owl

wow, thanks for the reply! and apologies for bringing this up again, clearly it has been discussed before. owl

Hi, I notice on ebay that "enlighten" are a Chinese producer of lego compatible track and train carriages made of ABS plastic. Does anyone have any experience of these? thanks

The initial question was, are lego trains "real" model trains? When that was debated, and of course they are, the goalposts were moved. Now it's "are lego trains a "real" model railroad?" What next?

I agree with the above post, but that still doesnt mean that L-trains are not real model trains. It means that both are real formats of model trains. Just because there are few AFOLs with extensive layous means absolutely nothing. If we had more disposal income I am sure lots of L-train fans would expand their layouts. Its clear that both are real model train systems, and clear that a minority of non-lego train hobbyists are paranoid that if lego is let into their "14 years or over" club it will give others ammunition to attack their hobby. Lego is a toy for children and adults. Pre-built plastic trains are also a toy for children and adults (no matter what the box or enthusiasts/ rail magazines may tell you). It is a strange position and attitude to take, we should all be out and proud AFOLs

Just to widen the discussion Is a lego model village not a real model village? I think it would be very difficult to argue that a lego model village not a real model village. The same logic could apply to trains. There is no doubt in my mind that a lego train is absolutely a real model train. This is true taking the literal definition of the word "model", but it is clearly true in practice. If we look at why some would disagree, we need to see why they have come to that opinion. Does somehow admitting that a lego model train is a "real" model train deminishing their own hobby? Do they think an association with Lego would change how people viewed their own hobby? Perhaps they would see it more as a "toy", as Lego is also, and have a perceived (incorrectly)embarassment with that? How many times have my peers and friends initially dismissed lego as a childrens toy, only to spend hours literally playing with them! If model trains are toys then so be it. Whats the problem?

Of course they are real model trains. at least we get to build ours unlike the hornby sets i see in toyshops. Each to their own.

I am liking the layout too very much. I will use it for inspiration for my own layouts, many thanks!

erm, yes, that would be weird, right? ahem nothing to see here

My trains can pass without striking when track is laid side by side (on straights) so it should give you a decent clearance for your points.

how do you add more than 4 images/ trains?

very nice is there a simple PF solution to remote track switching?

I set up my trains over the xmas vaccation - Yellow cargo, EN and a new passenger train (plus a box of extra track). Quite simply i dont think ive had so much fun with lego since i was a child. If you have not yet considered a train then I can wholeheartedly recommend them. Even my other half was caught playing with them after I came home early! If now i had to answer my own question, i would recommend the red passenger train first. You get some track and all the power functions you need. And the train looks and plays great. Next on my list would be the yellow cargo train. The engine is very nice but the rolling stock is not as good as the other sets. It comes with power and a great set of track including two valuable switch points. When you combine these two tracks together you can make two decent oval shapes and switch trains between them with the points(the extra box makes a big difference too). With the EN you need to buy some quite expensive power functions on top of the cost price so unless you really like steam trains then leave this till later.

First, let me thank everyone for their warm replies. What a great forum. #1 I took the plunge and obtained an Emerald Night from the Lego Store. It is a lovely model and I am very happy with it. After consideration, I will get another model this week with some track and IR gear too - #2 probably the yellow cargo train. #3 will be the Maersk train in the new year. As the Emerald Night is now sold out, i feel very lucky to have one sitting on my desk. Now all i need worry about is what sort of track design to go for :) I have come to understand everyones frustrations with not being able to obtain straight or curved track without the flex track! Please Lego, get it sorted. (and an extra carriage for the EN)

Hi, I'm an AFOL but have not yet dipped my toe in the waters of lego Trains - but i feel now is the time. [i have no track, no motor, no IR] What would make a good starter model [preferably with track etc] and then a natural order of purchase? Many thanks for any replies.

i have just been building this model for the first time - its my first new technic model in a while and i had never come across blue pinstill yesterday! in the build i noticed that blue pin problem and tested the machine today- it refused to go into gear. how ridiculous is this? ive just had to break the back motor section off and replace the pinwith a grey one. it works ok ish now but at least it works. unfortunitely the build breaking has weakened the structue so all my care yesterrday was for absolutely nothing. why did lego designers get away with this ridiculous oversight? if a build simply doesnt work why wasnt it spotted in testing? quite frustrated now.