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With beautiful craftsmanship and styling that evokes a bygone
era, the Polar Express Train Set will appeal to everyone in your
family. Designed for children ages eight and older, this train
set is based on the Caldecott Award-winning book "Polar Express,"
and the movie that followed in 2004. The gorgeous train set is
relatively easy to put together, although parents will probably
need to supervise. Even kids younger than eight can enjoy the
Polar Express, if parents help them with it.
Superbly Crafted Toy with Easy Set Up
The pieces of the train set are easily assembled, from the
smooth linking of the cars, to setting up the track. The
instructions are sometimes vague: for example, the train needs to
charge before it runs, but we didn't understand that from the
instructions and spent some frustrating minutes wondering why the
train wouldn't move. Otherwise, the toy is a delight to set up
and play with. Most of the parts are reassuringly heavy and
durable, including the impressive transformer that powers the
train. There is a small learning curve associated with learning
to drive the train, especially for electric train novices, but
kids will quickly catch on with their parents' help. The small
figurines that can ride atop the cars are a nice entertaining
feature. However, they are small and can get easily lost, as well
as pose a choking hazard to younger kids.
Attention to Detail Creates a Lifelike Experience
The Polar Express has some especially nice features, like the
smoke fluid that you can add to it so that it emits puffs of
smoke as it chugs along. The realistic-sounding steam whistle is
also a great touch. The transformer that powers the train is
heavy and solid, with a big throttle that's easy for little hands
to operate.
Testers found the train easy to assemble, and once charged, it
went smoothly around the oval track. At 60 inches long and 40
inches wide, the track is not particularly big, but you can
extend it by purchasing more track pieces from Lionel (sold
separately). In general, we enjoyed the old-fashioned quality in
the train set's well-crafted parts, as well the numerous design
details (such as interior lighting, retro styling, and a working
headlight) that made the Polar Express come alive.
What's in the Box
1 die-cast steam engine; 1 coal tender; 2 coach passenger cars;
1 observation car; 1 CW-80 transformer; Santa's Bell; 4
articulated movie characters; 1 bottle smoke fluid; 40- x 60-inch
oval track (with 8 curved sections; 3 straight sections; 1 power
terminal section); and instruction book.
From the Manufacturer
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Now, you can own the Polar Express train featured in both the
best-selling book and the hit movie. Painstakingly designed to be
true to the original, this exclusive Lionel train set features a
die-cast metal Berkshire steam locomotive with a larger pilot, a
headlight lens cap, and a unique whistle. Behind the locomotive
and tender are two lighted coach cars and an observation car that
features a rounded observation platform — just like in the movie.
Silhouettes in the windows depict scenes from the movie. Four
main characters are included as articulated figures with turning
heads, movable arms, bendable waists, and jointed knees. They can
be posed and placed on areas of the locomotive, tender, and
passenger cars to replicate your favorite scenes from the movie.
Ready to run out of the box, this set comes complete with a
generous loop of Lionel’s patented FasTrack track system and a
powerful CW-80 Transformer. The set includes: 2-8-4 Berkshire
steam locomotive and tender; two passenger coaches; one passenger
observation car with rounded platform; three straight FasTrack
track sections; eight curved FasTrack track sections; one
FasTrack terminal section; CW-80 Transformer; four articulated
movie characters; smoke fluid. Train length is 63 3/8”; track
layout is 40” x 60”. ™ & © and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
- Transformer controlled forward, neutral, and reverse operation.
- Locomotive has operating headlight and puffing smoke; air whistle in the tender.
- Locomotive features die-cast metal locomotive body and frame.
- Operating couplers on rolling stock and on rear of tender.
- Passenger cars feature interior lighting and silhouettes in windows.
- Powerful maintenance-free motor, two traction tires, and separately applied metal handrails.