Review: Thomas with Annie & Clarabel

Written on May 19, 2010 by RuthJS and filed under Bachmann, Reviews

Bachmann, a name synonymous with model train heaven, has caught the attention of many small enthusiasts with their Deluxe Thomas with Annie & Clarabel. Part of their Big Haulers line, we reviewed the large scale Thomas with Annie & Clarabel. After several hours of use, we recommend this train as a fun collectible for a more mature model railroader, but not as a toy for small children, no matter how much you may be tempted.

Overview

The Deluxe Thomas with Annie & Clarabel looks just like the train used in the Thomas and Friends TV show and videos.  Look at him, and you are instantly transported to the Island of Sodor, waiting for Sir Topham Hat to come around and send the little engine on a “special delivery.” That said, I absolutely do not recommend letting any very young children touch, much less play with the train.  Based on working with the model, Bachmann’s recommended age of 8+ should be taken very seriously. But, more on that later.

Things to note about the train:

• The track is 5’4″ x 4’3″, so it takes a substantial amount of space
• Thomas is about 16.5″ l x 7.5″ h x 4″w
• Annie and Clarabel are each about 16.5″ l x 5.5″ h x 4″ w
• The carriage roofs lift off, revealing storage and transport space roomy enough for blocks, Legos, Hexbug Nanos, stuffed toys . . .
• Thomas’ eyes move which freaks out dogs but delights children
• The train is compatible with other Bachmann large scale trains and track
• The track and train pieces fit easily and securely back into the box for storage

The train comes with the following pieces:

• Thomas, Annie and Clarabel
• 12 pieces of metal curved track
• 2 pieces of metal straight track
• track clips (to hold the pieces together)
• a wall power pack with plug in wire
• track power connector/electrical terminal clip
• speed controller
• loop to knuckle coupler conversion piece (to connect Thomas with other large scale Bachmann trains)
• spare loop couplers with springs and assembly screws
• Big Haulers instruction DVD
• written instruction book

Out of the Box

There is a lot to love about Thomas with moving eyes pulling his coaches full of Legos from station to station. However, after playing with the train, there are some serious considerations if you want to avoid confusion and delay.

Setup

Since the train is intended for children 8 and up, I handed the box to my 8-year-0ld train enthusiast son and stepped back to watch.  After about 2 seconds, I received a plea for help with extracting the large scale train from it’s large scale box (the box measures about 19″x32.5″).  After we got the package open and the Styrofoam insert out, my son was off to the races.  He had built the track and had the train running in less than 20 minutes.

The track was relatively easy to assemble, and the clips hold the pieces securely in place.

The train was easy to align on the tracks, and the couplings were very simple to manipulate both to connect and disconnect the cars and the engine.

Even the power supply setup was very straightforward and required only a quick look at the instructions to verify that things were properly connected before we turned the power on.

Instructions

The written instruction materials are adequate, though I personally found them light on help since this was my first time setting up a Bachmann large scale train. Still, they were written in language that my 8-year-old could figure out when he needed to. I found the DVD to be cheesy but more helpful when it came to setup and troubleshooting, and I’d highly recommend watching it if you are a large scale novice, even if you have experience with other scale trains.

Durability

The engine and the coaches stood up to recreations of some of my son’s favorite scenes from the PBS TV series and videos. Falling Lego trees and crashing through paper “snow,” didn’t seem to leave Thomas any worse for the wear. He continued to run smoothly, even at high speeds, and didn’t derail during the whole first hour of constant play.

However, we did discover the hard way that any metal (be it a wedding ring or track) that touched the roof of the coaches left a serious mark that didn’t rub off.  So, Annie and Clarabel started showing signs of age after just a few minutes.

As for the track, well this is where the real issues lay. My son had friends come over one afternoon and the track was accidentally kicked.  It was no more abuse than the track would have received having been put together and taken apart several times, but suddenly, two of the pieces didn’t fit together quite right which clearly threw off the entire system, and from that time, Thomas has been off the rails repeatedly.

Furthermore, after having set up the train and taken it down just twice, several track pieces don’t fit properly together and appear to be bent causing all kinds of running problems.  Additionally, the metal rails “slide” over the plastic ties causing the connections to become uneven so the pieces won’t fit properly to form a continuous current.  In order to resume operation, we had to find the gap and slide the rails back into their proper position.  On some pieces this was much easier said than done and took some manipulation.

In their defense, Bachmann’s instructional DVD which setup and troubleshooting tips. The problem is that the care and maintenance is geared toward a more mature train enthusiast even though this is a Thomas train. Frankly, the delicate track is a major disappointment from a train that started off so smooth and retails for over $300. I would imagine that the track would hold up better if it were secured to a table and not moved or if it were not used by any small children.

Play/Use

Thomas with Annie & Clarabel was very easy to run. The speed dial is straightforward and well labeled.  The train ran smoothly when the tracks were connected well.  It’s also worth noting that this is a relatively quiet train.  In fact, even on the wood floor, it was significantly quieter than my son’s Lionel, and we could easily carry on a conversation without shouting.

Probably one of the most fun features of this train is that the coaches are very roomy and can hold many Legos, cars, blocks and Hexbug Nanos as they speed from station to station.

A Word About Purchasing

Price Differences — when we received the Deluxe Thomas with Annie & Clarabel, we were told that the list price was $299.  However, after a quick Internet search, we found prices ranging from $180 to a whopping $395 on the official Bachmann web site (and, yes, we did match the product IDs to make sure we were comparing apples to apples). So, as with any toys, the take home message is to shop around before you buy.

Age Recommendations — because it’s Thomas, Annie and Clarabel, you might be tempted to purchase this cute train for a small child or toddler. We strongly recommend that you do not give in to that impulse! This is a hobbyist train and will quickly be destroyed by anyone too young to treat it with the respect that it requires.  While it may be a good train for around a Christmas tree, it should not be operated by young children.  Take Bachmann’s 8+ age recommendation seriously, or you run the risk breaking a very expensive investment piece.

In a Nutshell

Things we liked:

• Speed – Thomas is fast and runs smoothly at top speed
• Relatively quiet, even on hard wood
• Coaches roofs lift off to store and transport toys
• Thomas’ eyes move as he rolls
• Train itself is durable and stood up to minor crashes, speed, a cow on the line and several excited children
• Power box is easy to hook up and operate, even for an 8-year-old

Things we didn’t like:

• Track is easily bent, even when using great care
• The finish on the coach roofs marked easily after being set on the tracks during a cargo changeover
• List price anywhere from $300 to $395, though found as low as $180
• Despite the fact that it is Thomas, this is really a hobbyist train rather than a toy, which is confusing to small train lovers
  

So, while Thomas, Annie and Clarabel are adorable and have some fun features, as a “toy” they lose points for having track that just didn’t hold up to any type of play and for being priced so high.  In light of that, we give Bachmann’s Thomas and the girls:

2.5 out of 5 stars

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