I like the train set and it’s cool

I'd consider it to be more akin to offering the same car in a different paint color rather than true badge engineering. Regardless of semantics, nice review. :)

Regarding the lack of good snap-together track systems, have you tried Kato Unitrack? I've found it much better than any other similar system. Pity it doesn't come with many (or any) HO sets.

It's really nothing new. In O gauge many of Lionel's products are older toolings that have have their innards updated to keep up with the times. To say nothing of the toolings they've acquired from their competitors over the years that have merely been re-badged. Back in the postwar days, it was the practice to make a common chassis and simply put a different shell and/or detail parts on top. Personally don't mind this, as along with mass production it helps to keep the costs down (relatively speaking, lionel always was a pricey make). Unfortunately, Lionel's policy with their scale items is to build them to order and to reinvent the wheel every time now, which is why they tend to be in the thousand-dollar plus price range.

Its definitely a train set

I really should send you one of my KATO rerailer ramps so that you can get the trains on the track easier. But then again, the kit you are reviewing doesn't come with one, so I guess it wouldn't be fair to use it during your reviews.