What's Next for Lego Trains?

[WesternOutlaw]

The following two items are sets that I'd love to see Lego offer:

1) the return of another early 9V or 12V classic train as a legend, just like they did with the Metroliner. I love to look at all the Lugnet and Brickshelf images of these classic trains (like 7727 and 7730 from the 12V era, and 4563 and 4564 from 9V). I'd want to see the complete set though, with motor, track, and transformer.

2) a realistic Wild West 4-4-0 locomotive (with detailed design like the Emerald Night) with a few cars/wagons to go with it.

I would be very impressed if Lego were to offer either of these.

This topic really brings up an interesting discussion as we know that sooner or later, Lego will offer a new train set. I also think that they will expand train buildings with perhaps a highly detailed station or trackside structure. It's interesting to discuss the numerous possibilities.

[zephyr1934]

Obviously, more REALISTIC steam engines. Like the emerald night. The Hiawatha would be nice:

You mean like this?

(grin)

Okay, back to the main topic.

Benn

[DaCheese]

Here's my predictions, probably way out but never mind.

The driving wheels were new parts for 10194, and as others on Eurobricks have said creating new moulds/toolings/whatever is expensive so Lego are going to want to get a lot of use out of them yet. More steam in the future looks fairly likely. On the other hand, I'd say that having to put PF parts into a loco means it's pretty unlikely that we'll see tank engines (or diesel shunters that don't use the 8866 train motor). If we do see these they'll be based on bigger prototypes. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing; BR Standard 4 tank anyone? There's a very impressive 9V model of one of these that you can see here. Check out the fantastic MOCs on the rest of bricktrix's Flickr; For UK-based EB members, this may be a tad overwhelming. Back on topic. Small PF tank engines can be done though as shown here.

Lego trains have to have international appeal, so don't expect train products that are styled specifically to appeal to or are based on prototypes from a specific country unless you live in the US, where there's probably a big enough market as shown by the Super Chief and BNSF GP38.

RC trains have a horn sound and the Grand Carousel has a sound brick. How about one that has a rotation sensor or similar so that your Emerald Night can, for want of a better word, CHUFF! Here's how it might work. You build the brick into your model and put one of the driving axles through the brick, set the model up so that the quartering of the driving wheels matches two marks placed 90 degrees apart on the bit of the sensor that turns with the axle and it's ready to go. As the engine picks up speed the sensor increases the chuff rate until the sound finally changes to a faster beat when the loco is approaching top speed. Connect the lights directly to the battery box and run a second sound brick with a shrill whistle (like the

has) off the second channel. No need for the sensor this time, turn the wheel one notch on your controller and the whistle sounds. Getting incredibly optimistic here, have a short whistle if you turn it one way and a long whistle the other!

Am I getting carried away? Probably, but if this is what you want too, tell Lego. If the demand is there, they might satisfy it.

[keetong]

With the addition of the Emerald Express, I was wondering what you guys hope the future will bring?

In my opinion I'm hoping for new monorail sets and a whole lot of trains.

Just to keep you thinking, remember we had a vote for TRU exclusive set.(the city one) Remember the second option.

Look at the second option

[Captain Zuloo]

Ooooh! I do like that public transport centre! What goose voted for the city square?

Well I sincerely hope we get a line of detailed trains - after the Emerald, more cars would be fantastic, maybe some more steam and diesel. I think we've had enough high speed trains recently.

[JopieK]

Ooooh! I do like that public transport centre! What goose voted for the city square?

Well I sincerely hope we get a line of detailed trains - after the Emerald, more cars would be fantastic, maybe some more steam and diesel. I think we've had enough high speed trains recently.

The First LEGO League theme of this year is also smart move: about transportation... So we'll see.

[Rijkvv]

An intercity with an electric engine and some cars, more steam and more additional buildings and cars. Maybe a steam locomotive based on the Prussian G8 with some freight car, so there is also a smaller steam train.

[WesternOutlaw]

With the addition of the Emerald Express, I was wondering what you guys hope the future will bring?

