issue 15 - Summer 2014

TM
BRICK RAILROADING MAGAZINE
Inside:
More PF Trains to the Limit
An Accidental Gathering at
Brickworld Chicago
2014 LEGO City Set Reviews!
Instructions available on our
MTW-9001-pas CD
Instructions available on our
MTW-9001-pas CD
Render by Jeroen de Haan
RAILBRICKS.COM
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ISSUE 15 - Summer 2014
In This Issue
All Aboard! ............................................. 4
Elroy Davis
Te Stadler Saga ..................................... 6
Dont Rab
Te D Layout .................................... 11
Phillip Marmorino
LEGO PF Trains to Te Limit ............ 16
J.A. Korten
Accidentally on Purpose ..................... 22
Tony Sava
Behind Te Scenes ............................... 24
Cale Leiphart
Review: 60050 Train Station .............. 27
Ronald Vallenduuk
Review: 60052 Cargo Train ................ 30
Jordan Schwarz
Review: 60051 Passenger Train ......... 35
Elroy Davis
Small Diesel Shunter ........................... 38
Tille Muovinen
RAILBRICKS.COM
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ALL ABOARD!
The RAILBRICKS Team
Senior Editor:
Elroy Davis
Staf Editors and Writers:
Steve Barile
Benn Coifman
Tim David
Didier Enjary
Cale Leiphart
Larry Pieniazek
Colin Redner
Anthony Sava
Jordan Schwarz
Jeramy Spurgeon
David Stannard
Ronald Vallenduuk
Content Contributors:
J.A. Korten
Phillip Marmorino
Tille Muovinen
Dont Rab
Copy Editng/Proofng:
Steve Jackson
Cover Photo:
Jordan Schwarz
Copyright 2007-2014 RAILBRICKS
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/
or modify this document under the terms of the
GNU Free Documentaton License, Version 1.2 or
any later version published by the Free Sofware
Foundaton; with no Invariant Sectons, no Front-
Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts.
LEGO is a registered trademark of the
LEGO Company, which does not sponsor,
authorize or endorse this publication.
All other trademarks, service marks, and
copyrights are property of their respective
owners.
A I B
Instructons, Challenges,
and Tips & Tricks have
been categorized into the
following levels: Beginner Intermediate Advanced
Fify years ago, the famous
Linn Westcot wrote about
table heights in his edito-
rial for the June 1964 issue
of Model Railroader. He de-
scribed a layout in Connect-
cut that had its benchwork
only one foot of the foor. He
talked about layouts at eye-
level, waist level, and those
in between. His point was
that a change of positon, in
this case table-height, could
change the perspectve of the
viewer and builder.
In the past couple of years, my home LUG has experimented with using diferent table
heights for a couple of our public shows. The results were interestng. For us, the
builders, it ofered a new challenge; a new way to look at our designs. Track no longer
ft the comfortable fat geometry that it was designed for. Some of our locomotves,
we found, were not powerful enough for climbing grades, or, in some cases, too heavy
to descend a slope without picking up frightening amounts of speed. For the viewing
public, the simple change in elevatons made our layout seem larger than it had been
previously, even though our overall footprint hadnt changed. By raising a couple of
tables on one corner of our layout, our town was transformed into a mountain vil-
lage. Adults could see, eye level, along the streets, forcing them into a minifg view
of the adjacent buildings. On the opposite side of the layout where our tables were
at our standard waist level, adults had a birds-eye view of the train yard, giving them
an overview of the operatons area.
Our change of perspectve was not always good. We found that children had more
difculty viewing the entre layout. We had more trouble controlling our trains, at
least untl we learned some new tricks for slowing them down when necessary. Like
all changes, it took some efort, and it was an evolving process that we had to work
through. Even more interestng is that the next year, when we had fewer high ta-
bles, visitors were disappointed that our layout was not as big as last year. We had
inadvertently changed our visitors view of how big our layout was, though, again, we
had flled the same amount of foor space.
Over the past few months, Ive had several discussions with various LEGO train fans
about the changing perspectve of our hobby. Are layouts less important at large
events these days? Is the public less excited by what they see? Or is it the opposite?
Has our niche hobby become mainstream enough that people expect more? Does
the type of event change how our displays are viewed? Do we see ourselves as LEGO
fans who build trains, or train fans who build with LEGO? Our hobby is in a unique
positon in that we straddle two other hobbies. When displaying at train shows, we
get to show our love of The Brick. When displaying at LEGO conventons, we get to
show just how cool trains are.
My perspectve? Its a great place to be.
-Elroy
RAILBRICKS.COM
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Peopl e submi tti ng arti cl es do not need to be
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magazi ne for fans, by fans. We wel come arti -
cl es f rom enthusi asts who bui l d, col l ect, and
pl ay wi th LEGO trai ns.
What sort of arti cl es may be submi tted?
We wel come how- to arti cl es, event reports,
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Submi t by August 8th, 2014 for i ncl usi on i n the next i ssue!
RAILBRICKS.COM
6
by Dont Rab

The
Stadler
Saga

History
The Hungarian State Railway (Magyar llamvasutak or
MV) bought 60 Stadler FLIRT (Fast Light Innovatve
Regional Train) electric motor units from the Stadler
railway vehicle manufacturer in 2006. Afer the frst red
FLIRTs had started operatng on Railway Line 1, where I
live, I felt that these trains should be built from LEGO

bricks. Afer several atempts, I fnished my frst LEGO
FLIRT in February 2010. My very frst train was displayed
for two weeks that year in a shopping center. Fortunately,
one of Stadler Trains Hungary Ltd.s staf members visited
this display. The company ordered a LEGO FLIRT from
me, to be built and set up in their ofce (Fig. 1). As a
reward, I could also order bricks to build a second FLIRT
for myself.
The author on the real Stadler FLIRT EMU.
RAILBRICKS.COM
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In 2011 Viktor Kovcs (known as
kvp) introduced his soluton for
building longer train vehicles with
Jacobs-bogies. These long trains are
stll able to run on standard LEGO
train track geometry. I rebuilt my
FLIRT in a new scale, using the parts
received from the previous builds.
In 2013 Hungarian State Railway
ordered 42 more FLIRTs with diferent
coloring. When the design was finalized,
I started to order bricks, and I fnished
the new train even before the real
one was produced. Having all the
pieces I needed, it took 12 hours
to put the 3,500 pieces of LEGO-
bricks together, including electric
parts (Fig. 2). In the following days
I made slight changes on the train.
Figure 1: The frst version of my red Stadler FLIRT under constructon. The
entre side of the train was built in SNOT.
Figure 2: Last step afer 12 hours of contnuous building.
RAILBRICKS.COM
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The new LEGO train was introduced with its real brother at
an ofcial ceremony organised by Hungarian State Railway
and Stadler on the 19
th
of March, 2014 (Fig. 3). Before
the event Stadler Trains Hungary Ltd. asked me to build
two more LEGO-FLIRTs for them one with the new
blue/white/yellow/grey color scheme, and another with
yellow/green coloring. Real trains in this coloring were
delivered to the GySEV/Raaberbahn railway company (Fig.
4). In additon to the new models, the company wants
its old red engine to be upgraded to the new scale. As
a reward, I will have my own GySEV-FLIRT, raising the
number of LEGO-FLIRTs in Hungary to six.

