Rail Co

Anyone else notice the different track pieces at the end of the station? Maybe a place for that maintenance truck to get off at? It looks like that piece of track is on both ends... Interesting for sure.

@michaelgale I appreciate your in depth reply. You are 100% right that you are producing this on a much smaller scale than Lego so your production costs will be higher. I did fail to take into account the very high quality box that can be used as storage for the tracks (an I assume sticking two S16 Lego tracks RC or 9V will also work in these for safe keeping when switching back from RC to 9V), so that is for sure a plus that I failed to remember. Which in that case puts the cost of one Fx S32 track at ~$4 which is a little better. Also @zephyr1934 you make a very good point of fair market price vs. what someone is willing to pay. I do think this is a fair price, regardless of whether I am willing to pay it at this time or not. However, what I don't want to see happen is see all Michael's countless hours of hard work go to waste and go in the direction that ME Models faced if not enough people will adopt these rails. I agree that I think the biggest hump is getting enough traction to convince the plastic track users to use 9V again. As you do have to have 9V motors to be able to run your trains on these rails and if you don't already have them getting them is pretty pricey and only rising. I agree with Michael that prioritizing the metal pickups first, should be done as that will allow people (hopefully) to use their PF and PUP motors directly with 9V track whether it is the official track or by Fx bricks. This would be greatly appreciated as while I think PF has it's advantages I much prefer running on metal rails as they mean no batteries! This will not only allow everyday users of 9V rails to easily convert over their PF trains, but open the door for people who only use PF trains to convert their models over if they want to adopt the metal rails. This post got a little longer than I expected so sorry for the long read. Just throwing my thoughts out -RailCo

This is great news! Glad to see these finally making their way into train fans in the next couple of weeks. While looking at that price puts me off a little. I'll have to do some calculations in the morning, and I'll need to remind myself that you essentially get 16 standard Lego pieces. However, I am not sure it is really 33% cheaper than used rails. Doing some quick calculations $70 for 16 regular single length tracks, means you pay $4.375 per straight track. However, the average price of track actually sold on Bricklink is $4.22 in the last 6 months. Meaning that these tracks are 3.67% more than the used tracks, not 33% less as stated in the blog. If you look at the current average price of track on Bricklink that are listed but not sold at $5.43. That means Fx Tracks are still only ~19.43% cheaper than current listings, however, I prefer to look at sold listings as those are what people actually pay. For more reference a pack of 8 straight rails from Lego at $12.99 (MSRP) in 1991 would cost $24.95 today with inflation meaning 16 straight track would cost $50 if they were still sold today from Lego Looking at the review by @zephyr1934 has written these look to be high quality parts and I understand that these are not produced at a mass scale so the price will be a little higher. However, unless I am missing something I do not see these being 33% cheaper as claimed in the blog post. I am in no way trying to bash this product as I haven't gotten my hands on it yet. Just making an observation and giving some food for thought. I am still very excited about these tracks and would love to pick some up, but I might have to wait a little while before convincing myself that I can spend $70 on track. I am very excited to learn more about another 9V motor bogie coming out and more track options to add more flexibility in the geometry. Also, great quality and professional video @michaelgale! Thanks, -RailCo

Thanks for this review. I have been waiting to get my hands on these straights for awhile now. Looks to be a good quality product with a lot of thought and effort into the design. I can't wait to see when these will be available!

Hello everyone, Today I have something special for you all. I finally got the last couple of pieces in to finish my Lego 40316 Geoffrey Brickheadz which was slated to release in 2018 but was cancelled due to ToysRus filing for bankruptcy and eventually closing its stores in most regions. I was really bummed to see this set not make it into the hands of collectors and fans of Geoffrey the Giraffe. Therefore, I built him using all official Lego bricks and have finally finished him. I had put the project on hold about a year ago due to moving houses and starting a different job. Finally he is done, I hope you enjoy! Lego 40316 Geoffrey #57 Brickheadz by Railco1, on Flickr Lego 40316 Geoffrey #57 Brickheadz by Railco1, on Flickr Lego 40316 Geoffrey #57 Brickheadz by Railco1, on Flickr Lego 40316 Geoffrey #57 Brickheadz by Railco1, on Flickr Lego 40316 Geoffrey #57 Brickheadz by Railco1, on Flickr Here is a screenshot of the instructions for the model I was able to use from Lego's website at one point: LEGO 40316 BRiCKHeadZ 57 Geoffrey the Giraffe by Penciller Zero, on Flickr I hope you like my build of this unreleased set. Thanks, -RailCo

Hello guys, I am hoping one or two of you would be happy to share your personal experience with me. The experience would be if you have ever been judged or bullied for building with Lego as a teen, or adult. It does not have to be recently, if you don't want to share on this fourm you can PM me. The only information I ask you to provide is your name, your story, and at what age it happened (can be rough like 20s, 30s, etc.). Your response may be used in a college essay that only my professor will read. If you want I can leave your name as "Anonymous" or say you prefer not to be named. Thanks! -RailCo

