Future Train sets discussion/speculation

[Man with a hat]

A lot of wihsfull thinking... and I too would like to see some of the suggestions made into a LEGO set especially the A4. But I doubt it for the reasons zephyr and others already mentioned.

Nevertheless logically it may be a steam engine again but we will need to wait until 2015 before we will most likely get another exclusive train set.

I am actually more interested what new city train models there will be next year. Probably a big cargo set and a slightly smaller passenger train set. I really like the current passenger train (7938) so I hope for a good replacement and maybe with doors. The bus in the Town Square set 60026 has the "old" train doors so that shouldn't be a problem.

I also hope for some trackside structures but probably we will only get a new train station. I hope a train station will have some longer platforms than the current one so not more than half of the train passengers have to take a huge jump when getting out of the train. Otherwise we can always mod it of course.

[Professor Brick]

Yeah I would also like to see another train station, that would be nice. Something with an indoor terminal, so it matches nicely with current commuting platform currently on offer

[Hey Joe]

Hey! How about a massive US$300-400 Modular train station? Something grand with columns and arches, wouldn't that be awesome?

Joe

[Gavinfuzzy]

Hey! How about a massive US$300-400 Modular train station? Something grand with columns and arches, wouldn't that be awesome?

Joe

I think I heard the cry of a thousand wallets when I read that.

[Lazarus]

The one i have designed is going to be about 3-400 to make so i would be keen on something it they did do something before i get around to building that. What is $400 after the amount i have spent so far on lego, just a drop in the ocean :-)

[Laservampire]

I'd love to see another cool steam engine like the EN, so pissed I came out of my dark ages after that one was retired :(

[Gioppa]

I'd love to have a new serious train station,some railway accessory, like water tower, switch house, train repair workshop...and other thing like that;

for train i like to have single loco, diesel and steam,diesel shunter and steam big loco,and a lot of single carriage that is what we need!

And different kind of rail, larger curves

[Legoroni]

I finally got the Horizon Express the other day and that got me thinking on what sets Lego should make.

The original 0 Series Shinkansen

The California Zephyr, complete with a Dome/Observation car at the end

Something Amtrak, like the AEM-7 or the GE Genesis, but in the original 70's paint scheme with Amfleet or Superliner Coaches

A PRR GG1 with a couple of Pullman coaches to pull

A Crocodile locomotive with some generic passenger coaches

A typical American freight train with multiple types of cars and a caboose

A streetcar terminal with two different streetcars and some sort of structure

I think Lego could also make a smaller $40-$60 2-car subway train in addition to a larger set. It would hopefully be easily modifiable to look like some generic train coaches, so we could get around the fact that extra carriages don't sell as well. Hopefully 2014 brings us some nice new city trains and a good looking station.

[Lazarus]

personally i think the EN was a fail not that good looking loco compared to a lot of other sets what are out there. With some of the US locos and the Horizon being some of the best looking ones.

We need more add on's not more trains.

back in the 90s we had crossing stations sheds heaps of stuff all for trains. now in the 2000s we get really bad looking station and i cant think of any else for the past 10 years.

[Hey Joe]

We need more add on's not more trains.

back in the 90s we had crossing stations sheds heaps of stuff all for trains. now in the 2000s we get really bad looking station and i cant think of any else for the past 10 years.

Yes, you're right. We do need more add-ons.

I can understand a company wanting to keep it's SKUs down, it makes a lot of sense from the bean counter's point-of-view. However, sometimes - and this is one of those times - they really need to 'eat' a few marginally profitable items to support a line, don't you think? What would it cost them to devote a little warehouse space to a couple freight and passenger cars, and a few more track pieces?

Joe

[oddjob]

Or TLG could recognise that a little investment now could benefit them in the future.

Developing some new, varied sets (particluar add on's, at mentioned) may encourge more people to buy into the train products.

TLG have the ability to develop a new, true gauge of model train. Do it!

[Lazarus]

The lego show i was just in two months back, the amount of people who said "what lego do trains as well" was shocking. And the kids where hooked when they saw the stuff they would completely ignore all the static stuff like star-wars and all the other gear on display.

Parents happily pay $800 for a death star but wont pay $3-400 for a train set dont think so, come on lego the people are there and the money.

Spend less cash on dumb stuff like chimera and ninjargo.

[Steinkopf]

The lego show i was just in two months back, the amount of people who said "what lego do trains as well" was shocking. And the kids where hooked when they saw the stuff they would completely ignore all the static stuff like star-wars and all the other gear on display.