Figure 3: The new LEGO-FLIRT at its frst public display.
Figure 4: LDD-plan for the GySEV-FLIRT.
RAILBRICKS.COM
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The LEGO Stadler FLIRT
Each LEGO Stadler FLIRT consists of approximately
3,500 LEGO bricks; the exact number depends on the
colouring patern. The trains have four sectons. The
two with the drivers cabins are longer, and the two middle
sectons, containing the water closet block, are shorter.
The LEGO-FLIRTs are driven with four motors because
of their weight (one unit weighs 3.5 kilograms). Two 9V
train motors are placed beneath the drivers cabin, and
one PF train motor is atached to each 9V train motor
as bogies 2 and 4. The third middle bogie is not driven.
Simple LEGO magnets are atached to the 9V train motor
bogies. With these parts the LEGO-FLIRTs can be easily
coupled together (Fig. 5).
The trains also have front, tail and interior lights powered
by a LEGO rechargeable batery box via an IR receiver. I
put modifed PF-LEDs
2
on the blue output of the receiver
for the front and tail lights, and original unmodifed LEDs
on the red output as interior lights. The modifed LEDs
dont light up simultaneously. Depending on polarity,
only one of the pair will light. The front and tail lights
can be turned of manually with PF polarity switches
that are placed on the roof. When coupling two FLIRTs
no lights are needed between the two units. Three pairs
of modifed LEDs are applied to the end sectons of the
train and each secton has one pair of unmodifed LEDs
as interior lights. All the electric parts are connected with
PF extension cables. Interiors of the cars are detailed;
the arrangement of the seats, coloring of the foor and
the walls inside follow the real train (Fig. 6).
Figure 5: My two Stadler FLIRTs on long radius curve built from straight tracks
1
.
RAILBRICKS.COM
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I have a lot to do in the next few months; ordering bricks,
building three new trains, and upgrading the red Stadler.
Afer this order I might try to build a Westbahn or Moscow
Stadler KISS. If you need detailed informaton of the
trains or LDD-fles, or you want to share your thoughts
with me, please contact me at [email protected].

Acknowledgements
I would like to thank all the members of the LEGO community
for the tps and critques I received in these last four
years. Also great thanks to RAILBRICKS for publishing
this artcle.

1
Holger Mathes, 2007: Smooth Curves without cutng
corners, RAILBRICKS #1, pp. 32.
2
Viktor Kovacs, 2011: Power Functon Signal Lights,
RAILBRICKS #9, pp. 21.
Figure 6: Interior of LEGO and real FLIRTs.
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The D
Layout
An Introducton to the
World of 4.5 Volts
By Phillip Marmorino
In the train layouts that populate the
RAILBRICKS community, we almost exclusively
see the 9V and 12V systems. However, there
is one more voltage of LEGO

train: 4.5 volts.
Why has the 4.5V system been neglected? It
may be due to the restrictve batery wagon,
which spells big trouble for 8-wide builders
due to its small length, or it could be the large
motors that make low-foor cars difcult to
build. The rest of the system is very nice and
has a few advantages over the conventonal 9V
system. Ive found great potental in the 4.5V
system and, above all, an easy way to make
wide radius curves (grand curves) with a radius
of around 100 studs. This artcle will give you a
basic understanding of the 4.5V system and its
history.
I
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A Brief History of 4.5 Volt Trains
In 1966 the frst proper LEGO train engines were made. Before
then, crude carpet-running trains could be made with the standard
wheels of the tme. 1966 brought batery packs, motors, fanged
wheels, and train track for the very frst tme. These engines had
a large batery box, 6 x 12 x 3 studs, which had to be incorporated
into the design of the locomotve. Available in blue and black, this
batery box made it hard to build 6-wide engines. In 1970, LEGO
switched to a batery wagon, pictured above.
This batery made it much easier to power trains because it was a
wagon instead of a box. It also came in many colors, unlike the old
batery boxes. Owing to its success, several 4.5-volt train sets hit
the shops during the remainder of the Blue Era.
During the late 1970s, trains took a back seat to
other themes such as the Homemaker sets. In
1980, the start of the Gray Era, 12V trains were
the new big thing. Unfortunately, big things have
a big price tag, so 4.5V trains were re-released as
a cheaper alternatve to the 12V system. Aside
from having gray tracks with snap-on tes and the
minifgure, nothing was changed from the 1970
system. Of course, the design of the trains was
improved, thanks to the greater part selecton.
Two starter sets were made: the 7722 and the
7720. Both had small, non-artculated locomotves
pulling three 2-axle cars. Several trackside
structures compatble with the 4.5V system were
made to accompany the two starter sets, including
a level crossing and two train statons.
Technical Aspects of the 4.5-Volt System
4.5V motors are large compared to the classic 9V and 12V, but are
stronger. The red wheels have metal axles. Any of the old wheels
with studs on the side may be put into the sockets. Additonally,
between the two wheels there is an axle-hole where any Technic
axle may be inserted. Unscrewing the top, it is seen that the motor
is the same size as that of the 12V system. This lets you switch the
motor for diferent voltages. The 4.5V motors are more useful for
steam engines than diesels or electric engines because its a tad
too tall to make rotatable boogies. My 0-6-2 steamer uses two
motors close together with large drivers at the Technic axle holes.
The holes for steel axles are unused. Owners of PF train motors
know that putng large drivers on the motor reduces the power
of the train signifcantly, but two 4.5V motors have no problem.
RAILBRICKS.COM
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Unlike the 9V and PF motors, a 4.5-volt motor has 5 possible points
where the 4.5V or 12V wires can connect: two on the botom, two
on the top, and one on the side. Youve probably seen an example
of the wire already in some 12V MOC. Here Ive included a picture
of the end of the wire. Technically, this is known as a double
molex connector. The three holes in the front of the wire end
can connect to another wire to add another motor or lamp, or to
extend the cable. In additon to motors, 4.5-volt lamps were also
produced. These lights are the shape of a yellow 22 brick. They
work wonderfully for freboxes, due to the rectangular shape and
the yellowness of the bulb. As lights however, theyre only useful
for certain prototypes, as most locomotves have round lights.
From a picture of the batery wagon, you can see the red three-
way forward/stop/reverse switch that controls the polarity of
the circuit. Kindly enough, LEGO provided two ways to control
the wagon without chasing down the train and grabbing the car
(though that is fun). First, we have the Train Directon Switch,
as BrickLink calls it. When the train passes the piece, the bar
standing up track-side hits the switch on the
wagon and reverses the train. If you dont have
the piece, a corner of a box also works well. It
is important to note that this piece cannot be
used with a bogie that is 8 studs wide, or with
the valve gear of a steam engine.
The Train Signal Post stops the train in a more
unusual manner. Turning the litle lever at the
back of the post lifs up the circuit breaker bar,
which is positoned between the two rails. This
bar hits the red buton at the botom of the
batery car when it passes. The picture only
shows the botom half of the signal post. The
top half contains a signal that moves up and
down depending whether the bar is raised or
lowered.
RAILBRICKS.COM
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Playing with Radii - 4.5 Volt editon
Regular 4.5V track is made from three pieces: outer curve, inner
curve, and straight rail. These snap on to the 28 railroad tes,
which are placed once every 8 studs. This spacing is twice as
much as the prefab track; however, extra 28 plates can be placed
underneath the track if desired. It is also easy to prety up the
track with 11 and 14 tles to suggest smaller tes. A major plus
for 4.5V track is that its dirt-cheap, and straight track is plentful.
To make a curved secton of track, the outer radius must be bigger
than the inner radius. In standard radius 4.5V track, this diference
is large. It would be extremely useful to change this diference, as
doing so would change the radius of the curve. This is surprisingly
easy to do and requires no custom parts. There are two very
similar ways to modify the standard curve. The standard sharp
radius curve uses an outer radius segment and an inner radius
segment (right curve in diagram). Wide radius curves are made
by replacing the inner curve segment with a straight rail segment
(lef curve in diagram). Medium radius curves use the straight
rail segment in place of the outer curve segment (middle curve
in diagram). The wide radius curve is 110 studs in radius while
the medium radius curve is about halfway between the standard
radius and the wide radius. Both methods connect with a bit of
fudging, but I wouldnt recommend the medium radius curve. The
stress is very great and if you have old, britle sleepers, the clips
on them may break of. The wide radius curve seems to be okay
for extended use. My train cars run very smoothly on these curves
and the track should withstand heavier 8-wide stock.
The D Layout
Afer developing stressed 4.5V curves, I immediately pondered
about how to use them in a layout that would ft in a space that
barely accommodated a full circle of these wide radius curves.
The soluton was a D shape, which let me use two quarter-turns of
wide radius track and two quarter-turns of standard curved track.
To maintain smooth operaton around the D the two standard
curves in the foreground are banked. A switch squeezed between
the two sectons of wide radius curves gave space to include a
return loop, something Ive wanted to have in a layout for a while.
Another switch in the return loop gives space for a small siding
with a spring-loaded bufer. The empty space in the D functons
as a building area (Yes, Im stll a foor builder). In this picture, you
can also compare the wide radius curve to the standard radius.
In Conclusion
There are apparent disadvantages with the 4.5V system. The
electronics are poor for 8-wide builders and are hard to integrate
in a high-level LUG layout. Also, building artculated bogies is quite
the challenge with a 4.5-volt motor.
The advantages of 4.5V trains are more pronounced. In terms
of track, 4.5V track ofers a lot more fexibility than 9V and PF
track, due to separable rails. As we have shown, custom track can
be easily made with the system. In additon, the motor is quite
useful for steam engines. In my opinion, 4.5V is best for 6-wide
steam builders such as myself.
Straight rail segments
Outer curve segments
Inner curve segments
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LEGO PF
Trains to
The Limit

