I removed the clear plastic bands and the power unit now pulls the other 4 cars without any shaking and/or spinning.  I'm not sure why Lionel would not include instructions to remove these prior to operation.  In all honesty, I did not even see the clear bands whenever I first unpacked and placed the cars on the track.

I have been collecting Lionel trains and Batman memorabilia for over 25 years and pre-ordered the M7 set as soon as it was announced.  A true dream come true combination of my two hobbies.  I have a question regarding the operation of this great Lionchief set.  There are plastic bands on the non-powered units on the trucks, should they be removed or should they stay on?  I can't tell if they are there for shipping purposes or need to stay on to  hold the wheels/axles in?  They seem to be binding the axles from rolling freely.  |\_/|