2018 Lego Trains

[icemorons]

18 hours ago, Zetroc said:

I've got the train and track done, and putting together an MDF base soon so we can eat at the dining table again.... 

Are you sure you don't live at my house??   I've got a similar situation with my dining room, which I'm trying to "reclaim" by creating a layout in the attic and moving all the LEGO up there...  WIP is an understatement!

[dr_spock]

6 hours ago, nitramvortimid said:

I just do not understand why from LEGO have bet on the red color for the new cargo train (60198), since the last cargo train was red and did not have that much success as the Blue one (60052)? And why from LEGO have decided the new cargo train to be a strange mix of an electric type and double cabbed EMD of a type? Just do not get it.

There is probably a business reason that we are not privy to.   I suspect that outside of North America, double cabs engines seems to be a popular option for railroads and that's what kids in those countries see. 

[M_slug357]

17 minutes ago, dr_spock said:

...and that's what kids in those countries see. 

I guess this line of thought would explain why we haven't seen a shunter-sized engine appear in a set for quite a while? Do kids rarely (or at all) get to see switching & shunting action? I still want to see Lego's take on a small engine and how they'd incorporate all of the bulky PF gear into one... if I can do it with my mediocre building skills, why can't Lego?

7760 (4) by Nick Jackson, on Flickr

 

 

 

 

Maybe they'll surprise us via another "curveball" train set?

[3797]

42 minutes ago, M_slug357 said:

I guess this line of thought would explain why we haven't seen a shunter-sized engine appear in a set for quite a while? Do kids rarely (or at all) get to see switching & shunting action? I still want to see Lego's take on a small engine and how they'd incorporate all of the bulky PF gear into one... if I can do it with my mediocre building skills, why can't Lego?

Wouldn't be hard for them at all. All they'd have to do is make a blue battery box. Would make a great entry level set or affordable addition to the collection.  Problem is, Friends and Elves sell better than the stuff that doesn't exist.

I really do want to see another push along train. One that looks like 7735 or 4563 and can be motorized like the christmas train. Can't be that hard to pull off.

Also, didn't someone claim that a friend of his was working on tooling for a new part similar to this one:

42 minutes ago, M_slug357 said:

Maybe they'll surprise us via another "curveball" train set?

Would sure be nice but I'm not going to hold my breath. Remember, we aren't the target audience. We don't matter.

[ColletArrow]

4 hours ago, dr_spock said:

I suspect that outside of North America, double cabs engines seems to be a popular option for railroads and that's what kids in those countries see.

Here in the UK, I think the only single-cab freight loco still in use is the Class 20. Due to the poor sighting when travelling nose-first, they're often used in coupled pairs anyway, with the cabs at the outer ends, effectively making a double-cab. So yes, it is the re-occurrence of the regional-difference thing; but I suspect, when (if) they release the second cargo train next year, it will be a more american-styled single-cab, so that there's a train for both areas on the market.

4 hours ago, M_slug357 said:

I still want to see Lego's take on a small engine and how they'd incorporate all of the bulky PF gear into one... if I can do it with my mediocre building skills, why can't Lego?

I too would love this, perhaps sold with a small amount of track and a few wagons. But using only LEGO-legal solutions, and keeping it as robust, playable and easily-to-build as the larger trains might be a challenge. How do you instruct a younger builder on careful cable management?

[Trekkie99]

7 hours ago, M_slug357 said:

I guess this line of thought would explain why we haven't seen a shunter-sized engine appear in a set for quite a while? Do kids rarely (or at all) get to see switching & shunting action? I still want to see Lego's take on a small engine and how they'd incorporate all of the bulky PF gear into one... if I can do it with my mediocre building skills, why can't Lego?

7760 (4) by Nick Jackson, on Flickr

 

 

 

 

Maybe they'll surprise us via another "curveball" train set?

Yes!  I want to see Lego make a shunter so bad! 

 

Edited January 29, 2018 by LegoMonorailFan

[nitramvortimid]

21 hours ago, Nexogeek said:

I would remove that picture if i were you since it's stamped confidential, anything with that on isn't aloud on here for obvious reasons, also where are you getting red from in the new train? It's green with a yellow stripe and some white. 

Regarding the color - it is green. Time to change the monitor :)

[Capparezza]

Well, this shows how much love is given to the Train nuts ... This site definitely needs an update: https://www.lego.com/en-us/legohistory/lego-trains

[M_slug357]

10 hours ago, ColletArrow said:

How do you instruct a younger builder on careful cable management?

To be honest, it was more like basket weaving!! In case you didn't know, my 7760 also has a light unit in it... so that's quite an extra bit of cable! And, while I couldn't even begin to think of what such instructions would look like, they shouldn't be any harder than any others to understand... we have to remember that Lego set instructions have been dumbed down to also "reach the target audience"...

 

7 hours ago, LegoMonorailFan said:

Yes!  I want to see Lego make a shunter so bad! 

 

Same here, even if it comes as an alternate build to a larger engine!

 

11 minutes ago, Capparezza said:

Well, this shows how much love is given to the Train nuts ... This site definitely needs an update: https://www.lego.com/en-us/legohistory/lego-trains

I *love* how they don't even mention anything about the My Own Train series.... I also *love* how they didn't put up any pictures of the World City trains, or anything from 9v, besides a picture of the switch rails box art....

There sure is a lot o' love out there for train nuts..........................................................................!

[nitramvortimid]

22 hours ago, Duq said:

How do you know the blue cargo train was more successful than the red cargo train?

It's a toy. Not a scale model.

I think that the blue one is better then the red one by two reasons:

1. My personal experience with the red one.

2. The red one is with status "retired". The blue one still in sale.

Regarding the toy - yep, you are correct. This is my point of view of an adult, not of a kid. For sure Lego knows better the target customers of the train.

