*thomas*

Great rendition of a modern express train, it really looks spot on compared to the real thing. I've also sent you a private message. Keep up the good work!

This really does look amazing :). Great work, keep it up.

I have to agree with quite a heap off EB members... LEGO just keeps re-using old themes for the city/town line-up. I was quite surprised to see the forest police/fire-men sets, but any more variation to these teams can't be brought every year. The ZOO theme is something that surely would appeal to a lot of kids, parents and AFOLs.. Just like the farm-theme did a few years back.

Hi, Altough I think it is good from TLC that they bring out an other train set, they really could've done a better job on the engine and on the box car. The engine looks very bulky, and the box car really has no details to it... But, for kids its a nice add-on to the other 2 sets, IF (and only IF) the price is kept low. Cheers

Someone asked why I was turning away from 12V... Well, I am not entirely. ATM I do not buy any more 12V. I am keeping the sets I have and am converting some to PF. I know the swiss crocodile set was much more popular than the 4551 set, BUT, if you compare a real swiss crocodile to the LEGO one, they have almost nothing in commen (starting with the wrong color). The santa fe is a wonderfull engine, mostly because it looks exactly like the real thing. So does the BNSF. The 4551 is an exact copy of an austrian 1020 class... So why people would say it isn't as good as the swiss crocodile, is a complete mystery to me...

Hi all, I have always been a 12V fan, but am now switching to 9V and PF/RC. I have recently bought a 4551, but, in comparison to the santa fe, BNSF, 7750 etc etc you never read a lot about this set? How come? Cheers, Thomas

Hi, I've been reading a lot on this forum, but did not post very regularly. I have been a (LEGO) train fan since I was 4 years old. My uncle and grandpa had a JOUEF HO scale train that I could only look at or play with when they were watching me closely. Often, they would take me to train stations in the neigbourhood to watch all the freight and passanger trains that would come by. One day, I was 4 or 5, my mother took me to a flea market were an old man was selling LEGO on a regular basis. This time he had brought a 7750 and some carriager, on of them being the 7820. And, for some reason (it was not my Bday, not Xmas); my mum bought both of them. The next day i returned with my dad to buy some track and a 12V regulator and from that day on I was hooked on LEGO trains. One year later, the 9V era started, but I never bought 9V sets, except for some cars: 4537, 4543, 4536. At the age of 14 I discovered ebay and my mom went along, so i was able to buy some extra trains: a complete 7735 and 7745 and some extra tracks. For a long time, i did not buy any new lego, from time to time i would lay down a track, leave it for a few days, and break it apart again. But, since this year, I got bitten by the lego bug again, and started buying (and selling) some sets, at the moment i still got: All mentioned above (and will never sell them as they were given to me as a gift). 7730 7735 loc 7740 7819 7814 7838 (one of the best cargo sets ever !) 7823 10027 engine shed (best track side structure ever !) 4512 (for parts) tracks, tracks, tracks Sets I've owned, but sold again: 7760 7816 7815 7750 (got a spare for some time) Currently, I would like to build a small scale lay out with 2 or 3 trains (RC and 9V) and realistic track side structures. More on that when they will actually be completed. Cheers, Thomas

no, it looks like they go very well together i love your models btw!!! also the way you combine non lego items (landscape and decals) and lego parts ! the fact that you use 12V motors in very realistic mocs is not something you see every day ;)

The best thing lego could have done is simply adding an extra car to the existing set and making it a bit more expensive ;).

Hi, First off all, congrats on this wonderful forum !! I've been a lego train fan all my life, mostly had 12V (80's stuff), but am switching to 9V and RC because, IMHO, it looks more realistic when using mocs... I am finally making the final plans for the models i want to use in my future layout. I will be using other peoples creations (MOCs), such as the ones from Reinhard Beneke and James Mathis, 7 wide models, but, would i've also found some nice 6 wide goods wagons. Does 6 and 7 wide go well together? Or does it just look plain silly... Thanks, Thomas

on the brickshelf pic i can only see 1 motor but on the flickr photo's i can see 1 motor in each engine :)

anyone noticed that in the third photo from the previous page (flickr) the passanger train has 2 (two) 9V motors...

They look like very nice sets, although, I would have prefered other cargo cars, loc looks great! Passanger train is also a great improvement ! Station is OK, crossing is a nice little set, but nothing special.

I to have the new RC train engine, but have never had 9V engines... Always used 12V. I only used the engine on a small oval track (grey 12V rails), and with only the locomotive, is goes extremely quick (and derails). The moment you add a small car (2 axle wheelbase), is has traction problems, add a second, and it wont run, UNTILL, I added 2 weight bricks... It runs ok now, will have to compare with 12V engine later. But, IMHO, it needs weight bricks to keep traction and to keep in on the track. Cheers

Hi, Very, very nice creation, it goes very well with the octan tank car you showed us some time ago... Also, the use of technic connection pins as ballast is GREAT. Cheers from Belgium

And I finally got one !!

Wonderfull ! It looks 'factory' and is much more elegant than the 8 wide MOT octan car... Good job !!!

Hi, Even tough the 7897 is less expensive than the cargo train 7898, I would still go for that last one. For young children the playability of a cargo train is far more fun and, it would me easier to add extra cars from the 9V era... Cheers !

Nice discussion indeed :) Maybe a modern version of this set would be nice: ... It is a bit different from all the other lego cargo sets...

Some good writing, wondering why I don't have this set, IMHO, one of the best track side structures EVER. Going to look one on ebay :)

nice one ! lego should produce such a set

The SC is a legend as a whole train (loc and cars), so it was fantastic that TLC did make an effort to reproduce the whole train :). Totally agree with what you are saying about that. TBH, I had forgotten about the MOT cars :P, sorry. Indeed they look good begind a GP38 !! So extra credit to TLC. Just been looking at the TLC EN and some real pictures such as the A1 and A3, and altough it comes close to the original, something is bothering me about the TLC set, just don't know what.

Thanks for the link ! Price is not to high (compared to the blue windows fi.).

The good side :P, just kidding, I live in Belgium. TBH, I prefer European railways far above the US ones, maybe that's the reason why I am being a bit harsh for the EN. The model looks nice, but if I compare it to some MOC from people accross the globe, Lego could have a done a better job. Never forget, that is what I (!!!) think, maybe I just have 'bad' taste ;). What I like a lot about the EN, is the car, it looks wonderfull and comes close to the pullman. And I was referring to the main model (the crocodile) from the Hobby train ;). I've always compared that train to the 4551 crocodile (OBB series 1020), and the 4551 really comes close to the real thing, where as the hobby train crocodile misses something...But again, that is what I think.

Just one word: amazing !!!