Bachmann Trains
1400 East Erie Avenue
Philadelphia PA 19124
Price: $279
Website: www.bachmanntrains.com
Li’l Big Haulers “Fast Freight” train set (#90196); includes steam-outline locomotive, boxcar, gondola car, caboose, circle of track, power supply, speed controller, and instructions in three languages; four-wheel rolling stock; hook-and-loop couplers; instruction booklet; exploded drawing of engine
Pros: Attractively packaged; good instructions aimed at the beginner; limited lifetime warranty on locomotive mechanics; easy-to-operate couplers; robust, well-made rolling stock; few small parts to be broken off; vulnerable parts made of soft plastic; quiet, smooth-running locomotive; easy setup; excellent paint and graphics; open gondola and opening boxcar doors for maximum play value
Cons: No straight track provided; no lubricant or lubricating instructions provided; no front coupler on locomotive; track power clip a little difficult to attach to track
Our review set came attractively packaged in a display box, with all contents visible from the outside. The box has a handle on top for ease of transport and storage. Inside is a large foam tray that holds all of the set’s components. The box is sturdy and can be used to store the disassembled set.
The locomotive is a little tank engine. It resembles a full-size industrial engine closely enough that it might hold some interest for kitbashers. The engine has cylinders but no rods connecting them
to the wheels.
Mechanically, the engine is basic. Inside the power block is a motor and a plastic gear train to the rear axle. That’s it—no electronics, though the engine does have a directional LED headlight. Side rods transmit power to the front axle. All four wheels pick up power. The instruction booklet says to lubricate the engine after every 24 hours of use. However, there is no description of how this is to be accomplished, nor is any lubricant supplied. You are told to “contact your local hobby retailer for proper lubrication products and procedures.”
Overall, the engine is spartan, which is a good thing for little kids. Most detail is molded in, including some on the backhead. A coupler is supplied only on the rear of the engine. A front coupler would add more play value.
Three pieces of four-wheel rolling stock are provided with the set: a boxcar with opening doors, a large gondola car, and a caboose. Each is well proportioned and made of relatively heavy plastic. The wheels are also plastic. Hook-and-loop couplers are installed on the cars. Unlike traditional hook-and-loops, though, these have the hooks on the top of the coupler. The hooks are unsprung, relying on gravity to keep them in place. They couple automatically when two cars are pushed together and can be easily uncoupled by pushing up on the pins that extend down from the hooks.
As with the engine, the cars feature mostly molded in details. This includes grab irons, brake detail, and underbody details. Having these parts represented is important and adds interest to the pieces. The train as a whole is brightly painted but not garishly so. The engine, particularly, looks good in its dark green, silver, black, and red livery.
The caboose has handrails and brakewheels in the proper places. These are made of a softer plastic that will withstand handling and bumps by young railroaders. The caboose has a red body and black undercarriage, roof, and cupola. The cupola has windows only in the sides, not in the ends. While this looks odd to the experienced hobbyist, a child will likely not notice.
The power supply and speed/direction controller are two separate units. The power supply is of the “wall wart” variety, and plugs directly into an outlet. It puts out 16V DC at one amp—more than enough to power this train. A cord approximately seven feet long connects to the speed/direction controller. This is a small box with a speed-control knob and a direction switch on it. On one side is a jack for the power supply from the wall and another for the cord to the rails. These are different sizes to avoid confusion, even for the electrically uninitiated.
Power to the track is supplied through a separate cord, one end of which plugs into the speed controller and the other end into a special clip that attached directly to the rails. The latter can be attached anywhere the user sees fit. I found the track clip a little difficult to attach. I had to apply considerable pressure on one side to get the clip connection on the opposite to engage properly. While this is not necessarily bad, I think that the procedure could have been explained a little better in the instructions. Once in place, the clip was quite secure.
The track supplied—a dozen curved sections forming a nominal four-foot-diameter circle—is Bachmann’s old track, made of formed sheet-metal rails attached to a plastic tie base. While the track supplied is not suitable for permanent outdoor use, it is relatively strong and is fine for its intended purpose. Care must be taken when assembling it not to damage the mating ends.
There was no straight track supplied with the set. Two or four pieces would increase the play value. As supplied, the train can do no more than travel in a circle. As a garden railroader, I would like to have seen mention of the option of running the train outdoors and the existence of garden railways in the instructions.
With care, the track sections snapped together positively and securely. As an added precaution, clips are provided that further connect one section to the next, should the user wish to use them. I set the circle up in five minutes or less, put the train on the track, hooked up the electrics, and turned it on. The train moved off smoothly and quietly. Top speed was fairly brisk but nowhere near fast enough for the train to fly off the track. Slow-speed operation was outstanding, not that any little kid ever ran his train slowly.
I noticed that, when I turned the control knob past the click to “off,” it actually took a second for the power to be entirely shut off. I gather this is just built into the electronics of the controller. It shouldn’t cause any problems.
This is a fine set and a good entry point into our hobby. It’s enough like a real train to satisfy most kids yet it’s toylike enough to stand up to quite a bit of abuse. In operation, it is all that one could hope for in a starter set. Everything you need to get going is in the box. From box opening to train running should be no more than 15 minutes, including reading the instruction booklet. For more experienced hobbyists, there’s even kitbashing potential.
