Random set of the day: Diesel Freight Train Set
Posted by Huwbot,
Today's random set is 7720 Diesel Freight Train Set, released in 1980. It's one of 28 Trains sets produced that year. It contains 425 pieces and 3 minifigs.
It's owned by 654 Brickset members. If you want to add it to your collection you might find it for sale at BrickLink or eBay.
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28 train sets released in a single calendar year. Oh, to be this blessed in the modern era of Lego fandom.
I feel kinda guilty actually saying this out-loud, but I definitely feel like 7720 was one of the weaker sets. The engine's quite attractive, but the battery car is a giant blue brick that doesn't do anything, and tractor's ability to drive onto the flatbed is the most interesting thing about the other two carriages. Like, if I was a kid in 1980 (or, if I was even born yet), this wouldn't have been high on my wish list.
But being spoiled for choice in terms of Lego trains is very much a thing of the past these days, so I guess it's all a moot point.
Wow, what a year for trains. Never knew so many sets and tracks, etc were made in a single year.
I liked that Railway Station and Steam Engine with Tender.
I still have this set, although I haven't checked if the battery car works for 20 years :) There's a very clever thing you can't see from the picture, the train has a button underneath that turns the engine off. When you put the signal down, it raises a little plastic bit on the track that hits that button, stopping the train at the signal. When you lowered the signal, the train starts again. There was also a switch on the side of the battery car (the blue carriage) that determined direction, and a little red post you can just make out in the picture that would mean it would change direction. For such a simple set of controls you could do a surprising amount with it.
The big year for the Light Grey rail system. A lot of track and points sets, but still
1 push along passenger train
1 4.5V battery freight/engineering train (which, as noted, had a working stop signal)
1 12V freight train
1 12V passenger train (possibly the iconic train of this group)
1 push along loco
2 12V locos
1 four wheeled passenger car (sort of matches the push along train)
1 bogied freight wagon (sort of matches the battery train)
1 four wheel freight wagon (fits well in the 12V freight)
1 bogied mail car (definitely matches the 12V passenger train)
1 station
1 level crossing
add in the track and service packs, and that's a proper range.
And the designs were a step change from the 70s blue track range.
Amazingly, 1985 saw effectively the same four trains, just in new designs, released.
1991's 9V release by comparison only had 11 sets- but that didn't have the push along and battery trains anymore.
If I was a lottery winner, I'd definitely go a spree of buying up grey track era stuff.
I am looking forward to retrieving this set from my Dad’s house this summer.
This was our first LEGO train, and my father was so proud of it.
^^ I know what you mean. If I ever won the lottery, probably the very first thing I'd do is sit down in front of the Bricklink search engine, and begin buying all the 9V trains I could never afford.
The 9V '91 trains were my first, so naturally, I have a soft-spot for them.
Trains are still certainly nowhere near as big a part of the LEGO portfolio today as they were back then, but in fairness to today's train products, around 15 of those 1980 train products were track packs and electrical components. We don't need as many new ones of those today because they're still available from previous years, either under the City banner or the Power Functions banner. Right now there are 7 train-compatible Power Functions parts and two track packs available from the LEGO Shop site, and part of the reason there aren't more track packs is that train sets now use one standardized system, whereas back in 1980 there were basically two of each track pattern to account for the separate 12.5V electrified rail system and the updated 4.5V battery system.