Keetong: I've merged your post with a topic started previously.

[keetong]

Keetong: I've merged your post with a topic started previously.

Oh sorry, I did a search for something like this but I couldn't find it. Thanks

Edited August 7, 2009 by keetong

[Piranha]

This is a really good topic

I think Lego is headed in the right direction since changing from 9V to a more battery operated style of trains

Never owned an RC train but I plan on buying the power functions to power my Emerald Night and use the RC tracks

No flexible track, they look ok, but I plan on using plastic tracks, cheap and look like 9V

I think some EN add on cars would be cool, like a caboose, and other passenger cars

Track side structures we definitely need more of (train repair houses, water towers, stations, level crossings), and maybe a modern light rail trains

The cool thing about the EN is that I think it would fit into a modern city as historic locomotive train, like the train at Knott's Berry Farm

I am not sure what I like better, classic loco's or more modern metro type trains

[muffinman42]

i want to see more british steam style engines from lego. since they've done american with the 9v.

things like the

9F or

A4, some tank engines in diffrent types (side tank,saddle tank and pannier tank) would be nice.

an engine shed would be nice.

maybe have a sub-theme in trains for preserverd or steam locos.

[The Green Brick Giant]

Lego needs to rethink it's whole train idea, because right now I think it's a failure.

LEGO went "9v is dead" and then introduced RC. RC is far from perfect, but it has a few things going for it, mainly the price, LEGO wanted cheaper and that's what they are.

The whole problem with 9v was it cost too much for LEGO to make and too much for children, so what do they do know? They make a train that would cost $200-$250 to make it run! That's insane!

LEGO next year needs to release a few more trains, like the Holiday Train and Classic Train that don't run on batteries, and more importantly make them cheaper. Then they need to make a pack that can get the train to run for less than $50.

After they fix that mess LEGO needs to release more sets like they used too pre-2000s. There needs to be cranes, and cargo stations, and passenger stations and rainroad crossings and more cars for the trains. For the last few years we had none of that.

[Cwetqo]

OK, so now we have:

-cargo train (good)

-passenger train (ugly)

-AFOL train (too short)

-passenger train station

So, we need at least:

-additional cars for emerald night (urgently)

-rail crossing

-cargo train station (with crane)

And these would be nice:

-cargo rolling stock like my own train

-PF signals and rail crossing

Also, i think that LEGO needs to introduce two new train sets, one with complete set of PF elements and other with just motor and battery. That would really start up PF train sales. Now it's really too expansive (for the price of powering up my EN I bought 9V motor and motorised it and i still had money lef to buy MISB SFSC plus motor on ebay)

Edited October 28, 2009 by Cwetqo

[Brickthus]

OK, so now we have:

-cargo train (ugly)

-passenger train (good)

-AFOL train (too short)

-passenger train station

So, we need at least:

-additional cars for emerald night (urgently)

-rail crossing

-cargo train station (with crane)

And these would be nice:

-cargo rolling stock like my own train

-PF signals and rail crossing

Also, i think that LEGO needs to introduce two new train sets, one with complete set of PF elements and other with just motor and battery. That would really start up PF train sales. Now it's really too expansive (for the price of powering up my EN I bought 9V motor and motorised it and i still had money lef to buy MISB SFSC plus motor on ebay)

A PF signal light brick (1 red, 1 green LED, with opposite polarity lighting either one) would be most useful. Failing that, just white lights and we'll add the colour filters.

There used to be the container depot 4555, which was my first 9V set. I bought 5 for the crane slider parts!

PF for line-side features is a tricky one. An IR receiver and battery costs a lot more than a long wire and a common power supply. Linear Actuators could change the points, though their travel is too long for that, risking the mechanism popping off the point lever. I'm using pneumatics myself, with medium motors and racks on other points. Heiner Berg did a nice rail crossing using a PF medium motor and a worm gear block for each barrier. I think there's a photo of that in the latest issue of Brick Journal.

