LEGO Trains 2022

[zephyr1934]

21 hours ago, JopieK said:

I thought connecting a point like that was illegal

You're probably right, without a return curve on the diverge it breaks the system. But apparently the Lego Police don't speak train and haven't for at least 12 yrs, see the loop in the bottom right the 60198 cover from 2018 and a sample layout from 7939 from 2010

 

Putting a switch right after a curve is also something I try to avoid but it is probably Lego legal.

[dr_spock]

6 hours ago, spongebrickpl said:

At first sight it looks like Friends set. I am a simple man, I prefer simple colors (red, blue, yellow, green). This is definitely something not my taste...

On the other hand, saying it is wrong set having just a single, blurry photo is a silly move.   The real star of the show is that red stacker

It does have the color accents of Friends sets using dark torquoise, azure, orange yellow, etc.  It would be an easy addition to a Friend's Heartlake City layout.  Bonus.

 

[Aanchir]

2 hours ago, zephyr1934 said:

You're probably right, without a return curve on the diverge it breaks the system. But apparently the Lego Police don't speak train and haven't for at least 12 yrs, see the loop in the bottom right the 60198 cover from 2018 and a sample layout from 7939 from 2010

Putting a switch right after a curve is also something I try to avoid but it is probably Lego legal.

I definitely understand how important this is to people who do large, unified train layouts, but honestly I don't think LEGO has ever been quite so concerned with how well sets sets line up on a rectangular grid unless they actually provide instructions to do so.

A lot of 1980s LEGO Castle sets with hinges and pin connections (like 6080 and 6061) would deviate from a unified grid layout if you joined them together, and the bases wouldn't even be perfectly flush due to some of them using baseplates and others using full-thickness plates! Many more recent sets like 41430 and 60110 are likewise built at fixed angles (using parts like hinge bricks and 45-degree angle plates) that force them "off-grid".

If anything, LEGO train tracks are a good example of a classic part that practically ENCOURAGES "off-grid" building — although builders with large layouts (as well as LUGs and LTCs that display collaborative builds) understandably prefer to keep their track layouts "on-grid" whenever possible to ensure that all the structures in the layout line up neatly and the "ground" between structures can be kept fairly seamless.

2 hours ago, dr_spock said:

It does have the color accents of Friends sets using dark torquoise, azure, orange yellow, etc.  It would be an easy addition to a Friend's Heartlake City layout. Bonus.

I'm still hoping to see a full-size train in the actual LEGO Friends theme at some point! Besides the theme's fun and creative color schemes, I'd be really interested in seeing what a train built according to that theme's design philosophy might look like — something with the same emphasis on playable interiors that LEGO Friends cabin cruisers, camper vans, and airliners often excel at compared to their City counterparts.

I've traveled a lot by train over the course of my life, whether on Amtrak trains for interstate travel or light rail/metro trains for local errands. And one of the reasons I love train travel so much is the sense of comfort. On a typical Amtrak train you have nice, cushy seats, no requirement for seatbelts, plenty of freedom to walk around and stretch your legs, nice big windows to enjoy the scenery, and amenities like restrooms, a cafe car, and wi-fi that you typically don't get when traveling by road. And I recognize that these days, Amtrak pales in comparison to railway companies in many other countries which boast more high-speed train lines, more passenger stations, and better track maintenance (allowing for a smoother ride).

It's often hard to really capture the comfort and luxury of that sort of passenger experience in a LEGO train set, particularly due to their scale. The fixed six-stud width of most LEGO trains means they have fewer seats and narrower aisles than you'd expect in a real passenger train car. Even so, I think the Friends theme could manage some things that City trains couldn't. For example, it's easier to build chairs with arm rests for mini-dolls than minifigures, since their hips and waists are narrower. Plus, it's not unheard of for LEGO train sets like the Emerald Night and Disney Train   to be expanded to around eight studs wide in other themes for the sake of additional exterior detail. And LEGO Friends has already demonstrated in various sets how much interior detail it can fit into an eight-stud-wide vehicle!

[Stuartn]

Just an update from the city rumours thread, the 'soft rail section' is an auto-translate issue, and I presume it refers to the switch.

[Dav1d]

7 hours ago, Stuartn said:

Just an update from the city rumours thread, the 'soft rail section' is an auto-translate issue, and I presume it refers to the switch.

I had initially thought it was flex track - so hopefully there will be no more of that.

I also wondered what the 'railway stables' is - I assume it should be translated to 'siding'. 

