LEGO 60336 City Freight Train

Usually, I go down a careful list of things about a set. The thing with LEGO brand is that they're kinda the gold standard in several regards, so if I don't bother to talk about it : assume it's up to the usual quality standard of LEGO brand.Instructions : The set is broken down into 5 smaller builds, each with it's own numbered bags and instruction manual. This is in keeping with the recent trend for Lego to encourage groups of people to enjoy building together, and something I feel is a positive. The instructions are in the easier-to-follow 7+ style : I am aware not everyone is a fan of the simplification, but it is clear that the target audience isn't adults.Set Design : We'll leave the aesthetics aside as some people love the new engine, some strongly dislike ... MoreUsually, I go down a careful list of things about a set. The thing with LEGO brand is that they're kinda the gold standard in several regards, so if I don't bother to talk about it : assume it's up to the usual quality standard of LEGO brand.Instructions : The set is broken down into 5 smaller builds, each with it's own numbered bags and instruction manual. This is in keeping with the recent trend for Lego to encourage groups of people to enjoy building together, and something I feel is a positive. The instructions are in the easier-to-follow 7+ style : I am aware not everyone is a fan of the simplification, but it is clear that the target audience isn't adults.Set Design : We'll leave the aesthetics aside as some people love the new engine, some strongly dislike it, and that is absolutely a personal call. We're also not going to debate the use of Powered Up, as that system is not changing for a while, and is easily enough rebuilt with older technologies if desired (and realistically, if you're grumbling about that, you're probably quite capable of finding information on and doing said rebuilds). The train itself consists of the engine, a container car, a low-wall car, and a dual-deck car-carrier car. The 'support' for this train is 2 open-sided containers with food as cargo (related to another sub-line in City this year), 2 electric cars, 1 electric car charging station, 1 container stacking telehandler, 6 minifigures, an appropriate selection of tracks to build a nice layout with a branch line (that is needed), and a small build for a track end point that also serves as an loading / unloading point for the car carrier.Most of what's going on here is fairly obvious to the eye, and the play features are honestly pretty fun. Highlights are the functional and well-designed telehandler, the simple-yet-brilliant locking system for the container flatbed, and the really smart design for the car carrier in several regards.The only 'downside' that some of the older City Builders who love to run trains might have is that the car carrier is as tall as it is (being a double-decker). It puts the top deck - where 2/3 of the capacity is - up in what *would* be the pantograph wires that should be over the train, and might cause some issues with lines that have tunnels or things passing overhead at what would usually be the maximum height of a train car. This really wasn't something that could be avoided in terms of design, as the scaling of LEGO sets is not inherently consistent with real life. If this is problematic, just view that specific car as a parts pack to build a different kind of train car, and you might have less problems.All told? This is my 4th Lego train, and my 3rd Lego Freight Train ... and I find it to be quite an enjoyable addition to my lineup. Is it perfect? No, but it is Lego ... so I can change it to better suit what I want it to do ... which means it will be.

Our young granddaughter is suddenly enamored with trains. We've had a couple of older small train sets in our Lego collection she likes to play with, but adding this and the passenger set has changed her play and she is understanding there are different types of trains, which is an amazing thing to see her reason through and understand.We haven't played with the power up element yet, she likes to drive the trains around the tracks on her own, but it is well designed and simple enough to implement. I really like the simple approach they've taken to that element, and at some point I'm sure we're going to put it on the freight train and the passenger train to let them run around our big track setup.Super fun!!!! Highly recommended for any City builds you're doing. ... MoreOur young granddaughter is suddenly enamored with trains. We've had a couple of older small train sets in our Lego collection she likes to play with, but adding this and the passenger set has changed her play and she is understanding there are different types of trains, which is an amazing thing to see her reason through and understand.We haven't played with the power up element yet, she likes to drive the trains around the tracks on her own, but it is well designed and simple enough to implement. I really like the simple approach they've taken to that element, and at some point I'm sure we're going to put it on the freight train and the passenger train to let them run around our big track setup.Super fun!!!! Highly recommended for any City builds you're doing. Combine with the train station and the extra track sets to build a really cool model train setup.

One of our adult sons practically drooled over this train set, so I let him try out. This is what he had to say:As someone who likes both trains and Lego, this is a pretty cool set. There is a decent selection of pieces including some I have not seen before, and plenty of track is included. The instructions are clear, and parts are separated in numbered bags that correspond to different sections of the instructions.I was a little unsure about this being battery powered, but with good quality rechargable AAA's it seems to have decent battery life. You will need a small Phillips head screwdriver to remove the covers on the battery box and controller.The track provided includes 16 curved sections, 16 straight sections and a right-handed point (switch). The layout is a ... MoreOne of our adult sons practically drooled over this train set, so I let him try out. This is what he had to say:As someone who likes both trains and Lego, this is a pretty cool set. There is a decent selection of pieces including some I have not seen before, and plenty of track is included. The instructions are clear, and parts are separated in numbered bags that correspond to different sections of the instructions.I was a little unsure about this being battery powered, but with good quality rechargable AAA's it seems to have decent battery life. You will need a small Phillips head screwdriver to remove the covers on the battery box and controller.The track provided includes 16 curved sections, 16 straight sections and a right-handed point (switch). The layout is a generous oval with a spur. Purchase of additional track would provide some variety for the train’s circuit beyond that provided. The track is of the non-conductive type for use with battery powered engines. If you happen to have other Lego track, including some of the older 9V plug-in style track, it will snap together with this track to expand your layout.There is an optional Lego Powered Up app for your phone, but it does not really add any functionality and the interface is somewhat clunky.He gave it 4.5 stars.