Everyone would like rolling stock like their own, but I know there won't be more 8+ wide rolling stock for my trains, even with an 8-wide EN loco! I think the 10015 tanker was a one-off. Besides, my wagons use more bricks and would be too expensive as sets.

At least EN is a big step forward for LEGO trains. There are more steps to make, so keep up the good work TLG!

Mark

[Piranha]

After they fix that mess LEGO needs to release more sets like they used too pre-2000s. There needs to be cranes, and cargo stations, and passenger stations and rainroad crossings and more cars for the trains. For the last few years we had none of that.

I agree that although the Emerald Night was seemly cheap at $99 (well worth it )

The problem is power, all the PF and track will cost an additional $160 more (for me at least)

So then you have a really awesome train and a cool track that runs, but nothing around

The answer is track side structures and add on's, there are countless possibilities

Price to make a running train also needs to go down, alot cheaper, however this will mean cheaper train

Which I am ok with since we have the EN

The problem with $120+ dollars to make the EN run is there are loads of other great sets you can buy

Which IMO would detour a-lot of regular people from buying the EN or motorizing it

[Rijkvv]

I would like to see the RC rail crossing again. I also think of other track pieces, like three-way points and the modified points seen in Railbricks. The flexi-track is useful to connect small things that don't fit exactly, but is still not usable to create wide curves I think. At least are they very ugly.

Since 1996 the passenger train has always been a small set, with a freight train a big set. I think it should be the opposite, cause freight trains are easier to expand and often create more play value. I would like to see a small freight train below 100

Edited August 25, 2009 by Richie

[Topsy Cret]

Ooh... Thinking of the future.

The coolest thing that TLC could release for the train line (in my opinion) would definitely be a train crossing. And it wouldn't be some flimsy baseplate with just two red-and-white bars on it.

No... It would be a large grand baseplate, with at least two buildings (preferably one being a small train shed), and the gates would be motorized! Seriously, that would be some awesome ****.

Although for something smaller, I'd hope for a collection of train signalers.

Well, here's hoping!

[Duq]

Last but not least I want curved tracks and straight tracks sold seperately. Like someone at LowLUG mentioned, one of the reasons to quit the 9V system were the expensive tracks. But now you buy a set with around the same price. It has more track parts, but what can you do with all the curves that will left over cause you mainly use straight ones?

Yup, that someone would have been me... I've seen comments about these combination packs of track on various forums and I sincerely hope this has high priority for the ambassadors.

There's two types of posts in this topic; the 'wishful thinking' ones and the 'what could realistically be expected'.

I find the question of what we may expect hard to answer, especially after hearing the Jamie Berard interview where he explains why there won't be any extra carriages for the Emerald Night. The course of the Lego Train System has been rather unpredictable for the last few years. One thing I remember from the discussions and statements around the end of the 9V system was that in future there would be two types of train sets; one for children and one for the ever growing AFOL train community. The Emerald Nights obviously falls in the latter category. Looking at Lugnet it seems that train sets last about 3 years. The RC trains are from 2006 so you'd expect new trains this year or next.

I'm hoping for a TGV-style passenger train with a brick-built front, not one of those playmobil-style noses like the 7897 passenger train and the new airplanes. For the freight train I hope it won't be another European cab-in-the-middle like we've seen in 4564, 4565, 4512, 7898...

Most of all I hope Lego will put small train sets back on the shelves in toy shops. If Santa has put the big train set under the tree it would be nice if Johnny could save up to add an extra car to his train

As for the wishful thinking... After two American trains (the Chief and the BNSF) I think we're due another European train. I really hope there will be a classic red and black German steam engine with the EN-drivers in red. A separate set with Orient Express style carriages that could go with either the new loco or the Emerald Night would also be nice.

I'm still hoping for curves with a bigger radius though I realise the market for them would be limited. Straight track to go with the curves from the Indiana Jones mine train would be great for a narrow-gauge train or maybe a tram...

[Cwetqo]

A member of our LUG (it was proven in the past that he has some connections in TLC) posted a comment that new train line will be introduced in next august. It will contain two train sets, level crossing and train station. From Jamie Berards interview we can assume that these will be more children oriented trains, but for now nothing is confirmed. I hope that we will at least get level crossing and station before august (which is still nearly a year away).

