Werlu Ulcur

Thanks guys! I'm glad you all liked the writeup. I had a very enjoyable afternoon. I'm usually more into building/moding the sets, and then most of the fun is over, but this time I'm actually having fun playing with it . Right this moment my boy is behind me playing with the train - and talking (if you look up motor mouth in the dictionary you'll see "Rafael" right next to it ). I like to think of my self as a "scale guy", I love everything small and down to scale, and a few years ago, when I first tried to get back to model railroading, the richness in details of HO trains was truly enticing, but it wasn't the time yet - long story short, I gave up even before starting because I wouldn't have the space to have a decent HO railroad . Last year, when we started building our new house, I managed to get our architect to transform the attic (that wasn't going to be used for nothing) into a sort of hobby room, so when we move I'll have all the space I need. So the plan was to move in, claim the attic and take all my Lego sets there and then start thinking about the so long delayed (HO) railroad. But totally by chance last week I found a BNIB #3677 in our local LUG, and like when you put two bricks together, something clicked in my head. What about giving L gauge a try ? It's not "exact to scale" and no "detail richness" as HO, but you get to build the darn thing! Customize it to your heart's content! I'm so glad I did; I found my scale . What next? Well, first I have to get more tracks. It will have to be a play-with-and-take-it-apart-afterward scheme, at least for a few more months, but it will be fun to spend weekend's afternoons sitting in the office's floor and trying new rail patterns. I'll also at least try to get the battery pack, because I'm really afraid of damaging the contact springs (I'll have to come up with a solution to safely remove the batteries). Or of course I could just get the Yellow Cargo Train and skip the tracks for now. Oh yeah, this can of worms was totally blasted open . But I have to go now. I just overheard that Bane is trying to bust his friends from jail - the box wagon was turned into a prison car - and he did use the word "bust", so I better check .

Here's my impression about the set and build: >Clickety Click Here< Mod EDIT: Topics merged as they belonged to the same discussion.

My Red Cargo Train (#3677) arrived early this week but only today I managed the time to build it. And boy I had a ball ! The first bag is a minifig (conductor) and half the engine. The second bag finishes the engine, and you get to install the motor, battery pack and IR sensor. Looks like Lego designed the engine around the PF components, because the hardware is totally hidden. Of course my 6yo was around, so either I would have to let him build part of the train (), or I got him distracted with something else. But with the loco working and the tracks assembled I could continue the build in peace . With the third bag you build the cute service truck. And here (4th bag) we get to the most interesting of the rail cars, the service car. The service truck goes on the flatbed and you get a small crane in the rear. Cool ! By now the railroad was in full steam, and as you can see, the Batcave became a train station and we also got a tunnel of sorts where Bane and his friends (Poison Ivy and Two Face) were supposed to jump down on the train and rob it before Batman was able to change from Bruce Wayne to Batman in the Batcave... With the last bags you build the toxic waste car, the loading tower and the hopper car (and only now I'm realized I forgot to make the shot of the hopper, sorry ). I finally managed to chase Bane's gang away (not easy!) to do some shots of the train ready & running. A close up of the (fantastic!) engine that could. The terrific service car. And only after editing this shot that I noticed that one of Two Face's goon was hidden there in the cabin . I may have to beef up the railraod security if this goes on . And the toxic waste wagon. I toally missed the perfect oportunity to pose my HazMat minifig there . Everything working, the super having some coffee and the men on the job ! If I may, I want to make some comments on the set and build - just don't forget this is a noob's impression about the train: The build was a blast! Honestly, I haven't had so much fun with a set ever since I built my AT-AT. PF rocks! I was a bit anxious about it, not knowing what to expect, but at least indoors it works flawlessly, I was totally impressed . That red engine FLIES! No, I mean literally, if you crank the control all the way up it flies off the track ! Speaking of track, the first thing I have to get is more tracks. The stock oval is only good for demo runs, you have to get more tracks to properly enjoy this train. I also liked the flexible stuff - I'm positive it will come in handy when building a proper railroad. The battery case SUCKS. And I mean it really SUCKS . It's terrible to get the batteries out (I already bent a little one of the contact springs), so a battery pack is a must buy. I'll keep this one as a reserve. Watching my son play with the train already gave me an idea for a MOC rail car and maybe even a loco (this one will be tough). Stay tuned . As you can see, I totally liked the set! At least for someone that never played with a Lego train before, the #3677 is a fantastic way to start. I always enjoyed trains, and played a lot with HO trains when I was a kid, so a Lego train sounded as the perfect way to join together two of my rediscovered passions. In a few months were moving to a new and bigger house, and I had promissed myself that I would have the space for a model (HO) railroad, but it looks like my railroad will actually be L gauge . Come on, model HO is boring compared to this; with L gauge you get to build your trains, not just run them. What can possibly be better then that ?

Done ! And managed the whole build without using pliers, Stanley knife or hammer . I'll post a more detailed account in a few minutes.

And it begins...

A must buy for me .

Clever! For those who have the "real" trains it would make an awesome display.

And that's the beauty of Lego: why do you have to settle for something you don't like? Mod it! I don't have anything against electric trains (quite the contrary), but since I would rather have my railroad as realistic as possible, not needing to think about wires and towers is a plus.

Really?!? I wasn't aware the price difference was of that magnitude. So it's entertaing, cool, awesome and cost effective ! I'm looking forward to seeing your progress on the project.

I'm speechless! That is awesome to the Nth degree!

Yeah, the Emerald unfortunately is expensive, way more then the Yellow train . But man, it's the bee's knees! I need the Yellow one first because of the tracks, PF hardware and crane, but I'm definitively getting the Emerald later on. Your Yellow looks great! You kept it electric? I intend to make mine a diesel-electric.

It looks terrible... In a outstanding way! I bet that will scare little children.

Fantastic! Beautiful for a Mars diorama.

Nifty! If it was taller (= more ground clearance) it would be perfect.

Never got a wrong piece, but plenty of extras. I'm aware that their QC is basically based on the weight of the bag, but it has been my impression that I always get proportionally more spares with smaller sets then with big ones .

The problem with belt drives is slipage or lack of tension and/or pliability?

I'm totally impressed with you guys BLing something complex as an UCS Falcon. I know that the thrill of doing it the hard way and then the earned bragging rights at the end are very important factors, but speaking of prices, is it financially a good idea ?

Holy cow! That is really impressive, congrats!

Whoa! That looks exceptional Sjaak! And you got the Emerald! That one is definitively on my list, but I should get the Yellow Cargo Train first.

Where are the missles?

The smell of a freshly opened set is charatecristic, ain't it ? And BTW, the set is AWESOME! Seven baggies!!! That's a lot of fun! But maybe the best part was listening to my 6yo coming up with ideas about how we could integrate my train with his new #6860 Batcave .

My Red Cargo Train is here!!!! I was only able to open the box and sniff through the bags - unfortunately I think I'll only have the proper time to build the set and do a test run on the weekend . I'll see if I at least manage to build the engine to keep the anxiety in check.

Thanks for the info! I wasn't aware of that second concept. Fantastic! Thanks a bunch .

Looking for ideas for my upcoming railroad, I found some pretty interesting stuff: Ramjets?!? M-497 Ramjet Locomotive - imagine the noise! Polish Fast Steam Locomotive (1937) PM36-1 - unfortunately, only a prototype, and lost in WWII Sex on rails One of the sexiest trains that I know of, the Baldwin T1

I researched Peter's sugestion and look what I found: Bahnbau Gruppe BR218 Almost like Lego used that one as the basis for the 7939 loco? BTW, doesn't that look like a long VW camper on rails?