Parents happily pay $800 for a death star but wont pay $3-400 for a train set dont think so, come on lego the people are there and the money.

Spend less cash on dumb stuff like chimera and ninjargo.

Or TLG could recognise that a little investment now could benefit them in the future.

Developing some new, varied sets (particluar add on's, at mentioned) may encourge more people to buy into the train products.

TLG have the ability to develop a new, true gauge of model train. Do it!

Yes, you're right. We do need more add-ons.

I can understand a company wanting to keep it's SKUs down, it makes a lot of sense from the bean counter's point-of-view. However, sometimes - and this is one of those times - they really need to 'eat' a few marginally profitable items to support a line, don't you think? What would it cost them to devote a little warehouse space to a couple freight and passenger cars, and a few more track pieces?

Joe

Come on now boys, I think you are all missing the point here in that LEGO in its pure essence is a children's construction toy with almost boundless building possibilities, the fact is TLG has to make sets that have universal appeal and with trains it is very difficult due to wide variety of trains used around the world. Making US styled sets may appeal to American buyers but may not attract much from European buyers, likewise a European styled train would suffer the same fate with American buyers. When it comes to the crunch if LEGO does not make the trains or accessories that you want make your own, that way you get exactly what you want, its not that hard it just takes a bit of imagination and the ability to source parts from places such as Pick a Brick or Bricklink which I think anyone here is more than capable of doing. I took that step about 7 years ago when I realised that LEGO was not going to produce the sort of trains that I wanted, since then I have never looked back and I have built a substantial collection of trains.

Edited July 23, 2013 by Steinkopf

[Lazarus]

Ohh i fully understand that, my whole layout is custom and over 70,000 parts and now working on rolling stock and locos. Just saves me a bit of time if i could just buy a set like i do with my houses.

Its more about keeping Trains alive for the young, not for us oldies who will design something and bricklink it and wait a month for parts. 10 y/o cant do that.

Also i feel there is just something about opening a new box of lego off the shelf and making it. It like the smell of new books, you just like it. you dont get that with bricklink orders haha.

[Steinkopf]

Its more about keeping Trains alive for the young, not for us oldies who will design something and bricklink it and wait a month for parts. 10 y/o cant do that.

Also i feel there is just something about opening a new box of lego off the shelf and making it. It like the smell of new books, you just like it. you dont get that with bricklink orders haha.

I agree with your point about keeping the theme alive for the next generation of builders, I do believe that trains will still be supported at the current levels of a few sets being made available every 3 to 4 years, unfortunately I don't think it will ever return to the heady days of 12v in the 1980s or 9v in the early 1990s. The level of competition these days from other mediums of child entertainment such as gaming consoles has impacted heavily on the toy market, the decline in LEGO trains corresponds very much with that shift in the market with the late 1990s being a clear indicator, especially when you take into account the introduction of systems from SEGA, Nintendo and Sony back then. I also look forward to new train sets but for me it's about what new parts will come out with them, 7898 gave us the classic locomotive cab front and cab roof, the Emerald Night gave us steam locomotive driving wheels whilst 7938 and 7939 gave us the inverted slope cab front piece.

Edited July 23, 2013 by Steinkopf

[Bricknblue]

LEGo has already explained numerous times why they don't have extra train cars and everything of the kind...

They don't sell! Simple as that.

[zephyr1934]

Come on now boys, I think you are all missing the point here in that LEGO in its pure essence is a children's construction toy with almost boundless building possibilities, the fact is TLG has to make sets that have universal appeal and with trains it is very difficult due to wide variety of trains used around the world. Making US styled sets may appeal to American buyers but may not attract much from European buyers, likewise a European styled train would suffer the same fate with American buyers. When it comes to the crunch if LEGO does not make the trains or accessories that you want make your own, that way you get exactly what you want, its not that hard it just takes a bit of imagination and the ability to source parts from places such as Pick a Brick or Bricklink which I think anyone here is more than capable of doing. I took that step about 7 years ago when I realised that LEGO was not going to produce the sort of trains that I wanted, since then I have never looked back and I have built a substantial collection of trains.

I totally agree with the sentiment that once you have a feel for what you are doing, then you should go off and build the trains that are of interest to you. Still, most AFOLs probably never think to build anything beyond the set, and only a small fraction wander on to discussion boards like this. The lego train sets are the gateway drug for the AFOL train fan. The better these sets are, the more folks will be entering our hobby, and thus, the greater the demand for future train sets.

