Is This $59 Santa Express Train Set From WalMart Any Good?
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- čas přidán 11. 09. 2024
- The Santa Express train set from EZTEC, which I found at my local WalMart store, is a bargain at just $59... but is it any good?
In this model train video, I show you exactly what's included with this toy train set: a locomotive, a tender, a gift car, a snowman car, an ice skating car, a caboose, a light-up train station, 20 pieces of track, and 14 signs.
To compare the size of the locomotive to the gold standard of model trains, G scale, I put this locomotive next to a G-scale Thomas The Tank Engine locomotive... and this inexpensive locomotive is actually longer!
Overall, I rate this train set as a good value since it does sell for just $58 and actually does have some clever design features. Obviously, it is nowhere near the quality of a G scale model train set, but then again it sells for hundreds of dollars less.
Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommon...
Source: incompetech.com...
Artist: incompetech.com/
You need to be a narrator or something, your voice is the best.
Right lol!
If you could sell it I should have it right?😊
I grew up with my dad running trains, mainly at Christmas, and it was a wonderful bonding time I'll always cherish. He would teach my brother and I how to put the track together, run cables, put the train and cars on the track correctly, and then wow us with the magical smoking steam train. He would share his childhood memories with us and it always felt like I was inheriting prescious moments every year.
I had a son and his natural enthusiasm for trains established itself when he was one and a half. All he wanted was to watch trains, listen to trains, and play with trains. Not much has changed in two years. We have had many a visit to the Oklahoma Railway Museum and spent hours around trains, and models, of all sizes. It's been a wonderful thing to bond with my son.
We have been watching your videos for the past two years and I wanted to thank you for your videos inspiring hours of play, learning, and family time.
That's a great story! Thanks a lot for sharing that. Please say hello to your son for me, and assure him that I have many more model train videos to come.
Did you know that I LOVE TRAINS!?
The three short pieces of Christmas music that are playing as the EZTEC Walmart Santa Express Christmas steam tender locomotive #1225 pulling a gift car, a snowman in a snow globe car, a light-up ice skating car with the twirling ice skater and a light up caboose at the end goes around the layout are Jingle Bells, We Wish You A Merry Christmas and Joy To The World!
That seems like a cool train set
if you take a closer look at the locomotive, it has the number 1225 and it's in similar size and shape to that of the Polar Express. so with just a bit of work (and maybe removing it's soundboard and replacing it with one from a busted Lionel one) you could have a DIY polar Express (maybe make it similar to that of the lionel version by adding extra driving wheels and what not).
Also I’m pretty sure the train in the video runs on G scale track.
it does, he had another video running his other train on the g scale train track
The train is very nice but I don't have money to buy it but just seeing it makes me happy I also have a train but it is simple that I play with this every Christmas I hope this positive comment gives me a love
I really like this, I'm going to Walmart tomorrow so I'll see if I can find it.
Just wanted to let you know that my 3 yr old autistic son ran across one of your videos and has been in love with trains ever since! I cannot wait until we get him his first track!
Please say hello to him for me! Let him know that many more model train videos will be coming along.
I got my trains in 1956. 👍👍
Based on your recommendation I bought the train set and will be picking it up today at my local Wal-Mart! I'm going to have it travel around my Christmas tree! My grandkids will love it!
A few hours later my order was canceled due to high demand! I’m disappointed. Oh well...
@@nancydooley9483 there should be some for sale by now
Playing music is connected to many of my own videos. For example, in my very first video in which my 00 gauge Santa Express Steam Train is running, you will hear a Mariah Carey Song playing on my music deck. I used my laptop for my first video, so the song isn't heard so clearly. But if you listen carefully, you will be able to make out the lyrics of "All I want for Christmas is You". You picked up a very good bargain. The music you played was Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy, from The Nutcracker Suite, which was used in the Disney Story Fantasia. Merry Christmas.
The Locomotive strongly resembles the Lionel 2-4-2 ‘Scout’ steam locomotive.
I think they may have copied the design except for the connecting rods and pistons
Oooo I love that Jim I’m getting Lionel Percy that’s from 2014
Nice! Those can be rare! I never have seen one!
At the 1:18 point of the video, Jim Zim has the EZTEC Santa Express Christmas steam locomotive #1225 from the EZTEC Santa Express Christmas train set from Walmart next to the G scale DCC version of Thomas the #1 Blue 0-6-0 E2 Tank Engine from Thomas and Friends manufactured by Bachmann!
It looks like Thomas the #1 Blue 0-6-0 E2 Tank Engine from Thomas and Friends manufactured by Bachmann is looking at the Santa Express Christmas steam locomotive #1225 from the EZTEC Santa Express Christmas train set from Walmart!