[Nexogeek]

1 hour ago, nitramvortimid said:

Regarding the color - it is green. Time to change the monitor :)

lol its all good, the green looks pretty nice from what poor quality we've seen it in so far, the blue looks better though 

[dr_spock]

18 hours ago, M_slug357 said:

I guess this line of thought would explain why we haven't seen a shunter-sized engine appear in a set for quite a while? Do kids rarely (or at all) get to see switching & shunting action? I still want to see Lego's take on a small engine and how they'd incorporate all of the bulky PF gear into one... if I can do it with my mediocre building skills, why can't Lego?

Maybe they'll surprise us via another "curveball" train set?

I would love to see a small shunter engine in the styles of the ones back in the 1980s.  I don't think it is building skills or ideas stopping LEGO, rather getting them pass management via the business case.  To get approval to production and make it to the store shelves, it has to bring X in revenue and/or Y in profit and/or Z in volume, etc. 

I don't know if kids get to see shunting action these days or even interested.  When I was small I used to live near a terminus train station. I could watch trains coming/going/staging all day long from my apartment window.  It was awesome.  One of my friends had a house right next to the Conrail freight yard.

 

13 hours ago, ColletArrow said:

Here in the UK, I think the only single-cab freight loco still in use is the Class 20. Due to the poor sighting when travelling nose-first, they're often used in coupled pairs anyway, with the cabs at the outer ends, effectively making a double-cab. So yes, it is the re-occurrence of the regional-difference thing; but I suspect, when (if) they release the second cargo train next year, it will be a more american-styled single-cab, so that there's a train for both areas on the market.

We do have some double cabs in North America like the GE E60, AEM-7, ACS-64. 

[Aaron]

At the end of the day, I couldn't care less what sets they release as long as there continues to be a nice supply of wheels and axles available on BrickLink.

And I'm surprised TLG hasn't made any of these in transparent blue or clear yet. They really need to get on it.

https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=14718#T=C

Edited January 30, 2018 by Aaron

[DameVeraLynn]

Quote

The LEGO Group has confirmed that two new train sets in LEGO City, due for release this year, will incorporate Power Functions 2.0.

From http://www.brickfanatics.co.uk/power-functions-2-0-coming-to-lego-city-trains-this-year/

Originally reported here: https://twitter.com/Zusammengebaut/status/958339601696985088  Hats off to Brick Fanatics for picking up on this so quickly.

Edited January 30, 2018 by DameVeraLynn
Looked into source for story.

[Steamdemon]

HYPEEEE TRAAAAIN! Chooo Chooo!

[DameVeraLynn]

The possibility of a new PF system raises the interesting prospect of running trains on one system (say 2.0) and points on the other (say the original PF system, which could be used to control up to 8 sets of points).  A bit like the 12V glory days, only wireless.

Edited January 30, 2018 by DameVeraLynn
Clearing up my messy posts!

[Grrr]

Anyone notice the special function railway tiles for the new Duplo train? I'm wondering if something similar is happening for the Lego train also?:

http://zusammengebaut.com/live-ticker-lego-news-nuremberg-toy-fair-2018-43625/

Edited January 30, 2018 by Grrr

[ALCO]

23 minutes ago, Grrr said:

Anyone notice the special function railway tiles for the new Duplo train? I'm wondering if something similar is happening for the Lego train also?:

http://zusammengebaut.com/live-ticker-lego-news-nuremberg-toy-fair-2018-43625/

I wonder if the new Duplo trains will have features that are enabled using NFC technology in those panels between the rails... For example from the photos maybe Stop, Lights, Horn.... Etc. Interesting!

[HiFish]

This could also be done quite cheaply with a color sensor. 

[Zetroc]

Lots of online chatter today amongst the AFOL community (such as it is) about pretty much all of the sets announced today, with the exception of the trains.  Relatively few are talking about them outside of the train-focussed groups.  Much more talk about 31084-1: Pirates' Rollercoaster than 60197 and 60198 combined.  There's yet another clue for us all.  We are niche and there is no way of getting away from that fact.

Enjoy the City train sets, keep BrickLinking, and keep modding - and maybe keep a small light on for the possibility of another Creator set one day.  Now, back to LDD and my embryonic BR Class 08...

 

Edited January 31, 2018 by Zetroc

[Trekkie99]

Well whatever's in store for PF 2.0, I hope nothing drastic changes. For example, I hope we'll still have an XL motor with the same features such as torque, pin holes, etc. Otherwise, my monorail designs are doomed! 

[Digger of Bricks]

3 hours ago, Grrr said:

Anyone notice the special function railway tiles for the new Duplo train? I'm wondering if something similar is happening for the Lego train also?

Is that Duplo train motorized? Or are those tiles just for a color coded sound brick?

[Zetroc]

3 hours ago, Digger of Bricks said:

Is that Duplo train motorized? Or are those tiles just for a color coded sound brick?

Yup.  

http://zusammengebaut.com/lego-duplo-gueterzug-10875-ab-august-erhaeltlich-43727/

[Grrr]

2 hours ago, Zetroc said:

Yup.  

http://zusammengebaut.com/lego-duplo-gueterzug-10875-ab-august-erhaeltlich-43727/

Reading this article; I'm really hoping that the Lego train will have the same tech. The engine starts going with a gentle push, and keeps going until it stops. Function stones can be placed on the rails to stop the train, whistle, or turn the lights on or off.

[zephyr1934]

59 minutes ago, Grrr said:

Reading this article; I'm really hoping that the Lego train will have the same tech. The engine starts going with a gentle push, and keeps going until it stops. Function stones can be placed on the rails to stop the train, whistle, or turn the lights on or off.

Looks like they are bringing back the Duplo Intelli-Train.