[Heppeng]

You are not wrong! I guess I am the perfect example of that - I had a 7725 set when I was young. I like railways, and I have a daughter that likes lego. When I saw the Horizon Express I was hooked and am now rapidly expanding my train collection - such a vast difference compared to 7725! The thing is that I never see train sets on the shelves of Toys'r'us or any of the other local shops that stock lego. Its no wonder that the general public can be surprised that lego do trains if they have never seen one!

Edited July 27, 2013 by Heppeng

[Gioppa]

Dear Lego, when i was young my parent can't afford the wonderful world of 12 volts for me, now i'm an engineer and i have a lot of money...i finish the collection of all the set of 12 volts,very expensive, but i have all..why you don't made a good train series and get my money??

That is for real, i love to spend money in Lego, but i'm only one and with only me lego don't live.

I think the last Train Set(maersk,horizont,and emerald) show to TLG how much the people like this series, so made a test, do something for Afols and check also the answer from child...

and don't made the Same mistake; too much time in the toy shop i have to explain to some parents the train don't have the motor and the rail...and they don't know were to buy..

Now for the child(and for Afols)we have the Lone Ranger train..but the motor...in the 70 and 80 we have the train without motor..now is 2013!!

[LEGO Train 12 Volts]

Dear Lego, when i was young my parent can't afford the wonderful world of 12 volts for me, now i'm an engineer and i have a lot of money...i finish the collection of all the set of 12 volts,very expensive, but i have all..why you don't made a good train series and get my money??

Gioppa sei fantastico!

(you are an amazing AFOL!)

[DaveBey]

LEGo has already explained numerous times why they don't have extra train cars and everything of the kind...

They don't sell! Simple as that.

I can't accept it's as simple as not selling. I believe marketing and availability are much bigger reasons. I don't see the emphasis on trains I see on other themes such as CITY, Ninjago, Legends of Chima, etc. The LEGO Trains web site is, well, lacking, especially compared to the site not even ten years ago. The current site even references sets no longer available. I've only seen current LEGO CITY train sets available at Toys "R" Us and LEGO Stores. Even sets in the 9V heyday were LEGO 'exclusives' available only from LEGO directly. If there's not a LEGO Store close by, additional track is not available locally. In the past, 4.5V and 9V track was sold in both Target and Toys "R" Us here in the US for example. I would love to see more trackside structures but again, historically those were only avaiable through mail-order and online. While it's great to have trains with a high level of detail, such as the Maersk Train and Horizon Express, I believe maintaining two train lines (Creator Expert and CITY) in the end limits the overall number of train sets. Historically there were differences between sets sold in Europe vs the United States. A common global catalog of sets should allow for a more frequent product release cycle but I believe this is where the lack of marketing and ready availability hurt: folks aren't aware of the sets and they're only available at select locations. I would love to see the LEGO Trains web site with more content, much like when Jake McKee was webmaster and see the full line of train sets and track available at more locations.

To stay somewhat on topic, I feel confident in speculating there will be a new passenger train and a new cargo train. Possibly a new train station and hopefully a new level crossing. I've love to see a CITY cargo station but for the reasons listed above, I don't see it happening.

Cheers from Claremore, Oklahoma USA!

Dave

[jtr]

The range seems pretty good (and I missed EN and Maersk ) plus with a little bit of imagination and determination you can pretty much MOC anything you may want or need.

The one thing you cannot MOC is track - specifically connector, or junction track - I really would like to see more track goodness.

[Hey Joe]

Come on now boys, I think you are all missing the point here in that LEGO in its pure essence is a children's construction toy with almost boundless building possibilities, the fact is TLG has to make sets that have universal appeal and with trains it is very difficult due to wide variety of trains used around the world. Making US styled sets may appeal to American buyers but may not attract much from European buyers, likewise a European styled train would suffer the same fate with American buyers. When it comes to the crunch if LEGO does not make the trains or accessories that you want make your own, that way you get exactly what you want, its not that hard it just takes a bit of imagination and the ability to source parts from places such as Pick a Brick or Bricklink which I think anyone here is more than capable of doing. I took that step about 7 years ago when I realised that LEGO was not going to produce the sort of trains that I wanted, since then I have never looked back and I have built a substantial collection of trains.

Hey, I hear you, but I'm living in China. Enlighten sells everything individually, and the price is extremely reasonable here, so I've been buying a lot of their stuff. Lego doesn't have PAB here. Bricklink seems another world away, and I avoid the Chinese postal system. We're moving back to the States soon though, and there's a new Lego shop in my city. Now if I can just get a job and have some money left over after paying for health care everything will be ok!

