Ok as u all know I'm a technic guy new to trains so bare with me.

First of all after buying my first train city set I'm happy to say I'm getting sucked in already. My first set 60052 is a nice set to get started into trains as it comes with all I needed.

Then last week I bought 60051 which was on sale for €92 so it was a good buy.

Iv also bought the maersk 2 weeks ago misb for a decent price but that will stay boxed.

Next thing I want to do is learn new track layouts and hopefully buy 7939 as i like the look of it but it's getting expensive.

Few questions i so have is what are the top sets in the last few years or what are the must have trains to collect and play the odd time?

I have the maersk so what's the next I should buy Iv been thinking the horizon express or the emerald night?

What's people's opinion on both of these? The HE is nice but looks unfinished to me.

The emerald night is very nice but getting very expensive.

Ps I'm not really interested in old 9v trains just newer pf stuff. But i do like the look of the Santa Fe can it be run on power functions?

Thanks.

David.

Edited February 5, 201510 yr by davidmull

3677 is a nice one with the great red unit.

EN is a *best train* ever but overpriced.

I got 1 HE but I will never buy a second one.

7939 starts at 139 € without shipping form BL.

It depends on what your train interests are. I like the HE since I like modern passenger trains. I am not much of a steam train guy. If you like freight, then 7939 and 3677 are ones to get.

You could MOD Santa Fe to run on PF. You would lose the fake diesel inside.

Ok as u all know I'm a technic guy new to trains so bare with me.

First of all after buying my first train city set I'm happy to say I'm getting sucked in already. My first set 60052 is a nice set to get started into trains as it comes with all I needed.

Then last week I bought 60051 which was on sale for €92 so it was a good buy.

Iv also bought the maersk 2 weeks ago misb for a decent price but that will stay boxed.

Next thing I want to do is learn new track layouts and hopefully buy 7939 as i like the look of it but it's getting expensive.

Few questions i so have is what are the top sets in the last few years or what are the must have trains to collect and play the odd time?

I have the maersk so what's the next I should buy Iv been thinking the horizon express or the emerald night?

What's people's opinion on both of these? The HE is nice but looks unfinished to me.

The emerald night is very nice but getting very expensive.

Ps I'm not really interested in old 9v trains just newer pf stuff. But i do like the look of the Santa Fe can it be run on power functions?

Thanks.

David.

First I want to say I think you picked the right time to jump aboard. I started with train set 4565 a long time ago, and I've felt that both passenger and freight train sets since then have been lacking until 7939 and 7938. 60052 and 60051 are two more train sets are another step in the right direction.

Also, I am envious that you have the Maersk train. I really want the locomotive from that, but the prices even now are a little too steep for me. The Horizon Express is a beautiful train when running (and surprisingly quiet), but unfortunately doesn't look very good unless there's a loco at either end. The HE was my first big set in a long time and I enjoyed assembling it.

The Super Chief is one of the few 9v-era trains that can easily be carried on to Power Functions. See mine here.

The roof will need to be modified so that it fits over the connector on the batt box and so that the sensor can receive commands. If you mounted it right behind the driver it may work through the windows. The motor I used is the same 9v motor this train has always had, and it works just as well as my PF motors do.

The sensor will also have to sit higher than it does in this picture. That was a change I made later on.

I actually had a harder time installing PF guts in my 7939 and 60052 locos than I did with the sturdier Super Chief.

Edited February 6, 201510 yr by LoneBrickerSG

Few questions i so have is what are the top sets in the last few years or what are the must have trains to collect and play the odd time?

...

Ps I'm not really interested in old 9v trains just newer pf stuff. But i do like the look of the Santa Fe can it be run on power functions?

Simple, as dr_spock put it, buy the sets that catch your fancy and skip the rest.

The Santa Fe is a great set (probably my favorite), but I'd suggest downloading the instructions and build it in the colors of a different railroad. If you are not a huge fan of N. American trains, there were several similar designs in Europe, a few were even double ended.

Thanks for advise guys. I'll aim for emerald night next.

Is 10233 a must buy?and as good as the EN and the maersk.

Edited February 6, 201510 yr by davidmull

The roof will need to be modified so that it fits over the connector on the batt box and so that the sensor can receive commands. If you mounted it right behind the driver it may work through the windows.

I have my sensor in the driver's seat and it does work through the windows.

Thanks for advise guys. I'll aim for emerald night next.

Is 10233 a must buy?and as good as the EN and the maersk.

if you like the look of 10233 get it now. It is only going to get more expensive as time goes on. The EN is crazy $$$, I'm glad my SO bought it for me when she did. I would rank them:

1 EN

2 Maersk

3 SantaFe

4 HE

but that is my personal opinion. The EN does not run as good as the others, but its looks put it in a class by itself.

