New to trains - #3677 on it's way!

[peterab]

The more I read, the more I realise I'm a total noob . So about rail stock. Can I go to town and get any wagon, flatbed, hopper, etc that Lego issued in the past or can I only use modern stuff with a modern engine? I mean, is there any compatibility issues with the pick-up system between modern and older cars?

And just to be clear, track gauge will not be a problem, right?

Track gauge is not an issue. You can use workarounds to connect all the track systems together too though it may look a bit odd.

Pretty much all the magnet systems will work together too.

The only real issue you will face is the older wheel sets (12V and older 4.5V trains) had far more friction and larger flanges so are probably best avoided with engines with 9V, RC and PF motors.

[Werlu Ulcur]

Thanks guys, that eases my mind. With all the options I have at hand, being a certified noob makes deciding what I can and what I can't go after a difficult process.

Sorry to bug you guys so much, but you're making my life much easier .

[Werlu Ulcur]

My Red Cargo Train is here!!!!

I was only able to open the box and sniff through the bags - unfortunately I think I'll only have the proper time to build the set and do a test run on the weekend . I'll see if I at least manage to build the engine to keep the anxiety in check.

[Locomotive Annie]

Ah that new set smell.....

[Werlu Ulcur]

The smell of a freshly opened set is charatecristic, ain't it ?

And BTW, the set is AWESOME! Seven baggies!!! That's a lot of fun! But maybe the best part was listening to my 6yo coming up with ideas about how we could integrate my train with his new #6860 Batcave .

[LegoSjaak]

The smell of a freshly opened set is charatecristic, ain't it ?

And BTW, the set is AWESOME! Seven baggies!!! That's a lot of fun! But maybe the best part was listening to my 6yo coming up with ideas about how we could integrate my train with his new #6860 Batcave .

it is a nice set.. and now it is time to expand... !!!

Have fun with your 3677!!!!

Edited February 28, 2013 by LegoSjaak

[Werlu Ulcur]

Whoa!

That looks exceptional Sjaak! And you got the Emerald! That one is definitively on my list, but I should get the Yellow Cargo Train first.

[Lazarus]

Yellow train will be cheaper than the EN.

i like the red train also. i am making up three 10170 TTX Intermodal Double-Stack Car in red and changed a few parts due to cost for my red train to pull.

And this is my setup for my Yellow train

http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=75880

I just have two more of the ballast wagons to finish and then my yellow train has a full rake of wagons.

[Werlu Ulcur]

Yeah, the Emerald unfortunately is expensive, way more then the Yellow train . But man, it's the bee's knees! I need the Yellow one first because of the tracks, PF hardware and crane, but I'm definitively getting the Emerald later on.

Your Yellow looks great! You kept it electric? I intend to make mine a diesel-electric.

[Androo]

I've just rebuilt the open wagon from my set (the brown one), because I wasn't too keen on the design of it. I used the tipper lorry body from The Mine set (4204) because I wasn't too keen on that model either. So I've managed to build one model I like from two that I didn't!

[Lazarus]

You kept it electric? In this pic yes but since been taken off not due to wanting to be none electric so much more as my son keeps taking it off. So i was like now its a Diesel 1x3 black tile goes in its place.

[Werlu Ulcur]

I've just rebuilt the open wagon from my set (the brown one), because I wasn't too keen on the design of it. I used the tipper lorry body from The Mine set (4204) because I wasn't too keen on that model either. So I've managed to build one model I like from two that I didn't!

And that's the beauty of Lego: why do you have to settle for something you don't like? Mod it!

You kept it electric? In this pic yes but since been taken off not due to wanting to be none electric so much more as my son keeps taking it off. So i was like now its a Diesel 1x3 black tile goes in its place.

I don't have anything against electric trains (quite the contrary), but since I would rather have my railroad as realistic as possible, not needing to think about wires and towers is a plus.

[Werlu Ulcur]

And it begins...

[Androo]

Hopefully you won't need to use the pliers or stanley knife to build it!

;)

[Werlu Ulcur]

Done !

And managed the whole build without using pliers, Stanley knife or hammer .

I'll post a more detailed account in a few minutes.

[Werlu Ulcur]

My Red Cargo Train (#3677) arrived early this week but only today I managed the time to build it. And boy I had a ball !

The first bag is a minifig (conductor) and half the engine.

The second bag finishes the engine, and you get to install the motor, battery pack and IR sensor. Looks like Lego designed the engine around the PF components, because the hardware is totally hidden.

Of course my 6yo was around, so either I would have to let him build part of the train (), or I got him distracted with something else. But with the loco working and the tracks assembled I could continue the build in peace .

