NEWS 2014 trains!

[Duq]

I miss the times of the 80's when there were only the basic colours. Life was so much simpler back then. But that's my opinion

Nothing stopping you from only using 80's colours... :-P

Well, I have never seen such a yellow freight train in Europe as well, the old LEGO trains and sets like the Emerald Night and Horizon Express look more like real trains (and of course the BNSF and SF too).

Maybe not in yellow, but the shape is common in Europe. Think Bombardier TRAXX, Siemens EuroSprinter.

I'm not being funny here, but your 'disappointment' is based on small grainy photos of part of a catalogue showing a very small part of a preliminary image of the set.

Why not wait until you see high quality images of the full, definite set, before making a judgement?

Sets tend to change in detail from the preliminary pictures. Changing the nose from one huge mold to brick-built would be a fundamental change.

I agree that this is a hugely disappointing step back. The green/white World City high speed train was hideous and was a car short. The 2006 pre-PF IR train looked much better in the pictures but had the single nose piece that didn't fit.

I think the current passenger train with it's brick-built front is the best passenger train of the last 25 years. That's from retail sets, not counting Santa Fe, Emerald Night and Horizon Express.

[Hrw-Amen]

I bought the Yellow Freight train and its a fun set, but living in America, the yellow loco just does not grab my attention since it looks like nothing I see out on the real rails. This new Blue Freight Train loco has grabbed my attention. Hopefully that set has some real straight track with it, not just curves and flexible track like the Red Passenger Train.

In the UK we see lots of locomotives that are similar in shape and size to the Yellow cargo train. I am not an expert so do not know the names of these engines. Most do not use overherad pantographs thought and are either diesel or pick up electricity froma third line. They are not bright yellow I will admit, but the design is similar.

[Stu83]

Most British (and European?) freight locomotives are double cab units in American terminology, just like 7939. For example the BR Class 92.

I am not certain, but amongst UK locomotives (as opposed to EMUs) I think only the Class 73 electro-diesels use third-rail without a pantograph.

Edited January 13, 2014 by Stu83

[dr_spock]

The UK has these class 57s that look like the yellow freight but in diesel.

Well, I have never seen such a yellow freight train in Europe as well, the old LEGO trains and sets like the Emerald Night and Horizon Express look more like real trains (and of course the BNSF and SF too).

Czech Railway seem to have yellow trains. I don't know if they pull freight or not.

I wonder if the new blue freight train is going to have double ended cabs.

[*thomas*]

I'm not being funny here, but your 'disappointment' is based on small grainy photos of part of a catalogue showing a very small part of a preliminary image of the set.

Why not wait until you see high quality images of the full, definite set, before making a judgement?

I will try to explain why to me this is disappointing.

The passanger train:

- single piece front (it's LEGO, not duplo or playmobil)

- the colors (did I not see those before on a LEGO train ?)

- the fact that once again it is a high speed train

- and, even more, once again it will be set up to run with a (multiple) centre wagons, front loc and dummy rear loc, not really the biggest build

- LEGO has some nice moulds for special nose bricks, why not re-use them more often? When reading on EB I have a strong impressing that the more bricks are used to sculp something, the better it looks and, even more important, the more people like it. The single nose piece is a cheap solution for LEGO

For the freight train I will wait till some pictures from the whole train are released.

Cheers

[pacc]

I don't think lego are cheap.

They probably base the <insert that tiresome argument> front piece on the fact that kids will likely crash and derail a lot and the front must be durable.

That said, I resent any part that cannot be reused or combined for any other purpose - I'm sure just two or three parts instead of one would open up possibilities without sacrificing looks or durability.

[Ondra]

No, that yellow locomotive is from private non freight railway company with name Regiojet from successful first and last noncorrupt czech bussinesman .That locomotives are czech http://en.wikipedia....D_Class_E_499.3 that were bought back to Czech Republic from Italy.

State company Czech railways have freight branch with name ČD cargo and locomotives have blue livery https://www.google.c...iw=1280&bih=684 .

