MojoLego

Any rumors about the 2017 Creator train?

For grins, here's a product release chart for trains. I've included the two rumored 2015 trains. Green: City Trains Red: Track Blue: Structures Purple: Creator Expert Yellow: Theme/Specialty

I started with the cleaner, using small amounts. It evaporates on its own. I didn't wash the switches. The cleaner freed up the mechanism. Then I sprayed a small amount of lubricant into the openings. My main concern was making sure I was using chemicals that wouldn't react with the plastic and wouldn't end up gumming it up over the long term.

When I picked up my monorail set a few years ago, the switches were gummed up. One could move by hand, one was completely stuck. I used a combination of CRC QD electronic cleaner and then some Dupont teflon silicone lubricant. The CRC cleaner did not damage the plastic in any way, at least from what I can see (I can't speak for the parts inside the switch). The switches now move very smoothly and with little effort. That said, a small amount of the lubricant is still in the switch and squeezes out every now and then. I just wipe it off. For both operation and storage, I make sure that the tracks and switches don't get dust or dirt on them. Keeping the switch clean is important to long-term operation.

Google images still has the photo. If you expand the photo, you can see that there are three cars on 60051, the last one really only visible by its roof. There is a gantry crane over 60052. It does not use the pre-built A-frame as on 7939, but is straight up and down like 7823 (with no overhangs). Huw from Brickset confirms the gantry and notes the set has three freight cars: one for drums, one for a tank (that lifts off like a container), and one for cattle. There is a truck and forklift as well. Also, BrickFanatics (via Groove Bricks) is reporting the following US prices: 60050: $64.99 60051: $149.99 60052: $199.99

There doesn't appear to be any mystery about the refresh cycle for the Creator train sets. Two years. Next model in 2015. Lego appears to have figured out the size of that market. They did not have to discount the EN or Maersk trains at retirement. Further, the replacement to Maersk, HE, arrived just as Maersk was becoming scarce. Lego nailed those sales projections. The current City sets (7938 and 7939), however, are now approaching the three year mark. In the US, Lego continues to run out of stock and Amazon has more or less stopped stocking them. Are replacements coming? Or has Lego simply misjudged sales? My guess is that Lego is hoping to push sales to 79111 this year (hence the included track) and that they have a City replacement in 2014. I second the vote for a Hudson (non streamlined version) as the next Creator train. A highly detailed break-down crane would also sell well. I hope Lego is listening.

The information I have is $110 (USD) for 10508 and $45 for 10507.

There's been some conflicting information on this question. On the one hand, I believe we had someone who worked at one of the stores writing in the train forum that the current City trains were remaining in the line-up. On the other hand, the sets are approaching three years. This would be long for trains but perhaps Lego is thinking that there is no good reason to redesign the sets. The number of City train sets sold annually is probably fairly constant regardless of the trains being offered. Families typically don't return to buy each new iteration of train, and AFOLs probably provide only a modest bump in sales with each refresh. So maybe 7938 and 7939 will go for four or more years. Lego is releasing new Duplo train sets this year, putting those on a four year cycle. The best evidence I've seen for new trains is the restricted supply, especially through Christmas (the precise time that you absolutely do not want to run low on trains) and the fact that Amazon U.S. is failing to restock their supply. This is usually how Amazon purchasing behaves when sets are on their way out. But all of that may just be unfortunate supply problems. Rob

The toy fair report puts the price at £79.99, so it probably does not include a motor (7938 is £102.99).

The old Intelli-Train does operate in reverse. It works just fine so long as the train is not too long. The Intelli-Train was also multi-speed depending on the driver (one driver was a lead-foot, the other dottering), the state of the fuel tank, and the programming boards. Incidentally, it is a shame that the market didn't embrace the Intelli-Train. The thing is a blast for my kids. I have some of the old black Dacta track that lacks the corrugation. Most of the time trains do fine without it, but corrugation does reduce slippage, especially on the risers for the bridge. There appear to be two new Duplo train sets this year (10507 and 10508) but some changes may be afoot since the Lego store dumped the curved track pack (2735) last month.

Amazon relisted 7939 in the US. They keep getting (and running out of) small lots of the set.

In the US market, Lego trains became hard to find about mid-December. Lego S@H went to "ship in 30 days." Amazon sold out (except for the small mercenary storefronts). Toys R Us has a spotty supply and I suspect they would have sold out on-line if they had better store stock tracking (for a while they kept listing the trains as unavailable on-line). In Europe, I see that Lego S@H still has plenty of trains. I suspect Lego is transferring stock from Europe to the US (hence the 30 day wait). The fact that Amazon has not refilled their supply of 7938 and 7939 tends to suggest that they are done ordering these sets. Will Lego introduce a new City set at the 2013 toy fairs?

Lego built a narrow gauge track using this atop standard L-gauge track pieces. I speculated in the Train Tech forum that the set could easily be modified to serve as a tunnel for standard size trains.

Interestingly, the associated "Danger in the Silver Mine" set (79110) has a short narrow gauge section built atop two L-gauge straights. With a small amount of modification, this would make a great tunnel for 79111. http://www.festum.de/brickset/temp/lone-ranger-2.jpg

900 pieces isn't bad. Western Train Chase had 584, the last Hogwarts Express had 646 (with a car), and the Ghost Train (with an airplane) weighed in at 741. It won't be Creator Expert level, but 900 pieces suggests improvement over the earlier theme trains.