Hogwarts set...reviews, opinions?

Pat,

 

Here is a link to a YouTube video of the train.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...feature=results_main

 

Keep an eye out on Amazon for I think it was last year, might of been the prior year that around Christmas they had it for $159 plus free standard shipping.  I believe Sears also had a great deal on them.  Not sure if supply still allows for that type of pricing.  It is a neat set and the engine is heavy.  The passenger cars are similar to that of the Polar Express, or starter set quality.  The do have 3 add-on cars for the set, a 2-pack and and new individual within the last year or so.  

 

Depending on her level of interest, I like the set.  I am more into scale, but for the kids and the holidays it provides fun.  It comes with transformer and fast track so it will be elevated off the carpet enough I think.  We have had no issues with it.

 

Best of luck.

 

David

In line with what CH said, the Hogwarts loco needs O36 diameter track, such as supplied with the set, as an absolute minimum. The lead truck will not stay on the rails at all at O31.

 

My experience was that the whole set would do O36 at medium speeds, but much preferred O42.

 

Jim

I don't have the set but I believe it is comparable to the Polar Express starter set.  Here are a couple of things that might be helpful...

 

The track is FasTrack and the curve diameter is O36 not O31.  This may seem like nit-picking but the extra 5 inches does make the cars and engine track better.  Everyone has different tastes as to speed but I haven't had derailment problems with the Polar Express but I don't tend to run the train at max speed, either.  The Hogwarts cars may track differently but you can add weight which should solve the problem.

 

As CH mentioned, shop around for the set.  I'd check online but also at places that advertise in OGR.  If you don't see the set listed, call.  I found a PE scale tender by calling the major advertisers and asking for it.

 

I hope this helps...

I'd go with the MTH starter set without question.   I loved (and my kids loved) every one of the HP movies, but the quality and functionality of the MTH RTR sets are hard to beat.  The remote is slick, and you get access to most of the PS2/PS3 functionality.  This is especially nice around the tree where you can set it to lazy, 10MPH passes and basically forget about it.  

 

For reference, I have the Lionel Polar Express starter set and it is very similar to the HP set function-wise.  It doesn't get used much since DCS made it's appearance.  

 

Just my opinion, FWIW.

It's a good set, run it on the 036 Fastrack it comes with, anything smaller will cause the derailments spoken of . Covering one of the whistle ports will make a better sound.

 

BUT: the main (and only) reason to buy it is because your daughter would like one.

Got one when they first came out. Yes the cars are light but I've had no problem with them. I have run it at Glancy train shows and at home with no problems at all. it's a fun set to own if your a H.P. fan and the kids love it....Jim

Loco can not handle anything tighter than O-36.  Engine is a nice quiet runner.  Cars are light weight but I've never had any trouble with them tracking on larger diameter curves.  The wider the radius, the better the set looks and runs.

I got 4 sets when they were on sale at Trainworld a couple of years back. 1 set left as Hogwarts, gave one away for a present, and other 2 I repainted.

 

The track it comes with the train strugles to go around. I think it is really to tight for the loco and the lead truck wheels rub going around the curves.

 

It all works a far lot better and looks good on wider radius track.

 

Depending on who the train set is for you might find the Lionel Thomas set with the remote control better if you have kids visit!

 

The polar express set is nice and tracks well. Have no trouble with either train for staying on the track as long as the track is level.

 

Or the Bachmann Steamers are really nice as well and look a little better on there track.

 

Not a fan of Fastrak it is a bit noisy and other problems I have had with frequent setup take down loose pins poor contact and tabs get loose that hold track together.

 

Here are my repaints engines look and run great on the wide track. Gordon and Henry from Thomas series.

 

 

Hi Pat

 

We have two in our club, its a fine loco for the money, the tender is light so some ballast is a good idea, the passenger cars are really nice, all in all you get a lot for your money

 

As far as the whistle is concerned I would leave the original Lionel steam unit as is, I have the British whistle and although it is correct for a GWR engine I prefer the one out of the box.