Edited January 14, 2014 by Ondra

[ritzcrackerman]

I will try to explain why to me this is disappointing.

The passanger train:

- single piece front (it's LEGO, not duplo or playmobil)

- the colors (did I not see those before on a LEGO train ?)

- the fact that once again it is a high speed train

- and, even more, once again it will be set up to run with a (multiple) centre wagons, front loc and dummy rear loc, not really the biggest build

- LEGO has some nice moulds for special nose bricks, why not re-use them more often? When reading on EB I have a strong impressing that the more bricks are used to sculp something, the better it looks and, even more important, the more people like it. The single nose piece is a cheap solution for LEGO

For the freight train I will wait till some pictures from the whole train are released.

Cheers

I still think LEGO made the right move; I said in a previous comment that the nose is the business end of a train; it makes or breaks the design. I think you can fudge it with generic airplanes, space shuttles, or other vehicles, but because trains are so distinct, a single piece is probably the right move.

Who knows, once official images come out, I may hate it. :) But right now, I'm happy that they're revisiting and mimicking what is really a beautiful and unique train design (the ICE), and not sacrificing the front by trying to render it in brick.

Another thing I've noted is that the carriages look to be made of fairly common parts (dk bley train bases) so making additional carriages should also be much easier than trying to elongate the previous 7897.

This is a brilliant brick-built solution - but would be so cumbersome to try to render in a retail set.

http://www.mocpages.com/moc.php/128273

[English Electric]

I am not certain, but amongst UK locomotives (as opposed to EMUs) I think only the Class 73 electro-diesels use third-rail without a pantograph.

Correct, all older UK 3rd rail loco's have long since been withdrawn from service/scrapped. There used to be class 70 and 71 which were straight 3rd rail electric loco's, and some 71's were rebuilt as Electro-diesels, being reclassified as class 74. Of these I think only one class 71 is preserved.

On the subject of yellow loco's, this is the chosen colour for all of Network Rail's loco fleet (UK rail infrastructure owner).

[Captain America]

I agree, I think LEGO isn't cheap using a front mold, especially because LEGO has been using large molds for many of it's vehicles, planes, helicopters, boats even smaller parts of models. Unfortunately certain models that are based off certain designs in real life, almost have to have a molded section. Like I also said in a previous comment this train is based off the ICE and so recreating that with bricks would be very difficult, may not look good, would drive the piece count up, may be challenging for young builders, which this is where the model is suppose to be based towards anyway. I think the new mold looks amazing and other websites agree, including groovebricks.

[dr_spock]

On YouTube many people like to crash Lego trains for some reason. The one piece nose would be safer for the minifigure engineer in a crash. A brick built one could disintegrate and expose the engineer to harm and possible death.

[JopieK]

will be difficult to connect two trains though (we have seen that with other trains), but... of course we will be able to MOD and solve such a minor inconvenience :)

[cimddwc]

Though of course this nose is not a copy of an actual ICE design, just close enough to be recognized as a "generic ICE" without copyright infringement. A real ICE would also have the red stripe higher up and be all white below it.

The near-rectangular shape of the window and the long lights remind me more of an ICx, actually; ICE 3 (old and new) have a round window. None of them has a pointed nose like this. Which, by the way, is kind of - no, I shouldn't say that nose is growing on me, that would make my face look very strange but yeah, I begin to like it more. But I'll better wait for the final model and more pictures...

[Captain America]

Hehehe, I love the community here :') I was really shocked when I saw the new nose piece, I wasn't sure but now after viewing it plenty of times it looks really sleek and nice :) I believe it will look even better in real life! :D I can't wait for the toy fair pictures!

[lightningtiger]

I don't see what's all the fuss about the nose piece for the ICE train......the 2006 set had it and that was based in part by those trains running in Germany and France if my memory of the old Discovery Channel program is correct.

[peterab]

I don't see what's all the fuss about the nose piece for the ICE train......the 2006 set had it and that was based in part by those trains running in Germany and France if my memory of the old Discovery Channel program is correct.

