I Bought A Real TRAIN From The Mall (will it run?)

Can I get this vintage train from the 90's working? // Get an exclusive Surfshark VPN Holiday Season deal! Enter promo code AMBITION to get up to 6 additional months for free at surfshark.deals/AMBITION
We're a husband and wife team who bought 20 acres of bare off-grid land in North Idaho. Follow along as we turn a pole barn into our dream shop with an upstairs apartment!
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00:00 Buying a train for my son
02:30 Assembling the train track
06:25 Mounting the first car
09:12 Building the Oliver Express
13:15 Sparks and movement on the train
17:15 Down to the wire
19:25 Now the train is smoking?!

[@AmbitionStrikes]

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[@georgem9554]

Need to get a bunch more track and make a rail line around the property.

[@The_Beast_666]

1:28 Umm Spud as in potato? Why?

[@henryhurt3778]

Yep 😂😂

[@henryhurt3778]

Made my day so much fun 😁

[@peterson0096]

❤ Yeah it's train time😊

[@MJ-ge6jz]

Oliver is just an excuse to buy this train. Dad wants the train. So obvious.

[@davidcolesr.8628]

As Do I!

[@hunglikeadonkeybutnotassmelly]

I did the same thing when my lad was 18mnth old. 😅 Not quite as big a train though.

[@roberthealey7238]

This is just the first in a long line of things that Oliver will be an excuse for Daddy to go wild! 😂

[@arrobrewer2730]

My first thought

[@Bob_Adkins]

It never occurred to me it was for Olliver. :)

[@ultra4suzukisamurai679]

That little kid has some cool parents! Next project, build a mile worth of tracks to go around the property!

[@chadmutchler5062]

I was thinkn the same thing.

[@chadmutchler5062]

And somehow be able to control power from the train.

[@ultra4suzukisamurai679]

@@chadmutchler5062 repower it with one of the e bikes!

[@williamedstrom5681]

Rewire the train to take power from an Ecoflow :D

[@The_Beast_666]

@@williamedstrom5681 hahahaha I like it!

[@BulletproofPastor]

You two are certifiably crazy and Oliver is so blessed to have you as parents. Sanity is way overrated and not much fun. Thanks for great video. Merry Christmas!

[@davidp4350]

I like when Riley said he wondered what Courtney would say when she saw it and I said, she'll love it and she did. I think it's very cool, I got to work my whole life designing amusement park rides and ski-lifts so the way these two people are is just like I would be. Yes, my work was kind of playing all day so it was the best job for me.

[@tbirdracefan]

I think Dad will have to change the drive system and add some track to not out grow it. Sounds like good content to me.

[@SailorAllan]

AND get that third car working ! fire up the CNC machine

[@joekappes8648]

OF COURSE, Riley’s mom and dad still have the radio flyer handy for just such an occasion.

[@slamsshenanigans2296]

I’m only a minute in and I’m like…you need to find or make another couple miles of track and install this thing on the property!! Now I’m Through the video, OMG you guys are awesome! Oliver is going to have the best childhood!!

[@AmbitionStrikes]

That would be AWESOME!!

[@elminster8149]

@@AmbitionStrikes Build a Funicular up the side of the mountain. 😁

[@stflaherty63]

I wonder how long the EcoFlow would be able to run the train with the EcoFlow and the train’s controller all onboard?

[@lionakaauamo520]

I concur! Add a few miles more miles of track! ❤

[@chelseyledoux5366]

I love how Riley's parents were not at all surprised by having a train in their driveway. Obviously this isn't their first time being surprised by Riley's randomness :)

[@norcoredneck]

If Riley’ smile is not the definition of “Like a kid at Christmas” I don’t know what is. An old town scene made from reclaimed wood needs to be built. Would be a great place to also store the train.

[@edloewen2169]

prediction RECKLESS Riley figures out a a way to extend the train to run up and down the mountain at home. Pretty coincidental we recently saw a railroad roadbed dug into the side of the mountain

[@MichelleLHiga]

Oh my word, how awesome is that!! That must have been so much fun!! I can only imagine the happy, exciting, loving, joy-filled childhood little Oliver has to look forward to with you two as his parents!!

[@844shawn]

I can see a diesel engine and a lot more track in the future!

[@danielharsh7698]

Oliver will for sure be spoiled. And that is a good thing.

[@BradFalck-mn3pc]

My daughter turned 16 this week, don't be in too much of a hurry to see your son grow up because trust me it happens in the blink of an eye.....Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you guys 🎄from British Columbia

[@berniesenske994]

Show her this video and maybe she'll want a train for her next birthday!!

[@campinwill9977]

The best part of having kids: You get to play with their toys!

