Hogwarts Express Set

The media could not be loaded. I spent months trying to decide on which Lionel train set I wanted to buy, for our Christmas tree. I couldn’t decide between the Polar Express train and the Harry Potter one. I ultimately chose the Hogwarts Express. When it arrived I was more excited than my kids. The train is quite large and plastic, which I wanted. It is still a good weight for being plastic. The plastic is very durable and I would highly recommend the plastic trains if you have kids that like to throw toys. The tracks are easy to put together. I did purchased extra tracks just so we could have more track options. I would most definitely buy a Lionel train set again! My husband wants to get the higher end trains from Lionel too. It’s worth noting that these trains can definitely take a beating. My 2 year old is by no means “gentle”. This poor train has been dropped and kicked a number of times. And it has held up great against our kids!

My dad is collected and had Lionel trains for over 50 years and it’s something special he shared with my sons and now he’s also shared it with his great grandson this year. Since this was my son‘s first Christmas as a stepdad/dad, his brother bought him and his family the Hogwarts Lionel train. Initially my son got the traditional Lionel trains, and that would’ve been great, but since his brother is a huge Harry Potter fan, we exchanged it and got the Hogwarts train. I think watching my adult son‘s hug when he was thanking his brother for the gift almost in tears was the best part of Christmas. I didn’t see him open it or use it but he said it was really good and he can’t wait for next year to have it set up for a while so they only used it for a little bit testing it out at home but he said it was a good quality and it was a great price. If you’re a lion Elhan and you want to get a kid into it this is a great starting point.

Got for my boyfriend as a gift. He loves it. The sounds and smoke. He's never had one like these made him so happy. Track is nice and stability. Value is great too.

My four year old loves it and I imagine will for the next 6 or 7 years. Excellent toy train for the price (under $100) - I don't think some people realize how much more a 'nicer' metal train would cost. Track is easy to put together. The remote control is easy to use, my son learned how to use it in about 30 seconds. He loves the sound effects - remote buttons for bell, whistle, and a several voice clips from the first movie. Both the train and track are plastic but seem sturdy to play with.Train looks good with nice detail for a toy. The color is burgundy, not brown like some people have complained about. This train is great to put under a tree and not be worried about it with my son. I purchased the more detailed metal electric O gauge train (3 to 4 times more expensive) several years ago and I would not trust it under the tree.I setup the train on hard wood floor and the track is stable. Don't know yet how it will run if the track is on carpet.

The media could not be loaded. Can’t speak to the longevity yet, or battery life. But if I can get a season out of the 6 “C” sized batteries that the train takes, I’ll be happy.I run N scale trains, so this is a big boy for me, ha! It seems pretty robust; my 3yo son already carried it around by the handrails applied to the boiler with no damage. (Probably got lucky, though) My lab knocked it off the tracks as well; just rerail and keep moving!Downside is that it’s not really a cherry red, like in the movie, more of a maroon color. Seems a silly detail to not get right, but it’s not a dealbreaker.Sound is fine to me. My expectations are low; it’s…soundly…in the “toy” category. Heyoo!Anyway, buy the thing. You’re not going to find an O-scale-adjacent train for cheaper, and Lionel is Lionel. They’ve been around forever for a reason.

The train set itself is ok and works fine. I bought the Bluetooth version. The few things I was not as happy about, is the app itself. It would not work on my Android OnePlus 12, saying the device was not compatible, too new.Luckily I have an older phone that did work but now I have to keep that one around to use the train until the app is updated. I can just turn it on but then can't use all the features.Second thing, the steam that comes out the stack is not really noticable.Still a fun toy for my purpose, which is just under the tree for Christmas.

The media could not be loaded. My dad was like a kid on Christmas when he discovered Santa brought him this train! He was very disappointed when I put the train away with the tree. I'm so pleased with myself.Tips:1. Have the batteries and a screwdriver ready on arrival. Those C batteries go into the engine and the AAA batteries are for the remote; none are included.2. You can adjust the size of the track with relative ease with the extra track pieces. Make sure you push the ends in flush at the connection points and be patient pulling the track apart. It's perfect to go around the tree or a Christmas village!3. The remote has a button EACH for movie clip sounds, a bell sounds, and for the train whistle.4. There is a switch on the engine you have to turn on before the remote can work. You'll hear a beeping sound until everything is synced.5. There is speed adjustment and a reverse course option on the remote.6. Take time to make sure each car of the train is exactly on the track or you'll hear a "clacking" sound.7. There isn't any smoke feature with this "Ready to Play" version of the train.8. Take a picture before you take it out of the box because it is REALLY annoying to remember how to put all of the track back into the box.