Customer Reviews

Bachmann Trains Santa Fe Flyer Ready-to-Run HO Scale Train Set

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The main reason for buying the Santa Fe Flyer train set was to get a christmas present for my "old man", who loves trains with the Santa Fe logo on it. To make him happy I decided to get a locomotive as well as a freight car with the Santa Fe logo on it and place both on a track in a nice display box.

Coincidentally, as I browsed through the toys section of my local supermarket, I ran into the Santa Fe Flyer train set from Bachmann. It comes with the needed Santa Fe locomotive as well as three freight cars. So instead of spending around 60 US$ (MSRP according to Bachmann's website) for the locomotive itself, I got away with only a portion of it.

Needless to say I had to try out the train set, even though the locomotive will be a display item only. After reading the posted reviews on Amazon I was frightened to do so, but got pleasantly surprised. The set comes with an easy to read, step by step manual. Putting together the so called E-Z track system was actually easy, even though it takes some patience to do so (it gets you a 36" circle). It also takes a little bit to get the locomotive and the freight cars onto the rails, but this is a very detailed toy in a small scale and not a Tonka truck. Power comes via the included speed controller, which is connected to the rails via plug-in wire (cannot be mixed up). The locomotive runs very smoothly, even at a slow speed. The knuckle couplers make adding cars to the locomotive/train an easy task. All in all, this set comes with all you need to get started and the items are of a very good quality.

On the package it recommends an age of 8 years or older. This is o.k. if your kid is patient enough to deal with something detailed and delicate like this. Otherwise you might have to help a little bit.

Considering the price of it (I paid only 30 US$), the set is a great deal. Especially if you want to find out if your kid is into model railroad as a hobby. And if not, use the set for yourself, buy additional equipment and turn your attic into a big HO scale train scene. ;-)

My daughter liked the fact she finally received a train ecspecially for her birthday, except it doesn't stay on the track long enough to count to ten.

My son, who is 4, is extremely fond of trains. He recently received the Lionel Polar Express train set for Christmas and was totally overjoyed with it. Needless to say, he anxiously awaited the arrival of the Santa Fe train set, thinking that it would be just as wonderful. As we took the trains and tracks out of the box, the wheels, which are tiny, cheap and flimsy, fell off. Because they are so tiny, we almost could not find them because they had fallen out of the box and onto the floor. We set the tracks up and then attempted to set the trains on the tracks, which is extremely difficult to do. It's almost impossible to get the tiny little wheels to sit properly on the tracks unless you lie on the floor and actually place your face practically on the floor at the level of the tracks. We finally got it going and found that the trains constantly detach from each other. The trains are also cheap and flimsy. After approximately 3 days or so during which we spent more time re-connecting the trains and re-setting them on the track, we finally took everything apart and put it back in the box. Needless to say, this product was a disappointment. Definitely not recommended for anyone who is an avid train lover.

I purchased this train for my 4 year old despite the bad reviews. The reason why I purchased it was because I knew what I was getting. A good quality train set would cost 3 to 4 times the amount I paid for this train set. Also this train has a recommended age for an older child so I knew I would need to closely supervise my son. Setting up the train was a pain but once we got the train going it was fine. Just to note the engine is very sturdy and the wheels are made out of metal but the rest of the trains, the hopper, gondola and caboose is made out of plastic. I feel this is a good starter set and I can slowly replace the rest of the train cars with higher quality cars. I also appreciate that I can plug in this set instead of constantly replacing the battery.

I ordered the H0 Santa Fe Flyer Train Set from Creative Toys & Hobbies. I had a large collection of H0 engines and cars as a child. The tracks they have now are much more durable and adaptable. I was suprised that nothing was loose in the package. Everything came in great condition, and earlier than expected. No complaints.

For those of you considering ordering this for a child under the age of 10, keep in mind they should be supervised. H0 trains run on an electrical current. While durable, they are not intended to take a beating from children.

I got this for my birthday, and I love it. It is so good - the track is good, the train is good, every thing is good. I am 11 years old. I think someone would need to be at least 10 to enjoy it.

This train is not very good. I bought it for my nephew. When you put the engine on the track, the cattlepusher touches the track. Do not waste your money.

My 4-year-old son received this set as a gift and was ecstatic when he opened it, as he loves trains. So, in that sense it was worth the price.

However, this set is not durable at all. I think one of the coupling hitches was broken right out of the box and several others followed suit in the next few days so that now, I think three out of the five cars that came with the set are unusable.

Plus the wheels of the cars pop out easily. An adult can pop the wheels back in - providing your child hasn't stepped on them already. Also, the slightest bit of jostling derails the train and it's not easy for a young child to re-mount the trains on the tracks properly.

Perhaps if my son was a few years older it would have been enjoyable for a longer period of time. As it was, he got about a day's enjoyment out of it. If you have the money, go for a larger scale (O guage) train set - I seem to remember those were a lot more solid.

My husband and I bought this trainset for his Grandmother who has always wanted a "real" trainsset. She is obviously not a fanatic who needs state of the art stuff, just got happy seeing it going round and round, and this train was perfect. The track was easy to put together for me, with good eye-sight and patience, but it was still a bit tricky. The only time it de-railed was when the rail was on the floor and I was walking around making the floor move a little.

I don't think this is a toy for kids at all, but it's a great buy if your looking for a basic train set for an older kid or a grown-up.

So I bought this set for my son expecting an electric train set he could enjoy, but wrong. This set is an exercise in frustration. Here's why....

1) First the wheels on all cars except the locomotive easily fall off. Requiring constantly stopping and putting back on.

2) The locomotive's wheels do not stay firmly on the track and easily "derails" when you run at mid speed or above.

Combine 1 and 2 and you have a worthless train set. My question to Bachman is this: DO YOU TEST THIS JUNK BEFORE YOU SELL IT TO CONSUMERS???