[Kalahari134]

I do like the look of the new locomotive pictured, it would make a very good passenger locomotive and resembles the EuroSprinter design used by several operators across Europe. I'm actually thinking of going and buying a couple of 60197s (nearest store has a 30% discount on them) to mod into push-pull sets, with the added bonus that I end up with two spare sets of batteries and motors.

Edited April 25, 2022 by Kalahari134

[zephyr1934]

19 hours ago, Aanchir said:

I definitely understand how important this is to people who do large, unified train layouts, but honestly I don't think LEGO has ever been quite so concerned with how well sets sets line up on a rectangular grid unless they actually provide instructions to do so.

Obviously I was not advocating for Lego to enforce the system like this, it was really a comment on the occasional stupidity of Lego rigidly enforcing the system. In their mindlessness, I could totally seem them pouncing on the track if they had noticed it.

[Ondra]

Im now really interested in photos of high speed train.

Maybe again preliminary photos are different than actual product, so maybe no long front and green colour.

[legotownlinz]

It seems like a mistake that the picture of the cargo train has been published, otherwise Lego would have officially presented the set by now. Could it be possible that they used the wrong picture and the train is actually red? ;-)

[Stuartn]

Courtesy again of the City 2022 forum:

Definitely confirms the existence of the passenger train or station, not that there was any real doubt though.

[Johnny1360]

On 4/24/2022 at 2:59 PM, Aanchir said:

 

I'm still hoping to see a full-size train in the actual LEGO Friends theme at some point!

I not only think this is a great idea but it kind of makes sense too.

[Tube Map Central]

But does it? Where is the Lego Rail logo on his jacket?

[M_slug357]

The logo could be on the back of the torso...?

[Black Knight]

28 minutes ago, Tube Map Central said:

But does it? Where is the Lego Rail logo on his jacket?

Those folks indeed look more like from the new CSD-set!

[Roebuck]

12 hours ago, Ondra said:

Maybe again preliminary photos are different than actual product, so maybe no long front and green colour.

10 hours ago, legotownlinz said:

It seems like a mistake that the picture of the cargo train has been published, otherwise Lego would have officially presented the set by now. Could it be possible that they used the wrong picture and the train is actually red? ;-)

Prelims are in the trade catalogues not at shop@home, I can not remember a single case of Lego publishing a prelim on their official page, so I would say what you see is what you get

 

[Kalahari134]

5 hours ago, Tube Map Central said:

But does it? Where is the Lego Rail logo on his jacket?

Maybe he's been privatised

[JopieK]

1 hour ago, Kalahari134 said:

Maybe he's been privatised

Haha ;) That must be it!!!

[Ondra]

Nice figures, they looks like from 80s .

 

I found that cargo train has around 1100 pieces, thats fair amount of pieces for that price.

[mikka says]

Ive sat down and blown up the image as much as possible, and this is my guess in stud.io for the cargo trainsets locomotive. from what i can tell, its got a little bit of snot on the front and the centre seems a little odd steeping in at such a low height, i maintain its all a bit of a guess, but if it's anything similar, its a bit of a brute. (edit) as the leak arrive i was way off haha

 

Edited April 26, 2022 by mikka says
out of date

[SWC0llect0r]

Pics of box are on IG now, scale is off, cargo should be smaller or the locomotive bigger

[CDM]

The open wagon cargo...is that an electric car charging station with a solar panels?

The locomotive has a very strange look to the front. Not a fan of this at all. Hard pass on this one.

[supertruper1988]

After looking at the new pics. I am pretty confident that the old 6x34 drop center train bases are gone. They are replaced with this https://rebrickable.com/parts/64954/vehicle-base-trailer-half-6-x-16-x-2-23/ 

This is sad but also a good step towards seeing more interesting builds. 

The loco looks like a siemens or other modern electric loco and the lack of a molded front is a huge bonus to me. The shaping is nice and the colors are great.

[Ondra]

Seriously that locomotive is weird, feels lower that usual trains, front is very meh .

[zephyr1934]

Looks like the locomotive is on a dark blay 6x28 train baseplate. The auto carrier has yellow bogie plates (will they ever be black again? sigh). They are definitely striving to keep the part count as low as possible on the cars, with that said, I think the auto carrier and gondola are very good minimalistic part builds. The way the cars are locked down is clever. I don't like the flatcar but the locking mechanism does give play value. One of the members of my LUG has already pointed out the interesting new plat part in the container.

[Ropefish]

Some new images curtsy of reddit user/susunaaa