Review: 60336 Freight Train

Some time ago Lidl also had a €35 train set with a car transporter, likely sourced from some Chinese brand, but at least they had thought about that catenary issue: the upper level of that car was high enough that the wire could go underneath :-)

All jokes aside, solid review of a solid set! Even when I liked the previous freight train set a bit more, there's still not much to complain about. As always the price is a bit steep, but just like the train sets before this will undoubtedly be discounted.

I'd say a motorized train not functioning is a pretty big oversight. Sure, I doubt many will be in situations where there's a ton of phone traffic around their toy train, but technology from ten years ago shouldn't be seen as a preferable alternative.

I also wonder how sets like this will function when the software for them inevitably gets delisted or outdated in the next decade or so.

@FlagsNZ said:
" @darthsutius said:
"Also - this set cracks me up for the simple fact that when the car hauling carriage is loaded, the cars sit higher than the electric engine's pantographs do...seems like a funny flaw to overlook."

I didn't like the over-height carriage but I completely missed the electric engine's pantograph component!"

Just a side note: those yellow slopes also came out (under a different part number) with the Ideas Caterham Seven 620R set 21307 back in 2016.

@FlagNZ: Thank you, as always, for the detailed and in-depth review. I only ask you to check the price-per-part values, because it seems to me that some values are not exact. The € ppp column is shown in $ (?) and the ratios seem wrong: e.g., set 7939, ppp = €169.99/839 = €0.20; set 3677, ppp = €149.99/831 = €0.18. Only the ratios for the most recent sets seems correct.

I like the look of the set, but I wish the engine matched the rest of the train, instead of looking like it was stolen from the front of a commuter train.

@PixelTheDragon said:
"I also wonder how sets like this will function when the software for them inevitably gets delisted or outdated in the next decade or so. "

Better stock up on those 12v motors and conductor rails!

The lack of railside structures here makes 60198 so much more compelling for me.

@PixelTheDragon said:
[I also wonder how sets like this will function when the software for them inevitably gets delisted or outdated in the next decade or so. ]]

I wouldn't worry about it at all.

First, there're already third-party BT apps to control PU, both for PC and Mobile. Even if Lego will delist theirs, you'll find a way to connect and run the motor. I'm also positive someone will find a way to extract the latest firmware and update it via an app. Same goes to Mario. BT as a technology is here to stay, at least in our lifetime, and software can be re-written by fans.

Second, there's the physical remote which you can buy and run without the need for software. If I can purchase a 9v/12v Train Speed Regulator today, I will be able to purchase these remotes down the road if I'll lose/break mine.

Third, you will be able to modify the train to the then current motor, just like you can convert a 9v train to PF/PU. Cars will run just fine as is, it's just the engine that will need to get modified.

Either way, 7 years old in 2050 will run the 2050 Lego Train (assuming there will be such a set, company, or planet in 2050), AFOLs will be old enough to hack or modify just like they do with 12v/9v in 2022.

Nice review! One minor correction: in the section on the minifigures, the BrickLink name for Bright Purple should be Dark Pink, not Dark Purple. Also, love the "playroom" vibes of the area where you took your photos!

I'm not too much of a train person but I'm quite impressed with how different this train feels from previous freight trains — both in terms of the locomotive design and the types of freight cars and freight it carries. It's certainly been a long time since the last time a freight train set had dedicated autorack/car carrier wagon!

The reach stacker is also a nice change from the usual forklifts or cranes, and although its size compared to the loading/unloading vehicles from many past freight train sets surprised me quite a bit at first, I feel it's worthwhile since this way it can handle not only the 6x8 cargo containers, but even large and unwieldy cargo like the EV charging station!

The open wagon makes very effective use of those 4x6 hinge plates from the Vidiyo theme, and the car carrier (like this year's passenger train) does a great job showcasing how useful that new-ish 6x16x2 2/3 chassis piece can be for train models. I'm also impressed with how unique the container wagon assembly is compared to usual City train cars, which are generally built on one large plate or some other dedicated chassis piece.

The tie-ins with the farm sets are also a lot of fun, though I do think the lack of "OctanE" colors and branding on the EV charging station is a bit of a missed opportunity for a similar tie-in. That said, it does share the color palette of 40526, as well as the train station and route map from this year's other two train stations. Perhaps the implication is that these latest EV charging stations are owned and operated by the City transit authority, rather than by a private company like Octan?

Shame to hear about the trouble syncing the controller in a big convention/expo type setting. I suppose some of the strengths of a Bluetooth connection compared to an IR connection (e.g. having a greater maximum range, not requiring a clear line of sight between the controller and receiver, not experiencing interference from bright sunlight, etc) aren't always worth the trade-offs.

Unlike the train station set, this set lacks any of the new road plates for the road vehicles, and while I think that's a reasonable use of the set's budget in this case, I do kind of hope that in the future we might see a freight depot set that does include road plates to connect it to a larger layout, sort of like how road baseplates and 16x16x2 platform bricks were used in many previous freight depot sets (and even in 60052 from the City theme).

Thanks again for the detailed review!

@lippidp said:
"Another price per part analysis. Meaningless to me. You look at the set and immediately think of its value. Price per part is pseudo science as all parts are different. When you buy a real car do you divide the price by how many parts are in it? No, you look at features, quality, design, etc. And how can you possibly give the same value to a 1x1 plate and a Power Up hub? Can we stop the insanity???"

I think it's a worthwhile metric for these sorts of comparisons, albeit far from the ONLY one. It would've been nice if the article also compared this to past freight trains using other metrics like the net weight, number of freight cars/side builds, total track length, etc. But I realize that sort of in-depth comparison might've quickly become lengthy enough to require its own article!

