LEGO has been producing train sets for more than 35 years, and have made many changes since their first train set was released in 1965. Originally, it didn't run on track though - it had ordinary road wheels. In 1966 came the first sets with track and battery powered motors. LEGO trains are usually divided into three groups based on their operating voltage, but are all compatible to a certain extent. They all run on the same gauge track, measuring just over 4 LEGO studs. Battery trains (4.5V) and 12V DC electric trains were available concurrently through 1992, but the 12V sets were never available in North America. In 1992 LEGO converted to 9V, also making the entire selection available worldwide. Some LEGO train sets are sold in stores, particularly during the holiday season, but the full line is available through LEGO Shop-at-Home, 1-800-835-4386.

LEGO trains are toys, not models. They are similar in ambiance to the classic toy trains of the early 20th century, in that they cannot - and are not intended to - be exact scale replicas of prototype equipment. They are however a significant challenge to both build and operate, and involve a great deal more scratch building than most commercial scale model railroad kits. What you see displayed includes both stock "out-of-the-box" LEGO train sets, as well as custom designed and scratch built models. These were built by NALUG members, using standard LEGO bricks without any instructions. Try to guess which models are originals.

CREDIT: The above material was originally compiled by Matt Bates and laid out by BAYLUG http://www.ngltc.org/train_depot and http://www.baylug.org/.

NALUG: Northern Alberta LEGO Users Group, is a non-profit group of LEGO enthusiasts. We formed this year from newsgroup participants in the online discussion forums Rec.Toys.Lego and LUGNET. NALUG members meet irregularly, about quarterly, to display, discuss and swap any and all items and ideas of interest to members. We hope to promote LEGO building as an adult hobby in Edmonton. You can contact us through http://news.lugnet.com/org/ca/nalug/

Resources: Some excellent LEGO train related online resources are newsgroups like lugnet.trains@lugnet.com, as well as many fine websites http://www.pnltc.org/ and http://www.gmltc.org among others.