[@slarti42uk]

You two really are going to be the best parents!! And the best thing about parenthood is living out your childhood dreams with grown up money. Looking forward to next Christmases video “How we built a Christmas cog railway to access our property” complete with full Santa’s grotto

[@billmcdonald9115]

Courtney and Riley and Oliver ...Your joy, happiness, and enthusiasm is overwhelming. There are tears of joy in my eyes watching you two play with your train. Thank you so much for the past year and for this wonderful Christmas video. love bill

[@johngrinkevich]

Riley, so wonderful your parents moved out by you. It brings the whole experience to a new level. Choo Choooo!

[@BradFalck-mn3pc]

Riley was later seen powering up the track with the welder and riding his new bullet train!!!!😂

[@electricboatal]

Well Riley, you are definitely a nut! It is a great achievement to have if you are a parent. For my son’s first birthday party I had 300 helium balloons and a petting zoo complete with pony cart rides around the neighborhood. We even had some horses to add to the confusion. He didn’t really care about any of that. He was more interested in the shiny wrapping paper on his presents. Go figure! You are doing the daddy thing quite well. Bravo.

[@Devon-3point1]

It's official, Oliver has the cutest smile EVER!! Also Riley is the coolest Dad EVER!!

[@danielharsh7698]

Most little boys get a toy train for Christmas. I got an American Flyer. Oliver will be so excited.

[@kirbythomas5468]

When y’all are ready to store the train you can rig a hoist inside one of the storage containers so that you won’t have to break your backs lifting them off the trailer 👍

[@stevepetersen4097]

It’s time Oliver learned the expression I’m confident Riley knows. “More is better and too much is just right.” How many DC volts can you get out of that old military generator?

[@donaldfrazier5244]

Oliver is a fortunate little man,what great parents he has and his grandparents are pretty awesome too!

[@billyduffany3387]

Oliver is going to have such a fun life and learn so much from his parents.

[@MountainBeaches]

That train is AWESOME. How fun for Riley, um I mean Oliver. Merry Christmas! 🎄

[@dcustomt727]

I don't know if you read these or not, but you have such a big heart and Oliver will always be proud of his Dad. You did a awesome job !!!

[@robertgrey5993]

Oliver is the most well behaved baby I have ever seen.

[@MGEE8572]

Can't wait to see how you up grade the train to work around your property. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO THE 3 OF YOU AND HAVE A GREAT FESTIVE SEASON.

[@raymondheckard234]

I think the train needs an Ambition strikes upgrade and motor rebuild

[@zachzeilinger4019]

What a great Christmas memory and bringing the train back to life is Amazing. If you want a bigger train and a bigger project. Junction Valley Railroad in Bridgeport, Michigan closed a few years back and had 1-2 miles of track with several trains and cars. Was a HUGE setup, they did major events and Halloween and Christmas rides were a family event for sure

[@MrDalerex]

Awesome!! And that would make a great Christmas. Also you guys built a trail to the top of the mountain. Add a lithium battery to the train and extra track. Make a trial to the top of the mountain for the train. Just and idea. Love the train

[@lenellamaxwell6934]

How absolutely delightful!!! Such a Christmas tradition!!! Perhaps next year you can fabricate and get the last car working, I know there will be a new motor or two. Also maybe you need to put it in a tent to keep it from the snow. Love your videos!

[@bogus_not_me]

You and Courtney are the biggest kids I've seen! And that's great for your son, so you can show him the joys of life, and as he grows, the joys of being able to do things for and by himself. Instant confidence the easiest way to help him grow is to make sure he knows how and then how to change when something doesn't work.

[@mikemeinders5419]

Your child has the best parents EVER !!!

[@vincemanley3911]

So next project for 24, I see Riley making a way longer track and converting to electric battery and having this around there property

[@cayankeelord3730]

Near the beginning of the video, Oliver flashes the cutest little smile! Great energy throughout the whole family, GP's included. The only thing missing was a guest appearance by Santa! You two have come a long way from living in a shipping container. Well done. I like some of the comments about it becoming a "garden Train" when brought back to the mountain. There's plenty of room under the hood for a couple of Eco-flow units to drop in when you want to use it. Change out the motors to 120 VAC controlled by a Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) w/ dashboard controls in the engine. All that makes it so you don't need to run power through the tracks.

[@greggoldman893]

Awesome present for all generations of the Strikes team! Can’t wait to see what is in store for the mini RR next year!

[@davidrussell9078]

I wasn't thinking BIG enough ! Seventy -one years old and have displayed my pre War, "O", and HO in my home. BEST CHRISTMAS GIFT. MERRY CHRISTMAS to you all.

[@circlewindranch]

Oliver is truly blessed to have you two as his parents!!

