76423 might actually be Lego's strongest 6-wide steam train ever

[LordsofMedieval]

I don't really go in for 6-wide, but I appreciate that, as a price-saving measure, it's a good play scale for Lego. And I actually think the pending 76423 "Hogwarts Express & Hogsmeade Station" might be their best effort ever on a steam train in this scale (this includes Emerald Night).

Note:

• Correct number of wheels on the tender and locomotive.
• Properly angled front frame.
• Cylinders that at least try to capture the flared form of the source.
• Good tender shaping, with at least decent proportions compared to the engine (and it's not a two-wheel tender!).
• A train composed of more than one coach.
• Very strong balance between boiler and wheel size.
• An actual effort made to hide the flanges on the first and third driving wheels (le gasp!).
• Use of the small 'mine cart' wheels on the lead bogie to make the drivers look larger.
• Proper cab shaping.

I don't think the coaches are their best work, but the fact that this is an engine, station, train, and stretch of track easily makes this one of the most complete railroading sets they've ever released (right up there with the Magic Kingdom one). It's without a doubt the most play-friendly Hogwarts Express Lego has released (including the $500 variant), but I think, for the reasons listed above, it might just be their best steam train ever.

Thoughts?

 

Edited May 15 by LordsofMedieval

[Murdoch17]

I don't see the open hub wheels being used on the tender or coaches... maybe this signals a return to metal axles?

If so, you can add that to the list!

[Shiva]

For me, the pictures shown, look like https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=2878&idColor=11#T=S&C=11&O={"color":11,"iconly":0} .

[LEGOTrainBuilderSG]

Great set, especially for us! I like the mini (yet realistic looking) train station. It is also cool to see how part of the steam loco drive wheels are hiding under the plate like in most real steam locomotives. I wonder how they did that? 

[Shiva]

Looks like a new piece. Slope 45 2x4  2/3 with cutout, would be my guess.

It reminds a bit of https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=28192#T=S&O={"iconly":0}  Slope 45 2 x 1 with Cutout without Stud

[Hod Carrier]

It's a fair representation of a Hall, perhaps with better proportions than the Emerald Night. It is maybe the best we can expect as an official offering at this size, but I'm not blown away by it. The loco may be nice, but the coaches are horrible and the station is a take-it-or-leave-it for me. I expect it to be a roaring success.

I appreciate that this is damning with faint praise, but that's my feeling.

[LordsofMedieval]

7 hours ago, Hod Carrier said:

It's a fair representation of a Hall, perhaps with better proportions than the Emerald Night. It is maybe the best we can expect as an official offering at this size, but I'm not blown away by it. The loco may be nice, but the coaches are horrible and the station is a take-it-or-leave-it for me. I expect it to be a roaring success.

I appreciate that this is damning with faint praise, but that's my feeling.

I think if I get the thing - which is my no means certain - I actually might smash the coaches into one car. They wouldn't be great then, but the proportions would be a little more realistic.

[Shiva]

That's what I would have done too 2 small coaches, into one bigger coach.

[*thomas*]

It's a great set to get started into LEGO-trains. It has a station that - altough a bit small - at least looks like a real station instead of all those other 'platforms' and 'stations' we have got over the past few years. 

The carriages are short and 'childish', but at least we have two of them. Adding some magnetic couplers and/or moc'ing your own longer coaches doesn't seem that hard.

 

[JopieK]

Very nice! Great set. Nice basis and we can certainly MOC-around it!

[Darkkostas25]

Agree that even combining this and the previous also will be a win-win situation. I love the evolution in the design of this model through the time  it's getting better (wheal mostly for engine depiction of it goes with time only better looking )

[R0Sch]

On 5/16/2023 at 12:08 AM, Murdoch17 said:

I don't see the open hub wheels being used on the tender or coaches... maybe this signals a return to metal axles?

If so, you can add that to the list!

Yep, metal axles indeed! Both Tender and wagons, so 7 in total (same element ID 4298979). I couldn't be happier about this comeback. Sadly no magnetic couplings again.

[Murdoch17]

2 hours ago, R0Sch said:

Yep, metal axles indeed! Both Tender and wagons, so 7 in total (same element ID 4298979). I couldn't be happier about this comeback. Sadly no magnetic couplings again.
SNIP

Huzzah! Huzzah! "And there was much rejoicing"

...too bad about the couplers, but you can't win 'em all.

[RedBrick1]

I am very much looking forward to seeing how people mod this. 

[R0Sch]

1 hour ago, RedBrick1 said:

I am very much looking forward to seeing how people mod this. 

I would at least merge the two tiny wagons into one longer double axled wagon. Engine needs to be longer and taller to accommodate the conductor who currently only fits while sitting with his butt hanging out.

[LordsofMedieval]

20 hours ago, R0Sch said:

Yep, metal axles indeed! Both Tender and wagons, so 7 in total (same element ID 4298979). I couldn't be happier about this comeback. Sadly no magnetic couplings again.
 

Although I don't use them much, it's very nice to see them walk back the plastic axle thing. We pay too much for this product for them to get cheap on 30 cents worth of steel.