My kids adore LEGO and I've been happily playing along with their budding interest in the famed building toy since it was a childhood favorite of mine too. The

was something my wife and I picked up for one of our kids' birthdays and it was an immediate hit!



--------------------

Building:

--------------------

First, there's a lot to this set! With over eight-hundred pieces comprising a locomotive engine, two flatcars, a livestock car, a tractor trailer and a cargo terminal it took my little boys and me about a week of working on this train to get everything together and setup in our basement play area. This set is definitely beyond the capability of my kids in terms of assembly difficulty (they're still in preschool) but with some of my assistance, we had the train setup and ready for play in relatively short order.



--------------------

Power Functions:

--------------------

This kit contains everything you need to build the train and associated components including the items needed for propulsion and a modest amount of track right in the box! Compared to our other LEGO train, the

this set is much more detailed and includes quite a bit more track including two sets of switch track!



The power functions are easy to setup and require AAA batteries that fit inside a battery box that rides along with the train. All of the power is supplied by the battery box meaning you don't have to fuss with low-voltage track like the older 9V LEGO track sets. The power functions all work perfectly and the batteries last an incredible amount of time. We've had our original LEGO City Passenger Train running on the same set of batteries for about a year and it's still going strong.



I recommend investing in a good set of rechargeable batteries if you're purchasing this train as you'll need a lot of batteries - six (6) for the battery box and another three (3) for the little remote that controls the train.



I'll also mention that one remote can be paired to two different LEGO trains. This is accomplished by connecting the IR receiver on the train the corresponding color, either blue or red, on the battery box. Then the train will be powered by either the left or right dial on the included IR remote (again either blue or red).



--------------------

Cool Features:

--------------------

There's so much to this set that it's difficult to pick one thing that's a standout "cool feature" but my oldest son loves driving the train around our track and stopping by the cargo terminal to load and offload cargo from the train. The gantry crane on this set moves along a set of guiderails and the hook is operated by using a small knob on the top of the crane to raise and lower cargo. We also recently picked up the

and it pairs perfectly with this train!



Another great thing about LEGO trains is that they don't have to be driven by the power pack. Often my kids just like pushing the trains around the track on their own and running with their imaginations.



--------------------

LEGO Track:

--------------------

I'll just mention that if you're looking at this train you may consider buying additional track. The track included in the set is enough to get you started but probably not enough to get the most out of this train. Additional track components:



→ 7895 -



→ 7499 -



→ 7896 -





--------------------

Closing:

--------------------

If you're a LEGO collector or just looking to pick up a neat LEGO set for someone this is by far the best LEGO train I've used. A massive set that contains a variety of components and huge fun factor. My kids have been playing with this all summer without any hint that it'll get boring anytime soon. Recommended!