Vintage set of the week: Diesel Locomotive
Posted by Huwbot,
This week's vintage set is 723 Diesel Locomotive, released during 1970. It's one of 7 Trains sets produced that year. It contains 95 pieces.
It's owned by 143 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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17 comments on this article
An electric powered diesel locomotive! Cool!
Looks to me like it's electric, but what do I know...
It looks like something you'd see propped up on cinder blocks because someone took the tires off the rims.
Needs more than 12 volts to power that great bulk!
Oooh before they had train roof pieces.
@NotProfessorWhymzi said:
"fun fact: Lionel Cowen, founder of the Lionel model train company, reportedly disliked diesel engines, which he regarded as visually unappealing, even going so far as to refer to them as bricks on wheels.
looking at this, he wasn't entirely wrong."
Of course this being Lego it is -literally- bricks on wheels
As Lemon would say: You're a Diesel!
I've pieced this together a couple of times, but never in the original colours -- one time I replaced the red with black and the trans-clear with trans-yellow, and the other time I kept the red but replaced the accent colours with trans-neon-green (and used a slope with the appropriate 'M' logo).
@PurpleDave: With that style of motor, it'd be quite feasible for nefarious minifigs to take the wheels off entirely.
@Brickbuilder0937 said:
"An electric powered diesel locomotive! Cool!"
Well, the Swiss had electric powered steam locomotives* during WWII, so anything is possible I guess?
*They were short on coal for steamers, and had plenty of hydroelectric power, but did not have enough electrics to replace steam 100%. Electricity was used to heat the boiler up and produce steam via a pantograph added to the cab roof.
Did anyone really expect a model train depiction of a diesel locomotive to be diesel powered? Do you have the same criticism of the Lego 4512 4563 4565, etc?
@oldtodd33 said:
"Did anyone really expect a model train depiction of a diesel locomotive to be diesel powered? Do you have the same criticism of the Lego 4512 4563 4565 , etc?"
Well, scale model live-steam trains exist at varying scales (Garden scale, for example!), so why not diesels too? ;-)
@Murdoch17 said:
" @oldtodd33 said:
"Did anyone really expect a model train depiction of a diesel locomotive to be diesel powered? Do you have the same criticism of the Lego 4512 4563 4565 , etc?"
Well, scale model live-steam trains exist at varying scales (Garden scale, for example!), so why not diesels too? ;-)"
Toy from another era: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoSHUVQXIxI
Meanwhile nowadays kids would kill themselves if there's not a screw in a battery box....
@WizardOfOss:
Well, it certainly does an efficient job of making fire. Everything else...not so much.
@PurpleDave said:
" @WizardOfOss:
Well, it certainly does an efficient job of making fire. Everything else...not so much."
It even outruns the electric steam train!
@WizardOfOss said:
" @Murdoch17 said:
" @oldtodd33 said:
"Did anyone really expect a model train depiction of a diesel locomotive to be diesel powered? Do you have the same criticism of the Lego 4512 4563 4565 , etc?"
Well, scale model live-steam trains exist at varying scales (Garden scale, for example!), so why not diesels too? ;-)"
Toy from another era: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoSHUVQXIxI
Meanwhile nowadays kids would kill themselves if there's not a screw in a battery box...."
The video and toys were pretty cool even though I didn't understand a word of what they were saying. I can imagine the lawsuits these would bring today about how little Timmy is permanently scarred because he burned himself or how he burned the family house down to the ground. Then there's the people who worry about the toxic fumes of the fuel in the house. Then the complaints from irate parents about how they have to actually supervise their kids while they play with it or the impatient kids having to wait for the fire to heat the boiler to play with it. We're probably just better off with the electric models even if they aren't physically accurate.
@oldtodd33 , you're probably right, and obviously it was meant as a joke in the first place. It's kinda the polar opposite of the current situation where kids need to be protected from absolutely *everything*.
Luckily here in Europe we aren't on that same level yet where even assuming adults to have common sense can cost companies millions (just look at that chicken nugget case this week....), but seems like we're catching up....
@Murdoch17 : I think the reason more miniature Real-"Steam" trains exist, in say; Garden Railways, as opposed to say "Diesel" is: accessibility to fuel supply. Diesel, one need to go to a gas station that has the fuel; and then fill several tanks/jerry cans. With steam, one needs water and a combustible: wood (most common), coal (realistic, but not recommended in/near a populous), charcoal (see 'coal')...funny, never ridden on a garden railroad...I have had the fortune of the locomotive at "Fort Steele", twice; which is the No.1077 Steam Engine, nearly 100yrs old...and really fun as I recall.:)