Customer Reviews

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

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

 

 

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.

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.

"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!

We bought this train to run around the Christmas tree. Setting up the track is easy but I recommend buying a few track packs to get a decent overall length. The train runs perfectly and I haven't had any derailments going full speed around 18" radius turns (the radius of the tighter circle track packs). Also consider buying the compatible rail bridge so you can run your Christmas tree light cords under the track. (My track is currently sitting on cords. Not pretty but functions fine.) After a few days of heavy use, I haven't had any problems with the track getting dirty or the trains malfunctioning. The Christmas wreath boxes on one of the freight cars tend to fall off with a light touch but no big deal. My 4 1/2 year old son is capable of running and stopping the train. I think he will be able to correct a derailment himself after a few supervised attempts.

My big complaint, as other reviewers have said, is that the locomotive is VERY LOUD. This is fine when the kids are actively playing with the train. However, I thought it would be nice to have on in the evenings as background when Mrs. Claus and I are sitting by the fire and the tree, to complete the setting--maybe even during our Christmas party. The train is much too loud for this.

For non-train enthusiasts out there, please realize that any "starter train set" such as this aims for lower cost to entice the casual user. This inevitably means a low quality locomotive. If trains become your thing, you can upgrade over time. In those train displays you see out in the world, they have better quality locomotives which are, among other things, quieter. I am actively looking for a better quality locomotive. Realistically, I will have to pay at least $40 for a decent one. If you are like me and want a nicer locomotive, search for "HO locomotive" (HO is the track size) that will fit this set. Atlas is arguably the best brand. You can spend over $200 on one locomotive if you wanted to!

So, in summary, this set is very good for the money but there are better (and much more expensive) things out there.

This Train is a peice of junk. It didn't even work when my husband put it together he had to modify it to even work. The little building is junk when you try to take it out of the packaging it broke all up and he was being gentle. Now that he finally got it working it is so loud we can't even have it on. Please don't waste your money!

I am so happy with my purchase of this train! I wanted a train for the Holiday window display for my skincare salon, and shopped at one of my local merchants. I like to shop local whenever possible, but I couldn't afford their prices this time. The train I wanted was twice the price at the store, and was so happy to find one I could afford as a new business owner. My clients loved the display, and it added a fun touch to my salon reception!

Life-Like Trains HO Scale Holiday Rails Electric Train Set #8198The train product when opened up from the box looked great and was easy to setup. The instructions and manuals were good.
However the train parts, especially the wheels etc. would come off easily and roll off. The parts that join the cars to themselves and the engine are too flimsy.

Overall, this is not a solidly built product overall.

I am not really happy and hope to return it.

Train set construction less than expected for price. Had difficulties getting the trains to lineup on track. Wouldn't have bought if known the construction was not great.

makes good tree triming for the bottom of tree kids love whatchin it going around an around rate it 5 stars

Well packaged and arrived in excellent condition very quickly with no shipping charges. Easy to set up and everything worked great. Even with a 3.5 yr old grandson playing with the train, after several days it all still works. Pieces that come apart snap back together easily. I would definitely order again. We set it up under the Christmas tree, there was plenty of track. Had to make our own tunnel as was not included in the kit.