I'd jump on 2xHE before they get outrageous. One set does not look complete. As you can see from the picture, my HE has grown to an 6 car/2 engine train that is 7 foot long. I actually have three engines. One is PF, one is 9v and one is unpowered. I've been running tests and both the PF and the 9v will pull the entire train with a single motor. The HE is was not my favorite of the modern train era but it has really grown on me. The 9v pulled the train without modifiecation. For the PF, I put 2x train weight pieces (parts # 73090b) in cab of the engine over the PF motor to give it better traction. Before I did that, it had trouble pulling a 4 car train. Another thing that has helped opertions is using silicone lubricant on the trucks. I am using WD40 brand silicone spray.

DSC01039 by ecmo47, on Flickr

I really like the Emerald Night but it needs running gear modifications to make it run well. Ive posted those mods a couple of times. Once the mods are made, it is a real beast with the XL motor and can pull lots of cars!

The Mearsk is nice train but doesnt pull very well. Ive got 2 powered engines that will pull a seven car train. This engine would be very easy to make 9v. All you have to do is take off one of the trucks and slap on the 9v one. I have not tried that yet as both my engines are currently PF.

All of my trains have been aquired by trades, ebay, or Craiglist. None have been opened NIB sets. I'd hold that Mearsk (I assume that it is unopened) and trade it for used sets. My latest HE came from a childrens 2nd hand shop for $75.00. Get familiar with Bricklink to order those missing parts!

DSC01038 by ecmo47, on Flickr

Here's a picture of the HE with the 9v motor as noted by the silver wheels.

Edited February 7, 201510 yr by ecmo47

The Santa Fe is a great set (probably my favorite), but I'd suggest downloading the instructions and build it in the colors of a different railroad.

OH! Interesting idea! Hmmmm..... Thx, I think... :)

Some great info thanks. I'm not fully convinced I like the HE as it really needs 2 trains to look complete. Yes my maersk is misb I might keep it that way for a while till iv a proper set up.

The emerald night looks great but very expensive now as I only like buying sets new if possible. The Santa Fe looks great but does it take much to mod to power functions!

I can get a misb horizon express but it's €150.

Maybe for now ill just stick to the newer trains. I would like to get 7939 cargo train also.

Here's my maersk misb.

Edited February 7, 201510 yr by davidmull

7939: my first set as an AFOL.

I like the loco, the rest I reused for parts and created my own freight cars.

For example, used inspiration from 60020 cargo truck to build a container car that opens and can be loaded by forklift.

Bricklink more, the city sets are not that great, and the creator sets are on the market for a brief time and then quickly get super expensive on the collector market.

For the PF, I put 2x train weight pieces (parts # 73090b) in cab of the engine over the PF motor to give it better traction. Before I did that, it had trouble pulling a 4 car train.

Really? I run a set up with one power truck on the front pulling two cars and another loco on the end. It loses speed around corners but otherwise seems to operate just fine.

The HE is really, really heavy compared to other lego trains. I am surprised it needed more weight for traction.

It just needed more weight over the motor so the wheels didnt slip as much especially getting started. Helped quite a bit.

The emerald night looks great but very expensive now as I only like buying sets new if possible. The Santa Fe looks great but

That's another thing you could do is build a repaint of the EN locomotive... or probably not that expensive to simply build it in dark green. I think the only rare pieces might be the gold stripes and you could use the undecorated versions without much loss. The passenger cars are way expensive, but there are other nice designs out there for cars.

(well, "you" davidmull said that you prefer new sets and there is nothing wrong with that, but I guess that means that this post is to the "you" everyone else who is reading)

Some great info thanks. I'm not fully convinced I like the HE as it really needs 2 trains to look complete. Yes my maersk is misb I might keep it that way for a while till iv a proper set up.

The emerald night looks great but very expensive now as I only like buying sets new if possible. The Santa Fe looks great but does it take much to mod to power functions!

I can get a misb horizon express but it's €150.

Maybe for now ill just stick to the newer trains. I would like to get 7939 cargo train also.

A lot of these choices come down to what your personal preference in trains is. I'm into German trains so for me the new passenger train and the HE are the most interesting of the current trains. I mostly build custom trains so I see the sets as a good starting point for customisations.

The Santa Fe is a great looking train, but since it was released during my dark ages, and it is now so expensive, and it is not really what excites me as far as prototype, I'll probably never buy it unless I happen across a great bargain.

