Getting back with my Lego trains after 10 years

[McWaffel]

Dear Lego Fans,

While at work, my colleges and I were talking about how awesome it would be to connect our work desks with a cargo train to haul post-it notes, candy and office utilities around our office. I offered to bring my old Lego train set and we set it up during our lunch break. It has really relighted my love for Lego trains! I got my first Lego set around 1999/2000 with the blue and white Lego Railway Express (Set 4561). Being a kid at that time, I could not afford much Lego. I got a few track-packs and switches and intersections. I also bought a Santa Fe engine and one of the cars with it. 

I've stopped playing with lego all together roundabout 2006/2007 when the first RC train sets were released and 9V systems were retired. It's been 10 years since I last got my train set out and now being an adult with money on my hands, I really feel like getting back into the Lego trains that I so dearly loved as a child. I'm now faced with a few problems since the 9V system is no longer available. 

For one I know very little to nothing about the new train sets. I'm wondering wether it's worth buying a new train set or not, which train set to get, or just lurk around eBay to see if someone might want to sell their old 9V system. I'm thinking of building a new, larger layout in my basement once I bring home my train set from the office. As far as I know, all the rolling stock will work fine on the new rails and the new trains run fine on the 9V track. 

so to conclude, here's a list of questions I have:

- Are there any train sets out right now that I should get?
- Are there any train sets coming out in the near future that are worth waiting for?
- Should I not care about the new train systems at all and check eBay frequently for old 9V sets?

If anyone is interested, I will post some pictures of our little office-cargo-train 

thank you in advance! 

[pirzyk]

Welcome to EB and back to LEGO Trains!

27 minutes ago, McWaffel said:

Dear Lego Fans,

While at work, my colleges and I were talking about how awesome it would be to connect our work desks with a cargo train to haul post-it notes, candy and office utilities around our office. I offered to bring my old Lego train set and we set it up during our lunch break. It has really relighted my love for Lego trains! I got my first Lego set around 1999/2000 with the blue and white Lego Railway Express (Set 4561). Being a kid at that time, I could not afford much Lego. I got a few track-packs and switches and intersections. I also bought a Santa Fe engine and one of the cars with it. 

I've stopped playing with lego all together roundabout 2006/2007 when the first RC train sets were released and 9V systems were retired. It's been 10 years since I last got my train set out and now being an adult with money on my hands, I really feel like getting back into the Lego trains that I so dearly loved as a child. I'm now faced with a few problems since the 9V system is no longer available. 

For one I know very little to nothing about the new train sets. I'm wondering wether it's worth buying a new train set or not, which train set to get, or just lurk around eBay to see if someone might want to sell their old 9V system. I'm thinking of building a new, larger layout in my basement once I bring home my train set from the office. As far as I know, all the rolling stock will work fine on the new rails and the new trains run fine on the 9V track. 

so to conclude, here's a list of questions I have:

 

Quote

- Are there any train sets out right now that I should get?

There are several trains available right now, see https://shop.lego.com/en-US/Trains-Sets.  There is also the Holiday Train, https://shop.lego.com/en-US/Winter-Holiday-Train-10254, and if you are interested in it, you should get it right now.  It probably won't be around for all of the Christmas season, seems to be prime train selling season.

Quote

- Are there any train sets coming out in the near future that are worth waiting for?

Not that we know of.  We are always hopeful.  There has not been a Creator Expert train set released for a while now, the Horizon Express was the last one.  You can find a list of all the old RC/PF trains you missed here:  https://www.bricklink.com/catalogList.asp?catType=S&catString=124.577

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- Should I not care about the new train systems at all and check eBay frequently for old 9V sets?

If you really want 9V then yes but you will pay for it dearly.  Prices are insane.  Our LTC is moving away from 9V finally and most LUGs have already done so.  At some point you won't be able to find replacement motors.  9V straight track runs around $5 a piece.