So one of the eBay listings showed a case of 3 that he had (with the Lego manufacturing information label on it). The date on the box was May 2020. If they have been producing these since May, the hope is that on August 1st retailers will have a few. Trying to locate one in the U.S. isn't seeming very likely right now however. If anyone knows any information about U.S. stock please let me know here or PM me -RailCo

Hello, just watched the designer video on the 10277 crocodile train. For a very short time you can see a drawing of another locomotive on a white board. I was thinking if this could be a teaser or just a mere coincidence. I have a screenshot from the video. The number on the loco is "1876" and looks to be more American in style. If people think it is possibly a teaser anyone know what train it could be? For anyone wondering this is about 3:05 minutes into the video. Wondering what everyone's thoughts are on this? Screenshot: Thanks, -RailCo

Beautiful model. Love the detail. I'm very impressed that it runs on the narrow gauge track! Great work! -RailCo

Sure. This is purely for fun and who knows maybe in a year or two a steam train will come out and surprise us to be similar to the drawing. However, you are right it could be there as just a back drop. -RailCo

Was able to order mine last night at 11pm CST. A few hiccups but my order is shipped nonetheless. As of about 9am this morning it was backordered for July 17th. Now it is backordered for the standard 60 day message. Excited to have it arrive in a few days. Glad I was able to grab one as who knows when they will be in stock. -RailCo

@Toastie I can tell you right now that Lego is overpricing their electronics by quite a bit (as everyone has worked out). I can tell you right now that I could buy an arduino or any other similar microcontroller board and build my own train controller for cheaper than what they are asking. Will it have an app? No. Will it be in a fancy case? No. However, it could run a train around the track and I could even add bluetooth (while not as seemless as Lego's design) for an extra couple of bucks. I have looked at images from the powered up M motors and the PF M motors and can tell you there is very little difference between them. While I find the PuP M motor is still reasonably priced, I can't see why the L motor is 3x the price of the PF one. The only thing I can think of is if something was expensive to manufacture with these new motors, i.e. they had to create their own custom IC chip or component that they want to pay off. However, I find that unlikely as most of the parts are readily available for their purposes. For example the most expensive part of these hubs are the microcontrollers built into them. They can be bought for about $2.30, and that is only if you buy 1. The more you buy the more you save with a bulk rate. I do think Lego is being stingy here. While the system works fairly well and it is nice to be able to use your phone as a controller, it's hard to justify the price unless you can find a good way to get the motors or hubs cheaper. Like I have done on bricklink. Just my 2 cents, -RailCo

Wow those renderings look great. He really is making me excited for these track pieces. I never had the chance to get my hand on the ME Models 9V track, so I'm really excited for these. They stay true to the look of the original 9V track. I am eagerly waiting to be able to get more straights as I started collecting 9V trains a little late in the game. I might not get their particular switch right off the bat as I don't necessarily "need" it but it would be nice to have. Awesome work Micheal! -RailCo

I think this was already mentioned, however, I want to remind people that they should probably order a PU Large Motor from bricklink before the price goes up. Lego has it listed for $40 USD. I ordered one from a U.S. seller for roughly $14 USD. I bought mine early before people notice the price that Lego is asking. While it will generally be cheaper to buy it from bricklink I could see sellers raising the price to $30 - $35. Just an FYI. I was hoping they would do a pre order so I could get an order in early as Lego sets seem scarce these days due to COVID. Can't wait for July 1st to order mine -RailCo

Awesome rendering of the Train model there @R0Sch, impressive work. This gets me thinking about running two motors for this train, one in the front section and one in the back section. It might be nice to have both ends motorized to allow it to pull more coaches or wagons. -RailCo

I think people read into my post too much. When I said we haven't had a creator expert trains since 2012/2013 (seems to be a debate on that and I certainly can't remember). What I meant was that we haven't seen a train that is part of what I consider the train theme altogether. I personally consider the Winter village train to be part of the winter village line, not the trains line. Furthermore, while the Disney train does look wonderful it doesn't really fit in with the AFOL trains that we had been getting like the 10183 Hobby train. the EN, the Maersk, and the HE. This is because I believe it is 8-wide and part of the Disney park line they seem to be having with the Disney castle and now the train. Basically, I consider this the first true "AFOL" train since the HE. For the fact that it isn't part of any other theme or line of products. On a different note, I think @zephyr1934 had a great idea of just providing additional instructions without the need to print them on paper. Lego has done this in the past with the 40th Anniversary of technic. While I don't find it likely that they will provide these as they will essentially be making no money off their time and effort to make the instructions. I think it would be a good middle ground for AFOLs. Lastly, @Duq makes a good point that they used to have alternate builds, but took them away since they were getting quite a few calls. While it's sad that those are gone, maybe Lego could produce another thick ideas book for not only trains but city, technic, friends, even brickheadz, etc. That could include various different ideas so people could try to either copy them or make their own. Again, I think Lego is beyond providing extra instructions or idea books at this point. Honestly, I am very happy with this set and might even buy a second model. Would I like coaches to go with this set? Yes. Am I upset they didn't provide them? No. I am happy they are trying out another Expert or AFOL oriented train. I hope this works out and we can get more! -RailCo

