Jetflap

@HoMaThat is correct 7777 was not available in the US. LEGO obviously went to some effort to make sure images of 12v sets, except for the previously mention ones with power rails, did not make it into any US available publication. It must have worked, because as a child I would never have even considered that Lego produced sets that weren't available in the huge S@H catalog!

@Reker1000000 I've meant to mention when you responded to my video post that I have been enjoying your channel's videos also! Always nice to see 12v kept alive and running.

@HoMaMy knowledge of box variations is limited, but I’ll try to provide what information I have. I suspect none of this is new information to you, but there is a chance, and some of this might be of interest to others. 7824 Train Station- Yes, this is a European box with stickers. There is a second white sticker also on the bottom edge. The box size is the same as 7822, 7866, and 7823 only a little longer. I have had this particular box since new (Childhood) and it was probably purchased from shop-at-home around 1990. I base this on photos of my childhood town layouts. Accessories- Here are all the US variants I have. All are European boxes with US stickers. They all have 2 separate stickers usually on the front, but sometimes on the bottom edge or even split one on the top edge and one on the bottom edge like the pictured large box 7852. The stickers I assume were to comply with US requirements at the time, for example displaying the part count for toys. These were the only accessory sets released in the US except for 7857 electric crossing. 7853 was discontinued early I suspect because it was fragile and prone to breaking. I do not have an example of a 7857 box with stickers, however none of mine are still plastic wrapped and it’s possible the stickers were on the plastic. The pictured 7853 however has the stickers on the box under the plastic. I had two 7857s as a child and along with the electric rails that came with 7823 and 7839, until the internet was invented and Bricklink came along I had no idea 12v trains existed. No photos appeared in US catalogs, magazines, etc. I remember as a child thinking that the electric rails were for a power system Lego decided not to make, never suspecting that my European counterparts were running them in all their glory! Other notes of interest- The aforementioned 7823 and 7839 which I had since childhood are European boxes but have no US stickers. Were they on the plastic wrap perhaps? My 7822 (Also from around 1990) on the other hand has US markings on the cover that is not a sticker, but still has European printing on the side. Let me know if there is any other information you might need and feel free to us PM if desired!

Thanks for the comments all. @Reker1000000 The sets have all certainly been built and ran as part of their induction into my collection, but normally I have duplicates of ones I like to run (like 7740 in the layout) and my boxed collection is 'retired.' I would love to have a massive layout with all the Town sets, but it would be a huge undertaking and then there's the space issue, and the dust issue, and the little kid issue...

Thank you! Yes, all are in excellent condition with complete inserts, plastic lids and trays, etc. I even have an unused sticker sheet for each one. I feel very fortunate to have been able to find all of these over the last 15 years or so. A while back I did another collaboration video showing my entire 80's/90's collection on their storage shelves. I posted in the general forum, but here it is again if anyone is interested.

This past weekend I pulled out my 7777 idea book builds and got to work. A friend of mine filmed this video of the layout which also features a brief review of my complete 12v/4.5v collection plus 9v and other trains. Hope you all enjoy!

Thank you, I've been at it since Bricklink first came on the scene in 2000 when I discovered I could still buy the Western sets I'd missed in my brief dark ages. I usually just build them once when I first get them, and add sets usually on a weekly basis as I find ones I'm missing. I also have a large want list on BL of boxes and a few instructions I still need to bring everything up to as close to new as possible. It can be hard to find all the proper box inserts for example.

Thanks, about 10% are unopened but these are usually small sets, polybags, value packs, etc. Everything else I have built as part of my process to confirm completeness and make sure the parts are all in excellent condition.

It's been quite a few years since I posted photos of my Lego collection so I thought I'd post an update. I focus on sets from 1978- mid 90's and have ALL the Space, Train, Pirate, Castle,and other smaller theme sets from that time period; Technic and Town I still need about 50 of each. A young collector friend of mine was kind enough to make a video of the collection in which I give a brief overview and review a few special sets. He's willing to do more in depth videos if anyone wants to see more, let him know in the comments on his video! Enjoy the trip down memory lane...

Nice work finding the additional photo of the prototype, and catching the extra 1x1 rounds under the bars. I think you are absolutely correct on both and will update my copy with the 1x1s the next time I get it out. What I find most interesting however is your example of 7722 setting a precedent of overlapping windows. I had dismissed that solution as something LEGO wouldn't do as I couldn't think of case but you proved me wrong. Your model is an elegant solution all around!

Sorry it didn't go well, I have had good success where I live. With our intense sun and high altitude, I can turn significantly yellowed parts to like new in just a couple hours! I have never had an issue with fading of colored parts. Never heard or thought of doing it in an oven, I can't imagine a light bulb in an oven being enough to cause much effect and obviously as you found out 2 days in H2O2 is much too long! Also curious why the oven? not sure that heat would help? I do mine outside in the dead of winter (below freezing) and it only takes slightly longer although I attribute that to the sun not getting as high in the sky.

So funny to read your post, just 2 days ago I successfully treated the red boat hull from 4020, also a stepped up design. I simply used a piece of duck (duct) tape around the inside rim of the hull, trimming it slightly at the stepped-up part to fit. Then filled the boat like you did with 4010, duck tape is water tight at least long enough for this process, it worked like a charm. Peroxide did not affect the red hull at all, it came out perfect, i wished I'd snapped some photos. Also, I thought the tape might leave some reside I'd have to clean off, but it pealed off clean. Whatever you do, do not try to remove the gray parts from the hull, they will be damaged in the process!

Thanks for sharing the photos of the oil depot! I tried to build this one myself, but never finished it and actually just recently took what I had built apart. I was going for accuracy and just could not see enough, especially of the platform for the yellow tanks. I like your solution though.

Glad to hear you are making progress! A couple other things to try: With the 3 position switch in the position the motor is now running, try flipping the 2x2 wire connection 180 degrees. This will make the motor (as witnessed by the metal gear) spin in the opposite direction. See photos for clarity. If it does, I would say the problem is most likely the switch. Perhaps you live near the ocean and dampness or salty air has corroded some of the metal in the switch. This seems plausible as with some cleaning you have restored some function to the motor. You could try sliding the switch back and forth a bunch of times quickly to wear through the corroded film on the metal and try it again. If that doesn't work I would still try the battery directly to the contacts on the motor as mentioned in my previous post if you haven't already. Just to 100% easily eliminate the wire as the problem. It's still possible there is a wire issue even though the light works on the wire. The light uses 2 upper contacts, the motor uses all 4 of the lower. Could be a short or corrosion in there affecting it. It's unlikely but it would be nice to be sure. IMG_20190501_100124196 by jet_flap, on Flickr IMG_20190501_100140979 by jet_flap, on Flickr

If the motor is truly dead, the easiest option is to buy a replacement on Bricklink or eBay, but these motors are very tough and i have never had one fail yet so I have personally not tried to open one. The wire between the battery box and motor can fail quite easily however. Have you checked the continuity of the wire? You can easily touch a battery directly to the motor to take the wire out of the loop. See photo below. Also, can you easily turn the metal gear on the bottom with your finger? IMG_20190429_194529025 by jet_flap, on Flickr