2016 Lego trains

[davidmull]

Theorise the emerald night is amazing perfect in every way. Everyone can't be wrong!

[Lego Dino 500]

Yeah, everyone thinks the Emerald Night is perfect but it's not. It's a 4-6-2 engine with a too small tender and the boiler and front of a 4-8-4 mountain. And it only comes with one carriage, in a color rare enough that it costs $150+ to buy on brick link or ebay.

[fred67]

I like the Emerald Night a lot - and if you do the Ruby MOD, and remove the smoke deflectors, you've already got a better Hogwart's Express than TLG ever released, despite the fact it's not a great match.

That said, it's not the iconic steam engine that I imagine when I think of that era; I like the earlier stuff "classic" steam, which is why I actually like The Lone Ranger Constitution train the most out of any train LEGO has ever released. I MOD it to run off of PF, build a caboose for it, remove the "play" features of the wagon, and you've got a really nice train - even a water tower to go with it.

And because it's smaller and less complicated than the EN, it runs better - no binding, much less friction in the system.

So if you remember MOT steam engines from way back when, with the new wheels and newer pieces, I'd just be happy for some updated kits like that.

Edited September 5, 2015 by fred67

[Steinkopf]

I don't know why there is such an obsessive push by some for an American locomotive, LEGO trains by nature tend to be rather generic and are designed to appeal to a wider audience rather than just a small crowd, to be frank LEGO went down that path many years ago with the Santa Fe Super Chief and the BNSF GP38 with TTX. The company ended up being lumbered with a large amount of stock which hardly moved until it was put on clearance prices, even then the vast bulk were snapped up by Ebay sharks who then sold them to the desperate fools who wanted them just because they were no longer available. Sometimes I really have to wonder about the direction of the community, is it being moved forward by builders who want to show the versatilty of LEGO as a creative medium producing beautifully crafted MOC's, or is it being dragged backwards by brainless collectors who only know how to build when they have a set of instructions in front of them.

[THERIZE]

Sometimes I really have to wonder about the direction of the community, is it being moved forward by builders who want to show the versatilty of LEGO as a creative medium producing beautifully crafted MOC's, or is it being dragged backwards by brainless collectors who only know how to build when they have a set of instructions in front of them.

I think both. I personally would like to have a maersk in a beautiful wooden showcase with a nameplate or some but I also like to build my own locomotives and coaches.

[Lego Dino 500]

I'd also say both. It's trying to find the balance of wanting to build your own Lego trains, and buying and building and running the sets as if they're you know, model trains. Personally, I'd say I fall under both given how I mod and improve stuff like my 60052, but I'd also like to build my own locomotives and cars but my brick link-fu is subpar.

[dr_spock]

There are people who enjoy collecting and there are those who enjoy building. Some are combination of both. There are all types in this community.

My American locomotive wish would be an Amtrak Siemens ACS-64 with a couple of Amfleet cars. It's close to a Vectron loco that it could be something non-North Americans might want.

[Steinkopf]

I think both. I personally would like to have a maersk in a beautiful wooden showcase with a nameplate or some but I also like to build my own locomotives and coaches.

I can certainly understand putting a well designed set such as Maersk in a display case, but when you see people obsessing over some rather mediocre sets you have to wonder.

I get rather tired of hearing those who keep on bleating about LEGO not supporting trains enough and they should bring out individual sets, protip if LEGO doesn't produce what you want build it yourself thats what LEGO is all about using some imagination and creativity.

[andythenorth]

Sometimes I really have to wonder about the direction of the community, is it being moved forward by builders who want to show the versatilty of LEGO as a creative medium producing beautifully crafted MOC's, or is it being dragged backwards by brainless collectors

Eh isn't the answer to that obvious?

The community is dominated by brainless collectors who dream of the time they can spend in a darkened room, furtively licking the front of a rare MISB set.

Some of us just think that Lego is a plastic toy that offers a bit of creative building and is a pain in the bum to tidy up. But we're definitely the weird ones.

Eh, is this not Flickr? I might be speaking out of turn. Anyway, here's a Maersk from my 'collection'

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7282/16380772525_d244f10e70_k.jpg

Untitled by Andy, on Flickr

Edited September 6, 2015 by JopieK
Resize your images <= 1024 width

[zephyr1934]

If/when there is a new AFOL train, I hope it is mostly sand red. At this point I really don't care what the design is, I just want it to be in a rare color that will get many AFOLs to buy it and part out.