- LEGO Shunter

Artcle, photos and
programming by
J.A. Korten
A
RAILBRICKS.COM
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In this series we will discuss ways to take LEGO Power Functons
to the next level by adding some cheap, but non-LEGO parts.
In Issue #13, we discussed the basics and created a remote-
operated computer controlled train. This tme we will automate a
shunter. This soluton is ideal for exhibitons and events. Children
will really love it. Parents and AFOLs alike will be interested in the
technology.
introducton
Arguably one of the best classic trains from the 12V era is shunter
7760, the litle blue locomotve with gray roof and yellow / black
chevron patern at the front and back. I upgraded mine to a PF
version. Now I want to shunt some cars.
Introducton to Arduino Microcontrollers
What we need:
An Arduino UNO (or compatble)
A 940nm Infrared LED
Two reed sensors (*) preferably a plastc version like the
HAMLIN - 59165-1-S-00-A - REED SENSOR, MOULDED SWITCH
(available from Mouser

or Farnell)
Two 10k resistors (*)
Wires (*)
Powerful neodymium magnets (optonal) (*)
For testng, two small breadboards (*)
A LEGO Power Functons receiver and a LEGO train
Arduino sofware
Arduino Library (thanks to Roland Wiersma)
Hot glue and a soldering iron + solder (optonal) (*)
A mult-meter with contnuity test functon (optonal)
Note: Marked items are new compared to the previous artcle.
Costs of the new items are about $5.00 when including the
breadboards.
We again used LEGO Digital Designer, Fritzing and Arduino to
create the new train system.
Basics of Inputs
Last tme we only used the IR led as an output. Now we are going
to use two sensors in order to detect the train. Sensors are always
considered inputs. Afer testng we have seen that a reed sensor
is able to sense a train motor since there are magnets inside.
Reed sensors are switches that react to the presence of magnets.
Without the magnetc feld, the switch stays open, when a strong
enough magnetc feld is applied, the reed switch closes.
There are some tricky things with reed sensors that we will explain
later.
First, some basic electronics: If the reed switch is closed we want
to read this in Arduino as HIGH, if the switch is not detectng a
magnet we want to read a LOW.
The simple schematc to the lef shows the same circuit as the
one with the Arduino. If one presses the switch, the input reads
HIGH (5V), when the switch is open, one reads LOW (GND, 0V).
The resistor makes sure there will be no short.
For beginners this is a bit tricky but it is worth the trouble, as you
will see.
There are several types of reed sensors; we prefer the ones with
a plastc housing. The glass ones tend to break, etc. The HAMLIN
one from the parts list fts exactly between two studs. You may
want to do some experimentng with a mult-meter (beep on
contnuous/short functon). The (PF) train motors have magnets
inside that seem to work well; you could also add special magnets.
In our setup we placed the sensors on top and parallel with the
tracks and that works very well. Make sure that your reed sensors
are as close to the outside as possible for beter motor detecton.
Also keep in mind that if the sensor is too high under the train, it
will also detect the coupling magnets.
The Arduino UNO Rev 3 with an IR led and two reed
sensors connected to it.
RAILBRICKS.COM
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A trick to make detecton as faultless as possible: Couple the reed
sensors in parallel to each other, one close to the lef rail, and one
close to the right rail.
This source code (RailBricks_v1_part2a.ino) expects an oval with
one reed sensor connected to pin 7. The train will stop when the
sensor is detected (afer 200 ms, otherwise it might stay directly
on top of the sensor), then drive again afer four seconds have
passed.
For a shuntng train we want something diferent. We add another
sensor and a point with some straight track in the oval. The point
should stand in open positon in such a way that when the train
backs up it will turn to the straight track with a dead end. Sensor
1 is the sensor afer the point in the oval. Sensor 2 is the sensor
at the dead end. The next issue will deal with point control, so we
wont discuss that now.
Two Sensors: Backing Up and Moving Forward
To make the program more understandable we present an actvity
diagram.
We start by driving forward. When the train sees sensor 1 it will
back up afer 4 seconds, then it will stop at sensor 2. Afer 10
seconds it will go forward again. It will then ignore the frst sensor
1 trigger. It will start all over again tll the batery is fat.
My newest version of the 7710, Power Functons enabled and ready to be controlled.
RAILBRICKS.COM
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In source code 2 (RailBricks_v1_part2b.ino) we see how this is
worked out.
The layout shows how we set up two sensors. The train will be
facing to the right at the botom parts. The point will always be
set to turn.
/*
We will send some basic power functions
signals to a LEGO train.
This one will give you the basics for a
shunter.

