. There is a little bit of history in this combination of engines.
However, the DeWitt Clinton is extremely declicate. So much so that it is off-limits to my grandchildren. I would be more than willing to pay thirty or forty dollars more for a cast metal product;it needs beefing up. Other than that, It was a great purchase. No buyer remorse.

I had purchased one of these trains myself when they first came out. It is a hit among guests, especially adults, during the holidays when I bring it out and put it on a 42" x 60" table.

I bought another one this year from Amazon (direct ship) for my brother for a holiday gift and he appreciates it for its historical representation as well. It does make an exceptional adult gift for those who had trains as kids.

I bought this as a gift for my Dad who is a true train enthusiast. He loves the HO DeWitt Clinton Train Set and now wants to replace all of his old track with the new nickel silver e-z track that came with this set! Definitely a wonderful addition to his hobby!

A great set for anyone! Historically accurate train with track that's ready to go right out of the box. That EZ Track really is easy!

this train failed in less then four hours of use--never heard back from the company when i asked if i could return it for a refund or replacement

To put this into perspective, I now own two different Bachmann train sets (this and one other). The train sets are cheaper than buying all the parts separately but you don't always get the highest of quality parts. In my first set, many of the EZ track rail pieces didn't fit together properly but worked with a little fuss and elbow grease from my father (seasoned Model Railroader) and I and we got the set up and running.

THIS set, however, there were no problems whatsoever in getting this up and running. All the pieces connected properly and the train worked flawlessly.

The DeWitt Clinton set comes with the higher quality Nickel Silver gray base EZ Track whereas my old set was the cheaper Steel Alloy EZ Track. This makes the MSRP relatively low in my opinion based on the amount of track received in the set and the engine, along with the power pack/speed controller.

The power pack and speed controller are a little nicer than the old set. The old set didn't allow me to turn off the power to the box, but this new one does. This is a much nicer speed controller in my opinion. The interesting part is that the speed controller on the back of the box is the older model, so I suppose it is possible Bachmann will put whatever stock they have on hand into the set. I believe they stopped manufacturing the old model, so hopefully all the controllers in this set are the newer models.

As for the model itself, the locomotive is nicely detailed and I believe they used the replica of the DeWitt Clinton in the Ford museum to detail the locomotive. It operates smoothly, though you can't get the train to run below the "5" marker on the speed controller, and at the "5" setting the train will stop after running in short order. Generally the 10 speed will work without pausing the operation if you want it to run "slow."

The carriages, in my opinion, are the low point of the set. They are 100% plastic and while they are sturdy enough, I was really scared when I put the set back into the box. There are some small pieces that would be VERY easy to break them off. As Bachman doesn't seem to sell the carriages on their own, replacing them could be a bit problematic if you do happen to break them. The other problem I have is that I believe the DeWitt Clinton generally traveled with 6 of the carriages, but there are only 3 in the box and since they aren't available individually, you can't get this "historically" accurate. Though there also seems to be information that it did, at times, run with 3 carriages.

Over all I am quite happy with the set. Higher quality track, smooth operation and a better speed controller than my older set makes me wish my old set had this controller and track. The best part, however, is that I can use this set to run the old train as well, given they all use the same standards.

Very good set.

This is a very nice model of a historical train. It is quite small... the entire train is about the length of a modern day locomotive plus one freight car. As others noted, the train is about 9 inches long. However, it is a nicely detailed set, and it runs well. I got it because it is similar to one of the B&O's early trains, comprised of an 0-4-0 locomotive and passenger cars made in the style of horsedrawn carriages, which you can find on display at the B&O Transportation Museum in Baltimore. Those who buy this set might also be interested in Bachmann's model of the 4-2-0 Pegasus locomotive and accompanying passenger cars, which is another early train.

Too bad this is not available in N scale, which is my preferred scale. However, even though I do not primarily model in HO scale, I could not resist getting this set, and am not disappointed.