With the third bag you build the cute service truck.

And here (4th bag) we get to the most interesting of the rail cars, the service car. The service truck goes on the flatbed and you get a small crane in the rear. Cool !

By now the railroad was in full steam, and as you can see, the Batcave became a train station and we also got a tunnel of sorts where Bane and his friends (Poison Ivy and Two Face) were supposed to jump down on the train and rob it before Batman was able to change from Bruce Wayne to Batman in the Batcave...

With the last bags you build the toxic waste car, the loading tower and the hopper car (and only now I'm realized I forgot to make the shot of the hopper, sorry ).

I finally managed to chase Bane's gang away (not easy!) to do some shots of the train ready & running.

A close up of the (fantastic!) engine that could.

The terrific service car. And only after editing this shot that I noticed that one of Two Face's goon was hidden there in the cabin . I may have to beef up the railraod security if this goes on .

And the toxic waste wagon. I toally missed the perfect oportunity to pose my HazMat minifig there .

Everything working, the super having some coffee and the men on the job !

If I may, I want to make some comments on the set and build - just don't forget this is a noob's impression about the train:

• The build was a blast! Honestly, I haven't had so much fun with a set ever since I built my AT-AT.
  
• PF rocks! I was a bit anxious about it, not knowing what to expect, but at least indoors it works flawlessly, I was totally impressed .
  
• That red engine FLIES! No, I mean literally, if you crank the control all the way up it flies off the track !
  
• Speaking of track, the first thing I have to get is more tracks. The stock oval is only good for demo runs, you have to get more tracks to properly enjoy this train. I also liked the flexible stuff - I'm positive it will come in handy when building a proper railroad.
  
• The battery case SUCKS. And I mean it really SUCKS . It's terrible to get the batteries out (I already bent a little one of the contact springs), so a battery pack is a must buy. I'll keep this one as a reserve.
  
• Watching my son play with the train already gave me an idea for a MOC rail car and maybe even a loco (this one will be tough). Stay tuned .
  

As you can see, I totally liked the set! At least for someone that never played with a Lego train before, the #3677 is a fantastic way to start. I always enjoyed trains, and played a lot with HO trains when I was a kid, so a Lego train sounded as the perfect way to join together two of my rediscovered passions. In a few months were moving to a new and bigger house, and I had promissed myself that I would have the space for a model (HO) railroad, but it looks like my railroad will actually be L gauge . Come on, model HO is boring compared to this; with L gauge you get to build your trains, not just run them. What can possibly be better then that ?

[Werlu Ulcur]

Here's my impression about the set and build: >Clickety Click Here<

Mod EDIT: Topics merged as they belonged to the same discussion.

Edited March 3, 2013 by Fugazi

[Luke_likes_Lego]

Welcome to the world of LEGO trains.....I hope your future builds bring you and your family as much fun as this one (maybe without the battery case frustration )

Cheers,

LLL

[Locomotive Annie]

That was exactly the reason why I gave up on model trains in other scales, - with Lego you can build everything yourself and it's really fun.

Welcome to the world of Lego trains. Nice review btw and cool photos to go with it.

[Hrw-Amen]

I think for myself this is one that is my favourite LEGO train sets. It has a nice long'ish track from the outset and a good multipurpose diesel engine that can be used for many types of goods or even light passenger work. It also has a good selection of wagons. The green box car is a nice one because every freight railways needs those. The tipper wagon is by far not the best example of this type of thing but it works and goes well with the play feature. The track maintenance wagon is not something that i think many people would expect to get and probably will not be included in many trains, but again it gives a play feature adding an extra thing kids can, do taking up track and relaying it along with numerous other railway works.

True the battery box is a bit of a pain to get them in a out but the rechargeable one is so expensive. I have quite a few normal battery boxes and they are all a little tight, but not too bad once you get used to it. I always take them out after I finish running the trains anyway. I'd love to get some of those rechargeable ones but they are out of my price range right now. I have however bought a raft of rechargable batteries to use.

[Werlu Ulcur]

Thanks guys!

I'm glad you all liked the writeup. I had a very enjoyable afternoon. I'm usually more into building/moding the sets, and then most of the fun is over, but this time I'm actually having fun playing with it . Right this moment my boy is behind me playing with the train - and talking (if you look up motor mouth in the dictionary you'll see "Rafael" right next to it ). I like to think of my self as a "scale guy", I love everything small and down to scale, and a few years ago, when I first tried to get back to model railroading, the richness in details of HO trains was truly enticing, but it wasn't the time yet - long story short, I gave up even before starting because I wouldn't have the space to have a decent HO railroad .

