10 replies to this topic

[JopieK]

Name: Electric Passenger Train
Set No.: 7725
Theme: LEGO / SYSTEM / Trains / 12v / Train Set
Year: 1981
Pieces: 485
Minifigs: 1
Price: USD 70.00$ (which equals about EUR 50€ and GBP 40£)

Introduction:
Our most favorite theme is 12V trains. Actually I got my first 77-series back in 1981 (5th of December, I was 2,5 years old) just a week before my brother was born. Some years later I got the 7740. After our Dark ages we (my brother, cousin and myself) got all 12V trains at least once. This 7725 was gathering dust in my brothers' room.


The train in all its splendor. As you can see it doesn't occur at the back of the 12V era train instructions although its larger brother the 7740 does. Some investigation learned that all the sets at the back of the instructions date from 1980 so the 7725 wasn't released yet.


Here you can see the front of the 7725 with the driver in the cockpit. The driver is in fact the only minifig that was included in the set.


As you can see, our version of the train has a different front than the one in the instructions. Apparently the former owner used 7861 (Lighting Set (12 V)) to upgrade the train with working back- and frontlights. I like the original lights but didn't notice that the train had those double lights until I did the review. Maybe we will give the train again it's original signs and put custom LEDs in it or so so that the train can drive into two directions with accurately working lights.


Another thing about the lights that puzzle me are the Backlights. While typing this I realise that the former owner might have added those, so let's have a look at the instructions then. As it turns out, the lights are there also in the instructions. I recently learned that only the last car or coach of a train has it's red lights on. So unless the train drives with only the front car it will never use those red backlights.


Here you can see the cockpit with the engineer. The cables don't look very pretty but well, the train at least has working light.


Here you can take a look at the inside of the engine car. While the 7745 has a nice 'fake engine' there, just the weight bricks and the ugly cables, apart from the engineer and his cockpit, no other nice features here. B.t.w. LEGO always used tiles in such a trains to make it easier for kids to take off the roof and have access to the minifig passengers etc.


Here the 'proof' that it is an electric train. The pantograph of the front car. It has the same kind of panthographs that the 7745 has.


The middle car has 4 chairs. As you can see, some vandal must have nocked over this one. Hope they leave the cables alone. This early morning train seems to have one passenger: a workman. I like the small 2x3 windows from this car very much! They give this care a nice look. Also the door in the middle adds something special to the train. As far as I know, no other passenger train has the doors in the middle.


Here you see the side of the train, just after the train has left Brickingham Station where the worker, probably from set 6647 (Highway Repair) that was also released in 1980.


A closeup of the last car with steering stand to allow the train to travel back and forth without having to 'make head', in other words: putting the engine in front again.


The train, shunted to an end track so it can be cleaned (I think it is apparent that it definitely needs cleaning very badly).

This set can be found on:
Peeron
Lugnet
Brickset
Bricklink entries  

Playability: 5/10 (The train is fine, but with only one minifig not very playable without other sets; also no accessories at all!)
Design: 7/10 (Nice train, the inside could have been a lot better, but I really like to original front lights!)
Price: 7/10 (the train came with motor so not a bad price, goes now for quite some money at eBay.)
Overall: 6.5/10 (nice set but the 7745 is a better train I'm sure)

Well that was it for today. I hope you have enjoyed this review and got tears in your eyes seeing how nice the 12V era was... It never comes back, but maybe LEGO rereleases some of this sets in the 2009+ train era (very likely that this is just wishful thinking).

Edited by JopieK, 12 September 2008 - 04:56 PM.

[Freddie]

A very nice review, JopieK!  

You know, I was wondering how LEGO could justify having two 12V-powered passenger trains at the same time, but after reading the review, and seeing the lack of figures and accessories, I guess I understand why (plus the train is rather compact). Oh, and I can't help but think that the chairs in the middle carriage are somewhat oddly placed, because those placed next to the door are unusable because the door takes up room needed for figs' arms.

Also, it appears that your set also has the newer couplers, i.e. there's no hooks for the decoupling rail to grab hold of. With the light assembly it really won't matter, play-wise, or if you don't have any decouplers, but it's still a bit of a bummer.