The rare colors have been true of almost all of the modular buildings (a lot of my rare colors came from those buildings). The rare colors have been true of the two successful AFOL trains (EN and Maersk). And common colors true of the unsuccessful AFOL trains (Hobby Train and HE). With common colors few will buy the set to part out. HT had all of the parts simultaneously show up on PaB, HE had few rare parts that were of use outside of the HE (e.g., orange baseplates and the printed bricks). So they didn't sell well, not surprising. It is the part out possibilities that make for a great AFOL set. Many AFOLs will buy multiple copies of a set if it contains rare parts and never build the original model, it is this second use that keeps the model sales up (hence my wish for sand red- even though I personally have no use for that color, it would sell like crazy).

I also wish lego would abandon the "Creator Expert" designation since these sets are not true creator sets that typically have three different builds. In fact a true creator design would be the perfect solution for an AFOL train, allowing them to overcome the multinational problem inherent with trains. It is REALLY hard to find an iconic locomotive that everyone in the world would embrace (heck, it is hard to find one that everyone in the US would embrace, e.g., someone on the west coast might have little interest in eastern railroads or vice versa). With a true creator set you could have three variants in one box: a nice Euro loco, a nice North American loco, and maybe some generic freight car. The three variants will get the collectors to buy three copies, the car option will get the operating folks to buy more than three copies, the rare colors will get the parts-pack people to buy many copies. Then the world is a happy train-ey place.

[Lego Dino 500]

If/when there is a new AFOL train, I hope it is mostly sand red. At this point I really don't care what the design is, I just want it to be in a rare color that will get many AFOLs to buy it and part out.

The rare colors have been true of almost all of the modular buildings (a lot of my rare colors came from those buildings). The rare colors have been true of the two successful AFOL trains (EN and Maersk). And common colors true of the unsuccessful AFOL trains (Hobby Train and HE). With common colors few will buy the set to part out. HT had all of the parts simultaneously show up on PaB, HE had few rare parts that were of use outside of the HE (e.g., orange baseplates and the printed bricks). So they didn't sell well, not surprising. It is the part out possibilities that make for a great AFOL set. Many AFOLs will buy multiple copies of a set if it contains rare parts and never build the original model, it is this second use that keeps the model sales up (hence my wish for sand red- even though I personally have no use for that color, it would sell like crazy).

I also wish lego would abandon the "Creator Expert" designation since these sets are not true creator sets that typically have three different builds. In fact a true creator design would be the perfect solution for an AFOL train, allowing them to overcome the multinational problem inherent with trains. It is REALLY hard to find an iconic locomotive that everyone in the world would embrace (heck, it is hard to find one that everyone in the US would embrace, e.g., someone on the west coast might have little interest in eastern railroads or vice versa). With a true creator set you could have three variants in one box: a nice Euro loco, a nice North American loco, and maybe some generic freight car. The three variants will get the collectors to buy three copies, the car option will get the operating folks to buy more than three copies, the rare colors will get the parts-pack people to buy many copies. Then the world is a happy train-ey place.

I can totally agree with this, but please any color but sand red. Maybe something like olive or dark green or

dark red with sand yellow, but sand red is not a good color in general for trains. I can't think of any trains or cars that are sand red, aside from some intermodal containers. And a 3 in one set would be a great idea. Throw in the parts to make a steam loco, a high speed train, a diesel, and some cars (ideally a painted budd amfleet car that could easily go from Pullman to streamlined to budd amfleet cars.

Preferably it could be a Anerican hood diesel, a European high speed train, and a British-American ambiguous steam engine like a mainline 2-8-4. It could be our next hobby train potentially if they go this route. It'd just require the basic bricks for the cars and the engines, the bogies, the steam mechanism, and any specialty parts to make the shape of the trains.

[THERIZE]

I don't think the colour of the horizon was the reason it sold bad. The design was also pretty bad. It Was way to high and way to short.

[pirzyk]

If/when there is a new AFOL train, I hope it is mostly sand red. At this point I really don't care what the design is, I just want it to be in a rare color that will get many AFOLs to buy it and part out.

This argument makes sense to me as a way secondary sales are driven. Too bad we don't get a view of of LEGO's marketing & sales statistics. I would love to see if this is true or not.

I also wish lego would abandon the "Creator Expert" designation since these sets are not true creator sets that typically have three different builds.