The Santa Express Christmas steam locomotive has a road number of 1225, the same number on Pere Marquette which is the real life Polar Express steam locomotive!
for people who want to get into G scale, this train is appropriate as a starter set compared to spending 500$ on an official g scale
My son loves trains and it’s really cool to see other peoople show their own love towards trains.
To be honest, I've never been a fan of these cheap Christmas train sets simply for the fact they tend to sit most of the time and just don't
last. A couple years back a friend of mine went out and purchased a set just like this to put under the tree, then it sat in the attic till the following year. Next Christmas he got it out again and it worked for a couple evenings until it just stopped. Turns out the gears on the main drive had split. Worst part is he went out and bought one of their $28 sets next Christmas. They must have cheapened these up some more as I recall they came with a remote that you could control the train with as well. Personally, I'd steer away from these sets, as you can pick up an actual G scale set in good used condition for around $100 depending on the manufacture. That's just my opinion though.
I got this train set before my.local Walmart put them away for the season my grandson really likes this train set
very nice , just sent a dis frozen train to my grand daughter MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU AND YOURS
Caillou's new voice.
your home is so tasteful.
In 2021, Walmart brought back this set with two new light-up cars and no caboose similar to the Happy Holiday Express
I got one to. I bought it in Walmart at three months ago
I have the same set but it's from 2021 and it has a gondola and a box car with lights
Cool Christmas train.
i didnt even know these types of this set existed, i have the regular one christmas version of this set, the tpe i have is called the black canyon express and i should get one of these one day
Put the $28 Christmas train next to this one!
I don't keep these inexpensive battery-operated toy train sets after I make a video about them. After the video has been made, I give the train set away to a niece or nephew or neighbor kid. I'm spoiled by the much higher quality of the expensive G scale trains in my collection, so the cheapo trains just aren't worth keeping around. So, I no longer have either the $59 or the $28 set.
It’s funny the locomotive’s number is 1225 it’s also the number of the polar express train
Lol at 1:19 it look Thomas is looking at the train
I used to have that back in 2018! Just without the gondola and spinning snowman car.
Your really good at this train stuff Jim.
Thanks to your video I went toy local wwalmart and bought one
Hey Bro I got my nephew that same train set for Christmas last year.
Its a great train set I got this set last year for Christmas
Great review and quite interesting to this viewer.
Hello and happy holidays to you. I enjoyed your video. I have a couple questions. The first is if you have instructions you'd be willing to share as mine didn't come with them. And secondly, how do you turn on the ice skater car. Mine doesn't have a visible power button. Thank you. Take care
Sorry... I'm afraid that I no longer own this train set. I made this video quite a long time ago and after completing it, passed the train set on to someone else.
That's a nice cute And cheap layout, but I'm sure my g scale Thomas will be our Christmas train this year
Great Video, Man! Nice seeing you do videos like these again!
This train shares the same model with the EZ tec black canyon express
I had the Silverado Express version of that set, it ALWAYS derrailed, and i dint know why.
Thanks Jim just order online after looking at so many trains.
In this video, I see the two White Pass and Yukon Route Railway ALCO diesel locomotives from LGB on the shelves where you store your collection of G scale model trains in the garage of the house in Washington state when you are not running them.
One of them is #107, and the other is #106.
You, Jim Zim, previously got the second working model of the White Pass and Yukon Route Railway ALCO diesel locomotive #106, when the defective White Pass and Yukon Route Railway ALCO diesel locomotive #107's sound card that is built into it, that produces the realistic train sounds, is all messed up and made that ticking sound.
You were at the local Walmart store in Washington state to buy some Christmas lights to decorate the exterior of the house in Washington state, and on the shelf are two different Christmas train sets made by EZTEC; there's a much smaller one that sells for just $29, but what really caught your eye is a larger set that sells for $59.
Now when we say larger, we meant that not only did the Santa Express Christmas train set comes with more pieces, but also the trains themselves are much more bigger and longer, not that much different from the G scale model trains that you, Jim Zim, normally run at your house in Washington state!
You compare the steam locomotive of the $59 EZTEC Santa Express Christmas train set from Walmart with the G scale model train version of Thomas the Tank Engine from Bachmann that is equipped with DCC.
The 41 pieces of the $59 set comes with 14 signs, 12 curved track pieces, 8 straight track pieces, the steam locomotive, the tender, a gift car, a snowman in a snow globe car, a light-up ice skating car with the twirling ice skater, a caboose, and a light-up train station.
If you are going to buy this Christmas train set, be sure to also buy four C batteries for the steam locomotive, three AA batteries for the lights in the train station, and six AAA batteries for some of the rail cars.
You remembered reviewing a different inexpensive EZTEC holiday train set, which is the $28 G scale Happy Time Happy Holidays Express Christmas train set in 2018, which isn't quite as straight-forward as this one.
