LEGO Trains 2022

[Toastie]

29 minutes ago, Ondra said:

Long front end green high speed train reminds me japanese shinkansen.

Wait - were they ever painted in green??? https://www.jrailpass.com/blog/shinkansen-train-types

You know what, dads da Crocodile!!! I bet the original quote said "has long front ends"

Well, maybe not - I guess, they were never used for hauling coaches. But TLG is behaving funny from time to time! 

Thorsten

Edited February 16, 2022 by Toastie

[Santob_au]

On 2/16/2022 at 6:02 AM, Tube Map Central said:

Does anyone disagree that 4554 was the best ever TLG station? It was playable and stylish, is it too much to hope for something just as good?

My opinion: In Chronological Order of good station sets:

7822

7824

2150

 

4554 is essentially a variant of 2150

7937

 

[icemorons]

On 2/15/2022 at 2:50 PM, M_slug357 said:

I hope the new station comes with some extra straight tracks though...

It'll be interesting to see if TLG makes an "official connection" between the existing train tracks and the new road system, considering that the rail height is 3 plates' tall but the newer roads are 2 plates' tall. I'd say the easy way out would be to use 2x2 curved slopes to bridge the gap?

 

I was just thinking along those same lines.  If they do include the new road plates, hopefully it integrates with a crossing, rather than being a road parallel to the tracks.   Past stations have included 4 straight track pieces.  Hopefully that will continue with this release.

 

[Kalahari134]

No idea why the above redundant quote box won't go away

19 hours ago, Maple said:

I took a train to New York City. Right outside the city the train had a 20 minute layover as it had to switch from oil/gas to electrical. You be surprised at how bad the trains are in third world nations like the USA.

Loco swaps used to be quite normal in the UK. Then some idiot decided that they'd rather just have diesel trains running for hundreds of mile under the wires. All to save on shunters. 

In Switzerland though, loco swaps happen regularly at Disentis as the MGB's loco (with pinions to assist adhesion on steep gradients) gets replaced by a faster RhB one. 

Edited February 17, 2022 by JopieK
Helped you out on removing the box :)

[Tube Map Central]

Although in the UK this also corresponded with the demise of loco haulage for passenger trains. Not much you can do with an Inter-City 125 set once it reaches the wires, and once the East Coast Main Line was electrified BR had plenty of them to deploy on all sorts of services.

[Kalahari134]

7 hours ago, Tube Map Central said:

Although in the UK this also corresponded with the demise of loco haulage for passenger trains. Not much you can do with an Inter-City 125 set once it reaches the wires, and once the East Coast Main Line was electrified BR had plenty of them to deploy on all sorts of services.

Crosscountry and London-Holyhead services however were often loco-hauled rather than HSTs and would swap locos when the wires started and finished. Then Voyagers came along - diesels running under the wires and passengers wedged into vestibules. So it's not just the US that is a third-world country.

[dr_spock]

As a kid, I found locomotive power swapping fascinating.  Once I took the train from Boston to New York and was riding in the front passenger car.  I got to watch the change over from diesel loco to a GG1 electric from the car end door window.  It was so cool to see the GG1 headlight like a huge eye watching you through the end door window on the rest of the way to NYC. 

[Ondra]

17 hours ago, Toastie said:

Wait - were they ever painted in green??? https://www.jrailpass.com/blog/shinkansen-train-types

You know what, dads da Crocodile!!! I bet the original quote said "has long front ends"

Well, maybe not - I guess, they were never used for hauling coaches. But TLG is behaving funny from time to time! 

Thorsten

Check out newer types just as H5, its exactly what I mean.

I really hope there is possibility of doubling, maybe I found place I buy 2x sets to made it complete...

 

Anyway trains are still dead in Lego. Two trains in 4 years doesn't change anything.

[McWaffel]

I think the problem is not that trains are dead, but that the CITY theme is dead. Only garbage sets with overpriced tags. And the trains being in the CITY theme doesn’t help.

If trains became their own line, it could really liven things up with extra carriages and accessories. You know, like they used to do 

[Wolfpackfan99]

1 hour ago, dr_spock said:

As a kid, I found locomotive power swapping fascinating.  Once I took the train from Boston to New York and was riding in the front passenger car.  I got to watch the change over from diesel loco to a GG1 electric from the car end door window.  It was so cool to see the GG1 headlight like a huge eye watching you through the end door window on the rest of the way to NYC. 