Last year, when we started building our new house, I managed to get our architect to transform the attic (that wasn't going to be used for nothing) into a sort of hobby room, so when we move I'll have all the space I need. So the plan was to move in, claim the attic and take all my Lego sets there and then start thinking about the so long delayed (HO) railroad. But totally by chance last week I found a BNIB #3677 in our local LUG, and like when you put two bricks together, something clicked in my head. What about giving L gauge a try ? It's not "exact to scale" and no "detail richness" as HO, but you get to build the darn thing! Customize it to your heart's content! I'm so glad I did; I found my scale .

What next? Well, first I have to get more tracks. It will have to be a play-with-and-take-it-apart-afterward scheme, at least for a few more months, but it will be fun to spend weekend's afternoons sitting in the office's floor and trying new rail patterns. I'll also at least try to get the battery pack, because I'm really afraid of damaging the contact springs (I'll have to come up with a solution to safely remove the batteries). Or of course I could just get the Yellow Cargo Train and skip the tracks for now. Oh yeah, this can of worms was totally blasted open .

But I have to go now. I just overheard that Bane is trying to bust his friends from jail - the box wagon was turned into a prison car - and he did use the word "bust", so I better check .

Edited March 2, 2013 by Werlu Ulcur

[peterab]

What next? Well, first I have to get more tracks. It will have to be a play-with-and-take-it-apart-afterward scheme, at least for a few more months, but it will be fun to spend weekend's afternoons sitting in the office's floor and trying new rail patterns. I'll also at least try to get the battery pack, because I'm really afraid of damaging the contact springs (I'll have to come up with a solution to safely remove the batteries). Or of course I could just get the Yellow Cargo Train and skip the tracks for now. Oh yeah, this can of worms was totally blasted open .

I tend to use a jewellers screwdriver to lever the battery out from the end opposite the spring, they come out pretty cleanly with a bit of practice. I've come to L-guage from HO and part of the attraction now is trying to cram as much detail into a LEGO model as I can. There are some quite awesome models that are very good lookalikes of real prototypes out there. It has taken me a bit of time and dedication to build at a level that pleases me, though the time spend looking at and learning from others has been enjoyable in itself.

[Locomotive Annie]

If you have any doubts about what's possible with 'L' Gauge check out Carl Greatriix's models on Flickr. I do understand what you mean about the richness of detail with the current crop of H0 rtr models, even with the latest British 00 rtr models the standard of detail is way beyond anything even the best scratch-builders can achieve; - and I should know since I did used to scratch-build to finescale standards when I was a much younger woman than I am now.

Lego trains are just plain good fun. I like to build New Zealand steam locos and what I like best is that any loco I build can continue to evolve as I learn better techniques or get newly inspired on how some detail might be represented. Unlike a teardown rebuild with a traditional scratch-build a teardown rebuild with a Lego loco is relatively painless and can be completed in an hour or two. I had a good friend in the British 'S' Scale Society who spent the best part of a year researching and building a particular Edwardian era loco in nickle silver to a very high standard only to have it destroyed by a careless accident caused by another society member at a train show. I know for a fact that he never really got over that loss of a very fine model and he pretty much gave up on building models after that. If that had been a Lego loco that had hit the floor it could have been put together again in short order and no harm done,

Life is too short, build things with Lego and have fun

[Werlu Ulcur]

Mod EDIT: Topics merged as they belonged to the same discussion.

Sorry .

I tend to use a jewellers screwdriver to lever the battery out from the end opposite the spring, they come out pretty cleanly with a bit of practice. I've come to L-guage from HO and part of the attraction now is trying to cram as much detail into a LEGO model as I can. There are some quite awesome models that are very good lookalikes of real prototypes out there. It has taken me a bit of time and dedication to build at a level that pleases me, though the time spend looking at and learning from others has been enjoyable in itself.

Every way you try to yank the battery out it pulls on the spring. Lego, of all compoanies, to make something that is not easily servicable ? I'll have to try your method.

Life is too short, build things with Lego and have fun

You're absoluetly right . I have in the past had some huge hobbies that demanded a lot of patience, money and work. I'm in a phase in my life where I don't want to get stressed out for nothing. One of the things that also held me back with HO was that I knew I was going to fret about the hobby (again). As you said, with Lego you just take it apart and put it back together again. Maybe you should introduce your friend to L gauge .

Edited March 3, 2013 by Werlu Ulcur

[Androo]

Well it certainly seems like you're happy with your new set!