Quote

If anyone is interested, I will post some pictures of our little office-cargo-train 

Video too! We want proof this really happened

 

 

[Lynxer]

I'm currently in the same situation. 

 

Sold my Lego 9v train years ago in a large lot of other Lego from my childhood. Almost immediately after liquidating my Childhood collection.. i started collecting SW figs and sets.. never gave much thought about the train until my son asked for one this Christmas. Going through my Lego magazines from years past my passion was renewed with the spread of old 9v trains and accessories. 

 

So Im also debating 9v vs PF

 

The 60051 cargo train looks very promising to me and likely will be under the tree for the Kiddo's this year. However I'm torn between adding 9v track to expand on the set and possibly dive back into 9v or stick with t he new PF track.

 

I'm not a scale modeler when it comes to Lego. I prefer playability, so the new PF trains seem like a great step back into trains. Not to mention PF track is half the cost and more readily available. 

[engineer003]

I currently have both 9v and the newer PF.  Just realize that the old 9v metal covered track and the new plastic PF track do fit together and the PF trains can ride on both quite readily, so I would not recommend selling your 9v system outright as that is a good bit of useable track.  You can also convert your 9v trains to PF as well.  And on my layout I have a few 9v loops and an out and back that accommodate either trains and then the rest is PF plastic track that can only handle the PF trains, so I am not sure you have to be devoted to one or the other.  And my 9 and 5 yo grandsons know exactly which trains can travel where too.  It adds a bit of realism in our play sessions as if they are different gauge tracks like there used to be early on in the US with a mix of standard gauge and narrow gauge as in Maine.  So we change engines to keep the trains rolling.

Edited November 25, 2016 by engineer003

[McWaffel]

First of all, thanks for your replies! 

 

1 hour ago, pirzyk said:

There are several trains available right now, see https://shop.lego.com/en-US/Trains-Sets.  There is also the Holiday Train, https://shop.lego.com/en-US/Winter-Holiday-Train-10254, and if you are interested in it, you should get it right now.  It probably won't be around for all of the Christmas season, seems to be prime train selling season.

I'm not interested in the holiday train. I'm looking for something larger to get me a good sized starting point for PF trains, if I choose to go into that direction. The 60052 cargo train looks nice but I'm not 100% convinced since the rolling stock doesn't appeal to me too much. I might want to buy additional rolling stock for it.

 

Quote

Not that we know of.  We are always hopeful.  There has not been a Creator Expert train set released for a while now, the Horizon Express was the last one.

Is there any interval that Lego releases Create Expert train sets in? I'm really bummed that I missed out on the Horizon Express! I would have bought two of those if I had known about it earlier 

 

Quote

Our LTC is moving away from 9V finally and most LUGs have already done so. 

I don't know what either LTC and LUG means 

And yes, I will post a short video too :D

 

1 hour ago, Lynxer said:

The 60051 cargo train looks very promising to me and likely will be under the tree for the Kiddo's this year. However I'm torn between adding 9v track to expand on the set and possibly dive back into 9v or stick with t he new PF track.

Yes, I was thinking of the 60052 cargo train set as well as it seems to come with a generous amount of track. But I'm not 100% convinced yet.

 

30 minutes ago, engineer003 said:

Just realize that the old 9v metal covered track and the new plastic PF track do fit together and the PF trains can ride on both quite readily, so I would not recommend selling your 9v system outright as that is a good bit of useable track.  You can also convert your 9v trains to PF as well.  And on my layout I have a few 9v loops and an out and back that accommodate either trains and then the rest is PF plastic track that can only handle the PF trains, so I am not sure you have to be devoted to one or the other.