[@JayCollins2013]

That track would be easy to build

[@billyweston949]

Y’all said train video didn’t do well, our daughter and us loved it.While some may not like some of the videos others will love them! Don’t get stuck in numbers just be y’all keep enjoying the dream and continue to be You y’all Rock !

[@Triv27]

Since I predict a rebuild for that train in the future. Please drop the powered tracks setup and convert it with new motors and a battery bank.

[@toms6213]

Fix the yellow car, then a flat car, then a log carrier, then a dinning car, and finally a cabose. Riley will have work train to carry tools and people to the New House build!

[@sideshowrod1312]

I don't think I've seen Riley so excited since he got the bulldozer. Sorry, Oliver 😅 Also, Happy Christmas!

[@richardross7219]

Great toy. That can be a family tradition. My wife got a Little Tykes ride on train at a tag sale, when our son was 3. I set it up in the house so that he could ride it whenever he wanted. It was popular with his friends. Good Luck, Rick

[@davidward1259]

Riley, you get the "Dad of the Year Award"! Oliver has some awesome parents for sure! As Oliver grows up, I'm not sure who will be the bigger kid though, you or him (but that's a good thing). Merry Christmas!!!! PS - I can see you making a mountain railway that winds along the bike trails eventually....

[@sashacat53]

How lucky is Oliver to have such fun parents.

[@jmoney29871]

Now you can just make more pieces of track and make a custom route on your property. Good thing you have a fab shop!

[@richardplass8453]

Good job! Though, note for next year, the train was meant to be and was used indoors so most of the electrical problems came from the overnight freeze while left exposed. Recommend covering train and tracks with tarps, at least, and using a air heater near the engine and control box when temps drop below freezing. Also don't run it during precipitation.

[@LittleMaxx779]

More like Riley's new train. Oliver is the luckiest little boy. He'll inherit curiosity and innovation from his parents that appear to be big kids having a hoot living life to the fullest.

[@LunkerFishing]

I loved seeing Olivers smile when on sitting on the train initially. Merry Christmas! 🎄

[@tamradsanchez]

7:10pm, we we in Bastrop Texas , around Christmas time with our oldest and his son! We had no electricity and we set around the phone watching this with Flashlights and stew to eat! Thank you for sharing this with us!

[@bobhale8325]

Wpmderful Wonderland! OF COURSE, most people buy a little train and run it around the Christmas tree in the living room........LOL. You guys are the best. Wifey and I look forward to each of your videos (77 & 81 years old here and still relate)

[@Defianthuman]

I would think that train would have a crazy amount of torque because of the gear reduction. Also I expected the train to be one of those portable ones that has a gas engine in it.

[@mikelskelley]

I can just see it, Ambition strikes railroad , a train track up the mountain, now that I would love to see, and baby Oliver

[@jimcoplan9502]

This is always a fun time of the year :) You have just the right setting on your mountain for Oliver to have fun on the train. Hope this is a permanent addition.

[@SammieSea]

Riley, this is the sweetest thing ever. Only 20 seconds in and already full of love for you all!

[@Left-handed-liberal]

I predict an upgrade in that trains future.

[@VolgaYILMAZ]

You guys never let us down with a problem. Especially Riley is a good mechanic. I am an Engineer like him but he is at another level. Congratz again. 👏

[@johnmoore1025]

Who else can see a forest track and a battery powered train in the future

[@cukymonster33]

You have progressed from having Christmas to being Christmas. You are awesome. 🎄✨🎊🎄

[@williamdecker3989]

Can't wait until you bring the Train back home and build Oliver a nice garden train. I know that you were eyeballing those tracks and said to yourself, "I can make plenty more of these myself!" 😂

[@ianhughes7805]

Great news for Dad’s when they have a Son, they can get all the things they wanted when they were kids. Enjoy

[@ddt677]

Good video, but Olivers grin at the beginning made it great. Your little guy cracked me up with that big smile. 😀😀😀😀

[@bobr9689]

Watching Riley put the train together brought the little boy of yesteryear out! He seemed so thrilled - probably more than Oliver. What beautiful Christmas memories! Merry Christmas to you and your family. See you in 2024 - hope the New Year brings tons of happiness!

[@bobhawkey3783]

Your joy is infectious and I don't need a vaccine! Thanks for this and have a happy Christmas and New Year.

[@forster46]

I think for next year you should replace all the internals like the motors and batteries (more power), then weld up a couple hundred feet of track to add to that.

[@wolfdayday]

Thats honesty a solid investment because you can now extend the tracks over your land and this would then expand the ride.

[@mimiartates8956]

Great job on making the train run. The smiles on the faces of the kids and adults was wonderful.

[@danielharsh7698]

Courtney and Riley are having so much fun. And Oliver will not really care for a few years.

