“I didn’t know LEGO made trains!” That’s something I’ve heard a lot at shows. The LEGO train product line has been around for 40 years, yet so many people have never seen them, as the big box and toy stores (in the US at least) generally didn’t stock the train lines – you had to buy them direct from LEGO. Here’s a brief overview of the different types of trains LEGO has made: Introduced in 1966, the first LEGO trains were powered by three C cells carried in a special battery box, and ran on plastic tracks. The tracks consisted of individual blue rails that you would snap onto white 2×8 plates. If you ever come across blue 1×16 plates with a sort of ridged rail top, that’s where they came from. The ridges provided extra traction for the motor, which had rubber tires on the wheels. The best example of this is the original trains set, #113 “Motorized Train Set”. The 4.5V sets continued to be produced and sold through the 1970s and 80s. The next evolution of trains came 3 years later in 1969 with the 12-volt product line, which were powered from the tracks for the first time.
However instead of powered rails like most model railroad gauges, there was a pair of metal conductors in the center of the track. The rails were the same as the 4.5V ones, at first in blue, and switching to grey in 1980. A special 2×8 plate was used in later sets to build the tracks for a sturdier connection – it looks like a 2×8 plate but the studs under the rails are replaced with a sort of clip that snaps onto the rail. Trains were controlled by a trackside connector that took power from the AC mains and connected to the metal contacts on the tracks, providing 0-12V DC power. This system also included a bunch of great accessories, such as level crossing gates, motorized switches, and signage. The 12V line was only sold in Europe, so very few Americans got their hands on them. Examples of this line are #720 “Train with 12V Electric Motor” from 1969 and #7740 “Inter-City Passenger Train Set” from 1980. Beginning in 1991, LEGO switched standards yet again. The 4.5V and 12V systems were discontinued, and the new 9V system was released.
The new tracks featured powered rails for the first time, and the rails and ties (sleepers) were a single track component with end-to-end connections that held them together well and provided electric continuity between track sections. This is the system that my Track Layout Geometry page refers to. Tracks were released in dark grey; the color was changed to the new dark stone grey when LEGO discontinued the old greys, but the 9V line was discontinued soon after that. The train motor drew power from the rails using metal flanges, but the weight was carried on rubber tires so that the noise was kept to a minimum and traction is pretty good. The motor has four studs with metal contacts on them, so you can connect a wire to power a lamp or other accessories (but at slow speeds, the lamp is dim of course). The trains were controlled by a trackside dial that took power from the AC mains and delivered from 0-9V to the rails via special clips that connected to a piece of track. One of the first, and most beloved, sets in this line was the classic #4558 “Metroliner”, which was inspired by Amtrak trains – perhaps the first LEGO set based on an American train.
Another beloved train from this era was the #10020 “Santa Fe Super Chief” which represented another great American locomotive. Around 2006, LEGO discontinued the 9V train system. This caused a great deal of consternation among the adult fan of LEGO (AFOL) community, especially since they had just discontinued the classic grey and brown shades in favor of the newer stone (“bluish” some people call it) greys and reddish brown. The tracks lost their metal conductors, but were otherwise the same as the 9V tracks. Trains carried 6 AA batteries onboard for 9V power, and were controlled by new infrared (IR) remote controllers. These were very unpopular with AFOLs because of their poor pulling power and lack of customizability – the battery pack and IR receiver was built into a train chassis so it was hard to build anything realistic that didn’t look like that chassis. The motor for this era was very similar to the 9V train motor, but with plastic wheels and a wire coming off it with a 9V 2×2 plate connector that would attach to the battery pack chassis.