[WesternOutlaw]

Interesting...

There's also the Toy Story Train as well. I'm wondering what this will look like?

[Matt Dawson]

Interesting...

There's also the Toy Story Train as well. I'm wondering what this will look like?

Going OT...

But wasn't that train the one that went round Big Al's bedroom, in the Toy Story playstation 1 (yes, the original!) game?

otherwise it would either be related to Woody's Wound-Up (i.e. western) or just a general one Andy has played with - perhaps in TS3?

[Klaus-Dieter]

A member of our LUG (it was proven in the past that he has some connections in TLC) posted a comment that new train line will be introduced in next august. It will contain two train sets, level crossing and train station. From Jamie Berards interview we can assume that these will be more children oriented trains, but for now nothing is confirmed. I hope that we will at least get level crossing and station before august (which is still nearly a year away).

Thank you very much for this information, Cwetqo!

I really hope that this person on your LUG is right since a new train station and a new level crossing are really, really needed!

Plus I bet that if TLG released a cargo train and a passenger train in one line together with a train station and a level crossing the whole Trains theme would get for all Lego Trains and City fans - AFOLs as well as JFOLs - more attractive - for AFOLs more trackside strutures and for JFOLs more playability.

Hopefully TLG will give us this time a decent train station since the last one from 2007 was the imo worst train station ever - it was much too small, included only one low floor (plus the small room upstairs), looked much to suburban, the handcar was really out of place, included insufficient minifigures and included nearly no interior. Even the World City train station was much better. But ok, that's my opinion and I should not fly off on a tangent. So I hope for some more classic looking train station - bigger and with more interior.

But I think that TLG learned a lot in the last years and since we have been getting such awesome City sets since 2007 I bet that TLG will design the new Train sets (even when they will be more JFOL oriented than AFOL oriented) in a more classic style. Plus it's not yet confirmed that all these four possible sets will be regular sets - I could even well imagine that the train station will be an Exclusive (but on the other hand it's unsupposably since we'll be already getting that TRU Exclusive plus perhaps hopefully a second winter set).

Btw: I bet that a railroad worker would sell very well, too, esp. if this was an Impulse set including even a small signal.

There's also the Toy Story Train as well. I'm wondering what this will look like?

You're right, TheBrickster.

But I'm really not that interested in it. It surely will be bigger than minifig scale if Buddy wants to sit and stand inside. Plus it's a licensed set from a fantasy movie. And I surely will never add some (fantasy) movie licensed train to my City or Western layout (don't get me wrong: I really like TS - but (these) TS sets are something really only for kids (apart from the soldiers sets)).

Klaus-Dieter

[Piranha]

Thanks for the news

Do you mean 2 train sets plus the Station and Level crossing?

If so that would be very nice

Most likely a Cargo Train and a Passenger type train.

Very great news even if it is not yet confirmed, also highly probable news.

[Cwetqo]

I think that at least train station will be regular set, since current one is now out of the production. Regarding new train sets: I'm wondering how they will solve placing of batteries. Current rechargeable battery is nice and small, but it's way too expensive. Just the battery and charger costs 82 euros which is almost the price of current passenger set, complete with tracks, remote, motor etc... If you add motor, lights, remote, and receiver the price will rise to 130eur which is more then most of the people are willing to pay for a regular train set. Current PF battery box is too bulky for use in trains, so I think that new one will be intorduced, probably integratede with base plate, like current RC one.

One more thing: when we asked our LA about availability of Cafe Corner, he also warned us that if someone wants EN, now it's the time to get it, beacuse it will be EOL-d too. I personally do not beleive that (with all the effort that TLG had with parts for powering it), but it was qouted that: "the Emerald Night is not what Trains will always be, its just the 2009 offering. ", so who knows.

BTW, i see that now the cargo train is also removed from S@H site. Maybe we will get new train sets earlier than we thought (I cannot imagine christmas season without lego trains on shelf)