Getting started in LEGO Trains - What to buy?

[MrTools]

I am about to buy supplies at the lego store to make a train, but what do i need?

I am going to buy the the 8866 Train Motor but i know of nothing else.

I have a limit of about 70 dollars and at the store i might also purchase a PAB cup and pack of streight and curved rails so i can complete my circuit leaving me with 40 dollars. Anyone who knows their trains, please help me i dont want to mess up

[soc399]

I am about to buy supplies at the lego store to make a train, but what do i need?

I am going to buy the the 8866 Train Motor but i know of nothing else.

I have a limit of about 70 dollars and at the store i might also purchase a PAB cup and pack of streight and curved rails so i can complete my circuit leaving me with 40 dollars. Anyone who knows their trains, please help me i dont want to mess up

You probably won't be able to get everything you need at the store, unless you buy an actual train set. You will also need a battery box and an extension wire to power the train motor. In order to build some cars, you are going to need some more wheel assemblies and buffers. You can find them in the online Pick A Brick (under transportation) or on Bricklink. The store probably won't have them. You will probably also want some more of these wheels to complete your locomotive. There are many more parts that you might want as you expand your train, but this will enable you to build a simple train to start.

EDIT: I just checked Pick A Brick, and I don't see train buffers there. Bricklink will be a cheaper option for most loose parts, anyway. Also, you will need at least two sets of straight and curved rails to make a complete circle.

Edited June 17, 2009 by soc399

[MrTools]

OK thanks, i probably will wait thn, i will probably just get an exclusive set or hard to find set and wait for the train supplies.

[Brickimad]

OK thanks, i probably will wait thn, i will probably just get an exclusive set or hard to find set and wait for the train supplies.

I'd recommend to keep checking eBay. ok trains do go for alot of money, but I managed to get hold of a Metroliner with box, oval of track for £40 (about £60 USD). and managed to obtain some other items quite cheap... I think motors are going for $25.

[kevblee]

Motors are about $25.00 if you get lucky....they have been climbing in price lately. The older 9V sets are climbing in price as well....even loose , complete with no box. My advice is to be careful with any loose "complete" sets on Ebay. Most of the time they turn out to be incomplete. Bricklink is a better, safer bet, but I would still check the feeback before buying that hard to find set at either place!

[WesternOutlaw]

I'm a big fan of 9V, although I love the new Emerald Night. Be prepared to spend some money for the 9V track, motor, and transformer though, if you go this route.

You could always pick up the new 7897 R/C Passenger Train for $90 (a little more than you have to spend). It would give you a full circle/oval of track and a pretty nice looking train. I also love the design of 7898 Deluxe Cargo Train (for $150). Both trains are R/C (battery operated), but the track and pieces can be used to build your future trains/layout. It's just that the R/C system is obsolete.

With the 8866 motor, you will need a battery box and electric wire (as mentioned above). To me, you're better off just spending the money on all the Power Functions accessories needed to power the Emerald Express (for around $100). Then you have to go out and buy the Emerald. It is pricey, but the latest train system.

Things were really a lot more simple with 9V trains.

EDIT You might also want to check out this article.

[Vaders_son]

Hi everyone, when I have sold my Lego Star Wars collection I want to build a town and with it a train layout.

Now am I lurking around here for a couple of weeks and I understand that 9V is more or less out of production and LEGO is now focusing on RC trains. Btw what does RC stand for? *Remote Control* maybe?

Anyways, say I were to buy set 7897 RC-Passenger train - would I need anything else to get that train going on the tracks? (I know I need to purchase the batteries extra!) The same question goes for the cargo train from set 7898.

And I really like the look of the Emerald night train, but it appears to me that it is not functional by itself. Can I make it operational and if I can what parts would I need?

Any help appreciated!

Benny

[Modulex Guy]

Both RC trains only need the batteries to get going, that is it, but you have to replace those often if you run the train for a long time.

The Emerald Night needs a bit more to get going, but its more worth it in my opinion because you buy the rechargeable lithium battery from S@H.

For the Emerald Night, in the set itself gives you the instructions to build the PF version and I think the list of parts needed to do it.

Here is the PF stuff you would need to get the Emerald Night going:

http://shop.lego.com/ByTheme/Leaf.aspx?cn=587&d=70

Lithium Battery, Charger, Speed Controller, XL Motor, IR receiver, extension cord, and the optional light.

[WesternOutlaw]

Hi VS. It's great to see more Lego fans interested in Lego trains.

If you are seriously considering the purchase of a train, while the Emerald is a real beauty, you will need the items that Polish Guy mentioned above.