These priorieties will be completely reversed for someone who enjoys US trains. Someone who likes UK trains would be appalled that I have the equivalent of 5 EN carriages in my mocs, and have EN engines sitting around in parts in case I want to build a 1930's German steam train (slowly collecting parts for dark green carriages).

I try and buy most train sets as they come out, I've only rarely resold stuff NIB (I sometime buy extra sets for more rare parts and colours), so I don't worry too much about the resale market. If something I have really jumps in price I consider what I can currently buy if I resell what I've got but mostly I buy for my own use. I feel its my hobby so while I could profit more, I'd rather spend the time enjoying my trains.

Really? I run a set up with one power truck on the front pulling two cars and another loco on the end. It loses speed around corners but otherwise seems to operate just fine.

The HE is really, really heavy compared to other lego trains. I am surprised it needed more weight for traction.

I find that 1x PF motor can pull two HE sets (2x engines, 4x cars), but it has slippage issues around the more "curvy" sections of my current layout.

Edited February 8, 201510 yr by eliminator

I find that 1x PF motor can pull two HE sets (2x engines, 4x cars), but it has slippage issues around the more "curvy" sections of my current layout.

I run HE (2 engines, 4 cars) with one PF train motor too. I replaced technic axle wheel boogie on the rear dummy engine with one using regular train wheels which rolls more freely. I get some slippage when starting out but it seems to be ok once it gets going and hitting the curves at full speed.

Looking at getting emerald night but prices are crazy. Why is it so expensive? €350 average price.

Looking at getting emerald night but prices are crazy. Why is it so expensive? €350 average price.

Just build your own. I am doing it with my older boy right now, some minor mods to accommodate a couple pieces we didn't have but you could always bricklink those if u had to.

I want one, I won't lie, but pushing $300 or more can get us lots of other stuff to build and you can make one yourself cheaper.

As for being expensive, limited market, limited availability and one of the few good steam engines Lego has made.

I debate building the 2 extra HE's I ended up with that I have sitting in my closet, when anything is worth enough I debate selling it.(but I want a complete intact train for myself that the kids won't destroy lol)

Edit: I actually have the doors for the EN passenger car, came in a bulk lot I bought, desperately searched for the rest with none to be found...did have about 3/4+ of another HE in there though and some random track

Edited February 9, 201510 yr by v6TransAM

I think the EN is the nicest looking train TLG has produced, though agree with zephyr's comment. Repaint it in LDD if you really like the design and order the parts on Bricklink. Then design/repaint a number of carriages to go with the colour of your liking.

I would say the Maersk is the second best looking of the TLG builds, mainly due to colour scheme.

There's a thread in the LDD section which you can grab all the files for the locomotives from davidmull - you can import them all into a single LDD session and compare them all alongside each other, from all angles.

I think the EN is the nicest looking train TLG has produced, though agree with zephyr's comment. Repaint it in LDD if you really like the design and order the parts on Bricklink. Then design/repaint a number of carriages to go with the colour of your liking.

I would say the Maersk is the second best looking of the TLG builds, mainly due to colour scheme.

There's a thread in the LDD section which you can grab all the files for the locomotives from davidmull - you can import them all into a single LDD session and compare them all alongside each other, from all angles.

Yes I agree the maersk is second place for sure. I'm glad I bought it a few weeks ago misb :)

I'm into German trains so for me the new passenger train and the HE are the most interesting of the current trains.

Err... you do know that HE is based on a French train right?

;-)

That's another thing you could do is build a repaint of the EN locomotive... or probably not that expensive to simply build it in dark green. I think the only rare pieces might be the gold stripes and you could use the undecorated versions without much loss. The passenger cars are way expensive, but there are other nice designs out there for cars.

Or you can build the passenger car in a different colour. I've done one in red and tan that looks nice.

Looking at getting emerald night but prices are crazy. Why is it so expensive? €350 average price.

Supply & Demand + Collectors = High price. Many exclusives and Creator Expert sets get a lot more expensive after they go out of production. Wanna see crazy prices? Look for Cafe Corner. Or 7750...

People are looking for €160 for passenger wagon alone it's crazy.

One way of making the EN more affordable is to buy the set and sell the coach. You can then design your own colours and style of carriages to go with it without breaking the bank or trying to match the one that comes with it. I managed to get a set cheap, and sold the coach alone for almost as much as I paid for the complete set! And lets face it, it is the loco that is the real star here...

Edited February 10, 201510 yr by Heppeng

Or you can build the passenger car in a different colour. I've done one in red and tan that looks nice.

Yet the tan windows are the most expensive part. Economical recolors basically have to be any-color and not-tan, which often doesn't look as nice as the tan equivalent.