This is fantastic, an actual affordable train set! I miss when these used to be more common, these are the sets that bring people into the hobby and as a result I think they're very important. Most of these starter sets today are all battery powered, I can't tell you how happy I am to see an actual electric one. Maybe I'm overly excited but this seems really good and I think I might get one my self.

I know you thought that the "elephant turd" was a crappy accessory, but honestly if I had that as a kid I would have been really excited to do it up with paint and flock. It's a nice introduction into making model scenery if you use your imagination

“Cargo Train”, most creative name ever.

Hey Folks - the loco in the video isn't a SD40-2, it's an Alco C-628 (or something similar!), and Soo Line is a real company! Thanks to everyone for letting me know!

When my brother was young, mum bought him the cheapest farmyard set you could ever imagine. There was a shepherd figure - grossly out of scale to the hut that came with him - with some horses and sheep, all of which were out of scale to each other etc. The number of hours he spent playing with it all is indescribable. So much so that when mum found, by chance, one of the farm figures decades later, mum had tears in her eyes at the happy memories.

Including having to make things like you have to, in  the same way. I can see this set being similar - amazing play value.

The wagon load is actually underground pipe cut to size, and SOO line is an American railroad that ran in the midwest (Iowa, Illinois, etc that is now bankrupt) We still see SOO Line freight cars to this day that haven't been repainted yet. Many of they are from the 1970's old stock but still rolling.

My uncle who worked his entire life for the Frisco Railroad used to say, "You can't spell stupid without UP when referring to the Union Pacific Railroad...

It’s an ALCo C-628, one of the most beautiful diesel locomotives ever made in my opinion

To get a child for Christmas it's perfect. if they really like the hobby you can get something more expensive at a later date and if not you haven't spent a lot of money.

Youtube: I think you would want to see this

me: you must be kidding?

me, half an hour later: guess youtube was right...

This was my first train set, I got it long time ago for Christmas and I have so many fond memories of it. The play value, as you said, is great, but what I found far more important is the fact that this set offers gateway to railway modelling. Even though I was too young to really help with modelling, my father created nice and simple little model (I think it was mostly grass), turned that elephant turd into a hill with a tunnel and a little stream in that so called valley, bought additional tracks and switch tracks, fixed everything on a piece of plywood and I had an almost portable model railway. Thank you for reminding me of it, I think this set offers far more than it shows. Cheers from Slovenia!

"I didn't include the big poo" ... "if you want to mess around with it you can"

Yes review the steam!

From photos I've seen, the Soo Line Quad Hoppers were usually white with red lettering.  Soo Line mainline locomotives were painted red or white with red nose.

Nice set to practice your painting and weathering skills on!

Mehano used to be Mehanotehnika, the main Yugoslavia's train model factory. It became in 1991. Mehano and worked until 2008 in Slovenia. They moved the production in 2010 in China. And this is a Chinese made set.

I can't over that, as a I kid, I destroyed a Mehanotehnika set.
Which was second hand, but... But... Haunts me today!
They used to made some fine trains!

This is a self-contained set aimed I would say at (approx) 6-9 yr olds, and as described by Sam it completely fills the bill. No need to quibble about lack of detail, steel track, elephant turd etc., it's not supposed to be an accurate  scale model, but it offers enormous play value and learning skills to its intended market, and equally important, appears to be functional and pretty well built for its purpose. If I can get hold of it, my 6yr old grandson will be getting one for Christmas - just the job! I often take him to Chesterfield (Derbys) station to watch the trains, this set doesn't look like anything he's seen there, he's not old enough (like Sam) to have heard of Soo Line, but he won't care!

That western set looks interesting (although you didn't link to that one). This is what hornby should be doing to get children into the hobby at £50 you get more value than the nearest priced hornby set, where as Hornby release a bundle at £200 for the lockdown.

Thank you so much for posting this. As a teenager I had a train layout but then life happens.

Yesterday I looked into starting again but there is this thingy called budget...I saw Mehano on a certain selling site but never heard of it. Your review helped me very much, I'm buying one.

I've never heard of them "Mehano" but it was brilliant to watch. I'm 67 and just getting into model trains. Only been a few months into model trains but it's so addictive and so much money, I'm having a blast. Fulfilling my childhood dreams

The gondola has a brakewheel!
Huzzah!
Edit: Oh wait all the freight cars have brakewheels. Even better!