J.A. Korten for Railbricks
Library by Roland Wiersma
November 2012

V1.2 - Shunter part one


You need:
a. a reed sensor
b. an IR LED
c. a LEGO PF train :)
*/
#include <legopowerfunctions.h> // this
imports the LEGO PF library
// The IR LED is connected to pin 13
// Long lead is connected to pin 13, short
lead to GND
LEGOPowerFunctions lego(13); // sets all PF
stuff and makes pin 13 output
int sensor1 = 7; // The Reed Sensor 1
connected to Arduino pin 7
int myspeed = 10; // my desired Forward
speed
int myoutput = BLUE; // PF Color output I
want
int mychannel = CH4; // PF Channel I want to
use
void setup() {
pinMode(sensor1, INPUT);
lego.SingleOutput(0, myspeed, myoutput,
mychannel); // let the train run.
}
RAILBRICKS.COM
20
ideas for Optmizaton
It would be - arguably - even nicer to include a functon to count
the number of rounds, then, only afer a number of rounds, start
the backup procedure.
In an upcoming artcle, we will learn a way to control the points
and then we have even more optons.
This example sofware for this can be found at www.leguano.nl
under RailBricks_v1_part2c.ino.
Computer Controlled Shunter
We will add one more extension to the train: a way to start and
stop the shuntng operatons. This is not very complicated at all.
Although we will use the terminal from Arduino, this could well be
the base for tablet controlled LEGO PF trains (We have experience
with that and it is doable for sure).
The trick is using the serial port of
the Arduino. Although Arduino has
a USB port, this emulated the d old
RS232 port, modem port or, in some
cases, keyboard or mouse input
(depending on the Arduino model).
The call Serial.begin(9600); will
start serial communicatons. When
you open the Arduino terminal, the
Arduino resets itself and will then
start sending characters, if needed,
to and from your terminal (the
looking glass at the right top of the
Arduino sofware).
If you press the leter g + enter, the
train will start moving and start its
shunter operatons (running 5 loops
forward, then backward towards the
dead end, then wait and repeat).
When you press leter w + enter, the
/*
We will send some basic power functions
signals to a LEGO train.
This one will give you the basics for a
shunter.

J.A. Korten for Railbricks
Library by Roland Wiersma
November 2012

V1.2 - Shunter part two (RailBricks_v1_
part2b)

*/
#include <legopowerfunctions.h> // this
imports the LEGO PF library
LEGOPowerFunctions lego(13); // sets all PF
stuff and makes pin 13 output
int sensor1 = 7; // reed Sensor 1 connected
to Arduino pin 7
int sensor2 = 6; // reed Sensor 2 connected
to Arduino pin 6
int myspeed = 10; // speed for driving
forwards
int mybspeed = 5; // speed for driving
backwards
int myoutput = BLUE; // PF Color output I
want
int mychannel = CH4; // PF Channel I want to
use
void setup() {
pinMode(sensor1, INPUT);
pinMode(sensor2, INPUT);
lego.SingleOutput(0, myspeed, myoutput,
mychannel); // Drive forward
}
void loop() {
if (digitalRead(sensor1) == HIGH) {
// [ sensor 1 triggered ]
//delay(100);
lego.SingleOutput(0, 0, myoutput,
mychannel);
delay(4000);
// stop 4 seconds
lego.SingleOutput(0, mybspeed, myoutput,
mychannel); // backup train
delay(500);
// make sure we ignore sensor 1!
}
if (digitalRead(sensor2) == HIGH) {
// [ sensor 2 triggered ]
lego.SingleOutput(0, 0, myoutput,
mychannel);
void loop() {
if (digitalRead(sensor1) == HIGH) { // we
detect the sensor
delay(200); // wait just a little
otherwise train will stand on sensor.
lego.SingleOutput(0, 0, myoutput,
mychannel); // stop!
delay(4000); // wait four seconds
lego.SingleOutput(0, myspeed, myoutput,
mychannel); // go!
}
}
RAILBRICKS.COM
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train will fnish its current round and stop at the dead end. Of
course these are just examples. Be sure to fddle (or in Arduino
language, tnker) with it to make your perfect system. As always
(hoping to be a good computer science teacher), I welcome your
commands and questons.
Note: This example with terminal control is called: RailBricks_v1_
part2d.ino.
Johan Korten
[email protected]
Relevant links:
- www.arduino.cc (Arduino sofware and examples, also YouTube
demo movie)
- www.fritzing.org (to digitally draw electronic circuits)
- www.leguano.nl (all examples plus the remote library)
Upcoming artcles in this series:
- Your own LEGO PF compatble receiver and some turnouts.
- Connectng it all together and going beyond the standard LEGO
capabilites.
delay(10000);
// stop 10 seconds
lego.SingleOutput(0, myspeed, myoutput,
mychannel);
delay(500);
// make sure we ignore sensor 2!
while (digitalRead(sensor1) != HIGH)
{ // make sure we ignore sensor 1 only
this time...
// ignore sensor 1... so we make a
loop first.
}
delay(1000);
// wait till sensor1 is really passed
}
// go to start again ...
}
RAILBRICKS.COM
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Accidentally
on Purpose
By Tony Sava
RAILBRICKS.COM
23
I decided long ago that I wanted to atend Brickworld
Chicago 2014. I hadnt been since 2009 and it was high
tme I went back. Steve Jackson and I had traveled to
Atlanta together for the NMRA Natonal Train Show the
year before, and he and I were both keen on visitng
Chicago.
Texas Brick Railroad is a young club; we have some really
talented folks, but our infrastructure is lacking. For NRMA
we borrowed my fathers trailer and a bevy of tables
from TexLUG, but the tables are heavy and the trailer is
open, and it just caused headaches for a two-day trip
(not to menton setup and teardown). For Brickworld,
in additon to Steve and me, Ed Chang was planning to
atend, so we would not be lacking for MOCs.
I had heard through Facebook that Cale Leiphart and
Nate Brill would be the only folks from PennLUG able to
atend Brickworld this year, but they were planning on
loading up the PennLUG trailer and bringing a full layout.
TBRR needed tables to display upon, and PennLUG needed
help setng up; the fact that TBRR uses the same ballast
standard as PennLUG seemed to just be icing on the
cake. So emails were exchanged, ofers were made, and
in no tme a plan was coming together that even John
Hannibal Smith would love.
PennLUGs plan was ambitous. A very large circular
layout with nothing but Grand Curves (what PennLUG and
the rest of the world calls wide curves), the signature
huge PennLUG switching yard, and a huge branch line for
Cales new Red Lion staton. For our part, TBRR would
pull out my old Palestne staton and our signature huge
collecton of trees.
And thats the way things remained untl about a month
before Brickworld, when Ed decided our area needed
something more. A few huge purchases and three weeks
later, Ed had nearly fnished constructon on a huge raised
hill and three-bridge additon to our layout. Even with
a group meetng Sunday before Brickworld we couldnt
fnish it in tme, so Thursday at the show Ed spent several
hours fnishing his creaton.
With the help of Scot Miller and Rob Werner from
GFLUG, the joint PennLUG and TBRR layout was set
up and running smoothly. It truly was something to
behold. I had never been able to run any of my trains
on a full Grand Curve layout like that, and neither had
Ed nor the guys from GFLUG. Scoty spent nearly every
moment at Brickworld performing real yard operatons
in PennLUGs yard and the Red Lion spur, building trains
and challenging himself to never use the hand of God to
touch the trains (except in derailments and decoupling).
I had fun running my Daylight and T1 at full bore around
the large loops, though my Daylight disliked PennLUGs
Grand S-Curve.
As the conventon progressed, something a litle unexpected
happened. We began collectng train-heads. People
started visitng our layout, running their trains on our
layout, or just sitng in the center and chatng. Our
purposeful venture to unite two groups of train builders
was accidentally unitng train builders from all over. We
even had one of the TFOLs on public day come and ask
to run his train, which was carefully packed up in a long
cardboard box. Mathew Csenge parked his train MOCs
in our yard, where previously they had been parked in
his registered space elsewhere in the conventon hall.
Weve already began planning for next year. Ive heard the
GFLUG guys talking about making their own additon to
the layout, and there could be others. TBRR would like to
get more of our members involved, certainly. Brickworld
2015s theme is Brick to the Future, and from where I
sit the future looks very promising.
RAILBRICKS.COM
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Behind
The Scenes:
An Interview with LEGO Train
Designers Ricco Rejnholdt
Krog and Henrik Andersen.
Earlier this spring, RAILBRICKS volunteer Cale Leiphart
talked to Ricco Rejnholdt Krog and Henrik Andersen,
two of the designers behind the 2014 LEGO City trains
sets. Our thanks go out to The LEGO Group for helping
arrange this interview, which gives us a look into the
design process.
RB: Have you worked on previous train projects?
R/A: I have designed and developed all of the elements
for trains for LEGO World City; the Santa Fe Express; and
LEGO City Trains in 2006, 2010 and 2014.
RB: Are you a train fan yourself? And if so do you build
any trains in your free tme?
R/A: I am a train fan. I dont build trains in my spare
time, but do collect LEGO trains and I have
a big collection of 4.5V, 12V and 9V trains.