In addition, you will also need a circle or oval of track to run the train. Having just purchased 7898 R/C (Remote Controlled) Cargo Train Deluxe last month, I must say that I like it very much. It cost me $150 (US) (not including 9 AA batteries) but includes the track (with 8 straight and two points/switch tracks), and four very nice wagons/cars. In addition, the truck and forklift provide a little extra to sweeten the package.

I think 7898 makes a great starter set, even though its R/C system is obsolete. The passenger train is a lot cheaper but doesn't have all the great cargo wagons.

While the Emerald Night is one of Lego's most nicely designed trains, it does require the Power Functions package, track, and doesn't offer all the great train parts that come with 7898.

I would recommend 7898 Cargo Train as an excellent starter set. Good luck and please let us know what you end up with.

[Vaders_son]

Thanks for your help so far guys!

So that means to get the Emerald Night going I would need to spend the 90€ for the train, plus about 130€ for the power functions stuff plus track? Man trains almost as expensive as Star Wars Lego

I have read one of the topics about power functions/ and rc trains and it appears to me that power functions train is the better system in the long run. Can I just go and mod the rc cargo train to run with power functions too or would I be force to have the Emerald night going with power functions and the cargo train with the rc system?

Benny

[AndyC]

As someone who was in a similar position not long back, I'll give you my opinions. Firstly, avoid the RC Passenger Train like the plague, it's really not worth it. It looks pretty in pictures and the box art, but the actual model is a big disappointment, especially the cheap plasic front bit that doesn't fit at all well. The supplied track is enough for an oval, which is better than nothing I guess.

On the other hand, the RC Cargo Train is an absolute bargain. A nice little engine and a great bunch of rolling stock to accompany it. Even if the train wasn't to your liking, it's easily the best way to get a nice amount of track. It even has some nice points, which lets you have a bit of variety in your layout. The RC system may be officially obsoleted by the Power Functions stuff, but this set is still the most cost effective way to get into trains right now. And all the little accessories like the forklift and truck are pretty nice too.

Finally comes the Emerald Night. It's absolutely gorgeous and worth every penny. But it is an awful lot of pennies. Especially if you also invest in the all the Power Functions stuff and some track to run it on. At the moment I'm having to make do with the old power functions remote, which limits it a bit, but I think it's still my favourite of the three. In fact it's probably one of my all time favourite sets.

[Vaders_son]

Thanks for your input AndyC!

You're right, the passenger train looks really nice from the pictures and box art and I wanted to get this one at first because it's pretty cheap too compared to the other trains. But pretty much everyone says that the train sucks so I'll probably listen and pass on it.

Not sure on the Cargo Train/Emerald Night/both decision tho...

Benny

[SavaTheAggie]

The RC trains aren't as bad as I once first thought they were. As long as you don't plan to add rolling stock to them, they work really well for what they are. The fact it comes with cars and track, the RC train may be something you don't want to pass up. After all, if you're going to then graduate up into the Power Functions train system (Emerald Night), the track is the exact same stuff.

I'm supremely impressed with the Power Functions system, and you don't have to buy the rechargeable battery and battery charger if you don't want to. The Emerald Night as-is requires the expensive rechargeable version, but so long as you can make the room for it in your MOC, the Power Functions battery box (the kind that takes "AA" batteries) is MUCH cheaper and actually produces more current for the motors to use. More current = more power/speed.

As I've said in another thread, the Power Functions system can be turned into the most powerful system LEGO has ever devised for trains. I have seen, and now built, a locomotive using two large PF motors that can out pull a locomotive with 2 9v motors. My locomotive, for example, is so powerful that the magnets holding the train cars together give out before the locomotive does (which can be solved with rare-earth magnets or using another method than magnets to hold the train together). After retrofitting my locomotive to Power Functions for the first time, I took it to a TexLUG train display to do some tests. Even using every piece of rolling stock we had, TexLUG was unable to stall my PF equipped locomotive - it kept breaking the magnets apart because the train was too heavy for itself (even humans pulling on the train broke it).

But I've sacrificed speed for power, and my train is slloooooowwww (but the real one was slow too, so I don't mind). You can always gear up the motors to produce more speed, but you'll sacrifice some pulling power. For example I could make my train go twice as fast as it does now with half the pulling power by simply swapping out the large PF motors for the medium, and to be honest I think I'd be ok, because two medium motors is still a VERY powerful setup. Since we don't actually know the upper limits of my locomotive's current setup, half that power still may be above the limits of simple magnet couplers.

Power Functions are expensive, I will not argue with it. But once you have a design built that works and is sturdy, they are very very hard to beat.