Ohh i fully understand that, my whole layout is custom and over 70,000 parts and now working on rolling stock and locos. Just saves me a bit of time if i could just buy a set like i do with my houses.

Its more about keeping Trains alive for the young, not for us oldies who will design something and bricklink it and wait a month for parts. 10 y/o cant do that.

Also i feel there is just something about opening a new box of lego off the shelf and making it. It like the smell of new books, you just like it. you dont get that with bricklink orders haha.

Yeah, I really enjoy the new set experience myself, and you get the lovable "Hey!" guy on the back of the box!

LEGo has already explained numerous times why they don't have extra train cars and everything of the kind...

They don't sell! Simple as that.

When was the last time that they tried to sell individual train cars, ten years ago? Their sales have gone up a lot since then, haven't they? They have a lot more of their own stores, and Internet shopping is now a common, everyday thing. I'm not saying that they need to offer a whole slew of train cars, but one or two (one freight and one passenger) so that people who would like to have a train set of just one type of car could do so.

The range seems pretty good (and I missed EN and Maersk ) plus with a little bit of imagination and determination you can pretty much MOC anything you may want or need.

The one thing you cannot MOC is track - specifically connector, or junction track - I really would like to see more track goodness.

Yes, I couldn't agree more. It would seem to me to be a necessity even if they lost money on it, but I'm not a consultant for McKinsey.

Joe

Edited July 30, 2013 by Hey Joe

[Steinkopf]

When was the last time that they tried to sell individual train cars, ten years ago? Their sales have gone up a lot since then, haven't they? They have a lot more of their own stores, and Internet shopping is now a common, everyday thing. I'm not saying that they need to offer a whole slew of train cars, but one or two (one freight and one passenger) so that people who would like to have a train set of just one type of car could do so.

Joe

I got into 9v Trains in 2003 and I do remember what happened back then as far as stock was concerned, most of the range was readily available in a number of retailers and the stock moved very slowly, likewise the same thing happened with Shop@Home with a large number of sets being available but only really selling when on discount. The same thing happened in the mid 1990s, I remember seeing a major department store selling massive amounts of 9v wagons such as 4536 at almost half price, at the time I was modelling traditional model railways and I had no interest in LEGO Trains at the time, if only I could wind the clock back sadly I can't.

The biggest problem with Trains compared to traditional sets is they are not a standalone item in their own right, a parent can buy their child a truck or a car and doesn't have to buy road plates as the child can simply drive it on the floor, a train set on the other hand requires track for the train to run on. I think LEGO has come up with a decent solution of providing parents the ability to buy a decent basic train set that acts as an entry level, then there is the track packs that make it possible to expand upon the basic sets, after that there are more detailed sets such as the Horizon Express or Maersk Train which gives the enthusiasts something more realistic and detailed to supplement their train sets.

When it comes to promoting the hobby it's not just the responsibility of TLG it is also the responsibility of the enthusiasts, for us to make the hobby grow and provide a more viable market opportunity we as a community have to do our part as well, in many respects this is done by the growing number of Lego Train Clubs around the world. A key role that LEGO Train community members can and do play is to show children and their parents what is possible with LEGO trains, this can be from the basics of how a train set can be integrated with a LEGO collection and turn it miniature world, then to the more advanced showing people how you can turn a pile of LEGO elements into a detailed piece of rolling stock. I always get a kick at shows when I show people some of my models and they are gobsmacked that they are built completely out of LEGO, my best moment was when I showed some of my trains to an old family friend who built my first model railway, he is a member of a local group of modellers who are well renowned internationally and he was stunned as to the level of detail that can be achieved.

Edited July 30, 2013 by Steinkopf

[peterab]

When was the last time that they tried to sell individual train cars, ten years ago? Their sales have gone up a lot since then, haven't they? They have a lot more of their own stores, and Internet shopping is now a common, everyday thing. I'm not saying that they need to offer a whole slew of train cars, but one or two (one freight and one passenger) so that people who would like to have a train set of just one type of car could do so.

Sales going up doesn't really help the situation because a set which performs say 10% less than average, actually means far more sets not sold now. Poorly performing sets are even more of a liability.

While they do have more of their own stores, and their online sales, I'd guess that's still a niche as far as sales goes. The conditions that have proved true for the past fifty years or so still hold true. Retailers only want to restock well selling sets. This is why people still often don't know LEGO makes trains, retailers only stock them when they are new, and at least around here once sales slow down they are not restocked. For the next few years you can still get them on LEGO's website but that doesn't really help people know they exist.

The only ways I can see this happening is if the exclusives are expanded, or via Cusoo but I don't really hold out hope of either.