RB: These new sets will now be the second generaton
of trains in the City line using the Power Functons
system. Have the Power Functons trains been considered
a success?
R/A: In general most LEGO trains have been
successes, and our LEGO City trains with Power
Functions have been part of that success.

RB: What are some of the challenges faced in designing
trains sets around the Power Functon components?
R/A: There are a few design challenges presented by
the Power Functon when designing train sets that use
them. Concealing the Power Functon element is the
biggest challenge; the batery box and receiver take up
a lot of space, so it is difcult to create small trains, like
a shunter train. Another challenge is communicatng
to our target age group 6 year old children - how to
build and play with the Power Functon components.

RB: The new passenger train uses a single molded nose
piece in place of the brick-built nose of the previous
7938 Passenger Train. What infuenced the decision to
use the one-piece nose on the new train?
R/A: The decision to use a single-molded front nose piece
was infuenced by two factors. First is the complexity of
the model when building; it is easier for our target age
group to build with the single-molded piece. Second is
the fexibility in design that a single element gives us
the opportunity to do that a brick build front doesnt.

RB: Afer the ill-fated molded nose of the 7897 RC
passenger train, many fans were pleased to see a return
to the multpart brick-built nose for the 7938 train for
its more traditonal LEGO look and the versatlity of its
individual parts. Now with the return of a large nose piece
Ricco Rejnholdt Krog
RAILBRICKS.COM
25
for the new train, fans are understandably leery about
adoptng what many consider to be a single-use piece.
Do you feel that when fans fnally have their hands on
the new train they will be more acceptng of the new
nose piece and use it in their own trains?
R/A: The reactons from fans in response to the 7897 RC
passenger train molded nose piece were understandable.
The piece had a very big gap between the element and
the rest of the model. I think fans will be happy with
the redesigned element, as the gap has been removed
and a new glass part has been added so the whole
front looks really good. For any piece to be used in a
diferent context, its up to the creatvity of the builder.

RB: The new freight train appears to have a bit of an
American diesel locomotve infuence. Was this intentonal
and is it an atempt to appeal to the American market more?
R/A: The new design is based on a more American freight
train look. Using the American freight train was a way
to diferentate the new design from our sets based on
more European freight trains.

RB: When designing new train sets does the design team
typically look to real trains for inspiraton?
R/A: As with other LEGO City models, our team researched
real-world trains and was inspired by interestng designs
to incorporate into our models.
RB: What are some of the design consideraton when
creatng a new train set? Are their specifc goals for what
should be included?
R/A: When creatng a new train set, the model itself
is king. Our main objectve is to make a cool model;
afer that we consider the play value in the model. For
passenger trains, we add play value by creatng ways to
load and unload passengers, and introducing extras such
as road crossings. For freight trains we can diferentate,
and get more play value in the set by creatng new ways
to drive the train, load and unload cargo, play with
the crane, load onto the truck and drive away and
like with the new train, even feed and milk the cow.