Thank you for the review! The cost is quite reasonable. Maybe 60198 at $229 was too expensive and did not sell well? I have always enjoyed the side structures, such as in 60198, 60052, 7939, and 3677.

In this review, I was also looking forward to a description of the major change with this train generation: the metal wheelset axles have been replaced by independent plastic wheels.

Based on what I have been hearing so far, the friction is up by about 10%.

@JDawg5 said:
" @C_O_Patra said:
"It's wonderful reading a train review at all, let alone one from someone who clearly knows what he's talking about when it comes to the subject matter. I always appreciate the insights that FlagsNZ provides in his articles, which are so different from the typical LEGO articles and reviews online these days.

However, I would have certainly appreciated more opinions throughout this review. Bar a couple of sentences here and there, the majority of this review reads like a description of the images. It's handy having the recolours pointed out, but what about the design of the train?

I can make my own judgement about the locomotive for instance, but I'd be curious to know what a real train enthusiast thinks of it. Does it mirror anything in the real world? Does the colour scheme and shaping look good from a train perspective? Etc.

To a non train fan like me, pretty much every one of these freight train sets is exactly the same, so it would be interesting to know what sets this one apart, or doesn't, besides simply the price."

100% agreed. This review is nothing but captions of pictures, with very little analysis or critical thought provided. Comparisons to real world trains, discussion of building techniques, anything? "

Agreed. I would have liked to know how the reach stacker functioned, for example.

"The 1x1x3 1/3 Arch in Bright Yellow (BrickLink: Yellow) is new in this colour." No, it isn't. It has appeared before in sets 21307 Caterham Seven and in 5767 Cool Cruiser (though with a different design-ID).

@whaleyland: the engine looks a bit like a Stadler Euro 6000, so that could have been a major source of inspiration for the set designer.

Well, they have to get rid of all those piles of Beat Box pieces somehow...

I don't mind the train, it's just ... odd. You know? It's very pastel. The engine still looks like it should be running the Heartlake City line. And thank goodness the plants are plastic, because actual plants being transported like that wouldn't look as good when they reach their destination.

Nice review thank you. Sometimes pictures still speak a thousand words.
Like the tipping mechanism of the car carrier. Pleasantly surprised overall with this model, tho mods would have to be made for my own realism/lego balance.

Could I ask my question again about the passenger train?...... How big is the gap? Those new double doors open outwards right?.....do they reach the platform or hang in limbo?

@StyleCounselor said:
"Nice review. The design flaw seems so silly. What's going on at Lego™?

Thanks for the pictures of the included bags. It's rarely included in BS reviews as @Huw and @CapnRex101 have repeatedly stated they don't see the point in doing so. Yet, it is so very helpful when trying to determine if opened boxed sets (with sealed bags) are complete when offered for sale from used or third-party sellers."

They won't let me design sets, for one. I'm weird, but if I find something wrong, I scrap it, and rebuild.

Ty good review.
The car-carrying train wagon is great and I love the loading system.
What keeps annoying me is the 1 orphan switch thrack it needs a brother or sister.

Value for money: It's allways difficult if lego uses some small pieces for details you get a great price per part, you might consider adding weight when analyzing prices.
That also has it's flaws clearly visible when I deceided to look at another number, the amount of tracks.
And yes 60336 is the clear winner here

7939 2.79Kg (6.15 lb)
8 - RAIL STRAIGHT
16 RAIL CURVED
2 - SWITCH LEFT AND RIGHT
16 - FLEX RAIL

60052 2.92Kg (6.43 lb)
8 - RAIL STRAIGHT
20 RAIL CURVED
2 - SWITCH LEFT AND RIGHT
1 COW !!!!!!!!!!!!

60336 2.76Kg (6.09 lb)
16 - RAIL STRAIGHT
16 - RAIL CURVED
1 - SWITCH RIGHT

Its great to have twice as much straight track compared to previous cargo trains, and despite the height of the car carriage this is likely to be the part that gets the most kids play together with the container stacker, which is far more practical than having the crane on a train wagon as in 60198.

Unsure about the ultra modern look of the train engine as the build looks fairly simple, although I can see that they want a change from all the previous generic looking engines similar to 60098, but I would still have preferred an update of 60052.

Good review; (rocks hand back/forth) so-so set...I called the Passenger Train "The Draken", this I'd call "The Flyin' Toaster" :). The pics with the B-G carriage, pic 2 kinda' looks like 'an accident' happened ("Jerry was there...before the side dropped...":D)

Great review! Thanks

Interesting to note is that the Cargo Train is just $10 USD more and 400 more pieces than the Passenger Train.

@darthsutius said:
" @lippidp said:
"Another price per part analysis. Meaningless to me. You look at the set and immediately think of its value. Price per part is pseudo science as all parts are different. When you buy a real car do you divide the price by how many parts are in it? No, you look at features, quality, design, etc. And how can you possibly give the same value to a 1x1 plate and a Power Up hub? Can we stop the insanity???"

This comment makes no sense at all.

You wouldn't make a table comparing a mosaic with a train with a duplo, that would be silly. But this table is all like-for-like, similar sets released over the last decades that all feature the same or similar specialised electric components. It is an ABSOLUTELY relevant analysis.
"

Not really. These comparisons rarely make considerations for inflation and depend on similar parts being valued as similar, which is often not the case.

Good review. Sorry, slightly too expensive for me. I believe it came out at 189.99 USD and then immediately jumped to 200 USD when LEGO's Ferrari fund need a boost.. sorry, I mean 'inflation correction' occurred.. I like the train, and I am somewhat a completion-ist when it comes to them, but Ill be hoping for a 30% discount from a retailer on this one (like I found for the 60198)