Random set of the day: Cargo Railway
Posted by Huwbot,
Today's random set is 4559 Cargo Railway, released during 1996. It's one of 4 Trains sets produced that year. It contains 842 pieces and 7 minifigs, and its retail price was US$130.
It's owned by 2,771 Brickset members. If you want to add it to your collection you should find it for sale at BrickLink, where new ones sell for around $542.50, or eBay.
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33 comments on this article
Looks busy, but why is it at night and not at a station?
And why are they loading those crates with money?
Cargo railway? No, car go road
If this is for cargo, then why are there passenger cars?
Wait, is this for human trafficking?! LEGO was wild in the 90s.
The only train of my childhood--and the only real LEGO set my dad ever bought himself. A classic.
I always loved the color scheme and how modular the cargo units are.
@GSR_MataNui said:
"Cargo railway? No, car go road "
No, cargo go by ship. Shipment go by car.
For me, personally, after the wonders of the 9V trains introduced in 1991 -- and particularly, the next big passenger train after the Metroliner -- I couldn't help but feel this was a substantial step down. And I get it, I do. After the Metroliner, there's not really anything you could do to improve on the design, so they decided to just do something really different.
But I just never quite got this train. How do the passengers get into those pods? It just seemed very strange, to me.
I think this set is the fun kind of weird. I bet it would be bonkers with two of them together.
Ooooh, a 9V classic. I remember seeing this in the catalogue back in its day.
A very fun set. Totally unorthodox, too. Odd arrangement of cargo holds - for both people and goods. Fun to play with as well. The cargo and passenger holds can be removed and driven by the little accompanying truck. This set is of the last "odd trains".
Looks like it doubles (triples?...:|) as a mining operation...probably bringing the 'passengers' to work the mine too...:) (seriously, what was with this time-period, and trains in caaaaaaaves...sorry, that just jumped into my head :D)
Train go choo chooo!
@Zordboy said:
"For me, personally, after the wonders of the 9V trains introduced in 1991 -- and particularly, the next big passenger train after the Metroliner -- I couldn't help but feel this was a substantial step down. And I get it, I do. After the Metroliner, there's not really anything you could do to improve on the design, so they decided to just do something really different.
But I just never quite got this train. How do the passengers get into those pods? It just seemed very strange, to me. "
My dad was stationed in Alaska for a few years right after getting married, and my parents went camping all over Alaska during his days off. One place they went was a little town called Whittier, south of Anchorage. The only land entrance is a train tunnel. These days, they've paved around the tracks so they can let a single lane of cars go in on the hour, and come back out on the half hour (with trains periodically going in or out, mostly transporting cruise ship passengers). Back then, it was just a standard train tunnel, so they'd load your vehicle on some sort of flatbed car (with you inside!), secure it, and haul you in through the tunnel. At the other end, they'd unload you...and you'd just go park because there really wasn't anywhere to drive once you got into town. So, there have been weirder trains in real life.
Aquazone, is that you?
I have quite fond memories of this as a child. I didn't own it, but my dad did, the only real Lego set he had. It was always a memorable occasion when it was brought down and us kids could play with it.
When I take the rose tinted glasses off, all I see is Blacktron that needs a healthy dose of turmeric powder on some windscreens.
I had a chance to pick this up at a convention a couple years back for a pretty decent price. I sometimes regret not getting. I don't own any train sets, but this one is at the top of my list, for the two reasons mentioned already. Blacktron and nostalgia.
Unconventional, yes, but this is one of the coolest trains I have seen that Lego produced.
The train being loaded with money reminds of the trains in Cashbot HQ.
@Maxbricks14 said:
"Looks busy, but why is it at night and not at a station?
And why are they loading those crates with money?"
Maybe they're -unloading- the crates, this is a robbery. Hence at night and stopping away from a station
Got this one in a random $80 lot (maybe it was $60 can't remember). It was my first 9V train experience and I broke the tab off the back of the 9V motor not knowing how to attach pieces to it. Still irks me.
@TheOtherMike said:
" @GSR_MataNui said:
"Cargo railway? No, car go road "
No, cargo go by ship. Shipment go by car."
No, you've got it all wrong, ship meant to go by sea.
@PurpleDave said:
" @Zordboy said:
"For me, personally, after the wonders of the 9V trains introduced in 1991 -- and particularly, the next big passenger train after the Metroliner -- I couldn't help but feel this was a substantial step down. And I get it, I do. After the Metroliner, there's not really anything you could do to improve on the design, so they decided to just do something really different.
