Customer Reviews

Bachmann Trains Digital Commander Ready - To - Run DCc - Equipped Ho Train Set

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

 

 

Bachmann has always had a name for making products, that were better quality then the competition as well as, bringing products, like high quality locomotives, that were out of the price rage of the masses to the masses! they have also been know for innovation, like their patented track plug that makes wiring the transformer to the track, very easy and very safe! This particular set is no exception to those rules!
This particular set features Bachmanns EZ command DCC system. DCC is a system that allows two trains to operate completely independently from each other on the same track. This is to say, you can have, one train and one running reverse on the same track with out having to worry about blocks or separately powered sections of tracks. Basically! the model trains can now completely duplicate the behavior of the real things!
The EZ command system is a complete self contained unit. there are no other parts to buy! the device features 10 addresses to program locomotives to respond to. Switching between locomotive is easy! just press the button that corresponds to the locomotive you want to control, and you have control of it!
Programing the locomotives is so easy, a child could quite literally do it! just push a few buttons and you are done! If only all things were this easy to understand. You can even easily program two locomotives to run together as a pair! For those of you out there that already have and lament letting go of a none dcc locomotive, Bachmann has you covered! Button 10 can be used to operate such a locomotive. I prefer to hook up one of Bachmann's more modern power packs, see the instructions for the proper model, to the EZ command system. This frees up button 10 to control another DCC locomotive and lets you control the analog non DCC loco with the power pack, independently of the dcc locomotives!
The set uses Bachmanns standard setting, but now somewhat dated EZ track. While it looks special at first glance, all it really is however, is standard HO track that has been attached to interlocking peaces of plastic. This means those infamous rail joints or connectors, little peaces of mettle that transfer the power from track to track, are retained. the track does its job, in terms of making sure that what ever is in the carpet or on the floor, dose not get into you locomotives motor well. However, the connectors have to be adjusted every once and a while, to maintain good power contact! The track features a simple wire that quite literally plugs into the EZ command system! No worries about shorts caused by crossed wires here!
The freight cars included with this set includes are well built and roll very smoothly! You can actually back them around a curve with out them derailing! Somthing that was impossible with the old plastic wheeled and badly weighted train cars from 20 years ago! As I just mentioned, these new cars are all equipped with mettle wheels. they also have Bachmann's spring loaded mark 2 couplers. These couplers, unlike Bachmann's previous attempts, these will easily get around the track with out disconnecting! If you want to disengaged them, and do some switching on the included siding, just install and use Bachman's uncoupling device.
The 2 locomotives, An EMD FT and EMD GP, resemble some of Bachmann's offering of long past! But that however, is were the similarity's end! The locomotives are all wheel drive and, of course, DCC equipped. they run pretty smooth although, there are better locomotives out there,these more then do the job! they are, of
The price of this item may case some parents, that had model trains as kids to faint. But we have to remember, that $100 may have bought you a top of the line set, 20 or 30 years ago, we have seen some inflation since then! We also must consider the quality of this product and what it is capable of and it includes for that price! add in the educational value and the fact that a video game system will cost more if not twice as much and teach you nothing, this set then begins to look like the real bargain it is! It puts a well equipped dcc starter set in your kids or your hands for a fraction of the price!
Buy this set for you kid(s) and spend the money saved on games, on some more track and or accessory's you have the perfect Christmas gift!

If you are a "little" train enthusiast this is the product for you. If however you plan on remote dcc switches forget it. This has only ten control slots so if you have two trains and a couple switches you are fine. More than that i suggest going with a bigger "prosumer" type of product like an MRC or something of that nature.
hope that this helps.