The #7898 “Cargo Train Deluxe” set is a good example of this. Fortunately, this was a short-lived phase in the LEGO train story. Around the same time that the battery train came out, LEGO introduced the Power Functions line for TECHNIC sets, and a few years later in 2009 they released trains using the same system. Power Functions is also 9 volt, but features a new 2×2 plate connector with 4 contacts and a new IR remote control system. The tracks are the same as the previous battery powered system. When LEGO came out with the #10194 “Emerald Night” set, the AFOL community was thrilled. In all the years of producing LEGO trains, this was the first realistic steam locomotive they had ever made, featuring new large diameter wheels. To power it, you had to build a power train using the Power Functions XL motor and gears to the wheel axles. It carried its battery box in the tender, and was controlled by the Power Functions IR controller. They have also produced diesel trains in this line, such as the #10219 “Maersk Train”, another fan favorite.
To power the diesel trains, you would use a motor block similar to the ones from the previous battery powered line, but this time with a Power Functions connector on the cable. The trains sold by LEGO today are all Power Functions with plastic tracks. You can find a lot of LEGO train sets on Amazon. For more information see the “A History of LEGO Trains” page on Brickset.This year, I have been slowly building my first Lego collection. My kids and GeekMom Jenny each have tubs of Lego bricks that belong to them individually. I felt left out after visiting Legoland with Jenny, so I started my own collection. When I started buying, I did a lot of research, so that I could get the most out of my investment in a fairly expensive hobby. The first thing I needed, no argument, was bricks. There are many ways to get a bunch of bricks at once. I started with the Lego Build and Play Box. It’s a great starter set, highlighted by its large storage box, but I’ve found some cheaper options.
Here is a breakdown of the average prices I could find: 884 piece Lego Education Brick Set 779384 = 6.1 cents per brick 650 piece Lego Bricks & More Builders of Tomorrow Set 6177 = 6.3 cents per brick (discontinued and no longer available, as of 11/2016) 1,000 piece Lego Build and Play Box 4630 = 11.6cents per brick 650 piece Lego Creative Building Kit 5749 = 7.1 cents per brick 1,600 piece Lego XXL Brick Box 5512 = 13.4 cents per brick (this one has been discontinued, hence its elevated price) As you can see, the Lego Education Brick Set has some serious bang for its buck. It’s a medium size kit, with 11 sizes and 9 colors. The bricks are pretty basic, but that’s the best place to start. I get the most use out of basic shapes, because they are so versatile. Specialized pieces often have just one purpose, and don’t get used as much. The next thing I needed was a plate. Plates are the foundation that you build your creations on. It’s possible to build on a table, but plates make the whole experience simpler and more fun.
Lego makes two 10″ plates, one in green for general use, and one in blue for water scenes. Generally you can find one for about five bucks. There is also an XL gray plate, which measures 15″, but it runs around $15 right now. I own just one green plate, and it is worth its weight in gold. Honorable mention goes to the Brick Separator. Another thing that is invaluable. Saves me so much trouble when disassembling. Though these are often included in specialty kits for free. The last thing I needed was minifigs. There are hundreds of options. As a matter of fact, according to xkcd, there will be more minifigs in the world than people by the year 2019! Where to start then? This is definitely not a case for the basics. I wanted my minifigs to be special, ones I’d like looking at forever. Since Rory is my favorite character in (I mean, how could I not like a total dork with the same name as me?), I got the Series 10 Roman Commander (read: Centurion). The kids then surprised me with a pile of parts from old minifigs that they didn’t want any more.
This was great because I was able to make a few that I liked, and have the ability to change things up. After that, the sky (read: wallet) was the limit. There are so many themed kits it would take an enormous amount of money to get them all. I suggest ignoring sets like the ones, for example, because the scenes are not versatile at all. This makes me sad, because I love everything. I just don’t have room in my house for a permanent installment of Krang’s Lab, and it’s not fun (for me) to keep building the same thing over and over again. There are a couple of exceptions. If you love one of the kits so much that it’s worth its own place in your home, buy away. GeekMom Jenny has three Lego Architecture sets that have their own shelf in her office. Also, Lego Creator sets are somewhere between free form and regular kits. Each of them makes three things officially. I love the LEGO Creator Fierce Flyer 31004, which has three official builds: an eagle, a beaver, and a scorpion.