Yeah as a kid I also liked trains. I was always a bit weird as a child when it came to my tv choices, I was always watching how it’s made on the discovery channel, or kids programs about big construction vehicles. Being Canadian, I’ve always wanted a train that looked like the Go Train I once took to Toronto.

14 minutes ago, McWaffel said:

I think the problem is not that trains are dead, but that the CITY theme is dead. Only garbage sets with overpriced tags. And the trains being in the CITY theme doesn’t help.

If trains became their own line, it could really liven things up with extra carriages and accessories. You know, like they used to do 

Yeah I feel your pain, I always used to love city and their trains too, but I’ve noticed in the last 7-8 years city has gone down hill so bad. The weird play features were what originally ticked me off, I didn’t like how fire had water stud shooters and water pumps, the fun part about fire was that you had to use your imagination and role play, but it kinda ruined that, I also didn’t like how there are named characters, to me city was always my free for all story land where everything that happened was up to me, sure chase McCain was fine because he’s from a video game, but honestly I don’t even like the theme anymore.

Edited February 17, 2022 by Wolfpackfan99

[RichardGoring]

17 minutes ago, Wolfpackfan99 said:

Yeah I feel your pain, I always used to love city and their trains too, but I’ve noticed in the last 7-8 years city has gone down hill so bad. The weird play features were what originally ticked me off, I didn’t like how fire had water stud shooters and water pumps, the fun part about fire was that you had to use your imagination and role play, but it kinda ruined that, I also didn’t like how there are named characters, to me city was always my free for all story land where everything that happened was up to me, sure chase McCain was fine because he’s from a video game, but honestly I don’t even like the theme anymore.

I look at City sets and I look at Friends sets, and I just don't know how they're supposed to compete. City feels so basic and dull compared to Friends. Friends, to me, really has everything. The sets look great, they have excellent building techniques, there's variety, the play features are great. Although I personally prefer Creator Expert as an AFOL, it just feels like Friends is the embodiment of LEGO overall.

I wonder what they'd do if a Friends train set was ever launched. It would likely be awesome.

I'd love a Creator Expert train again though.

Edited February 17, 2022 by RichardGoring

[RedBrick1]

45 minutes ago, Wolfpackfan99 said:

Yeah I feel your pain, I always used to love city and their trains too, but I’ve noticed in the last 7-8 years city has gone down hill so bad. The weird play features were what originally ticked me off, I didn’t like how fire had water stud shooters and water pumps, the fun part about fire was that you had to use your imagination and role play, but it kinda ruined that, I also didn’t like how there are named characters, to me city was always my free for all story land where everything that happened was up to me, sure chase McCain was fine because he’s from a video game, but honestly I don’t even like the theme anymore.

We have to remember that the City theme is for kids. The TFOL and AFOL-related town line seem to have moved to the Creator and Creator Expert themes. Sadly, it doesn't seem as though the Trains sub-theme has made the full transition. 
 

[Wolfpackfan99]

1 minute ago, RedBrick1 said:

We have to remember that the City theme is for kids. The TFOL and AFOL-related town line seem to have moved to the Creator and Creator Expert themes. Sadly, it doesn't seem as though the Trains sub-theme has made the full transition. 
 

Yes valid point, but the stuff I loved was when I was a kid in that same demographic. Then again that was a simpler time back then.

[Ondra]

52 minutes ago, McWaffel said:

I think the problem is not that trains are dead, but that the CITY theme is dead. Only garbage sets with overpriced tags. And the trains being in the CITY theme doesn’t help.

If trains became their own line, it could really liven things up with extra carriages and accessories. You know, like they used to do 

I think there is really market after all.

All these train ideas sets with 10000 votes and still nothing.

Whats really sad, I will never buy lego train to kids these days, because its so hard to expand it.

Want longer freight train? Only options is buy these pricey sets more times. Or go to mocs market, action markets. Its not viable, its not fun...

 

[Wolfpackfan99]

20 minutes ago, Ondra said:

I think there is really market after all.

All these train ideas sets with 10000 votes and still nothing.

Whats really sad, I will never buy lego train to kids these days, because its so hard to expand it.

Want longer freight train? Only options is buy these pricey sets more times. Or go to mocs market, action markets. Its not viable, its not fun...

 

Exactly the awe and wonder of Lego trains has diminished. It’s more of a scavenger hunt now than the fun hobby it used to be. Maybe TLG thinks he market is dead, maybe they don’t want the ridicule of making trains for the classic stereotypical socially awkward guy wearing a conductor uniform, who lives in their moms basement with a huge layout of trains, the stigma around hobby trains disgusts me.