Overall, the set is very good and a decent value considering you get two locomotives, some rolling stock, one manual turnout, and a digital command control (DCC) system all in the same package. However, I had a few issues: 1) One of the locomotives would always derail in the same exact spot on the same curved piece track. I checked everything including trying the piece of track in different locations in the oval and everytime the same locomotive would derail. My conclusion was it was a faulty curve piece but it would only happen to one locomotive and not both (and a close-up visual inspection of the piece showed nothing different than all the others!). Strange. 2) The other locomotive that did not derail was much more "noisy" than the other locomotive when powering up and would slightly shake as though some moving part on the inside was clipping something preventing smooth operation like the other locomotive (the one that was derailing). 3) I guess I should have paid more attention to the box advertising the turnout - which is manual - meaning you have to physically reach over and switch it yourself rather than control it with the DCC system. This limited my fun in operating both locomotives at the same time and utilizing the side track at the same time. 4) No sounds or additional bells and whistles comes with the set - which is somewhat expected considering this is a starter set but still....

So, in conclusion, I found the set to be very good but a few minor quality issues dulled my excitement after I originally opened the box. Bachmann is known for their good quality products so this was a little bit of a surprise. By the way, this set was extremely easy to setup and use straight out of the box. It also comes with an instructional DVD to help you in setting up your trains for fun. Ultimately, with a few additional pieces of track (including all good curved pieces) and a few automatic turnouts, the set could be really fun and a good purchase. And Bachmann offers all of the great perks you want when buying a train set (sounds, automatic turnouts, etc.) Sometimes, it would be nice to just get everything working great straight out of the box rather than having to spend a little more to maintain the excitement when you first get the train set.

Bachmann certainly does not built the nicest nor the most durable sets but this turned out to be a good choice for our situation.
2 young boys - one ( the younger one 7y) who really was the primary recipient of the gift and his 10 year old brother who is less interested in trains
yet quite pleased that he can join in the fun once in a while since the set includes two independently controllable engines
which allow both my sons to share in the action.
I would however recommend to purchase some additional track to allow for a bit more space
for the two trains on the track - the included track is a very basic loop with not much room for error with two trains.
After purchase of ~2x4feet additional straight track our kids had a great time having the trains chase each other.
While we adults perhaps notice the less than impressive finish of the Bachman train compared to some competitors
it was good for me to remember that in a childs eye this kind of set is about perfect.
This is a toy for them after all not some museum piece
The kids timed the trains, built ramps with lego and actively use the train - which is great.The very good Amazon price helped me to enjoy the purchase
The boys in our little family are all happy for different reasons.

I loved model trains as a child so I was excited to get my young son his first electric set. The box says 14 & up but I remember playing much earlier. The DCC controller allows you to run multiple trains independently, something that took a lot of work in the old days, and this set includes two train engines which is quite a bargain, I think.
Set up was easy and the included video made understanding the DCC controller so simple that my son figured out how to turn the engine lights on and off just by overhearing the TV while playing. The snap together track isn't perfect but it is pretty good and connecting the few wires is very simple and tool-less. Both engines pull the cars well and I have played with this set nearly as much as my son. The ability to add other engines including one analog train is very nice. In fact, we bought another set to go with this and have three engines going at once.
My only complaint is with the rolling stock. The wheels fell off one of the cars right out of the box and has been a tad problematic. We've only had it for a day so it's hard to say how durable this is yet.
It merits a few stars for education given the electric setup. That will grow as the set grows.
Overall, I'm very pleased with this set and I would recommend it to anyone interested in a train set. Getting two DCC engines, track and a DCC controller for this price is pretty good. I just wish they offered a greater variety of engines in their starter sets.

Bachmann has good product, the set was complete, the instructions were first rate. Everything worked as it should. I will be buying another train set soon.

We purchased this set as a gift for our 9 year old son. One of the trains was just broken out of the box. I considered returning the whole thing to Amazon, but since one train did work - we decided to keep it and just return the one broken train to Bachmann. What a Mistake!

Bachmann says it will take 6 weeks to replace the train. 6 weeks to replace something that was broken right out of the box. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE! Bachmann should immediately replace the defective train. I should have sent the whole thing back to Amazon for a full refund.

No Bachmann trains this Xmas - their Customer Service is terrible.

It was a good train I had bad but all in all its a good train