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[TheBrickster]

My Own Train Caboose

Set #: 10014
Theme: Trains / 9V
Year Released: 2001
Piece Count: 170
Minifigs: 0
Track: none
List Price: $15 (USD)

Welcome to a review of Lego's best little "loose caboose", 10014, part of the My Own Train Collection. Released in 2001 at a price of only $15 (USD), this little caboose has won the heart of many Lego train fans. Some might say that this little caboose looks like a Wild West train addition, and to those individuals, I would definately agree. With red walls, a black roof and detail pieces, and a single yellow stripe, the simlicity of the caboose is what makes it so special. Now lets take a look at this caboose, starting with the box:


Hey! There's Conductor Charlie - what's he doing here? I think he's going to be sharing this review with you train fans.

Don't you just love the My Own Train boxart? Take a look at the back of the box with vintage train images:



Like other My Own Train sets, the instructions are printed on blue paper/background that isn't too fancy, but easy to see:



Although this wheel assembly is not the first part of the caboose build, the image shows what's under the 6x16 baseplate:


NOTE: the 6x16 baseplate is short enough to allow single train wheels on each side that create very little friction around turns.

Here's a closer look. A dark grey 2x8 plate is placed over the wheels to create extra strength:



I love the interior detailing of this set. It has a single brown chair and table, a little oven range with round 1x1 trans. red bricks for fire, a smoke stack, and a kettle for some "pork & beans". A classic red door provides an entry:



The back section is nicely detailed with some break lights and "train end" piece:



My only real complaint about this caboose is that the roof was not designed to easily remove. One must break each 4-stud wide section off separately to allow access to the interior. There are four sections including the higher section in the middle, but they do come off without too much trouble:


Pardon the dust

Heres the roof at a different angle to show the raised section with windows. I like the use of the trans. light blue windows:



The front of the caboose has a "liftable" ladder and door so that Charlie and others can easily access the interior:



A side view shows the entire caboose. Isn't she a beauty?



And another side view with Charlie and a rail road worker for scaling:



For comparison, take a look at Playmobil's Christmas Caboose from their Christmas Train (#4035). You'll notice a similar design and interior details:



Here's a few "real images" of different cabooses. I'd say Lego did a pretty good job at their design:



And lastly, the set featured in Train Town (aka Willoughby):



SUMMARY

10014 Caboose is one of my personal favorite train cars from the My Own Train Collection. Is has the overall look and design of a classic caboose so reminiscent of American western trains from the late 1800s to the early 1900s (see also the Playmobil Caboose pictured above). The color is perfect, especially with the black detailing and yellow stripe. One can also replace the 4 1x2 grille bricks on the side (between the windows) with 2 1x4 bricks for the use of a custom sticker/decal. With the details of this caboose, the versatility to add it to many Lego freight trains, and an original price of only $15, this set gets 5 stars from me!

REFERENCES

Peeron
Lugnet

Choo Choo!

[Tom Bricks]

Looks good, I always liked these sets. I agree it looks like a WW train, which is a good thing. You are also missing [/img] in one of your pictures.

[VBBN]

Great review.
Loving this. SImple yet stunning.
Quite similar to the caboose in, oh what is it... ah, Holiday Train. At least this one has an interior.

[AFOL12v]

Great review . Love to read those. I had this set also, but sold. First reason, this wagon can't pass the trainshed 10027. Second, the has no option where a minifig can be placed to see above the long train in the front. That's why I voted poor.
The color choise is good though.

[legotrainfan]

Average. That's my vote because you have to tear off the roof, no minifig, and - as Panda said - you can't put it into the train engine shed since it's too high. I've always wondered why the My Own Train series didn't come with a minfig per set. It's such a pity.

[TheBrickster]

Thanks everyone for the comments re. this review. I particularly enjoyed this one. It was a fun set to review.

Panda9001100, on Jun 21 2009, 11:32 AM, said:

First reason, this wagon can't pass the trainshed 10027. Second, the has no option where a minifig can be placed to see above the long train in the front. That's why I voted poor.

Ouch! That's a harsh rating. Keep in mind that the Train Engine Shed was built after this set. One could say that the Train Engine Shed is too short for some train wagons. I'm okay that you can't place a fig in the observation area, but imagine how much larger the caboose would need to be if you had room for a fig to sit up there. Even with good design, it would most likely need to be a little taller.

legotrainfan, on Jun 21 2009, 11:48 AM, said:

I've always wondered why the My Own Train series didn't come with a minfig per set. It's such a pity.

While a fig would have been nice, does that really detract from a neat set? I'm not real fond of the non-removable roof either, but early 12V sets were just like this - before the use of tiles to allow "lift-off".

[AFOL12v]

It isn't that difficult to adjust the caboose, so a head of a minifig can look through the windows. Only it would be a little more expensive though. And lego want to keep is cheap . I can adjust the caboose of the holiday train, when I find the time for it. I will post the pic's in this topic then.

And I never liked this set anyway . But your review is outstanding .

[legotrainfan]

Oh, and you cannot open the red door of the caboose completely. I forgot that. Well, the tearing-off-the-roof problem and the cannot-open-the-door-completely problem can also be found with the green passenger waggon 10015.

TheBrickster, you're right. It's a good set. But for me minifigs are something essential. I don't care if a freight waggon doesn't come with a minifig, but for an engine and a passenger car - here I also consider a caboose a passenger car - minifigs are somehow a must. At least I feel this way. Just think of the 12V train cars and the first 9V waggons. They all came with minifigs, no matter if they were for freight or passengers.

[Vestabuyer]

Hello,

I am new to this forum and noticed your review on this terrific set! I just recently aquired a caboose along with a hopper and the lego express train set from ebay, so I am getting introduced to these sets by checking out the reviews. Thanks again!

[TheBrickster]

Vestabuyer, on Jun 22 2009, 02:45 PM, said:

I am new to this forum and noticed your review on this terrific set! I just recently aquired a caboose along with a hopper and the lego express train set from ebay, so I am getting introduced to these sets by checking out the reviews.

Welcome to EB Trains & Town Vestabuyer. I'm glad another train fan has joined EB. We're glad to have you!

And thank you for that feedback. It's always nice to know that by sharing a review and/or appreciation for a set, it helps someone else in their purchase. Good luck finding more of the 9V sets. They're becoming more and more costly, esp. MISB.

Please share your train creations, and feel free to always do an image review.