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Posted - November 18 2015 : 6:50:26 PM
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Hello All! My 6 year old is in love with the Polar Express. I'm hesitant to purchase the O scale Lion Chief set after reading numerous negative reviews on Amazon. Anyone here have the Lionel Polar Express and have any positive / negative experience to share that might help my purchasing decision. Any help is appreciated! Thanks!
ArtSkull.com: Graphic Design & Illustration
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Posted - November 18 2015 : 9:50:14 PM
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Artskull, I work doing repairs on trains part time. Most of the Polar Express problems tend to be the tenders losing sound. But those are the older ones. Quite frankly, other than the tenders, we haven't seen many engine problems with them at all. But that board IS expensive to replace if it goes out ! I know we replaced 3-4 tenders last year under warranty, they were dropping like flies for awhile. But the engine seems to be OK. The latest is the 10th Anniversary edition of the Polar Express, came out last year. it's $100 more than the older ones, it has more bells and whistles and you can get extra cars for it. Not sure how the longevity will be with these, it's supposedly a nicer engine and more details. I haven't compared the two side by side. I have a Lionel Polar express myself, I got it at an auction maybe 4-5 years ago, but I haven't run it other than testing it at the shop last year, it had a bent side rod which I fixed, and I ran it around the test track making sure the sounds all worked. So I'm not much help to you there on experienced longevity with it. But if you like it, get one from a reputable dealer so it will have a warranty with it. By reputable, I mean they are a Certified Lionel shop. You may pay a bit more, but they will honor the warranty if you keep the receipt. That would be the smart way to go.
Jerry in VA, part-time Train tech.
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waw47
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Posted - November 18 2015 : 10:00:37 PM
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Lionel Dealers with good prices: Charles Ro, Nicholas Smith, Trainland/Trainworld, Warehouse Trains etc.
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Posted - November 19 2015 : 3:13:41 PM
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Jerry & waw47 - Thank you for the information. I'll be sure to pick up 10th anniversary Polar Express from reputable, certified Lionel dealer in case of warranty issues. As always, the knowledge shared here is priceless!
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Posted - November 21 2015 : 08:22:39 AM
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One other thing of mention on ANY of these....until recently, most of the sound/control boards inside do not have much fuse protection. Moving the engine or tender side to side on the track and causing a short will defnitely be a likely cause of failure if done enough. I can NOT stress enough , do NOT have power on and put the engine/tender on the track. It can blow up the <expensive> board(s) inside! I think MTH has recently redesigned their control boards to have fuses which heal. It's an old technology, been around awhile, and I'm surprised that they ( the manufacturers ) haven't used it before. But anyway, most older sound and remote control O gauge trains don't offer much protection against shorts, so always cut power to the track when putting the power unit and tender on, otherwise you risk damage to the sensitive electronic components inside. Even the newer P3 sound and control units don't have protection, I blew up a couple last year installing them and had a quick track short, and Poof! , gone. Luckily they were prototypes given to us to install, and got replaced under warranty. Whew! Older Lionel engines with standard wiring have no issues, but these modern sound and remote units are touchy , sad to say. Just be careful and keep power off when railing them.
Jerry
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Posted - November 21 2015 : 09:03:09 AM
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Would a derailment be equally dangerous to the circuits, then?
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Posted - July 08 2016 : 2:34:10 PM
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Lionel has just announced an HO scale Polar Express. It runs with Lionchief, DCC, or DC.
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Posted - July 09 2016 : 12:21:59 AM
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quote:Would a derailment be equally dangerous to the circuits, then?
Originally posted by scsshaggy - November 21 2015 : 09:03:09 AM
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Yes, that can have a bad ending, if you're running near full power. The lower the power, the less danger to the electronics, but it usually takes 10-12 to get the engine even moving, so that could be enough if it stays shorted. ALWAYS shut down power quickly if it derails, don't leave it on and try to put it back on the track with power still applied. This is one of the weaknesses of the newer remote control technology, in all gauges, the manufacturers just don't design in any voltage safety protection.
Jerry
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