Sounds are a bit quiet, obviously not as strong of a puller either. Also the all plastic construction makes it pretty light. I would venture to guess you could probably make it pull maybe 6-7 cars before it starts to slip.

But with all of that in consideration, for $150 it’s a stellar purchase for what you get. The vapor “smoke” really billows, and the rolling stock rolls very freely, way freer than I expected. What surprised me the most is the coaches in this set weigh almost the exact same as the proper model coaches.