My Latest Lego Train...

I've always wished back in the day (~2006) I'd bought two of the Lego 'Horizon Express' trains. As it happens I only bought the one and then life events distracted me from Lego for some time and I never got the second.

Why would I want two? Well apart from being a mini A/C I always wanted to make up the full six car train, the Horizon Express being a model of the TGV it looks a bit odd with just the drive car and two carriages, but stick two sets together and you end up with a nice looking six car train.

Anyway 12 years on buying a second lego set means dealing on eBay and even an opened/used one is prohibitively expensive. So recently while browsing a certain Chinese auction site I was overjoyed to come across an almost identical version made by a company called 'Gao Boie'. So as the kit was a very reasonable $52 (as opposed to the ~£150+ for a lego one) I decided to take a punt on it.

Boy am I glad I did, not only do you get the three carriage train as with the Lego version, but it also comes with a motorised bogey for the locomotive car, headlights and a rechargeable battery pack with USB charging lead and a full oval of track. Now of course you can motorise the Lego version, but that would cost the best part of £60 for the motor, battery box, lights and remote receiver and that assumes you already have a remote transmitter. Add the cost of the track and you're probably another £30 in the hole.

Now the downside with this chinese version is that the drive is not the sophisticated Lego remote version, it is just press to turn on and again to turn off. But it works and not only do you get the drive, lights (which unfortunately flash) but also sound effects as well!

As for the actual model itself? Well the build is a bit different to the original Lego, so it is not a total clone, but it goes together well and looks almost identical when complete and at the price is a total steal. So much so that rather than open up my Lego original I'll probably buy another one of these to complete the six car train and maybe use the motor in one of my other 'clone' sets that are non-motorised.

Overall highly recommended - and they also do three other train types also motorised!

but do they have british steam?

No, they don't, there are a couple of steam trains, but they are more USA outline than British. Although you can also get the 'Emerald Night Express' which is a pretty good duplicate of the Flying Scotsman but this is not motorised as standard. Although this is a direct clone of the Lego one and therefore includes the instructions to modify it to use the standard Lego motor/remote/battery etc...

It’s a shame about the leds that flash, could you remove them and fit the normal non flashing kind? You’ll have to show some photos when it’s running.

[Super]

So much so that rather than open up my Lego original I'll probably buy another one of these to complete the six car train and maybe use the motor in one of my other 'clone' sets that are non-motorised.

It’s a shame about the leds that flash, could you remove them and fit the normal non flashing kind? You’ll have to show some photos when it’s running.

I'm sure something could be done, I'll have to look into it and see if its possible. The normal lego lights wouldn't work as they are just driven from the control unit just like these, even if it they had the same connector type.

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Having looked on eBay yesterday and seeing that a sealed/new Lego Horizon Express is now going for £349 I think I'd far rather keep mine sealed and get a clone for $52 lol!!

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Anyway until I get a chance to video it (yes I might Super), here's a pic of the assembled power car/loco