I’m a sentimental traditionalist at heart (an affliction that seems to be unexpectedly prevalent among the technology set for some reason), and with another holiday season creeping up I decided it was time to upgrade the Christmas tree with that throwback to years past: the train set.
We looked at literally dozens of sets, and there are some very nice ones out there along with the disposable versions, but I wanted something that would last for years and also say something about our family. Enter LEGO. Really, what problem can’t ultimately be solved with LEGO if you put your mind to it? The LEGO holiday train set fit the bill perfectly- the train is available on its own, but is also offered in a complete kit
that includes a 9v electric motor, track and a speed regulator.
At a tad under 1000 pieces the set went together quite quickly –three or four nights with my daughter supervising and the boys helping out here and there. We assembled it as designed with one tiny hack- I bought a Santa Claus mini-figure separately and added him to the caboose. The only suggestion I would have is to purchase some additional straight track; the train itself is nearly four feet long when fully assembled and that makes for a pretty short trip round the track included with the starter collection. We’ve had the train set up beneath the Christmas tree for several days now –the track is solid enough to lay over medium pile carpet without any backing. There have only been several de-railings so far, one speed-related and the other blamed on a pet collision.
If you’re looking for another fun family holiday activity and an excuse to add to your LEGO collection, I highly recommend this set.
