Getting started in LEGO Trains - What to buy?

[Duq]

No instructions but it wasn't that hard to do. Here's a picture of my version of the Ghost train running with a 9V tender:

9V Ghost train by Duq, on Flickr

[Athos]

Ah, putting the motor as a tender is a good idea that I haven't tried yet.

Steve

[Brick Pirate]

I have a three year old daughter too. Also I have the yellow cargo train and the Emerald Night with 3 passenger cars. She likes both and is surprisingly familiar with the RC.

The advantage of the cargo train is all the extra stuff like the cars and the crane (actually she plays more with the crane than with the train). And she loves to put her minifigs into the passenger cars. That's why we have 3, which is still not enough.

And: I use the rechargeable battery box. She sometimes lets the train going until the battery is empty and I have to recharge it over night.

So long

Brick Pirate

Edited March 22, 2013 by Brick Pirate

[MatoKar]

Hi Guys,

I would like to know if RC trains & V9 trains are compatible with new IR plastic tracks? Me and my Son we would like to buy old models (RC or V9) but we aren't sure if we will be able to modify them into IR plastic tracks. We have now 7939 but we really like some old models MAERSK, Express, etc.

Can anybody help? Can be even link to some info:)

Ps. Have there been produced "TGV" train or it only MOP? We have seen one on the youtube.

With best regards,

Mateusz

[Locomotive Annie]

RC trains run just fine on the new plastic track, but the 9volt trains won't as they need their own kind of track with the conductive metal cap clipped over the plastic railhead. RC trains will run on any of the Lego track systems without any problems.

[Spitfire2865]

Hi Guys,

I would like to know if RC trains & V9 trains are compatible with new IR plastic tracks? Me and my Son we would like to buy old models (RC or V9) but we aren't sure if we will be able to modify them into IR plastic tracks. We have now 7939 but we really like some old models MAERSK, Express, etc.

Can anybody help? Can be even link to some info:)

Ps. Have there been produced "TGV" train or it only MOP? We have seen one on the youtube.

With best regards,

Mateusz

All lego tracks are the same size in length and width. The 4.5V tracks can be connected to 12V tracks. 9V, PF, and RC tracks are all able to connect to eachother. But 9V uses metal conducting strips on the rails.

[peterab]

Ps. Have there been produced "TGV" train or it only MOP? We have seen one on the youtube.

http://shop.lego.com/en-AU/Horizon-Express-10233

It may be hard to find since it's a LEGO exclusive, which means LEGO brand stores and the online store only.

[fuji143]

I'm looking to get into trains, and it seems like the passenger train or cargo train is a good starting point.

Any opinions on which one is better to bulid off of? (Like having a city and expanding the train)

[badgrdanc]

I think the 7939 cargo train might be best. It comes with all the PF stuff you need, straight, curve and flex track. It also comes with two switch tracks which will help you expand later on.

The Horizon Express doesn't come with any track or motor. And the 7938 passenger train does have a motor but only comes with curve and flex track.

d

[Werlu Ulcur]

Because of what you get with the set, my first option as a 1st train would be the yellow freight train, while the red freight train would be a close second. Only then I would get a passenger train or one of the really cool ones (Maersk and/or EN).

[Hrw-Amen]

I agree, the yellow cargo train is best for starters as you get so much including switch tracks / points. Also a good selection of trucks. On a personal note I do prefer the red cargo train, but for a starter the yellow is certainly a option.

Post pictures of your train and city as it come along please?

[Werlu Ulcur]

On a personal note I do prefer the red cargo train, but for a starter the yellow is certainly a option.

That's how I see it too. I like the red loco much more then the yellow one, but as a set the yellow train is much "richer".

[Hey Joe]

That's how I see it too. I like the red loco much more then the yellow one, but as a set the yellow train is much "richer".

I've been looking HARD at that red loco myself lately, but am really on the fence about it.

Why do you like it better?

Thanks! Joe

[Werlu Ulcur]

Style basically. When I was a kid living in the US I remember lots of engines with that overall shape (sorry, I don't recall what specific engines they were) and then in my region here in Brazil we had lots of GE's U23C and GM's G-22U that at least to my eye look a little (at least) similar to the red engine. The yellow one is also very nice, but too "European" for my tastes. We always try to make a town/railroad with what you know or are used to, so though I have both I have to admit that I prefer the red engine.

[Hey Joe]

Style basically. When I was a kid living in the US I remember lots of engines with that overall shape (sorry, I don't recall what specific engines they were) and then in my region here in Brazil we had lots of GE's U23C and GM's G-22U that at least to my eye look a little (at least) similar to the red engine. The yellow one is also very nice, but too "European" for my tastes. We always try to make a town/railroad with what you know or are used to, so though I have both I have to admit that I prefer the red engine.

I hear you. I really like the rolling stock of both the yellow and red cargo engine sets, but both engines have little flaws in my eyes which are preventing me from pulling the trigger and buying the things. Surely I'm being too nit-picky, but they're both large sets and aren't cheap. Maybe I should just buy them and sell the engines later down the road if something better comes along later.

The yellow cargo train looks best to me but I don't like the pantograph as they're not very common where I grew up (Saint Louis). Guess I could always remove it, but like you said; it looks European.

The Maersk is the best train IMO. I finally bought it (the last batch that Amazon got in I believe) after hesitating for almost too long as it's not very child-friendly. The problem with it of course is that it has no PF or track but that's not too difficult to get if you don't mind spending the $$$.

The GP-30 (which is what the Maersk must be styled after) was always one of my favorite diesel-electric engines so I'm glad I got it. This is the Wikipedia link;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EMD_GP30

Cheers, Joe

Edited April 5, 2013 by bjtpro

[Luke_likes_Lego]

Agree, 7939 cargo train is a 'good call'

LLL

[Werlu Ulcur]

The Maersk is the best train IMO.