RB: The new freight train set has many accessories
included to expand on the sets playability while the
new passenger train relies primarily on the train itself. Is
this simply to keep the price point of the passenger train
lower or were there other factors under consideraton
as well?
R/A: The passenger train focuses primarily on the play
value of the train itself as it is an entry point for most
children; therefore, we like to be able to keep it at an
entry level price point as well.
RB: All three of the previous City train sets included fex
track. But in the new sets fex track appears to be absent.
What was the decision behind this and how successful
has the fex track been?
R/A: Generally, the fex tracks were a success, as they
allow for more fexibility when designing the layout of
the track. We chose to leave them out of the new sets in
order to make room for other elements, and add more
diferentaton between the train sets.
RB: Many fans would like to see LEGO expand its track
selecton. The now retred 7996 Train Rail Crossing has
steadily risen in price in the afermarket and there is a
desire to see LEGO rerelease it as well as introduce new
parts such as larger radius curves and crossings. What are
the issues LEGO faces in expanding the track oferings
and will we ever see new pieces be developed?
R/A: We do not ofer a more varied selecton of track
elements because through our research, we have
determined that there is not a high demand within
our core audience of children for these elements.

RB: All of the Power Functons, City train sets released so
far have been based on diesel or electric locomotves. Do
you feel we will ever see a City steam train? What would
be some of the challenges in developing a steam train
for the city line?
R/A: LEGO City Steam Trains have been tested in concept
with children in our target age group many tmes. While
the children generally like the steam trains, they are not
perceived to be as cool as the powerful diesel or electric
trains. On top of that, LEGO City is a modern city, and
steam trains are a bit too old school.
RB: For years fans have been calling for LEGO to produce
RAILBRICKS.COM
26
individual train cars and locomotve sets as well as train
side structures and accessories. Does LEGO feel there is
a viable market for these and might we ever see LEGO
extend beyond complete train sets and the usual passenger
staton oferings?
R/A: Ofering individual train cars and locomotve sets, as
well as train side structures and accessories, is something to
be considered when the demand in our markets warrants it.

RB: In order for the LEGO train hobby to grow its important
to bring in new fans and keep them interested in the long
term. How has LEGO worked to do this and what role do
you feel us train fans can play to help with growing our
hobby?
R/A: The LEGO Group tries to interact as much as possible
with the diferent train fans and communites around
the world, listening to input and visitng events. I have
visited a couple of fan based events where the public
was invited; I believe the more visible you are, the more
new fans will get involved.
RB: In recent years many fans have started producing
and marketng their own 3rd party parts for use with
LEGO trains. Big Ben Bricks steam drivers and ME Models
metal track being notable examples. Does LEGO see these
3rd party parts as a concern or does LEGO accept them
and see them as a good way to fll a hole in the LEGO
train hobby that wouldnt be viable for LEGO itself to fll?
R/A: The LEGO Group welcomes fan initiatives
that can help grow the fan culture, as long as
our trademarks and copyrights are respected.

RB: Finally what would you like to see in the future of
LEGO trains?
R/A: In the future, I would like to see more trains in
general, and maybe even a separate train theme that
could allow for all kinds of trains from all eras in history.
I have also always wanted to create a big turntable side
building with round house this building is so iconic
for trains.
RAILBRICKS.COM
27
In 2010 train staton 7937 was introduced along with
the inital batch of Power Functon trains. Now, four
years later, we have a new staton. Its a modern looking
structure with two shops, one for refreshments and one
mini LEGO