But I just never quite got this train. How do the passengers get into those pods? It just seemed very strange, to me. "
My dad was stationed in Alaska for a few years right after getting married, and my parents went camping all over Alaska during his days off. One place they went was a little town called Whittier, south of Anchorage. The only land entrance is a train tunnel. These days, they've paved around the tracks so they can let a single lane of cars go in on the hour, and come back out on the half hour (with trains periodically going in or out, mostly transporting cruise ship passengers). Back then, it was just a standard train tunnel, so they'd load your vehicle on some sort of flatbed car (with you inside!), secure it, and haul you in through the tunnel. At the other end, they'd unload you...and you'd just go park because there really wasn't anywhere to drive once you got into town. So, there have been weirder trains in real life."
If you fancy taking your car on a train, try Eurotunnel between UK and France - its a great way to cross the English Channel. Not much of a view though...
My first ever Lego train!
The US name is indeed a bit awkward, but admit it, the entire train has a very fancy concept.
If you look at it fully closed and assembled, it looks quite sllek and cool, but the way passengers access it is... probably not the way you want to travel by train :P
It also has two cavities in each of it's waggons to store various cargo, some of which seems odd for a
passenger train - like extra fuel? I guess that's the idea behind the US name.
Nevertheless I still kinda like it for it's strange pseudo-futuristic approach to Lego Town, that fits right in with similarly futuristic sets like 6530. Also it's color scheme gives off a pretty Blacktron vibe, right?
Personally, I prefer the German catalogue's name for it: "Shuttle Express 2011", which was also used in the Time Cruisers audio drama, where this train was about to collide with a malfunctioning "Flybo" (set 6493). The audio drama was unclear about the exact time setting of this event, but it appears to be somewhere inbetween 1996 and 2000 A.D. as far as the other Town settings went.
I also really liked that new for 1996 train conductor in his rather unique yellow uniform. He was probably the basis for Lego Loco's Super Train Conductor character as seen in the intro cinematic. The game also featured this very train on the box art, however it was nowhere to be seen in-game unfortunately (instead it used the Metroliner and a custom train for passenger trains). Funnily, an entire band of these guys was featured in a christmas scene in 1997 Lego club posters.
One of THE iconic 90s trains for me.
@GSR_MataNui said:
"Cargo railway? No, car go road "
Car go railway, but in set 4560 / 4561 !
This was one I got on emerging from my most recent dark age, and immediately filled with Blacktrons. The colour scheme seems to work well on other trains, such as 7740, 7760, and the 7735 and 4558 B-models.
I believe that as well as its own cargo / passenger modules, the 4x8 containers from sets like 7823 and 6352 will also fit.
There's a thread on Eurobricks suggesting this could actually be based on a real train, the Windhoff CargoSprinter.
Weird, but not entirely unrealistic train. Well, except for the human cargo thing, that is ;-). There actually have been a few freight multiple units for use with containers.
The first was the German CargoSprinter, a 5 car freight DMU from the DB AG, which was introduced in the same year as this set, 1996. Wasn't succesfull, and already after 4 years all were taken out of service, and a few have been converted to tunnel rescue trains in Austria.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOfkqSqLRB8
And from 2004 on, in Japan JRF has been using the M250 Super Rail Cargo, a 16 car freight EMU. Only two of those sets were built, but they are still in daily use for fast freight service (well, faster than regular freight trains, not shinkansen fast...) between Tokyo and Osaka, almost 600 km in less than 6 hours.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSwnkFQdVJQ
This Lego version is quite unlike both of those, with the cab as a separate unit and looking decidedly more futuristic, but the concept as a whole looks very similar. Very cool set!
This is so much on my wanted list! The play features look fantastic
This was in my 1997 and 1996 catalogs and looked like the coolest train ever!
Blacktron coloring! (Or ResQ or 2001 AlphaTeam)
Is this the set that Jang reviewed?
People as cargo? It looks like this train is going to the Soylent Green factory.
I love this set. Big part of my childhood
I'm sure this is where the LEGO train designers lost the plot - this and 4560 and 4561. They let the space designers have a go designing trains. It is just by chance they may resemble reality. But several people say they liked them - I suppose lots of play value.
I got this about 10 years ago from a carboot sale, boxed with instructions, for £5 only!! Great find and cool train.
@Captain_Eugene said:
"People as cargo? It looks like this train is going to the Soylent Green factory."
All aboard the Snowpiercer! Next stop: Emerald City!