Life-Like Trains HO Scale Holiday Rails Electric Train Set #8198

by Walthers, Inc.

Product Features

• F7 Diesel Locomotive + 4 Cars
• 56" x 38" oval track layout
• Locomotive, freight cars and caboose feature whimsical winter holiday decoration including 4 glitter decorated Christmas Trees
• Specially printed snap-together freight & passenger station kit

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 4.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B000F8MDFM
• Item model number: 433-8198
• Our recommended age: 8 - 12 years
• Manufacturer recommended age: 8 years and up
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #74,723 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

F7 Diesel Locomotive with Working Headlight, 4 Railroad Cars including an 8-Wheel Caboose, 56" x 38" Track Oval with Power-Loc Track System and Terminal Rerailer, U.L. Listed Power Pack with Forward and Reverse, Plug-In Terminal Wires, Extra Couplers, Ill

Product Description

Diesel Freight w/CF1 Knuckle Couplers & Power-Loc(TM) Track Holiday Rails (Christmas) F7, 3 Cars & Caboose, 56 x 38" 1.4 x 0.9m Oval HO scale Now With SceneMaster Knuckle Couplers * Keeps Cars Together Better * Works with Other Manufacturer's Knuckle Couplers * Made of Tough Engineering Plastic Get your new model railroader started on the right track with these complete sets! Everything you need to set up and run is included, from a powered loco with working headlight, to complete instructions. For fast and easy operation on any surface, sets feature Life-Like's unique Power-Loc(TM) snap-together track. There's no need for special boards, nails or tools - and there are NO fussy metal rail joiners to align - simply click each section to the next and you'll be ready to roll in minutes. Best of all, the built-in roadbed base means you can run your train on any surface, including a rug! There's also a handy rerailer that makes getting the cars and engine on the track easy, with simple plug-in wiring connections to speed assembly. Rounding out the set is a UL-listed power pack for speed and direction control, Plug-in Terminal Wires and spare couplers. Here's the perfect train set to re-live holiday memories or start a new tradition! Designed for quick and easy set up, the Holiday Rails looks great under the tree or adding animated action to a Christmas Village display. A powered F7 Diesel with working headlight, finished in striking red and silver, leads this festive freight train. There are three freight cars in holiday finery including a peppermint-striped tank car, a gondola loaded with glittering Christmas trees and a flat car carrying two large packages. A cheery caboose, which matches the locomotive, is also included. For the finishing touch, there's a snap-together station that's decorated for the holidays. A complete set in a single package, the Holiday Express comes with a 56 x 38" 140 x 95cm oval of Power-Loc(TM) track.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The price is right., July 9, 2009

By 

B. Dowd (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Durability:1.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:3.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:2.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Life-Like Trains HO Scale Holiday Rails Electric Train Set #8198 (Toy)

I purchased this train set as a decoration to put under my Christmas tree.

Pros:
The price. The track snapped together pretty easily. I had the whole rig setup and running in about an hour of work. That includes a little repair for on the cars. It looked really nice under the tree and I got a lot of compliments on it.

Cons:
The product design is pretty cheap. The cars are made of plastic. I ended up needing to glue the Christmas trees back onto the car, because they had come loose since they were set at the factory. The train is pretty loud because the wheels of all the cars are made of plastic. I would turn it on to show my guests, but would leave it off the rest of the time. The light on the front of the train is powered by the amount of power being sent to the train. So the faster the train goes the bright the light gets. At a reasonable speed the train light is pretty dim. The train house that comes with it is also made of plastic and snaps together.


Summary:
The price is right for the quality you are purchasing. For the first time electric train buyers there are a few things to know. The track will get dirty. To clean it, a rubber pencil eraser works pretty good.

For those interested in placing the train under your Christmas tree. Keep in mind that most folks want to have lights in their tree. You will need to keep this in mind when buying a train for under your tree. If you plan to run the train, you can't have power cords laying on the track. I ended up making a model mountain/tunnel to run power under my Christmas tree. I used a small cardboard box, an extension cord, spray foam insulation, and some stone spray paint. I designed a small tunnel that was tall enough for the train to run through using the box as a template. I taped the extension cord to the box and sprayed the foam insulation onto the top of the box to make a sort of rocky tunnel. Then I used some stone spray paint make it look like rock. The result was decent looking.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Starter Train set., December 9, 2007

By 

Ruben Guardiola "rguard" (Austin, Tx.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Durability:3.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:3.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Life-Like Trains HO Scale Holiday Rails Electric Train Set #8198 (Toy)

This is an easy to use and well made toy. In addition to the nessesary power module it comes with many "extra" things like the trees for the flat car and a station. The station does take a little putting together but is not too hard. Overall, great train set.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Fun but work, January 6, 2009

By 

R. YOUNG (New England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Durability:2.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:1.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Life-Like Trains HO Scale Holiday Rails Electric Train Set #8198 (Toy)

"Santa" brought this train to my son, who was very happy with the great gift. It seems fairly well made for the price, the engine and cars are sturdy, the track is easy to assemble and the station is a cute decoration and everything worked well right out of the box. After a short while of running though the engine was obviously losing traction so I cleaned the wheels and the tracks, both of which were quite black with oil/dirt(?) and it ran well for a while but, again, started losing traction. So I cleaned it again, more oil/dirt. Now, the house isn't that bad, so it must be the train itself. We have other toy trains so I expect some maintenance but this seems quite a bit more than usual. Santa should have left an elf to keep the thing running properly!