brand store and, like last tme around, it

comes with a yellow cab.
Lets start with the box. The front shows a picture of
what youre buying. On the back of the box, as usual
with a City set, theres a character shoutng HEY! at
you along with snapshots of play features. Open the box
and youll fnd bags numbered 1 to 5, a bag with beams
and plates, a pack of track and three instructon books.
Book and bag 1 are for the taxi. Its a typical City car using
familiar elements like wheel arches and SNOT parts for
front and back. Its difcult not to compare it to the taxi in
the previous staton set; its the same size and the same
color, though its slightly lower. As a result, the driver
does not get a seat; the poor guy gets the passengers
feet in his back.
Book 2 and bags 2 and 3 build the platorm and the frst
of the shops. The platorm is a simple solid structure. A
nice touch is the jumper tles on the steps to place minifgs
on. The shop, too, is a simple efectve structure. As youd
expect from a City set there are no challenging techniques
and its all easy to build, using some large pieces. The
shop stll has many nice details though; diferent types
of food (a pizza, a hotdog, a croissant), a cash register
and a cofee machine.
Book 3 and bags 4 and 5 build the other shop and the
canopy. Interestngly, the front of the LEGO shop uses
two of the 2x12x4 windscreens; a part you dont fnd in
sets very ofen but that is used to great efect here. The
canopy is made of big 4x8 curved slopes, again using
large pieces to great efect.
60050
Train Station
Review by Ronald Vallenduuk
RAILBRICKS.COM
28
Once the staton is built, lets have a look at the overall
model; frst from the perspectve of the target audience.
Its a nice modern looking staton that goes well with the
high-speed train. The passenger train set comes with 4
straight track sectons. The staton adds another 4 so it
occupies one side of the track oval. The shops are open
at the back so you can play inside. The canopy over the
track is not quite a tunnel but children love seeing
trains running under something.
To adults, the structural elements (using Technic
suspension arms) may look a bit odd. Luckily, and
ironically, they have no structural functon and
can easily be removed. That leaves the canopy
that covers the track instead of the platorm. Its
not easy to turn around, so thatll require some
creatve solutons. The total platorm length is
shorter than the previous staton but the usable
platorm is longer because there are no stairs
here that block a chunk of the platorm. Its stll
a lot shorter than the passenger train though, so
it needs an extension. On the plus side, theres
only a platorm on one side of the track, which
is more realistc than the old staton.
Lets look at some of the details - there are
many! Time has not stood stll in Lego City and
that means in 2014 the train staton has a tcket
machine and security cameras. The
curved 2x4 slopes work really well as
signs, both for the shops and for the
departures. Ill forgive the designers
the American spelling of City Center.
In the LEGO brand store the sets are
blue tles with stckers, similar to set
3221/7848. The large one I recognized
as tow truck 60056. In both shops the
checkout is a computer screen with
keyboard. No more cash registers.
One detail that doesnt work for
me is the clear yellow tles on the
edge of the platorm. They have very
litle contrast with the grey platorm.
I would recommend using those tles
as headlights for your cars and putng
some white or yellow tles or grilles
on the platorm. A nice litle extra is
the bike stand with a Friends-blue bicycle. To contnue
the green credentals, there are bins on the platorm
(and theyre actually green!).
Time for the statstcs. Compared to its predecessor this
set contains 17% more parts with a total of 423. Thats
good news. The bad news is the price has gone up 30%
RAILBRICKS.COM
29
from $49.99 to $64.99. Combining
those two shows that the price per
part has gone up 11%, from just under
14 cents to just over 15 cents. Thats
way above the holy 10 cent per part
but for a set with 5 minifgs, 4 track
pieces, a bicycle and a lot of large parts
I think its not as bad as it sounds.
I must admit my frst impression
when I saw the frst pictures of the
staton was not very positve; Look
at that weird roof! Afer building
it though, I really like it. Its a more
substantal building than the last
staton, and with a platorm on one
side it looks more realistc. The color
scheme works well, with tan and red
the main colors, and I like the light
grey platorm. The set has a lot of
play elements and some interestng
parts. The Recommended Retail Price
may seem a bit steep at frst glance
but is actually quite reasonable on
closer inspecton. So buy two, give the
chef a proper kitchen, the passengers
a longer platorm and be creatve
with all those canopy and support
elements.
RAILBRICKS.COM
30
60052
Cargo Train
Review by Jordan Schwarz
RAILBRICKS.COM
31
It was a special honor for me to be able to review the
brand new 60052 Cargo Train set! Years ago, it was with
another freight train set that I had my frst encounter
with LEGO trains. The year was 1992, and the set was the
4563 Load N Haul Railroad the frst freight set of the
9V Trains era. Since then, new cargo trains have shown
up every few years albeit in a new guise each tme.
LEGO trains have progressed from 9V to 1st-generaton
RC to Power Functons. To review a recurring set like the
Cargo Train is a unique opportunity. Each new incarnaton
reveals something about the evoluton of the LEGO Trains
hobby and a peek at its future.
So what does the 60052 Cargo Train set say about the
future of the hobby? In a nutshell, this is a set that
is engineered for maximum play value. This set is a
contnuaton of a general trend toward monolithic,
all-inclusive sets. Accessories like the gantry crane or
switching points might have been separate sets in the
past, but now these accessories have been rolled into
one fagship train set. This is a smart move by the LEGO
Group, because these all-inclusive sets have more general
appeal and a wider audience. And kids can have a good
tme playing with these big sets right out of the box. The
botom line: the price tag for train sets keeps going up,
but the play value is keeping pace.
First Impressions
The new Cargo Train is hefy indeed. Although LEGO
boxes may be shrinking, the Cargo Train comes in a big
box that is flled nearly to the top, and it feels weighty.
Inside the box, packaging is top-notch. The box contains
some eight numbered polybags. Except for a few unique
RAILBRICKS.COM
32
parts, each sub-model in the set uses parts from a single
polybag, meaning that this set is a straightorward build.
These polybags rarely have more than 100 elements,
making it easy to fnd parts. And, the set includes an orange
brick separator for good measure. Being somewhat sleep-
deprived when I built the set, I put the brick separator
to good use!
Encouragingly, decals and instructons come in a separate
bag with a cardboard backer, and the decals and instructons
arrive in great shape. A special cardboard carrier neatly
holds the Power Functons elements and some train
wheels and couplers. All small elements are bagged,
not loose in the box.
The Cargo Train comes with enough track for a complete
oval with passing siding. No fex track is present this tme.
Model 1: Truck
The build sequence is designed to provide gratfcaton
and play value up front. The frst model is a cargo truck
capable of holding a pallet. The truck design and elements
are quite basic, except that there are two of the newer,
shallow type wheel-wells. The truck driver has a new
torso print a railroad safety vest over a new-green
sweatshirt.
Interestngly, the LEGO Group managed to bypass the
container size debate entrely with this set, because there
are no containers! Cargo is carried on 4-by-8 stud pallets,
but the pallet standard has been changed (again!). Pallets
now atach to freight cars by means of jumper plates.
This connecton uses fewer parts than the old standard,
and it keeps the pallets on the freight car in the event
of a roll-over. The pallets are easily converted to the old
standard, though.
Model 2: Locomotve
The new locomotve stands out in this set, as it is unusual
to see LEGO train sets styled afer American prototypes.
The new locomotve resembles the EMD family of diesel
engines, seen before as the 10133 BNSF GP38 Locomotve
and the Maersk SD40-2. This tme, the blue-and-gold
color scheme brings to mind the American freight line
operator CSX.
To ft the Power Functons batery box and receiver inside
the engine, similar techniques are used to those seen in
the Maersk locomotve. The sides of the long hood are
simple panels, held on using SNOT bricks. The batery box
is fairly easy to remove (without too much disassembly).
Power switch access is ingenious and makes the power
ON LED visible from the outside.
The engine frame is the same length as the BNSF GP38,
but the engine looks shorter due to stockier proportons.
The cab is longer (7 studs, vs. 4 on BNSF) in order to
accommodate a set of classic train doors, and there
is a hatch in the roof allowing access as well. The cab
windscreen is a new, more versatle version of the classic
4-pane windscreen seen frst in the 4563 Load N Haul
Railroad.
RAILBRICKS.COM
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Although this new locomotve is a litle light on technical
realism, this is clearly an engine designed for kids to
play with. This engine is durable and could probably fall
from a table without really sustaining much damage. (I
did not test this theory.) The side doors and roof hatch
access enhance play value by providing easy access to
the cab interior. Some realistc touches include ditch
lights, a fuel tank on the underside, and faux dynamic
brake radiators.
Model 3: Catle Car
For some reason, this is my favorite piece of rolling
stock in this set. It has a simple, elegant design and is
something not ofen seen in a LEGO train set. Plus, the
included steer is a Longhorn! With the catle car, there is
certainly good play value, as potental storylines beckon.
Alas, the car comes with only a single steer, but that is
a recurring aspect of this set the elements are pared
down to those essental to play value.
Model 4-5: Flatcars
The fatcars in this set are simple and can be built in
just a few minutes. The fatcars reinforce the idea of
paring things down to the bare essentals, as there is