 

I haven't had any derailment problems , as previously stated 036 minimum for this engine

 

I do also have the Thomas set, a nice toy for very young children but IMHO the potter train is a better buy, I think it well outlast the Thomas set.

The Great Western (GWR) version is excellent.  Locomotive has plenty of weight and the whistle is pure GWR.  Tender is a little oversize, but the price is right.  I use it to pull my Hornby lithographed coaches which match quite well.

 

Lew Schneider

I would go ahead and get her the Harry Potter set. It's a good set I have two of them but more importantly it is a train she has a connection to. The Pennsy has been gone since 1968, years before she was born. If you want to get her something to share your hobby with you I would start her with a set that she has an interest in.

I have a Potter set (2 in fact) and a MTH 4-6-0 starter set. Both well worth the money. I bought the 2nd Potter set to add cars to my first and repaint the 2nd loco for a freight train to run with Potter. I got both Potter set via Amazon at blow out prices.....so keep an eye out....at times they go in minutes.

I have the Potter set, and it runs fine on the O36 FasTrack it comes with. If your daughter likes the Potter, why buy anything else? One thing to get used to...the power "ramps-up" when you start the train, so you can't do a wheel-spinning "jump start".

I Pre-orderd this set when it was first shown. Had to as it was a British Lionel loco!

 It runs very smoothly but is better on wider curves. Kids love it. Just watch the detail

parts on the tender with very young kiddies.

 

 Lionel missed a trick not getting this into Hamleys toy shop in London, when the last movies were premiered. Blows Hornby's OO gauge version into the weeds. Air Whistle can be swapped out for correct sounding electronic version if it really offends.

 

Nick

 

 

I have the HP and the PE.  The HP smokes great, the PE doesn't smoke worth crap.  The fastrack it comes with is a little tight as mentioned.  Unfortunately, there's not many add ons for this set.  No figures, castle, or much in the way of cars.  I'm not sure you could pull more than the 3 cars around the track provided.

That's were Lego come to play...they are a good match with O gauge train..and they do offer lots of choice.

As everyone else mentioned, this set is very good..the engine alone is worth the set price..my only complain is that the cars ride too high and that the cars trucks should be diecast to offer more weight.

@kj356...superb job on the repainting of the engine..

 

i bought a polly pocket castle.  my 10 year old went nuts.

Have the set. Never ran it on 036--it made its maiden run on 072. Engine is smooth and quiet, as is the cars.

 

I've since added the three add-on cars and another three from a broken-up set. I have complete confidence that the HP loco will pull 9 Hogwarts' coaches (even considering how wimpy the loco's motor looks with the shell off) as they are lightweight and fairly free-rolling.

 

---PCJ

Gave one to my nephew for his b'day and he is getting the Dementor car (from Nassau Hobbies) for Christmas. My sister told me that it was the best present that he has ever received.

I gave one to my niece's 6-year-old daughter last Christmas, after setting it up and running it for a while at my place to be sure everything was OK. It is a nice looking set, runs fine but the tender and cars are a bit lightweight and flimsy for very young children to play with by themselves. I also found a problem that I had somehow missed when I test ran it - I forget the details but something was unscrewing itself and I needed a #1 Philips and a Swiss file to fix it. Of course this was Christmas eve and my nephew-in-law, the kid's father, isn't real big on tools (guess what he's getting for Christmas this year!) Anyhow I finally got it sorted out and all the assorted kids (2 nieces, 2 kids each) loved it, so all's well that ends well. 

 

The Hogwarts is, in my opinion, a better looking train than most starter sets. I paid something like $225 for mine, which was a great deal at the time I bought it. I understand you can get it cheaper now. At what I paid it was excellent value; anything under that is gravy. 

 

For anyone who's giving it to little kids, or to a family that isn't mechanically inclined, I'd be sure to give it a VERY thorough checkout before giving it - don't just wrap the sealed box. For Pat Kelly, who started this thread - the recipient is a teenage Harry Potter fan, it's a nice train and great value for money. I'd go ahead and do it, and just deal with any problems as they arise.