--Tony

Edited August 3, 2009 by SavaTheAggie

[Chromatic]

I'm wanting to get into trains lately with the release of the Emerald Night and I was looking for some advice, can anyone explain these words train fans commonly say:

loco (loccomotive)

PF

I hear good things about 9V though they are no longer available . so I will go will RC (for now), though I wonder if when I'm driving it (you know what I mean) there will be any wires showing alongthe track or anything? I will be going to brickcon hopefully this year and I want a train that I can run on the day which I hope will be the emerald night, though I heard that the friction on the small wheels slow it down, though I dont want it to be very fast I want it to be sufficient and not a slow poke, though it needs power. Polish guy wrote: "Lithium Battery, Charger, Speed Controller, XL Motor, IR receiver, extension cord, and the optional light." in another thread about what you'll need but after I purchase this i'll kind of need an idea of how to wire it, oh and will there be cords hanging out and stuff on power functions or is it possible to fully conceal it?

nuff of my ramblin'.

thanks a lot !

[Dr Kilroy]

I don't know much about trains but:

Loco (locomotive) = engine. You know what is it now?

PF = Power Functions, commonly used as trains drive, here you can find more about it: Lego Power Functions

HTH.

[Chromatic]

I don't know much about trains but:

Loco (locomotive) = engine. You know what is it now?

PF = Power Functions, commonly used as trains drive, here you can find more about it: Lego Power Functions

HTH.

Thanks! is PF the most effective and longest lasting (speed and power as well)of the kinds of motors you can get?, or do people refer to it because it is easy to get your hands on?

[Dr Kilroy]

I really don't know, ask Trains expert.

[aawsum]

Thanks! is PF the most effective and longest lasting (speed and power as well)of the kinds of motors you can get?, or do people refer to it because it is easy to get your hands on?

9V is out of the shops at the moment

the current line isRemote Controlled, but Lego wil shift to using power functions for their complete train collection

If you want to start with train, start either with the motorised emerald express, or start with a simple set like the 7897.

This is the remote controlled passenger train set. It will give you all the basic needs for trains and also some track. The track will be reusable with power functions trains, the train can ofcourse also be used.

The new PF trains from lego are still to be revealed, so you are a bit early for them.

Edited August 5, 2009 by aawsum

[BrunoSilva13]

Thanks! is PF the most effective and longest lasting (speed and power as well)of the kinds of motors you can get?, or do people refer to it because it is easy to get your hands on?

Depends to the opinions, but for me this new system is very good and the best in the moment, because don't use batteries and you can control up to four trains at the same and in the same track, and in 9V system, this is don't possible, in my last community exposition, I have try a Emerald Night and I like your movement and structure, another good thing is, that we can upload ours old 9V and 12V trains to this system, but I think the set 4563, is dificult to change because of their size. One thing that I like very much and will continue using are the 9V tracks, because it's realism, are the tracks more approach to the real ones. But one person more inside this than me, can explain better this to you.

[Chromatic]

Cool!, I might get the passenger train if I want to get into it, can it be converted to PF when I think i'm ready?

[Captain Zuloo]

Cool!, I might get the passenger train if I want to get into it, can it be converted to PF when I think i'm ready?

I don't own one of them, but from what I understand, no you can't. You see, the base, battery box etc. is all one part which makes it near impossible to incorporate PF into them.

[aawsum]

I don't own one of them, but from what I understand, no you can't. You see, the base, battery box etc. is all one part which makes it near impossible to incorporate PF into them.

Well, I do and do not agree.

I do own the passenger train, and as said in its build state the base is preventing you to use powerfunctions.

So in my opinion there are 2 options;

1. is to use a different flat base, but I do not think this is what you want. I only mentioned the rc system because at the moment it is the only system really available in the shops (in europe at least). You can reuse the tracks for pf trains, and also the carts of the passenger train.

2. What I would do is leave the rc train as is, and either build your own pf trains after this, or buy the new pf line of trains that will be coming in the future

What I ment with my advice is that the passenger train is a good set to start with, it is complete and easy to extend.

Edited August 6, 2009 by aawsum

[AndyC]

It's probably just about possible to squeeze the power functions rechargable battery box into the RC passenger train even using the original base, you'd just need to redesign the roof a little. You could then hook that up to the motor with an extension cable. I'm not sure this would really gain you much over just using the RC (except less of a need for batteries!)

[keetong]

I'm also new to trains where do I get the trains for my signiture?

[Rijkvv]

You can find them here: http://www.fa-meier.de/lego/depot.html