[Electricsteam]

So is this our first train of 2022?

 

Little monorail from  80036 City of Lanterns 

 

 

Not really a full scale train but it's got more track and cars then other mini train sets they release.

 

Even looks like its set up to be expanded with modular track sections 

 

 

[Modeltrainman]

12 minutes ago, Electricsteam said:

So is this our first train of 2022?

 

Little monorail from  80036 City of Lanterns 

 

 

Not really a full scale train but it's got more track and cars then other mini train sets they release.

 

Even looks like its set up to be expanded with modular track sections 

 

 

It uses the coaster system, so hopefully they made teal straights.

[Tube Map Central]

Ha! A train that goes on track round corners, not a given any more in the TLG world!

[Aanchir]

3 hours ago, McWaffel said:

I think the problem is not that trains are dead, but that the CITY theme is dead. Only garbage sets with overpriced tags. And the trains being in the CITY theme doesn’t help.

As frustrating as the high prices are, part of the reason they're so high is that City is reliably one of the most popular LEGO themes every single year. And I'd hardly call the sets "garbage". A 5+ theme like Town/City is certainly never going to approach AFOL standards as closely as more adult-targeted sets like the Modular Buildings, but I definitely feel that many City sets like 60283, 60291, 60324, 60330, and 60351 far surpass the '90s Town sets of my childhood.

3 hours ago, RichardGoring said:

I look at City sets and I look at Friends sets, and I just don't know how they're supposed to compete. City feels so basic and dull compared to Friends. Friends, to me, really has everything. The sets look great, they have excellent building techniques, there's variety, the play features are great. Although I personally prefer Creator Expert as an AFOL, it just feels like Friends is the embodiment of LEGO overall. 

I wonder what they'd do if a Friends train set was ever launched. It would likely be awesome. 

I do prefer Friends over City on a lot of levels, but I feel like in recent years the City theme has been improving in many areas where the Friends theme typically excels. In just the past couple years, there has been a real upswing in City sets focusing on everyday life, like the Skate Park, Family House, Town Center, School Day, Beach Lifeguard Tower, and Picnic in the Park sets. There have also been numerous sets focusing on science and exploration which I surely would have loved as a child, just as I loved the Launch Command and Divers sets of that time. And a lot of great new animals have been featured in City theme over the last few years, which is a trend that I'm sure will continue in the new Farm sets coming this summer.

1 hour ago, Modeltrainman said:

It uses the coaster system, so hopefully they made teal straights.

There are straight tracks included in that very set! And also in 80035 from the same wave. No teal slopes just yet, though, unfortunately.

[Ondra]

I checkout prices of these trains, cargo train is significantly cheaper that last one. Thats kinda interesting.

Passenger have same price.

[M_slug357]

While a lower price certainly isn’t unwelcome, it does seem slightly suspicious (at least to me). Does this mean we’ll be getting less train per pound…?

ugh… cant wait for the photo splash, especially if we might be getting a green passenger train set!

[Eaglefan344]

On 2/18/2022 at 6:48 AM, Ondra said:

I checkout prices of these trains, cargo train is significantly cheaper that last one. Thats kinda interesting.

Passenger have same price.

60198 came with 16 straights which was insane. Even if you take that down to 8 though the new price still seems low. 60198 is consistently out of stock too and has rarely been discounted so I would think it sold well. 

[*thomas*]

If you compare train prices to retail prices in the 80s and 90s, they are cheap.

In Belgium, the metroliner was selling for 6000 BEF, which is 150€, which is 180USD... 22years ago...

[Aanchir]

4 hours ago, Eaglefan344 said:

60198 came with 16 straights which was insane. Even if you take that down to 8 though the new price still seems low. 60198 is consistently out of stock too and has rarely been discounted so I would think it sold well.  

60198 also had quite a few substantial side builds! I feel like the contents of the first couple booklets (the forklift, armored truck, drivers, and pallet of gold and banknotes) would easily have cost somewhere between $25 and $30 if they'd been sold as a set of their own. So the lower price could also be due to having fewer side builds like that. I guess we won't know for sure until more details emerge.

[JopieK]

4 hours ago, *thomas* said:

If you compare train prices to retail prices in the 80s and 90s, they are cheap.

In Belgium, the metroliner was selling for 6000 BEF, which is 150€, which is 180USD... 22years ago...

You forget inflation. 150 € today is something different than 20 years ago.