I would like to see LEGO go the other way with the Creator Expert. Put out a train set that could be built in N ways, an engine, B-Unit, or one of X different rolling stock. So the Expert meant it was more than 3-in-1 and it was more of a technical challenge. The price could be an issue because buying an engine we all think should be more expensive than rolling stock, and that if the set was priced at the level of an engine, the rolling stock would be pricey (but I guess it also depends on part counts and if there is a rare color included).

[Duq]

I don't think the colour of the horizon was the reason it sold bad. The design was also pretty bad. It Was way to high and way to short.

I think the design of the HE was pretty good. All Lego trains are too short. The Maersk engine is only 75% of scale length for its height (or it's 30% too tall for its length).

@Zephyr: interesting observation about the colours. I'd love a dark red or dark blue train, as long as Lego can manage to get all the parts in the same shade of that colour...

I don't agree with your point about the Creator Expert designation. Creator is a theme for models that don't share a scale or theme. Creator 3 in 1 is just one of its sub-themes, Expert is another.

[Murdoch17]

If/when there is a new AFOL train, I hope it is mostly sand red. At this point I really don't care what the design is, I just want it to be in a rare color that will get many AFOLs to buy it and part out.

The rare colors have been true of almost all of the modular buildings (a lot of my rare colors came from those buildings). The rare colors have been true of the two successful AFOL trains (EN and Maersk). And common colors true of the unsuccessful AFOL trains (Hobby Train and HE). With common colors few will buy the set to part out. HT had all of the parts simultaneously show up on PaB, HE had few rare parts that were of use outside of the HE (e.g., orange baseplates and the printed bricks). So they didn't sell well, not surprising. It is the part out possibilities that make for a great AFOL set. Many AFOLs will buy multiple copies of a set if it contains rare parts and never build the original model, it is this second use that keeps the model sales up (hence my wish for sand red- even though I personally have no use for that color, it would sell like crazy).

I also wish lego would abandon the "Creator Expert" designation since these sets are not true creator sets that typically have three different builds. In fact a true creator design would be the perfect solution for an AFOL train, allowing them to overcome the multinational problem inherent with trains. It is REALLY hard to find an iconic locomotive that everyone in the world would embrace (heck, it is hard to find one that everyone in the US would embrace, e.g., someone on the west coast might have little interest in eastern railroads or vice versa). With a true creator set you could have three variants in one box: a nice Euro loco, a nice North American loco, and maybe some generic freight car. The three variants will get the collectors to buy three copies, the car option will get the operating folks to buy more than three copies, the rare colors will get the parts-pack people to buy many copies. Then the world is a happy train-ey place.

I believe sand red was discontinued as a color in 2005. It was only around in sets from 2001 - to 2004, and think I remember reading it was cast off during the later part of the Great Color Swap of the early 2000's.

[jonwil]

I would love to see more dark blue in sets, its a great color.

[brickbuilder711]

I think the design of the HE was pretty good. All Lego trains are too short. The Maersk engine is only 75% of scale length for its height (or it's 30% too tall for its length).

@Zephyr: interesting observation about the colours. I'd love a dark red or dark blue train, as long as Lego can manage to get all the parts in the same shade of that colour...

I don't agree with your point about the Creator Expert designation. Creator is a theme for models that don't share a scale or theme. Creator 3 in 1 is just one of its sub-themes, Expert is another.

I agree, and it seems to be why AFOL really want better turning radius. I would say the Maersk is too high, I built a Florida East Coast motor with the same design and it sits pretty tall. My big 6 axle motors like to hang around the 40-45 stud range.

[zephyr1934]

I can totally agree with this, but please any color but sand red. Maybe something like olive or dark green or

dark red with sand yellow, but sand red is not a good color in general for trains. I can't think of any trains or cars that are sand red, aside from some intermodal containers.

Truth be told, I'd prefer dark red, dark green, dark orange, or dark blue. But if it were the only sand red set in a decade it would sell like crazy just because of the color. Since lego has thus far failed to recognize the impact of colors on train sales, the large sales would likely guarantee a few more creator trains.

I don't think the colour of the horizon was the reason it sold bad. The design was also pretty bad. It Was way to high and way to short.

I think the HE was a good design for a train given the necessary constraints of a set (I still would have preferred 8 straights in place of a few of the minifigs), but the set was only good as a specific train. There was little incentive to part the set out for anything else... even for other trains. So it sold poorly. I still have many parts from EN, Maersk, BNSF, Super Chief in my building supply, but almost none from HE. In terms of alternative builds the HE parts were mediocre.