Without a doubt! In my eyes it's the best-looking of the cargo trains from Lego - well, it would be a tie with the Santa Fe, but you get more material with the Maersk, so the Santa Fe would be the second one to be bought.

I removed the pantographs from my yellow engine and it looks pretty nice without them. I'm still waiting for a few parts to arrive, but the idea is to transform it in a "one front only" engine. I don't think it will be very prototypical but it will look better in my eyes (and that's what counts, right ?).

[Hey Joe]

Hey, since we're here discussing these trains; I asked this question last year sometime in another thread and no one replied.

Is this piece of rolling stock (from 3677, Red Cargo Train) realistic at all? I think it's really cool but I've never seen anything like it in real life and I've spent quite a lot of time poking around rail yards and museums.

The photo is from Brickviller's review.

Thanks, Joe

[Hrw-Amen]

I've been looking HARD at that red loco myself lately, but am really on the fence about it.

Why do you like it better?

Thanks! Joe

Well, I grew up in the UK with frequent trips across the channel to France. In the part of the UK where I live we do not have overhead cables. Any electrification Nowadays is done by having a third line which the train uses to pick up current. But when I was a kid we had mainly diesels in our area and only over the last twenty years or so have switched to electrification. Also when I went across to St Malo or Cherburg in France although they have overhead lines they had a few diesels for shunting. Whilst in the UK we mainly had Type 08 shunters down on the south coast I do recall seeing type 17 with goods trains and these look similar to the red diesels apart from being in BR blue. Also across in France the shunters they had were again very similar in design, although in rusted yellow and green.

So I prefer the red engine simply because it looks similar to those engines I grew up with. The yellow engine looks nice but around me there are no overhead wires and so I am just not so familiar with that type of power supply. Also it means unless you want your train to tun around apparently getting its power from the thin air, you have to model loads of catenary masts and these can get in the way.

[Dan-147]

The yellow engine looks nice but around me there are no overhead wires and so I am just not so familiar with that type of power supply. Also it means unless you want your train to tun around apparently getting its power from the thin air, you have to model loads of catenary masts and these can get in the way.

I always felt the yellow locomotive looked a lot like a British Rail Class 60 diesel-electric with an added pantograph. So, if you remove it, you get a fairly realistic model without the need for catenary masts and overhead wires. Just my two bits...

Dan-147

[DaveBey]

I'm looking to get into trains, and it seems like the passenger train or cargo train is a good starting point.

Any opinions on which one is better to bulid off of? (Like having a city and expanding the train)

If you already have a LEGO city layout, I'd recommend the passenger train over the cargo train. The way I figure it, 7938: Passenger Train and 7937: Train Station together are the same price as 7939-1: Cargo Train but integrate much better into a city layout.

Hey, since we're here discussing these trains; I asked this question last year sometime in another thread and no one replied.

Is this piece of rolling stock (from 3677, Red Cargo Train) realistic at all? I think it's really cool but I've never seen anything like it in real life and I've spent quite a lot of time poking around rail yards and museums.

The photo is from Brickviller's review.

Thanks, Joe

Like you, I've not seen anything like it in real life. I believe the realistic rolling stock would be a flatcar with the maintenance-of-way vehicle chained atop along with the pallet.

Cheers from Claremore, Oklahoma USA!

Dave

[Kivi]

I had virtually the same dilemma back in 2010 when I decided to get my first train set and I settled for 7939. As the other have said, it is a very good choice for a start, with points, lots of straight tracks and other stuff, even if a bit pricey. And the engine looks great when hauling either cargo or passenger cars.

However, if money is no bigger issue, I would also recommend what one of my fellow AFOLs once mentioned: get yourself two 7938s and Maersk/Horizon. The benefits you get from all those are:

- two full circles of curved tracks which are currently not available in track sets

- two extra passenger cars from second 7938 - one original and one MODed from the engines

- motorization for Maersk/Horizon from second 7938

- full Maersk/Horizon

[Hey Joe]

Like you, I've not seen anything like it in real life. I believe the realistic rolling stock would be a flatcar with the maintenance-of-way vehicle chained atop along with the pallet.

Cheers from Claremore, Oklahoma USA!

Dave

Ok thanks Dave.

I was looking through 7777, the Lego Train Idea book (circa 1981) today and came across something very similar. The page scan is a bit large so I'll just post the link here, it's of page 65:

http://peeron.com/scans/7777-1/65

The thing is; as you can see from 7777, they're using a crane to lift the (what-do-you-call-those-things-I-forget) push cart off the flat bed but the maintence car from 3677 has no obvious way to be removed. Kinda like there's no way to get the rocks back up into the conveyor belt thing-a-ma-bob. So that's what bends my noodle about 3677, how is the maintence car supposed to be put to use?

Anyway, 3677 is a cool set (warts and all) so I just ordered it from Taobao (China's eBay). The price was very reasonable for China, US$ 200, so it must be grey market. The PF components alone cost US$ 90 online here so I can't complain about the price this time.

[melbs]

i started with the yellow cargo train, and then PF'd the 8404 tram and now just got my horizon expressjust like what everyone says you get a lot of tracks from the yellow cargo train, multiple accessories to expand a city, like you can moc a small car dealership since it has two small cars, buy an octan gas station or moc an octan gas station since it has an octan freight tank (to add with a just released octan truck tanker), and then of course put up a port since it has the cargo cranes and a truck.

Edited April 7, 2013 by melbs

[Athos]

The red cargo train is sold out, at least in the US. I ordered the yellow train for my first train. (And, yay, it shipped today). I'll let you know my thoughts with it in a few days/weeks.

Steve