I noticed that the Santa Express Christmas train set has the number 1225 on the steam locomotive, it is the same number on the Lionel Polar Express passenger train set #1225 you reviewed previously in 2017 that UPS brought it to you.
In 2019, UPS notifies you that you have a shipment from Trainworld on their email.
And you looked at the envelope and see that instead of a receipt in the envelope, was a really nice letter from Ken Bianco Jr., whom you saw on TrainWorld's CZcams channel, which is called TrainWorldTV.
He sent you the Piko Clean Machine, the yellow battery operated track cleaning steam locomotive with a set of two little red abrasive pads as a gift for free.
This EZTEC Santa Express Christmas train set from Walmart has sound effects like the steam whistle, the bell, and the chugging sounds when it is in motion.
And it also plays short pieces of Christmas music as it goes around the layout.
The Christmas music that is playing are three Christmas songs. The Christmas songs are Jingle Bells, We Wish You A Merry Christmas, and I don't know what that last song is playing as the Santa Express Christmas train set is running on the layout, but I guess it's All I Want For Christmas Is You.
The song playing at the end of the video is Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies by Kevin MacLeod is kind of like from the Nutcracker Suite in Disney's Fantasia.
As always, I am Thomas Comeau and I will see your replies from you.
Oh JYI, you forgot to turn the lights on the caboose and the light-up ice skating car on the Santa Express Christmas train set by EZTEC and also to check the box to see whether or not if the Santa Express Christmas train set is going to be compatible with your G scale model trains in your collection before you put the Santa Express Christmas train set back in the box and send it off to young members in your family!
@Jacob Klunk Oh you're right, the last song as the EZTEC Santa Express Christmas train set goes around the layout is Joy To The World, not All I Want For Christmas Is You!
Sorry about that I messed up what the last song is playing as the EZTEC Santa Express Christmas train set that goes around the layout in this video.
Thanks for sharing this video it's great
just go with ready to play by lionel it’s better then “those”
yes, I know some people who have those.
I want this train so bad!
Hi Jim Zim
Jim Zim
453K subscribers My Mother never really likes going to Walmart that often, unless if she has too.
That is another version of the polar Express because it has the name plate from the movie.
That Christmas train looks awesome and I have The Ready To Play Polar Express train I got it from Toy's R Us and I got Disney Christmas Train on Christmas I saw the train at Disneyland and I got it before christmas
I would LOVE to have a bunch of G scale trains. But, the only ones I have are the Ready to Run Lionel Polar Express, and the Read to Run Lionel Hogwarts express. BTW, my FAVORITE one of your trains is that White Pass Steamer. It just looks SO AMAZING!
the only G scale train I own and will be running is the Bear Loggers Express by New Bright.
COOL WOW oops caps
Hey You got the same train set as me cool
Did you see if it fits on your lgb tracks
There is another version of this that plays Santa Claus Is Coming To Town instead of Joy To The World.
Ooooooo l like a locomotive of the crhismas
Cool! I had guessed $59.99! 😍🚞
Are there anymore sets in the same guage
Hey jem I have the same locomotive but I have the 2012 model .
Excellent review!! Great product as well!
That's so cool
Splendid but is it compatible with G scale track?
Here is why model trains are expensive. I only have a wooden toy train
How do you turn on the ice ring Christmas tree
Hello we hope your well and keeping safe . My Grandson would love this But we do not have a wallmart here in the UK :(
Anyway my friend have a blessed week Love and Light Sarah and Glenn
What does the caboose do cant finger it might be broken
I think I made a mistake and didn't realize that to turn on the lights on the caboose there must have been a switch to flip. Only after I had completed the video did I realize that the caboose was supposed to light up and so was the Christmas tree on the train.
I couldn't get to get to get work at all
how do you turn the music off
Is the cab open or is it closed off?
What are the dimensions of if you wanna use wood underneath the track
How did you get the tree to light up after putting the batteries in?
I'm afraid that I don't remember. I made this video quite a long time ago and after completing it, passed the train set on to someone else. Sorry!
He doesn't need this amount of likes
In a good way
As in as of the time of me watching the likes are 666
For Walmart this is a good deal 59 dollars just couldn't pass this set up its s good set for the money
I think I’ll stick with the $29 train set
How do you get the tree on the skating cart toight up
Nice Train
JIM i got an HO-scale polar express any good to you please reply
I love trains!!!!!
Hi Jim, we're putting this train together, but can't figure out what to do the wires. Can you help me?
