Bachmann Trains - Empire Builder Ready To Run 68 Piece Electric Train Set - N Scale

I recently got back into model trains after I got summer off from college. I use N scale because it’s small enough for limited space in small rooms. I chose this set because it has a relatively big locomotive and a lot of cars for a good value. The track was very easy to put together. The 4-8-4 Northern locomotive included in this set can haul a lot of cars. The train is quite detailed for being little. I am having fun with it so far. I know the set has some critical complaints for derails and herky-jerky movement of the train, but those instances are likely due to the track being set up incorrectly. Before you run the locomotive, make sure that all the ends of the tracks are lined up correctly. Once you do that, the train runs very smoothly. Love this set, I’m going to have a lot of fun with it.

The train itself was fine. The track was miserable. The connection between the power and the track were none existant ant did not make a good connection. This train set could not be used as supplied. This set would never influence anyone to look at model trains as a hobby. I have built two layouts before ,one a TT guage and a HO guage. This is not sour grapes as I bought the set to see if I could handle the size as my hands are not what they used to be and neither are my eyes.

This is a great N scale set for those who want a large steam locomotive. The packaging was great, the whole thing held together well during shipping. The included EZ-Track was fairly simple to assemble, a few miss alignments but that's going to happen with any track. The rolling stock looks decent and rolls well. The locomotive itself is difficult to get on the track, but that's expected given that it's a 4-8-4. Once it was set up and rolling, it ran smooth and without issue. Everything is detailed, but not crazy detailed. That's the thing with Bachmann, most of the sets are good and everything works, but you're not going to lose yourself in the details. I think with a little weathering the locomotive and tender will look much more "real", along with the rolling stock. I think a lot of the issues people experience are from poor setup and tracking issues. If the front axle is not on the track (which is hard to tell as it's mostly hidden), it will derail a lot. If the rear isn't on the track (again, hard to see), it will derail. If the tender isn't on the track, it will derail. There's a lot of alignment needed to get the locomotive on the track and running right, but once that's done it runs great. Overall it's a solid set, and for the price you can't really beat it.

An excellent train set, very well detailed and at a reasonable price. Have had it about a month and have already put a few miles on it. Assembling the E-Z track is a little tricky, but it's very stable, doesn't come apart and looks good. When everything is in place, the locomotive is smooth running. I've added the N scale track pack and currently have two concentric ovals connected by the four switches from the track pack. So the 4-8-4 locomotive has to run over the swiches. Overall, a nice train, but a few problems, one pretty serious. The locomotive front four wheel pilot truck assembly is very loose and floppy and doesn't stay on track very well, especially thru the switches. The two axles have far too much play. Seems like the whole assembly needs some reengineering. Another problem is the couplers. The instructions state: "To couple the cars, gently push them together,.. The couplers will engage automatically." Not true, they don't engage. You must pinch them together with a long tweezers or pliers. And they come apart very easily. The supplied rapido couplers aren't much, if any, better. Another problem is the poor quality of the wire connectors and plugs. They are difficult to keep in place and difficult to make a good electrical contact. And they should be marked or color coded to show polarity. I've painted a white dot on each plug to keep the switches and trains going in the right direction. Overall, this is a very nice train. If you have only a straight oval with no switches, the pilot truck assembly problem shouldn't be much trouble. This is my first set and it's a great starter set.

Great train set to start the collection

I purchased this to go around the Christmas tree- and for that it's really good. It's simple to assemble, and (provided the connections are lined up carefully) functions reasonably well. Takes about 10 minutes from the box to functional. The large locomotive and longer cars do cause some issues though- I'll get to that later. I'm glad I went with N scale; the small size is perfect for our small tree. No complaints there. Were I to purchase a Bachmann kit for this purpose again though, I would buy one of the simpler kits. The large 4-8-4 locomotive that comes with the Empire Builder kit (and what drew me to it in the first place), just doesn't work that well. It's really too long and heavy for such a small, tight track. It frequently stalls and needs to be prodded to get it running again, and doesnt function at all at less than half-speed. I picked up a second hand Kato locomotive which works ten times better. (See video) I have to say, there's a wealth of additional track pieces, details and accouterments to purchase to give the setup more realism. I had a hoot building this display out with models from Woodland Scenics. My advice to a first timer would be to start with one of the more basic Bachmann kits *with a smaller, more modern locomotive* and upgrade from there.

Don't waste your money on this garbage. I have several HO scale trains and wanted to try an N scale so I bought this starter set. The EZ track is so bad I can't believe that Bachmann ever actually expected it to work. The re-railer does exactly the opposite, it derails the cars, the tender box on the steam locomotive has a poorly designed towing arm that comes un-hooked at every turn or hangs up when it pivots and derails the train, and the ez track will not connect evenly in four different places. The track is pre-built on to a plastic ballast so once the plastic base is flush and the connectors are inserted, there is no way to adjust if they didn't trim the rail properly, which they didn't, so the rails don't touch and there is no way to push them closer because of the plastic base already being flush. Last, they accidentally put a pick-up wheel on one of the rolling-stock cars I think, so it shorts out the track if it is put on. I called the "service assistance" number, but there is no technical assistance, only returns for broken parts. I would not even know which parts to begin returning, and I am fairly certain I would just get more poorly designed, low quality material. I have worked with this train all day and have not made it around the track even once. There went $160 bucks down the drain. Now I am wondering if all N-scale trains are this bad.

Track: The EZ-track is good. You need to be careful putting pieces together or you can miss a joiner connecting properly and it will cause derailments. Transformer: It transfers power to the track smoothly though you might wonder about that with the included locomotive. It's real shortcoming is it lacks an AC output that almost all other transformers and older Bachmann's used to provide. The AC output is needed for driving accessories like turnouts, so this is big miss on Backmann's part. Locomotive: It looks nice but it is a terrible runner. It needs to run at high speed to not stall. The front truck is easy to derail and if you want to keep running it you will do better taking it off. At a modest speed it will stall passing over the curved power/derailer track. Realistic n scale speed is not possible. Rolling Stock: Not bad. This set provides a nice variety and overall it looks very nice. The couplers that come installed look nice but are awful to work with. The only way to couple the cars is to lift one above it's neighbor and gently place it down to engage the couplers because there is no movable mechanism provided. Bachmann does provide a set of the old fashion rapido couplers for conversion. Rapido couplers work very well but they are somewhat out of style visually so there is a tradeoff in using them. Bachmann does make different couplers for other offerings, so it appears this starter set gets second rate couplers at a first rate price. Accessories: Telephone poles and signs are provided. I've included some pictures. This does get the part count inflated and you might find them useful. Then again you might not. While I did enjoy this set as an introduction to n scale model railroading I have since purchased items from other manufacturers and I can say wholeheartedly pass on this one and buy a Kato starter set. The quality difference is staggering.