To buy or not to buy: The 60051 Passenger Train

[Snapshot]

I love the 60051 high speed passenger train. (I'm an AFOL) It is only my 2nd train set, after the Holiday Train, and my first foray into the modern power function train system.

I'm currently sourcing parts to not only add two more passenger cars but also to stretch all three passenger cars to a 28 stud length. (The only thing I didn't like about the set was how short the middle car looks relative to the engines on each end). I was intending to post pics when I'm done.

I'm doing the same thing but I'm stretching the engines too. I have one 60051 with another due to arrive in a day or two. I had four 28-stud baseplates in stock and there's a Bricklink order with another couple plus extra bits also on its way. I've built as a much as I can of the two end and passenger cars but need the second set and BL order to finish them plus a couple of extra carriages. I've used a slightly different design (the one from the 7898 engine) for the rear bogie on the trailing car as I don't like the 1x6 brick used across the middle of the current design and I've also used it for the front bogies on both engines. Looks a lot better with the bogies the same size. I'd like to get up to four carriages but preferably without buying a third set.

Ties are wooden blocks that run perpendicular to the tracks on real train tracks, and the same on lego tracks but plastic (like the rails).

Also known as 'sleepers'.

Edited February 17, 2015 by Snapshot

[Breakdown]

I brought one just today. Finished putting it together not too long ago. It is the only (major) set I have brought since coming out of my dark ages that isn't Star Wars - I spend heaps on Bricklink and buy little odds and end sets for parts but no big TLG sets. I brought it mainly because I wanted to start mucking around with LEGO Train stuff and this was the cheapest way for me to get a bit of everything train related.

It looks better than I thought it would. If you ignore that it has no doors and no detail, it does capture the look of a standard modern city train. If I wanted to build up to a city train, in a city layout, you could MOC this into something decent (which I have noticed a few people round the traps have done).

The track is seriously undernourished. I put the station on the inside anyway, coz I could see the train was going to hit it on the outside without trying. Anyways, after fearing I had a broken motor - nothing worked until I plugged the motor direct into the blue connection of the IR - then it started up and wouldn't stop. So I caught the train before it went too far, plugged the motor back into the right place (as shown on the instructions) and it all seemed to work. I only had the lead car/loco made at this stage, so took it for a spin with the remote - as soon as I got to speed setting 5, it flew of the track and into the wall. I can't take it past speed 4 without it leaving the track, is this normal? I gather if I had more track I could get the train up to a faster speed but flying of the provided track at half speed seems a bit of an oversight to me - of course every kid is going to try and do exactly what I did and pump up the speed (as well as running over that hipster minifig with his manbag :D ).

TLDR - My high speed train is too high speed for the track provided.

Since I got some batteries and did the RC conversion tonight, I know exactly what you did. The wire from the Sensor thing, to the motor was on the studs well but not snapped into the other end well. Just experienced the very same, sometimes the train would grunt, but that's about it.

[ritzcrackerman]

Swap out the grey base plates for white and you'll get a nice representation of a newer era German ICE. That's my plan, anyways. Here's a good example.

http://www.1000steine.de/de/modelle/archiv/?archiv_theme=2

The all-white looks waaaay better to me than the grey on white two tone.

[Lazarus]

Picking up my extra two sets to total 4 of the new white train.

Going to make up the extra wagons and a club car and I will put up a pic.

With the parts you can make and extra coatch with the two front trains

[ummester]

Also known as 'sleepers'.

Ah, sleepers I know.

Since I got some batteries and did the RC conversion tonight, I know exactly what you did. The wire from the Sensor thing, to the motor was on the studs well but not snapped into the other end well. Just experienced the very same, sometimes the train would grunt, but that's about it.

I'm glad you know what I did - because I have no idea, still Everything is still working though, so I guess it doesn't matter.

Does anyone else find the remote/IR kind of erratic? Spinning the dial doesn't always increase the speed in regular steps and, on occassion, pushing the stop button makes it stop and then immediately go backwards.

[codefox421]

That is normal. It's because the default Lego track geometry is too small to handle trains at high speed. The only way around this is to run your train slower or purchase wider curves from 3rd parties such as ME Models.

Those aren't the only ways. You can also bank your curves by placing plates (1x2 plates should do the trick) under the ties on the outside edge of the curve. I'm sure there are more methods that haven't been listed too.

[Breakdown]

Ah, sleepers I know.

I'm glad you know what I did - because I have no idea, still Everything is still working though, so I guess it doesn't matter.

Does anyone else find the remote/IR kind of erratic? Spinning the dial doesn't always increase the speed in regular steps and, on occassion, pushing the stop button makes it stop and then immediately go backwards.

I messed around with mine. I haven't had any of those issues.

Looking back at this thread, I'm really glad it's not someone's custom build thread. Otherwise . . . between the two of us, we would have totally ruined it!!

[ummester]

I've got another motor, battery pack and IR receiver on the way - found a BL store that was charging what I thought were quite reasonable prices. So I will be able to tell if they both behave the same way.

This stupid 60051 has grown on me also, so I wanted to keep it running along with any from scratch trains I MOC. I've designed some Mods. There are still some parts in bound to realize it all in actual bricks - but I really thought it needed more roof detail and some semblance of doors.

Edited February 27, 2015 by ummester

[Breakdown]

IR receivers and motors are actually really cheap from the Lego website & TRU. In addition . . .if you haven't already I would consider picking up some of the LED's that attach to the IR receiver and battery pack, they're only $6 US from the Lego website.

[ummester]

Battery pack, motor and receiver, that would have cost me $78 on the Australian LEGO site, with ridiculous postage, cost me $50 from BrickLink and I got 300 parts and postage for the difference.

Bricklink seems to cost more this year than it did last year but it's still less than the LEGO site (unless you want sets) for Australians.

I should have gotten some LEDs - I didn't think of that and the ordering is complete now. Perhaps when I gather some more cash for more cars or trying my hand at a steamer, I'll give lights a shots also.

Just checked - the LEDs are $13 AU from LEGO, definitely better to use Brickficiency and source them with some parts from Bricklink for me.

Edited February 27, 2015 by ummester

[jamesed_1971]

I brought one for my nephew Connor who loves trains, and if they do reduce in price I might buy a couple for spare parts or moccing,

[Exa]

Swap out the grey base plates for white and you'll get a nice representation of a newer era German ICE. That's my plan, anyways. Here's a good example.

http://www.1000stein...?archiv_theme=2

The all-white looks waaaay better to me than the grey on white two tone.

Yeah, it looks really great. Very icx like : http://www.siemens.com/press/pool/de/pressebilder/2011/mobility/soimo201107/300dpi/soimo201107-04_300dpi.jpg

http://www.1000steine.de/de/gemeinschaft/forum/?entry=1&id=313807

[Traktor]

That is normal. It's because the default Lego track geometry is too small to handle trains at high speed. The only way around this is to run your train slower or purchase wider curves from 3rd parties such as ME Models.

Another solution, that I have done, is to make the curves banked. Simply by putting some bricks under the tracks on one of the sides, by doing this I am able to keep full speed through the curves, even with a 4 meters straight before the curves so the trains actually reaches full speed. Real railroad is made like this.