[@TheFixItGuy250]

Oliver has the BEST parents!! ❤

[@bishbash6547]

"All aboard." Merry Christmas... Have fun on the train express!🎉

[@johnmclean1046]

Just such a bright bubbly wee thing, and so lucky, plus his dad and grandad have a train

[@grammysue7355]

Oh my goodness it’s the first ride on Ambitionland Theme Park! 🤣

[@dandunlap8638]

You can probably take that motor apart, clean and lube it. Probably has some rust and corrosion from setting. Electric motors tend to last a long time, but if they sit unused in the elements, they need serviced.

[@ronblack7870]

probably needs bearings however if it smoked the windings it will need a rewind.

[@gregmohr5389]

Great video. Oliver isn’t spoiled, he is obviously well loved. Merry Christmas to all.

[@Polbonito]

I can't wait for the day that Riley builds Olie his very own amusement park on their property, overlooking the mountains.

[@scottakahoshi715]

Thanks a lot Riley for raising the "Cool Dad bar" higher! That really is one you two will always remember. Thanks for sharing and Merry Christmas to the three of you!

[@hollandduck79]

Hello from the Netherlands AS-Family . well now you know what you have to do this winter Riley, spend the whole winter in the workshop building more rails so that you can drive laps around your workshop, replace all the lights for LEDs because they require less power, so more power for the motor, plus Make / lubricate the 2nd engine, make the yellow train wagon. well Courtney doesn't have a child on you this winter, you can keep yourself busy now in the workshop 🤣🤣 New video in 2024 : the workshop train 😂 . thanks for the video Courtney and Riley . Kind regards, Hollandduck

[@jimjackson9381]

Wait a minute, wait a minute, are you sure you bought that train for Oliver looks like Reilly is having way too much fun, but it’s great to see you three kids having some fun for a change, oh yeah Courtney you look like you’ve got a pretty big smile on your face too. Can’t wait for the next one. Jim.

[@Mr-Evil-Dave]

Thank you for sharing. I'm unhappy that the algorithm didn't show this to me before and I had to find it through your excavator wreckage video. Your shot choices are brilliant and fun. The video was a blast and I really enjoyed the self-imposed sense of urgency with the countdown to the party. You don't need to do all of your videos like that, but having one every now and again mixes things up well. Thanks again.

[@whitetiger6868]

Good memories, I remember riding a train just like that in the local mall when I was younger!

[@barbara_d]

I think Oliver's parents are going to love that train, for years to come ;)

[@markwilson9196]

Wow, that Train is so cool! I'm sure it will be one of the highlights of those kids lives.

[@timkirkpatrick9155]

I have to admit that is cool! I love trains, big trains! But that is so cute!

[@AmbitionStrikes]

We didn't realize how much we loved trains until we started on this project. Wow, what a blast!

[@brandons9398]

Once again, the ingenuity of Courtney and Riley, save Christmas! That is a really cool train.❤😊

[@Ben-wi4ww]

Video pause I think the first order of business would be to figure out how much power those motors take and then putting your portable power generators directly up to the motors that way the track doesn’t have to be electrified at all. future projects would be to upgrade the motors to give you more power while using less electricity and then being able to swap in those portable power units that way you could theoretically build a train line up to the top of the mountain.

[@mikecolesvids]

Excited to see when Oliver finds that first dirt bike under the tree!

[@ejcastro9518]

I think I almost smiled as much as you two did throughout this episode. Not quite as much as Riley! What a fun way to enjoy the holidays!

[@oldtexan4557]

Knowing Riley, I can't wait to see how his creativeness will inspire him to increase the track size and tunnels etc.

[@ModernMountainLiving]

First video I have had a huge grin the entire time. My inner child is happy.

[@roybrochu5409]

You should consider adding a coal tender car and putting a battery in it to power the train.

[@davidwells1750]

Merry Christmas to you all and thank you for such interesting vids during this last year. They get better every time.

[@robertswafford5655]

That is awesome, What ever Mom and Dad would love to do for their kids.

[@sidgreatorex5484]

Guys that train is so freaking cool😊

[@MrMinuteman69]

Now I see Riley rebuilding the drive system. Probably increasing power and speed with control on train engine. And powered by a portable power station build into engine. That would eliminate the power through track issues. Building more track and setting it up around your home. So he and Oliver could tour your property. Even fixing other car so its complete.

[@Mr.Gertler]

Riley, you should put tires on as the train wheels, add a generator to make electricity, add a steering wheel and make the train drive able anywhere. You should also get new mothers cause they’ve seen better days and add new lightbulbs to illuminate the train. Fix the yellow car as well?

[@johnwilson8922]

What a hoot ! Made me smile the whole video. Imagine hauling water from your tote down the hill, or groceries from the bottom of hill to the house. Im certain yall could build a track that far. Might be a stretch on my end but sure would entertaining. Great job yall