A Month of LEGO - Trains & 10194 Emerald Night

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Trains have been present in the LEGO Universe since 1965. This also happens to be why I became a LEGO fan again as an adult. My grandfather built a massive train set in his basement with my uncle. It was pretty much the last thing he did before he died and when I found out that LEGO trains existed, I decided to start collecting them. It turned into a store on Bricklink and the rest is kind of history with regards to my fascination with LEGO.

poppop

My first train was the Horizon Express, a bullet train from the creator series. In fact, a young Jamie (one of the hosts from the LEGO Masters show) does a walkthrough of the train on youtube - . I actually have 2 of these sets so that I can have a full train with two engines on either end.

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The LEGO Universe has many different trains including steam trains, high speed trains, cargo trains, monorails (if you consider those trains) and even trams. They also have a full collection of train stations and other buildings, like the train shed or train wash. They generally have trains that are built for younger kids to play with in the City theme and nicer more complex builds in the Creator theme. The LEGO Store typically carries 2-3 different train sets at a time. Also, many trains are powered and the locomotion that has been used over the years has changed. They have gone from metal rails and plugged in sets to battery operated remote controlled sets.

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(still on the lookout for one of these)

On to the Emerald Night. This has to be one of the highest on my ‘dont have yet’ list. It’s based (I think) on the British Pullman and is quite a nice detailed set. You tell me…

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Released in 2009 this set contains 1072 pieces and 3 minifigs. It includes the Engine, Coal Tender and one Coach. It’s quite a good looking set with the dark green and brown giving it a period look. The Engine runs on piston wheels and has a fireplace for burning the coal. The grumpy looking engineer has a bandana and looks like he is ready to go. The other two minifigs can lounge around in the Coach/Dining Car. Personally, I like the little touches, such as the set number is used as the ID number on the train and the doors open and close on the ends. Finally, while this set does allow for the power functions and RC, it doesn’t include them and you have to buy them separately.

Trains (especially the Creator sets) are one of the groups that typically increase in value after retirement, so keep an eye out for any.