Lego train
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| Parent theme | Lego City |
|---|---|
| Subject | Trains |
| Availability | 1966–present |
| Total sets | 7867 |
| Characters | Conductor Charlie Engineer Max |
Lego Trains is a product range and theme of the construction toy Lego, which incorporates buildable train sets. Products in the range have included locomotives, tracks, , stations, signal boxes, and other track-side buildings. The theme is popular among adult fans, as well as children, and has spawned international associations and conventions. The train system is sometimes referred to as 'L-gauge' among fans, in reference to traditional model railway scales. Lego trains use a nominal gauge of 37.5mm, 5.5mm wider than O gauge, derived from a centreline gauge of 40mm (five lego studs).
The design of Lego trains has developed substantially, with several different systems introduced, with varying degrees of cross-compatibility.
Lego trains were first introduced in 1966 with Lego set number 080. The train sets used blue rails, and the first train sets were simply push-along. Set number 115 introduced 4.5 volt battery-operated trains (initially the battery box was handheld, but train sets soon contained a railcar that carried the battery box), and train sets numbered 720 (1969) and up operated on 12-volt electrified rails, introduced in 1969. In 1972, 4.5-volt trains gained a monolithic railcar that carried the batteries and contained both a bottom-mounted stop button to be actuated by signals, as well as a side-mounted lever for manual go/stop/back control and tripping by a track-side pivot. All three kinds (push trains, 4.5-volt battery-operated trains and 12-volt electric trains) existed next to each other and even allowed for upgrade. The motors were the same size, the push trains used a motor-shaped dummy block of bricks, and all used the same wheel style. These wheels had the same press-fit metal axles as used in the two larger sizes of rubber-tire Lego wheels, which also meant that both 4.5-volt and 12-volt motors were not restricted to use in trains. A push train could be updated to a battery-operated train, and a battery-operated train could be updated to an electric train. Since 1969 the motor housings for 4.5-volt and 12-volt are equal and can be equipped with either a 4.5-volt or 12-volt Bühler motor unit. These motor units were sold separately as a replacement part until around 1990. In or before 1976, the 4.5-volt motor gained a hole for driving the then white cross-axles of the size that would later be known as Technic. Railcars began as spartan constructions of train-specific wheels and couplers attached to car bases made from universal plates and bricks, but these were quickly replaced by black single-piece bases in two lengths that included captive wheels and couplings.
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