Customer Reviews

Bachmann Trains Snap - Fit E - Z Track Steel Alloy World's Greatest Hobby Track Pack

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

 

 

My son and I have been putting together a 4x8 train table with full layout and landscaping. After a number of years getting various train sets and track options for HO scale, we decided to go with the Bachman Snap Fit EZ Track Pack. We'll keep the other track sets as spares (you can get adapters for them) but the Bachman set made the layout consistent and works well with specialized options. We found it's definitely the way to get the set rolling.

I purchased this expansion set for my 65 years old dad because he is building a nice HO scale layout. This box give us the flexibility to add a second level rail road over the first one crossing an elevated mountain. His layout is about 3mts long x 1.5mts wide. We used the set to complete the elevated path. The kit is great, high quality as usual from Bachmann, the cd is very useful if you need additional ideas. I strongly recommend this set if you want to expand your hobby. :) Regards, Gustavo Valerin (San Jose, Costa Rica).

Amazing beginner kit for those who would like to expand their existing HO Scale train set. It has sufficient tracks to create your own layout. Much cheaper than buying those tracks individually.

Bachmann makes three completer sets. We were a bit confused which one to buy, so I did a spreadsheet comparing components. The Track Pack is the very best deal BY FAR - you get the most track for your money, hands down, and Amazon.com's price beat everything on ebay as well, so I liked avoiding the stress of bidding. We found the best bang for our buck by buying the 14-pc pier set separately, instead of as part of another completer set that had a train station (my kids don't pay that much attention to accessories, they are so into track, track, and more track!). With their original starter train set that they got for Christmas (just a circle track), the 14 pc pier set, and this track pack, they were able to build a 3-leaf clover set up with a bridge to go over and under, and an additional fourth "leg" of track going out to two separate bumpers where they park for the night. The switches included in the set are THE BEST and my two boys have so much fun switching their train from one track to another. I think switches and bridges made all the difference for my boys - the little circle was lame after about an hour! We spent $50 on their original Christmas set that came with the train, and the boys paid for the rest from their savings fun accounts: $80 (Track Pack including shipping) and $18 (14-pc Pier set, also from Amazon.com,including shipping), and I think the boys are going to content (not to mention a bit broke!) for a very long time!

We bought this for my 9 yr old son as an expansion pack for a "Basic" train set. Now it sits in a box in the closet with all the other stuff we bought, because he got tired of the trains jumping the tracks. At first, the "EZ-TRACK" seems like a great idea - it looks more rugged than the stuff I had as a kid. But it isn't - they are hard to connect, and easy to connect wrong. The electric switches for the right and left turn-outs are VERY poorly made, and if you need to disconnect them, don't be surprised when the wire pulls out from the connector - they are REALLY poorly made! But the worst part is the turn-outs themselves. We couldn't figure out why the second or third car on the train was derailing every time it went over one of these turn-ous, but when we did it very slowly over and over, we noticed that the center track was wobbling slightly - turns out the rivet that holds it has too much "give", so the weight of the car moves it side-to-side, causing the lighter cars (in particular) to derail. And no, you can't fix it - I tried tightening the rivet, and later, replacing it with a wider one - its just badly designed... At first I thought I just had a bad turn-out, but I tried it with two others (left and right), and had exactly the same problem - THEY ARE JUNK!. Magnetic decoupler works "some of the time", and the couplers themselves are extremely fragile. THERE IS NOTHING WORSE THAN BUYING A TOY YOUR CHILD REALLY WANTS, AND WATCHING HIM LOSE INTEREST BECAUSE HE CAN'T MAKE IT WORK. Except, maybe, not being able to help, even after you figure out the problem... Bachmann "EZ-TRACK" is JUNK - save your child the disappointment, and buy a different brand.