You don't need the wires. They were there to simply make the "try me" function work on the box... so that if you're in a retail store and see this box on the shelf, you can push the "try me" button and the train will light up and make sounds in the box. They serve no function at all once you remove the train from the box and set it up for operation.
buy a g gauge big boy and union pacific freight train pls for a video
Where do the C batteries go...mine come with no instructions
If you have that EXACT same model of train... flip the locomotive over and look on the underside for a Phillips-style screw. Unscrew that and open up the battery compartment. But if the train you have is only somewhat like the one in this video, not the EXACT same model, the batteries may go somewhere else completely. Depends on the particular model of train you got.
Puts you in the mood already. Thank you and well done. 🚦🚥🚂
Why does the track come with oval shape?????
HI Jim, after watching this video a commercial for Humana Insurance came on the tv. You sound a lot like him. Are you a voice-over actor? if not, you should be!
I was a radio announcer back in the 1970s and 1980s. That's really what I wanted to do with my life, but I couldn't make any money at it.
There's an old joke: what's the difference between a radio announcer and a pepperoni pizza? A pepperoni pizza can feed a family of four!
That was really true for me, so I had to get a "real job" and give up on radio. It turned out to be a very good thing for me and my family. But in my heart, I'm just an old radio guy.
@@JimZim Thanks for the reply. I figured with a voice like yours, you had to of at least considered it! haha. I love your channel. I am relatively new to model trains. I built an HO shelf system that goes around my family room. I really want to build a G scale in my yard next year. Thank you for the inspiration! take care
Hey quick question: love the video, but does the set come with a remote? I would think it would be harder to control without one, don't you?
Nope... it does not come with a remote. I think the idea is to just start it up and let it run.
@@JimZim that makes sense.
hi
I would love a nice quality small train set that makes real train noises to go around my Christmas tree. Any recommendations?
It's going to depend on how you define "real train noises". Basically, the more you spend, the more realistic the sound is going to be. I'm assuming you don't find the sound on the $59 Santa Express train set to be acceptable. I certainly don't for anything longer than running it a few times around the Christmas tree. It would get annoying quickly!
To get in to a train set with what I would consider acceptable, realistic train sounds... it would cost over $400. For example, listen to the sound quality of the set shown in this video: czcams.com/video/lrTNiDsH3t0/video.html
That's a $440 G scale train set, plus shipping and taxes, if you buy it from Trainworld.com
@@JimZim Thank you so much for your very helpful reply! It does not look like my local Walmart has any train sets. I was told about a hobby store in my city (London) in Canada I will call them tomorrow. (I did find an HO scale Christmas train set in my area for around $400.00.) I am not sure about the company. I was thinking that O scale may do the trick for me. I would love to add fun things to what I choo choo choose to get started with this year. Instead of taking the train home, why not get your own train! I will not be visiting my family (on Via Rail) due to Covid-19 this year. We have a store called Broughdale Hobby. See if you see something interesting there that you would recommend! The search continues!
@@JimZim I am also looking at HO and N scale since I do not have a large space and would love my trains to switch tracks via a relatively tight area!
@@JimZim The deed is done! After my little research, I found my train. It's a Lionel Pennsylvania Flyer ready-to-run electric 0-gauge set. It's gorgeous even if it's quiet! We are in love! (You are a bad influence on me! Lol!) I was all booked and ready to sail Anthem of the Seas (with my friend Jerry) from New Jersey, also thanks to you and your videos! Of course, our cruise was cancelled. You have spectacularly great taste!
Does It Fit On The G Scale Track!?!?!
I really wish I had thought to check that before I boxed the set back up and sent it off to a young family member!
@@JimZim These EzTec sets are compatible with normal G scale track. That's something I feel is a great advantage as it appeals to a wider market. Serious G scale modelers can buy these sets for their kids and it offers the opportunity for them to run these trains on their more elaborate G scale layouts. That's where Lionel screwed up when they re-gauged their Ready-to-Play line and made it no longer G scale compatible...
How well does it hold up to cat attacks? I stopped running my expensive trains because my cat kept knocking them off the track breaking some finer details. So I went to cheap sets like this.
Yes I have that train and it’s heavy duty
They done stole the tooling from Lionel’s 4-4-2 thats used in their starter sets
Jim Zim can that train set fit on G scale track
Nope.
Does this train fit on G scale track
If I had been smart, I would have checked that before I boxed the set back up and sent it off to one of the youngsters in my family! I really wish I had thought to check that.
It's a good train.
But I broke it
Are they compatible with LGB G scale?
I really wish I had thought to check that before I boxed this set back up and shipped it off to one of my young family members!
It’s Xander
I HAVE THE SET!!!!
Wow
Whhen i saw this video i went to Wal-Mart and brought this train set
BRO NUMBER’S 1225
Does your snowman car jam? Mine stops spinning sometimes which jams the wheels. Making the engine slip.
might need to put some silicon lube on the plastic gears