I have three of these that I'm converting to battery RC. They are obviously very simple. They run well on track power even without sliding pickups. Keep in mind that the couplers are not at standard LGB height and the commercially available adapters interfere with the rear axle on the tender versions, so converting will take more work. I haven't run them enough to test durability, but at $50-$100, I don't expect much. (I spent about $70, including shipping.) Motors and gears look to be serviceable, but Bachmann has a habit of cheap coatings on the drivers. So, they are simple and usable, but I wouldn't recommend them as the basis for an otherwise expensive and time consuming kit bash. I plan to make them available for the grandchildren to run as an alternate to the omnipresent Thomas line.