The set features a red and green fantasy theme, two operating cars, a work caboose with sleigh-bound Santa, as well as enough track for a 41- by 61-inch layout (including terminal and uncoupling track), and a 120-watt transformer.
The locomotive is a re-working of the venerable Marx no. 666 steamer. We’ve seen this steamer many times before, and K-Line has, over the years, crafted it into a consistent and reliable performer with a can-style motor and a smoke unit.
The locomotive and tender measure 18 inches coupler-to-coupler. The boiler and cab are die-cast metal, and the tender has a plastic shell. In keeping with the Christmas theme, the tender has white coal (it made me think of cottage cheese!). There are operating lights on the locomotive and tender. Cab detail is pretty austere.
The tender houses a holiday sound system. When you hit a transformer whistle button, the tender will cycle through a short list of Christmas carols. An on/off switch is on the bottom of the tender.
The smoke unit is satisfactory, but it doesn’t generate a torrent of fumes like those with motorized fans.
There is an on/off switch for the smoke unit beneath the locomotive, and there is a wired tether receptacle beneath the cab, but no connecting wire is provided or apparently needed for the tender. Both locomotive and tender have their own power pickup rollers.
During our testing, the locomotive ran quietly and smoothly in all speed ranges. Our low-end average was 14.7 scale mph, while the high-end was 91.5 scale mph.
Two traction tires helped the 3-pound 14-ounce locomotive attain a drawbar pull of 1 pound 9 ounces.
I’d give the rolling stock two thumbs up for originality. The “Mistletoe March” operating parade car is a nice re-working of the “Saddam” and “Bin Laden” cars that K-Line rushed to market in 2003. The background of Afghan mountains and Iraqi mosques is gone, replaced by a nice silhouette of a city in winter.
The cruise missiles and political figures of the Afghan and Iraqi cars are replaced by a fireman, a policeman, a snowman, a nutcracker, a row of gingerbread men, and a guy who looks like a refugee from the Vienna Boy’s Choir (in a red and green suit). When the car rolls down the railway, this little parade goes into orbit, moving continuously around your layout.
Three of the figures on our sample car came off their supports, so for testing we had only a cop, a fireman, and the Vienna choirboy running in circles. Should this happen to you, a dab of Superglue should fix the problem.
The Christmas candy cane dump car is another action rig. The car has a load of plastic candy canes and a dump tray. Don’t be tempted to eat one of the canes, however, because they aren’t the real thing. K-Line also tosses in an activator track section so you can begin flipping candy on Christmas morning!
The transfer or work caboose features Santa in a sleigh, and it is a nice way to wrap up the set. The look is “Santa on a flatbed truck,” which is right in keeping with a holiday parade theme.
The track power lock-on and activator section worked as expected, and the sections of track mated snugly. We noted no gaps in the flow of power.
The 120-volt Power Chief transformer, the background technology of which was the subject of recent litigation between Lionel and K-Line, did a great job of providing power to run the train. It’s a good starting point and won’t be outgrown quickly, like smaller transformers in other starter sets.
K-Line’s new Christmas set has plenty of color, whimsy, and good operating characteristics. If you’re looking to add a splash under the Christmas tree this year, head for your K-Line retailer.