litle more to these cars than standard train bases and
trucks. Even these simplistc fatcars are good from a
parts standpoint, however. Train bases and wheel sets
are hard to come by, so it is nice to see a couple of 4-axle
cars included in this set.
Flatcars are good from a play value standpoint, too.
Multple loads can be carried by either car, including
pallets and even the forklif that comes with the set. The
set includes four palletzed loads: an Octan gas tank, a
lime green wheelbarrow, and two large spools. These
loads can be picked up by the included forklif or, with
some amount of rigging, the gantry crane. With two
fatcars and a truck available, loads can be unloaded
from one mode of transport and loaded onto another.
This is a great strategy from a standpoint of play value
and not unlike that employed in the original Load N
Haul Railroad.
Model 6: Forklif
The forklif is conventonal in functon but novel in design.
It is made up of several compound curved pieces, giving
it an unusually swoopy look for a fork truck. Also, in
the ever-more-diverse LEGO City, the forklif driver is a
female minifg.
RAILBRICKS.COM
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Model 7: Crane / Loading staton
Perhaps one break with previous cargo sets is the inclusion
of a bona-fde freight loading staton. The included gantry
crane and ofce are reminiscent of the 4555 Freight
Loading Staton, ofered in the mid-90s as a stand-alone
accessory. Though less elaborate than 4555, the concept
and elements are the same there is a freight loading
terminal with an ofce and a 2-axis gantry crane. The
crane is just tall enough to be able to unload the big
spools, delivering these to the truck or forklif.
Interestngly, the crane is not built on a baseplate but
rather uses a pair of 16X16 plates as bases. The ratonale
for this design is not clear to me, as a baseplate would
seemingly have been sturdier and with fewer parts used.
The freight staton is a home run from a play value standpoint.
In all, there are four possible modes of freight transport
in this set, making for lots of possible play scenarios.
In my speculaton, inclusion of the freight staton will
encourage sales of the set. Even those who do not need
another train set may stll be entced by this interestng
trackside accessory.
Final Thoughts
There is no doubt about the solid play value of the new
Cargo Train. The models in this set are carefully selected
to complement each other when played with together.
Most of the models in this set are conventonal in terms
of design, colors, and elements meaning that the set
will not be a showcase of novel building techniques or
a gold-mine for rare parts. This set is clearly intended as
the ultmate kids play train, leaving the Creator Expert
line to fulfll the niche for the more exotc.
High points: the American-style blue freight engine, the freight loading
station, the cattle car, and enough track to build a passing siding.
Low points: lots of AAA bateries needed to run the train,
very simple freight cars, and a high price point (although
decent value).
With so many possible ways to move freight around in
this set, hours and hours of play are in store. There is
litle risk that this set will appear under the Christmas
tree only to be abandoned shortly thereafer. On the
whole, the Cargo Train is another great additon to the
proud lineage of LEGO trains.
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For this review, I enlisted the help of my six year-old
daughter, Gabriella. I thought it would be interestng to
see the set through her eyes, as she falls on the low end
of the recommended age range for the City train sets. I
tried to be as hands-of as possible, letng her take the
lead on the build while I took notes on the set itself. In
additon to being a fun exercise, it gave me an excuse
to spend some bonding tme with one of my children.
My First Impressions:
My frst view of the new passenger train was online. The
image showed a prety standard bullet-type passenger
train with sloped ends, three cars, and a loading platorm
to accessorize it. Im more of an American diesel builder,
so passenger trains all sort of look alike to me. In this
case, the form and components displayed reminded me
of the red passenger train released a couple of years ago,
while the color scheme matched the passenger train
from the ill-fated RC era train sets.
When the review set arrived, a look at the box revealed
a detail that made my heart sink. The sloped ends, one
in front and one in the rear, were juniorized single-piece
parts. The last passenger train that I built using parts
like that was the RC version, which had a huge issue
with ft. The thin cowling didnt mesh well with the
other parts, leaving gaps in the body. I was curious if
the updated version would have the same issue.
Gabriellas First Impressions:
When the box containing the review set arrived in the
mail, Gabriella latched onto the train almost before I could
remove it from the packaging. To say that I enlisted her
for help with this review is a bit misleading. In reality,
she begged, almost daily, to help build the train. She
was very excited when I told her that she could build
it herself.
60051
Passenger Train
Review by Elroy Davis
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Being six, she doesnt have a lot of experience with the
train sets released in the past. Her frst comment, afer
she dumped the contents of the sets box onto the foor
was This is the coolest train Ive ever seen!
Contents:
The set came packaged in a large box, showing the train
and platorm on the front, with a nice environmental scene
combining the 2014 LEGO City sets on the back. Like the
boxes of other large sets, this one came with a tabbed end,
allowing it to later be used for storage. While this feature
may not be important for AFOLs with large collectons,
its incredibly useful for parents who need a place for
their children to keep their LEGO pieces.
Parts were divided into 8 bags and a small box. Seven
of the bags were numbered, corresponding to various
sub-models of the set. The eighth bag contained
some of the larger pieces, including the cowlings
and straight track. The small box contained the PF
electrical components, including the standard batery
box, RC receiver and remote-control. Instructon
books and a stcker sheet were well packaged with
a cardboard backer and shrink-wrapped to avoid
folding and bending.
The Build
Building the set was a straight forward process. Instructions
were split across four books. Following Book 1,
Gabriella was able to use the parts in bag 1 to build
the passenger platorm and crossing signals within
roughly 20 minutes with no help from me. Once
complete, she immediately began playing with the minifgs
and platorm. From a parental view, this was a good
sign. Playability when the set was just begun!
Book 2 and bags 2 and 3 were for the trains locomotve.
The locomotve itself took Gabriella an hour or so to
build. She needed help with the wheel-sets and the PF
components, but otherwise she was able to follow the
instructons and complete the model on her own. The
six-stud-wide body was easily able to contain the PF
batery box, and IR receiver. The on/of switch for the
batery box can be triggered by a clever switch on top
of the locomotve; unfortunately the roof needs to be
disassembled in order to change the bateries. As a
parent, I was once again struck by the number of bateries
needed to run PF trains. Using rechargeable bateries
is recommended if the train is going to have a lot of
play tme.
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The front of the locomotve is mainly built using the single-
piece cowl, which covers the engineers seat and control
area. Unlike the old RC train, the cowling piece ft well,
snapping into place with a nice click and no gaps. Just
as she did with the passenger platorm, Gabriella began
playing with the engineer minifg and the locomotve as
soon as they were completed.
The center car of the train, using Book 3 for instructons,
was made up of parts from bags 4 and 5. The main body
of the car used the parts from bag 4, and took roughly
30 minutes to build. The car contains seatng and tables
for up to four minifgs. The interior of the car is accessed
by removing the roof, the parts of which, along with the
cars trucks, were in bag 5. The roof and trucks took
Gabriella 10 minutes to build, for a total of 40 minutes
to complete the car.
The passenger car didnt hold her interest as much as
the staton platorm and locomotve did, but I suspect
that she was beginning to lose focus, as she had been
building for a couple of hours at this point. Two hours
dedicated to a single task is prety good for her. I was
impressed at how well building with LEGO parts held
her atenton for that amount of tme.
For the last car, we turned to instructon Book 4 and bags
6 and 7. My daughter built for about 20 more minutes
before turning the rest of the set over to me. It took
me another 10 minutes to fnish the car, which mainly
just needed the roof and trucks added. The interior of
the car was a combinaton of the locomotve and center
car, containing seatng and tables for four minifgs, plus a
control space for the engineer to drive the train in reverse.
With the train completed, we set up the small oval of
track that came with the set. For me, it was nice to see
that there were a combinaton of curves and straight
track, and no fex-track at all. Some builders have used
fex-track to their advantage, but I stll struggle with it
personally, preferring the look of the more standard
track pieces.
In the end, I lost track of the amount of tme that we
spent playing with the train, which, to me, is a good
sign. While not targeted to advanced builders, this set
is a great starter, and worked wonderfully as a father/
daughter project, giving us a couple of nights of one-on-
one quality tme together.
As an adult builder, Id rate the set as average. There
are no special building techniques, but its a great set
for the beginning train builder. Everything needed to
start a layout is included, and there is plenty of room
for expansion later on.
For the child on the low-end of the sets age range, I
asked Gabriella her opinion. Her answer:
I want to keep this forever, untl I grow up! Buy more
trains like this! But with more cars, instead of just
three. Maybe, like, nine.
Even six-year-old rail bufs like long trains.
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