[JopieK]

Freddie, on Sep 7 2008, 11:52 PM, said:

A very nice review, JopieK!  

You know, I was wondering how LEGO could justify having two 12V-powered passenger trains at the same time, but after reading the review, and seeing the lack of figures and accessories, I guess I understand why (plus the train is rather compact). Oh, and I can't help but think that the chairs in the middle carriage are somewhat oddly placed, because those placed next to the door are unusable because the door takes up room needed for figs' arms.

Also, it appears that your set also has the newer couplers, i.e. there's no hooks for the decoupling rail to grab hold of. With the light assembly it really won't matter, play-wise, or if you don't have any decouplers, but it's still a bit of a bummer.

The chair was just loose so it should be placed on the 2x2 plate that is also visible in the picture of the middle car.
B.t.w. the front magnet is the old type. I have some decouplers but we don't use them because they are not really that reliable.
LEGO just release a whole line of trains at the same time. I just discussed with my parents and they told be LEGO had those sets longer in store back then. I must have gotten the 7745 somewhere in 1983 or even 1984 although it was released in 1981. I started of with the 7710 (push along train) and then upgraded the tracks with current rails when I got the 7745.

[Manta]

A nice old classic, the driver has a nice hat and torso, and the train is well designed, except for that thing on the roof.

[giorgio]

JopieK, on Sep 8 2008, 12:20 AM, said:

The chair was just loose so it should be placed on the 2x2 plate that is also visible in the picture of the middle car.
B.t.w. the front magnet is the old type. I have some decouplers but we don't use them because they are not really that reliable.
LEGO just release a whole line of trains at the same time. I just discussed with my parents and they told be LEGO had those sets longer in store back then. I must have gotten the 7745 somewhere in 1983 or even 1984 although it was released in 1981. I started of with the 7710 (push along train) and then upgraded the tracks with current rails when I got the 7745.

The 7745 was realsed in 1985 ;)

Lego had 2 12V passengers trains between 1981 and 1984 (the 7740 & 7725)

During the 80s the avergae life of a train was about 5 years.

[Freddie]

JopieK, on Sep 7 2008, 11:20 PM, said:

The chair was just loose so it should be placed on the 2x2 plate that is also visible in the picture of the middle car.

That's not the one I was thinking of, it was the other two chairs towards the middle of the wagon that I was thinking of. If you try to seat a minifig in either of them, you'll quickly find that it's impossible, beacuse the door interferes with the figs' required personal space. If you move both of them one stud forward (so that the back of the seat lines up with the edge of the window), it'll solve the problem, and still leave space for a figs to be seated in the other chairs.

[JopieK]

giorgio, on Sep 8 2008, 11:23 AM, said:

The 7745 was realsed in 1985 ;)

Lego had 2 12V passengers trains between 1981 and 1984 (the 7740 & 7725)

During the 80s the avergae life of a train was about 5 years.

@Freddie: yups now I see what you mean! I checked the instructions and indeed the chairs are in the wrong place...

Whoops, you are totally right, I meant 7740 instead of 7745 (fixed it)!

Edited by JopieK, 08 September 2008 - 05:00 PM.

[KimT]

A great review for a great set.
Thanks for sharing it with us.
A like the older LEGO trains.

BTW I think you need to fix this:

Quote

Name: Jetport Fire Squad (Light and Sound series)

[Bonaparte]

A set from the "golden age of Lego". It brings back a lot childhood memories seeing this review. I was 5 and just starting to play with Lego around that time. I could look for hours the Lego catalogs dreaming of sets like this one.

Thanks for this wonderful review!

[AFOL12v]

The best 12v legotrain is for me the 7740. The 7725 is still a goodlooking train and the only one with short wagons in a electric version. Before I started to with bricklink, I started to build this train in blue.



I've build 4 trains of it and sold 2 of them. Still one for sale . You can also build this in other colors, like a yellow one:



Or you can build a black version, which I made a death train of it. Driven by a skeleton .

Edited by Panda9001100, 17 May 2009 - 08:01 AM.

[AgentRick57]

Are you going to review the other 12v sets if you have the time?