I would like to see LEGO go the other way with the Creator Expert. Put out a train set that could be built in N ways, an engine, B-Unit, or one of X different rolling stock. So the Expert meant it was more than 3-in-1 and it was more of a technical challenge. The price could be an issue because buying an engine we all think should be more expensive than rolling stock, and that if the set was priced at the level of an engine, the rolling stock would be pricey (but I guess it also depends on part counts and if there is a rare color included).

I don't think lego would want to include that may extra parts in a set given their experience with the Hobby Train (which failed for other reasons, but lego never figured that out). The fact that they still do not understand this aspect of the AFOL market is exactly why I would like a sand red train.

I don't agree with your point about the Creator Expert designation. Creator is a theme for models that don't share a scale or theme. Creator 3 in 1 is just one of its sub-themes, Expert is another.

At least originally the creator sets were meant to hark back to the universal building sets of the 1970's, with a focus on building with plain, rectangular bricks. From 2001 to 2005 the creator sets were just brick buckets/boxes/bins. In 2006 they added several 3 in 1 sets and several small sets with a single model. 2007 brought the first few houses in the 3 in 1 line, all built to minifig scale, but no minifigs to be found. The trend with the 3 in 1 sets continued through 2010 (though by this point a few of the buckets/boxes of bricks had a single minifig). It was during this time as an ambassador I suggested including a simple mini-fig to serve as a focal point for the houses, not sure if they listened to me, but they did eventually do just that in 2011. Since then more and more specialized pieces have been creeping in to the creator sets, with several looking more like city sets than what I think of as creator (e.g., the micro modulars have few rectangular bricks). The true creator sets have been among my favorites, the ones that can be built in to different things either by the very fact that they don't have instructions or at the very least because they have three variants. All of the creator expert sets have had a single build, many more specialized parts, etc. etc. Of course lego can group things how they wish and the creator expert sets fit with creator as much as they do with any other line.

<huff! huff! huff!>

So yes, I guess what I really wish for is that lego would adopt the "3 in 1" idea for the AFOL train sets.

[Duq]

I loved the early days of Creator, in particular 2003-2005 with sets like 4404 and 4883. That period ended when Lego gave in to complaining parents of lazy children. "Little Johnny can't build the model on the back of the box because you haven't included step by step instructions".

I remember enjoying hours of figuring out how to build the extra models from just one or two pictures. I also remember when the instructions for a 400-piece Technic set only took 20 steps.

Ok, grandad, that's enough now...

[engineermax]

I would love to see an American road diesel, I think that plenty of Europeans would like it. Maybe like the BNSF but better. Any European Diesel or Steam train would be cool too.

[Lego Dino 500]

Yes, more American road diesels would be good. British diesels have this sleekness to them that is quite fascinating, but the size and loading gauge of American diesels just exudes raw strength. I'd love anything from a Dash 9 to a GP40 to a F class, preferably with passenger cars and freight cars. Like a CBQ Flying Zephyr would be amazing, and just close enough to the Santa Fe to claim its heritage and improve on the original concept. Lego is now the #1 toy brand in the world, their risk factor and marketing strategies for separate locos and cars would be dramatically different and successful now. I'd be happy even if they provided a convenient way to order extra cars through Pick A Brick, that way they don't have the risk factor of a bunch of competing sets.

[Trainmaster247]

If we want to be on the topic of Passenger the pioneer Zephyr would be good, just a simple three car set.

Like this---

[andythenorth]

If we want to be on the topic of Passenger the pioneer Zephyr would be good, just a simple three car set.

So that's a solved problem then. Just build the one in your picture?

[Steinkopf]

So that's a solved problem then. Just build the one in your picture?

If that was a Facebook post I would like it

Edited September 11, 2015 by Steinkopf

[andythenorth]

If that was a Facebook post I would like it ������

I dunno, sometimes I find that Lego bricks can be put together in more ways than just the instructions that come in the set.

I know the community doesn't like this 'unofficial' use, some use the derogatory term 'MOC' for it. I feel bad because I know so-called 'MOCs' are damaging the community by lowering the resale value of rare MISB sets.

I dunno, I just picked up the habit from my kids. I've tried to stop them combining the bricks in new ways, but they just don't listen.

Edited September 12, 2015 by andythenorth