I would never dream of selling my 9v tracks or trains  I've had it for 16 or 17 years and I intend to keep it. I was just wondering wether the two work together nicely. I'm thinking of buying additional 9v switching track to allow 9v trains to pass over and PF trains to switch to a non-electric track. I'm imagining it as a kind of overhead-power-track and diesel-only track - if you know what I mean 

Edited November 24, 2016 by McWaffel

[pirzyk]

11 minutes ago, McWaffel said:

1 hour ago, pirzyk said:

There are several trains available right now, see https://shop.lego.com/en-US/Trains-Sets.  There is also the Holiday Train, https://shop.lego.com/en-US/Winter-Holiday-Train-10254, and if you are interested in it, you should get it right now.  It probably won't be around for all of the Christmas season, seems to be prime train selling season.

I'm not interested in the holiday train. I'm looking for something larger to get me a good sized starting point for PF trains, if I choose to go into that direction. The 60052 cargo train looks nice but I'm not 100% convinced since the rolling stock doesn't appeal to me too much. I might want to buy additional rolling stock for it.

Just because you buy the train set does not mean you need to build all the stock.  You can use the parts to build your own stock.  If you know of some rolling stock you like from an older set, you can download the instructions from https://www.lego.com/en-us/service/buildinginstructions?domainredir=service.lego.com&ignorereferer=true and build them yourself.  Be aware some parts are quite rare and expensive on the open market.  I usually buy the sets for a parts kit.

Quote

Quote

Not that we know of.  We are always hopeful.  There has not been a Creator Expert train set released for a while now, the Horizon Express was the last one.

Is there any interval that Lego releases Create Expert train sets in? I'm really bummed that I missed out on the Horizon Express! I would have bought two of those if I had known about it earlier 

No, you will find LEGO does this to all of the themes, they sort of do an interval until they don't. 

Quote

Quote

Our LTC is moving away from 9V finally and most LUGs have already done so. 

I don't know what either LTC and LUG means 

Sorry about that, LEGO Train Club (LTC) and LEGO User Group (LUG).

Quote

42 minutes ago, engineer003 said:

Just realize that the old 9v metal covered track and the new plastic PF track do fit together and the PF trains can ride on both quite readily, so I would not recommend selling your 9v system outright as that is a good bit of useable track.  You can also convert your 9v trains to PF as well.  And on my layout I have a few 9v loops and an out and back that accommodate either trains and then the rest is PF plastic track that can only handle the PF trains, so I am not sure you have to be devoted to one or the other.

I would never dream of selling my 9v tracks or trains  I've had it for 16 or 17 years and I intend to keep it. I was just wondering wether the two work together nicely. I'm thinking of buying additional 9v switching track to allow 9v trains to pass over and PF trains to switch to a non-electric track. I'm imagining it as a kind of overhead-power-track and diesel-only track - if you know what I mean 

9V switches run around $25-30 USD each.  I am completely PF trains and ran my engines and stock just fine on the LTC's 9V layouts no problem.  Also you can find instructions online on how to convert over 9V engines to PF, I have converted the Santa Fe and GP-38 to PF controlled (with the latter having to go through a livery change because of colors).  If you want to get larger diameter curves (the LEGO curves are quite extreme as model trains go) you are currently limited to using the PF system, though there are third parties trying to solve that issue.

[McWaffel]

4 minutes ago, pirzyk said:

Just because you buy the train set does not mean you need to build all the stock.  You can use the parts to build your own stock.  If you know of some rolling stock you like from an older set, you can download the instructions from https://www.lego.com/en-us/service/buildinginstructions?domainredir=service.lego.com&ignorereferer=true and build them yourself.  Be aware some parts are quite rare and expensive on the open market.  I usually buy the sets for a parts kit.

Sounds like a good idea to be honest. I could just build the engine and create my own rolling stock and keep the parts I don't use as spares.
I've never bought individual parts before. Can you order them online or do I need to visit a Lego store? Specifically train axles, baseplates and the couplings (and those rotating plate things that connect the axles to the base plate).

Also: How is the battery-life of PF trains? I always hated batteries. Which is why I loved the 9V system so much. You could just plug them in and go. How much distance do trains cover before they run out of juice? Or how long can you run them (time)?

