Lionel Polar Express Train Set

Product description from Amazon: Now you can own the ever popular Lionel Polar Express train. Painstakingly designed to be true to the original, this exclusive Lionel train set features a die-cast metal Berkshire steam locomotive with a new, larger pilot, headlight lens cap and unique whistle. The engine and tender are painted in a dark, matte finish to complete the image.

Following the locomotive and tender are two lighted coach cars. The observation car features a new rounded observation deck. Silhouettes in the windows depict passengers, and the joyful coach car is where the kids get their fill of hot chocolate and candy. A 40" x 60" oval track completes the set.

Articulated figures with turning heads, movable arms, bendable waists and jointed knees are included. They can be posed and placed on areas of the locomotive, tender and passenger cars.

For more fun, you can purchase additional pieces, including figures, a hot chocolate car, and a disappearing hobo car.

All aboard the Polar Express! This set is the G gauge version of Lionel's Polar Express Train set. It features ultra-realistic start-up and shut-down sequences, and is loaded with authentic train sounds including a bell and whistle. There is even an illuminated caboose in the back.

For more fun, you can purchase additional pieces, including figures, a hot chocolate car, and a disappearing hobo car.

The set comes with a Berkshire Steam Locomotive, Passenger Car and Observation Car. Features include bell, whistle, fixed knuckle couplers, IR R/C remote control and 50"L x 70"W oval track.

When The Polar Express was published in 1985, it became an instant success, hitting the New York Times bestseller list and earning the prestigious Caldecott Medal for children's books. Since that time, more than 6 million copies have been sold, and it reappears on the bestseller lists every year around Christmas.

In 2004, it gained even more popularity with the release of the animated movie starring Tom Hanks as the voice talent of all the characters.

This is a timeless classic that everyone should read and reread.

Amazon review: Destined to become a holiday perennial, The Polar Express also heralded a brave new world of all-digital filmmaking. Critics and audiences were divided between those who hailed it as an instant classic that captures the visual splendor and evocative innocence of Chris Van Allsburg's popular children's book, and those who felt that the innovative use of "performance capture"--to accurately translate live performances into all-digital characters--was an eerie and not-quite-lifelike distraction from the story's epic-scale North Pole adventure. In any case it's a benign, kind-hearted celebration of the yuletide spirit, especially for kids who have almost grown out of their need to believe in Santa Claus. Tom Hanks is the nominal "star" who performs five different computer-generated characters, but it's the visuals that steal this show, as director Robert Zemeckis indulges his tireless pursuit of technological innovation. No matter how you respond to the many wonders on display, it's clear that The Polar Express represents a significant milestone in the digital revolution of cinema. If it also fills you with the joy of Christmas (in spite of its Nuremberg-like rally of frantic elves), so much the better. --Jeff Shannon