The problem is that 2006 nose piece is arguably the worst ever piece LEGO has ever made, not only is it a large limited use piece but it was also poorly moulded (it had bad gaps when connected) and had woeful clutch power.

[LegoSjaak]

The problem is that 2006 nose piece is arguably the worst ever piece LEGO has ever made, not only is it a large limited use piece but it was also poorly moulded (it had bad gaps when connected) and had woeful clutch power.

That is exactly why i sold my 7897 set last month....it wasn't even 'static' in my layout....!

[krystalKING]

Kinda like the ICE model, cause I can't build trains if my life depended on it, and I've been wanting to find and buy an ICE model for a while.

As long as the nose fits well, I'm fine with it.

Kinda like the ICE model, cause I can't build trains if my life depended on it, and I've been wanting to find and buy an ICE model for a while.

As long as the nose fits well, I'm fine with it.

[ritzcrackerman]

The problem is that 2006 nose piece is arguably the worst ever piece LEGO has ever made, not only is it a large limited use piece but it was also poorly moulded (it had bad gaps when connected) and had woeful clutch power.

This would make a great discussion topic in the general forum: "What is the worst LEGO element ever made?" I suspect this piece would have to be in the top 10.

Edited January 15, 2014 by ritzcrackerman

[bartvdpoel]

The yellow locomotive of the current set looks a lot like the green or grey loco's that pull the train I'm on at the moment.

[Hrw-Amen]

Correct, all older UK 3rd rail loco's have long since been withdrawn from service/scrapped. There used to be class 70 and 71 which were straight 3rd rail electric loco's, and some 71's were rebuilt as Electro-diesels, being reclassified as class 74. Of these I think only one class 71 is preserved.

On the subject of yellow loco's, this is the chosen colour for all of Network Rail's loco fleet (UK rail infrastructure owner).

All I can say is that down here in the south west we have no overhead cables on our lines. I am trying to think where the nearest ones are, they must be getting on for near to London as I just cannot recall seein them anywhere around here where I live. We have several quaries the load up hopper wagons and are taken out by train, I think they must be diesels then as like I said no overhead cables. I know that I have seen a number of Type 08 shunters around locally as well as bigger main line engines, but i could not tell you what types they are. We certainly do have lots of third rail eletric though which most of our passenger trains seem to be.

[Paperballpark]

The old Southern railway company used 3rd rail, and the current train companies have inherited that infrastructure.

It plays havoc with the trains when it snows...!

[Aaron]

What we really need is more track, with different options. They should release packs of just straight track, and nothing else bundled with it if they want people to be satisfied. The flex track just isn't attractive to me at all. I'd honestly love if they could just sell the rail segments of the track as individual components, similar to what ME Models was doing, although with plastic instead of metal. Since many AFOLs build their own railroad ties anyway, it would benefit them being able to get the important parts cheaper.

As far as the new sets go, I'd never buy any of them. They look almost like a downgrade compared to the Emerald Night and Maersk sets, which were the high water marks. At this point it doesn't matter to me, since everything I build is custom, and I don't see these sets as being good part fodder either. It's still a bit interesting to note that the blue diesel bears a striking resemblance to the ones I see where I live. The passenger train just seems rushed, though. Neither of the sets have my interest, so I'm hoping there's more to come.

[Duq]

You can't compare these sets to the Horizon Express, Maersk or Emerals Night. You have to see these sets for what they are: starter sets for children. A lot of children get one of these for christmas and that's it for trains.

For adult builders the freight train is usually a decent parts pack to get started; you get some track, all the PF components for a train with a remote, a bunch of wheels and couplers.

I do agree about the track though. It's a mystery why they won't sell packs of 8 straights like they used to.

[Doom2099]

I'm glad we're in a time now where Lego makes good engines and sets like the Emerald Night, Maersk and Horizon Express alongside the regular passenger and freight starter sets. If Lego ever got rid of their basic starters, how would kids grow up into the more adult oriented sets? Before the Santa Fe Super Chief, we never even had the option of better trains, so this is the best of both worlds I think!