[pirzyk]

1 minute ago, McWaffel said:

Sounds like a good idea to be honest. I could just build the engine and create my own rolling stock and keep the parts I don't use as spares.
I've never bought individual parts before. Can you order them online or do I need to visit a Lego store? Specifically train axles, baseplates and the couplings (and those rotating plate things that connect the axles to the base plate).

There are several ways to buy parts.

1. Buy someone else's collection on sites like Ebay, very hit or miss on what you will get.
2. www.bricklink.com a ebay like site just dedicated to LEGO
3. From LEGO itself
   1. The Pick A Brick Wall at your local LEGO store, though selection is limited.
   2. https://shop.lego.com/en-US/Pick-a-Brick  Though selection is also limited but better than #1.  Delivery usually takes 3 weeks for me.  This is the option I use when I need between 200 and 1000 of a part (that they have available).
   3. https://www.lego.com/en-us/service/replacementparts  LEGO Customer Service, you can get a larger selection of parts but they are also somewhat limited.  They traditionally shut down the Buying Parts near the end of the Holiday Season to concentrate on missing/broken pieces.  Delivery for me is about 2 weeks.  The site limits sales to 200 per part.  I think you can get larger quantities if you call them directly.

Prices will vary wildly between all the sites so you will need to shop around and compare different sources.

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Also: How is the battery-life of PF trains? I always hated batteries. Which is why I loved the 9V system so much. You could just plug them in and go. How much distance do trains cover before they run out of juice? Or how long can you run them (time)?

This depends on what batteries you use and what train you are pulling.  I use the LEGO rechargeable battery https://shop.lego.com/en-US/LEGO-Power-Functions-Rechargeable-Battery-Box-8878 exclusively.  Others in my LTC use rechargeable batteries in the standard LEGO battery box.  We can get anywhere from 2 to 7 hours on a charge and then just put a different train on the line while the previous one is recharging.  We usually can recharge in about 2 hours.

[McWaffel]

Thanks for all the info! For now I'm trying my luck on eBay for a 9V set. If I don't get lucky before Christmas I'll probably go for the blue cargo train set. 
Pick a Brick sounds like a great place to get a hand full of spare parts and parts for my own rolling stock! Thanks for the tip. 

I don't think the battery is really worth it. It's quite expensive and you need to buy an extra charger. 

Next step will be to clear out my basement and build some tables  and I will post some pictures of the office cargo train on monday when I'm back at work 

[DaFokka]

If you want to buy the blue cargo train (60052), you might consider the 66493 Super Pack. In addition to 60052, it contains two track packs (7895 switching tracks and 7499 flex and straight tracks) and the 60050 train station. I picked it up on sale last week for €169, which is pretty good value. You'll be able to create more interesting layouts because of the extra tracks.

[McWaffel]

14 minutes ago, DaFokka said:

I picked it up on sale last week for €169, which is pretty good value.

Wow! That's incredible value for money! Did you buy it online or did you go to a store? I would immediately buy this super pack for that price!

[DaFokka]

I was lucky, last week there was a 15% off action at Bart Smit and Intertoys in the Netherlands. Right now, you can pick it up for €200, which is still pretty decent value.

[McWaffel]

Your tip was absolute GOLD man! Thank you so much! I just got the Super Pack for 180€ on Intertoys! What a steal! 
I'm super excited for my first PF train! Now I really have to get cracking on cleaning out the basement 

[DaFokka]

That's great to hear, enjoy it! I finished the train yesterday, tomorrow I'll start on the train station (and start modding :D). Let me know what kind of layout you come up with!

[McWaffel]

As promised, here are some photos of our office train :D 

I can also post a short video of the train running if anyone is interested 

[codefox421]

On 11/28/2016 at 10:38 AM, McWaffel said:

As promised, here are some photos of our office train :D

I can also post a short video of the train running if anyone is interested 

That looks super fun! It's always great to see someone dusting off their old bricks. Please do share a video!

[DaFokka]

That looks like so much fun! I'd better not bring my train to work, otherwise nothing will get done here anymore ;).