I need to confess that I like the Lionel Ready to Play sets!

I bought a remote-controlled Christmas train for 2018 that is similar to these trains. It ran well and looked good. They do not look too realistic, though.

Nothing wrong with liking those sets.  It takes alot of the guesswork out of buying trains.  

Thanks for this thread. I don't have any of these sets  but I really do love all trains and have found something fascinating about these sets, although I have only seen in catalogs. 

I had the thought that Lionel should use 027 tooling of classics for these as a way of planting the O gauge seed with non hobbiests, like post war Classics, but cheap battery power.  Or have they done this already? 

Couldn't agree more as I believe that is where most enthusiasts start!

The problem for me is forums like this one and seeing the high $ stuff leaves me wanting for more!!

I picked up the PE set for my nephew. He’s a little over 2 so I had to be realistic as far as what type of set to get. He loved the set and figured out the remote quickly. 

The only slight downside is the use of c batteries. They are a little pricey and generally sold in sets of 4. The locomotive needs 6, not sure how long they will last.

Bought several for Christmas presents a few years back. Unfortunately none of them lasted longer than 2 seasons. In other words broken after 45 days total usage. 

wmcwood posted:

I picked up the PE set for my nephew. He’s a little over 2 so I had to be realistic as far as what type of set to get. He loved the set and figured out the remote quickly. 

The only slight downside is the use of c batteries. They are a little pricey and generally sold in sets of 4. The locomotive needs 6, not sure how long they will last.

Some of those sets eat batteries - buy the bigger sleeves of Duracell batteries at Bj's or Costco. You can save a few dollars.

wmcwood posted:

I picked up the PE set for my nephew. He’s a little over 2 so I had to be realistic as far as what type of set to get. He loved the set and figured out the remote quickly. 

The only slight downside is the use of c batteries. They are a little pricey and generally sold in sets of 4. The locomotive needs 6, not sure how long they will last.

Surprising that "C" cells are still in existence.  You would think that makers of items that use them would have started phasing out products that require them, years ago.  

If you buy C cell batteries at Costco or BJ's they are quite a bit cheaper than many retail sources.

I was looking over the new catalog and all of these sets are $99, and I'd guess you can get them quite a bit cheaper. Pretty good play value even if they only last two Christmas seasons.  Even a Polar Express set is that price, which is surprising given the licensing costs.  May give one a try soon.

Note added:  Just checked Amazon.  Most sets rated 4 stars and available for $72-80 or so.

I bought the frosty set a few years ago on the cheep for the grandkids to beat up. They are fun sets for the price and mine has held up well to some significant abuse

...I too must confess, although I sometimes miss the speed control for my mainline.  The General Set is a lot of fun.

No problem …. confession is the first step - there's a 12 step program and meeting on Wednesday to help you deal with it.

This brings up an awkward question: When you buy a large, battery-powered locomotive, how long does it last?

Someone posted that it lasted two Christmas seasons, while another poster said that it held up a long time under heavy abuse from children?