Lionel Polar Express Set

Steve, I would go with the Remote set, you can use all the cars you mentioned and you won't need the railsounds tender. You can check out the sets on our web site also. Charlie..

I would agree with Charlie, sound advice.

I agree with Charlie, go with the remote polar express set.   It comes with more play value and is completely compatible with the add-on cars.   Its an inexpensive way to get into command control allowing multiple trains on the same track without complexity, greater expense, or complex wiring.

I have both of the O gauge sets, and both are excellent.  The 'conventional' set has wire handrails on the locomotive, but no sounds apart from a whistle unless you purchase the extra tender. (I believe that the tender has Trainsounds rather than Railsounds.) If you want the 'All aboard' announcements you will need to buy the conductor coach.

The remote set has cast handrails, but in use it's not really noticeable unless you look for it. It also has great sounds, including Tom Hank's voice for the 'All aboard' and 'Tickets please' announcements. Additionally, the remote set can be run on a command control layout, on a conventionally controlled layout if you turn the voltage up, or on the DC power from the power adaptor supplied. (Basically, it will run on almost anything that you can throw at it.) The smoke on the remote set is really good too.

Finally, the remote set is quite a lot less expensive that the earlier conventional set, and you don't need to spend any more to get great sounds.

If I had the choice, I would certainly go for the remote set. 

Buy both!  

I don't have the remote set, but do have the conventional set (about 5 years old now). The one issue I think you may have with the remote set is that you said you wanted the conductor car. I don't see how that car's sounds would work with the remote, especially if you use the DC power pack that is included.

However, it sounds like (no pun intended) the remote set has the "Allll Aboard!" announcement already, so the conductor car may be redundant anyway. If that's the case, save some money and buy either the diner or the hot chocolate car instead of the conductor car.

Just to avoid disappointment, the hobo car's animation (the hobo disappearing) is manual. You flip the hobo under the roofline with your finger.

Hope this helps,

J White

Hi. If you wanted to run it using your regular AC transformer, just put the voltage up to maximum (Or close to it.) and the remote set will work just fine.  Unfortunately you can't run your other conventional locomotives using the power pack from the remote set, as this outputs 18V DC.

Thought I'd mention my experience here. Just before Christmas, another thread (or perhaps a few) discussed the pricing & merits of the remote LionChief PE set. I succumbed to one of those ridiculous pricing incentives run on Amazon and picked one up for something like $145--incredible, actually. The delivery (which I recall may have been as early as next day, even though I didn't ask for it) and holiday wrapping were first rate. It was a tremendous buying experience.

Anyhow, I bought the set even though at the time there were a lot of unfavorable reviews of the product on Amazon's website. (In fact, for a time Amazon suspended sales of the set due to the number of returns and complaints.) I was hoping to be one of the lucky ones, and initially I was: my set ran flawlessly; the family and many a visitor were enthralled with it. The quality seemed great for the price point, the sounds were fantastic, and (like the other LionChief sets we own such as Thomas and the Silver Bell Express) ran well.  Then a couple of the common complaints happened to me.

Suddenly, no sound. No chuffing, voice-over, whistle or bell. The train still runs, but not nearly as well--jackrabbit starts, really impossible to control. Many of the same complaints other reviewers had.

I still have it, and am deciding what to do. If I had this thing longer and it was out of warranty, I'd probably tinker with it myself, try figure out what goes wrong and attempt to fix it. But since it is only a couple of months old, I don't have the patience or inclination for that.  I'll probably return it for a refund and see if Lionel releases an improved version at a later date. My advice would be to proceed with caution regarding this product and be aware of what your return & service privileges are.

There are about 143 ratings on the Amazon website of the Lion Chief version.  16 one star, and 80+ five star.  Figuring that some of the one stars are a combination of shipping damage, end user confusion and bad luck, I think your chances, especially if you have a local dealer, should be reasonable.

While I can't speak for anyone else, I purchased my set via Amazon, (for quicker shipping rather than any price considerations,) and even after a transatlantic journey to get here, it arrived in perfect condition. The set has also performed flawlessly in the 3 months that I have had it. This included running for several hours a day on my christmas layout. The only advice that I would offer is that you take reasonable care when connecting and disconnecting the tender, so as not to damage the electrical connection. 

Steve, I haven't heard of any additional Lionchief Plus releases other than those already announced. It would be cool if the PE would be released in this latest incarnation of LC. Then you could run conventionally as well and enjoy some other new functions.

Again, I have been extremely pleased with the Thomas and Silver Bell Express LC sets, so I don't think you really need to be particularly fearful of them.

As Landsteiner mentioned, the prevalence of positive reviews on Amazon for the PE set would suggest the odds are in your favor. (They were when I first ordered, too, but the ratio seems even better now.) My product was packaged well and didn't have any obvious shipping damage.

As Nicole mentioned, I would second her advice and practice care handling the tender/loco connection if you happen to buy one.  It is an obvious point of vulnerability to careless or merely inattentive treatment. Perhaps this might be one reason why the Thomas set is so bulletproof--he does not require a tender.