Haven't logged in for awhile, glad I did to see this post! I don't think we have seen a UCS/Creator Expert train set since the Horizon Express in 2012. I am beyond thrilled and will obviously be picking one up. Here is my opinion on the adding coaches/wagons. I believe Lego made the right choice only having the locomotive, no loop of track and no motorization. It drives the cost down, the consumer gets to decide what to do next. Many train fans, even if not in the Lego community might buy it as a desk display. Casual train fans or Lego fans can buy it and motorize it to run in their city or just around a loop of track in their lego room, around the Christmas tree or add existing coaches they have for it to pull. Finally, the hardcore lego train (like many of us) fans they can motorize it and build the coaches they would like, in whatever livery they might want. This opens up opportunities for most buyers in my opinion. While I personally do enjoy having a coach or wagon to come with my trains from Lego, I think it is a smart move. For the rumored $100 price tag this is a great deal at about 7.7 cents per part, so even people who want to part the set out and sell it on bricklink have an opportunity here. I will definitely be picking this up as I got into Lego trains just after the 10183 Hobby train was discontinued, so I never got to buy a crocodile loco from Lego . These Creator Expert trains are what got me into the Lego train line in the first place with the Emerald Night. -RailCo

Hello all, it's been awhile since I have posted anything, sorry for that. Anyway, I am away for awhile from my 9V trains and they are in a box somewhere (moving is a pain). However, I am trying to develop a motor controller PCB for my personal use and it will have 4 train signal ports to act like the 12V system did and stop the train when a button is pushed. However, because I don't have access to my collection right now I am wondering if you all could help me or point me to a topic I may have missed. I can't remember how the 9V system provides power to the motor. Does anyone know these specs? 1). Does the motor run off of a DC voltage or AC Voltage source. I know the wall plug is AC but I can't remember if that is rectified and is changed to a DC output. 2). Does 1 rail carry 9V and the other rail carry 0v/Ground. Or is it that one rail runs on +9V and the other runs on -9V. 3). Has anyone done this type of train signal (like the 12v system did where 1 rail is cut off and the switch basically closes/opens the circuit) with an Arduino or other means and give me suggestions on what they did, if they wont to share their secrets of course. Thanks to anyone and everyone who can help! -RailCo

Thank you all for your replies. @Andy Glascott I love the idea of using the original Lego 12v parts. It would be nice to be able to do. However, I don't think I have the funds to purchase those parts. Where as LEDs can be bought for pennies and a spool of wire for a few bucks. If I had the funds to purchase those original signals I would definitely go that route. @zephyr1934 I am sure there are quite a few different ways to isolate one rail section. I will probably be doing this all with non-Lego parts. Not only for cost reasons but I plan on doing this all on a single Arduino shield if possible. Then just have wires running to the track and LED train signals. This gives me more options when designing the shield and I can make the feature I want all in one small package, if that makes sense. @Brickthus Thank you so much for the regulator circuit diagram! This is a huge help to visually see what is going on inside. I wanted to make sure that the train ran on DC not AC which your explanation confirms. I am glad that it runs on one rail at 9V and one at 0V that makes life easier. Thank you all for your help and suggestions! -RailCo

Honestly the most exciting thing for me is the 9V track. I don't have a lot of track right now and for one straight track getting upwards of 3-4 dollars it is getting a little crazy. This makes me happy that I can expand my 9V layout because I prefer it over having to change batteries. As for the motor, I would be perfectly happy to have the standard train motor size. While others who do a lot of custom engines probably need a versatile power pickup for me who mainly has standard sets I need nothing more. Excited to see when these will be released! -RailCo

Wow I really like those designs, a definite support from me! -RailCo

I have done this myself before (I didn't replace the contacts). I had to do this because one of the plastic pieces inside of mine happened to snap during shipping to me and it jammed the motor. Luckily the plastic piece wasn't exactly "necessary." So while I had it open I re-greased and cleaned the contacts, I have yet to glue my motor back together only because I don't want to have to crack it back open if something else goes wrong (they are getting quite old and brittle). Good ol' well applied clear tape does the job, however, you have to replace the tape every couple of weeks or so, I'll get around to making it all shiny and new one day ;). -RailCo

I have used the tape in the past but I felt like I was always making constant repairs to the connection between two pieces of track. While it worked it wasn't reliable.

If you are planning to make anything 9V related, take my money! Looking forward to whatever you have planned -RailCo

We can all hope that they release another one! They seemed to have done that for the past two "cycles" of trains that have come out 2011 and 2015 -RailCo