Why MOT were the best Lego trains ever!

This video we take a look at legos my own train line. In my opinion its the best they ever made, for fairness I do talk about the down sides of the line too. Butt! I hope you all enjoy the nostalgia trip!
List of credits
TurboJUK / @turbojuk
/ @madaboutlego2011
/ @5madmoviemakers
/ @hawaiivater

[@TrainBandit]

They should definitely bring it back especially since everything is on the Internet now vs then. Also they should bring back 9vt

[@SouRwy4501Productions]

And offer dcc as well

[@TrainBandit]

@@SouRwy4501Productions indeed

[@TitanicKid]

When the MOT line ended, Lego trains started to go downhill. It was around that time RC control, which later became PF and now PU, was brought in to replace the old, expensive 9V stuff. Ever since then, the trains Lego has released haven't had the same level of customizability, the same level of expandability, or the same level of ease of use. The MOT line should return exactly as it was, perhaps with a little bit of expansion in the form of a boxcar, flatbed, baggage coach & observation coach. It is not only the most iconic line of Lego trains, but it's also generally the best thanks to all the points you brought up in this excellent video. And as you put it, it would be a massive crime to not mention TurboJUK's immortalization of this line with his incredible Trouble with Trains series. That series made up many people's childhoods, mine included, and now the trains he featured in that series are becoming more and more sought after. I had to hunt for months to find a small green engine with tender to go with my caboose and passenger car, but damn am I happy to look over at the shelf to my right and see that iconic little consist. With the direction Lego trains have been going in now, it's feeling like they're stuck on a broken record. Every 4 years, the old trains go out and new ones come in to replace them. Always a cargo train and a passenger train, perhaps with the odd release of something extra during the 4-year lifespan of one of the lines. Steam trains have been nothing but 4-6-0s since the Constitution Train Chase, and although there is some variety among them (Orient Express), they've really started to feel like cookie-cutter locomotives. If the MOT line were rereleased, it would provide train fans with a small switcher tank engine, a large branchline commuter/freight tank engine, a small mixed traffic tender engine, and a large express/fast freight locomotive. And the designs could be improved upon with the new pieces we have now, like proper driving wheels and valve gear. I know this comment is absolutely massive, but it needed to be in order for me to properly express how I feel about the MOT lineup. It was, IMHO, the best line of trains Lego ever released, and nothing since has come close to it.

[@Da1X_Builds]

Could not have said it better myself! I loved the MOT series and I would love if LEGO brought it back!

[@TheWalkingScavenger]

lego forces people that want trains to buy non brands cus they look million times better... and cheaper if they give a train theme they get back on rails in no time i bet

[@superjesse645]

I really wish Lego would revive MOT and its sheer customizability for Powered Up. The early/mid-2000s always feel like a Golden Age to me.

[@Britishbricks]

They will always hold a special place in my heart. If LEGO were to do what they’ve done with speed champions, a new train line similar to the MOT like would be amazing!

[@azuma892]

Wow the king of Lego British trains is here. 😮

[@asteroidrules]

I'm so glad someone else remembers these, they were the absolute peak of Lego trains if not Lego in its entirety. The idea of being able to offer the locomotives in multiple colors was such a simple but brilliant way of taking advantage of the medium of Lego bricks to increase the variety. It also very heavily leaned in to the creative angle of Lego sets, I remember specifically being inspired to try building my own custom locomotives and rolling stock by these sets' simple and modular construction.

[@matsv201]

Agreed .. I got two wagons. Then got a full "Christmas set" that was basicallt the same wagons with some tweeks for half of in january

[@t-rex290]

I like how spy crab was just enjoying the ride lol

[@daviddecampii8448]

Spy crab

[@Jacy-dx6dx]

Spy crab

[@tomsmodellingcorner]

It's a real shame they don't make those Lego trains anymore, I bought the green tank engine from Legoland Windsor, and years later I bought the blue one online. Always hoped they would make more colours. Happy memories!

[@retrowesternguy]

even with all the downsides, Lego could easily fix this line and sell it again. Just add some more details and better box art and boom, brand new stuff people wanna get

[@lukeslocos6610]

When i hear "oh dr beaching" i allways thing of trouble with trains and 100% my own train was brilliant.

[@Gamerguy826]

I remember the first time I saw the OG LEGO Trains in a magazine when I was a kid. I thought it was the coolest thing since the Space Shuttle and I begged my dad to get me one. He said no. 😢

[@spdaylight1]

Big sad

[@trainboy7]

Lego could do something like this again if they add individual engines and rolling stock to the Lego City Train Subtheme, along with other Railroad infrastructure. Kinda like what they did before back when Lego Trains were their own theme.

[@ShyGuyXXL]

Nowadays, ordering online is SO much easier than it was back then, so ordering a customized set would be SO much smoother! I mean, Lego already has a service where they pick out dozens of individual parts for you. So how much harder could it be for them to just throw a bunch of pre-made part bags into a box and ship them to you? Imagine you could buy JUST the bags with the pieces for individual rolling stock from the latest train sets? How cool would that be? I mean they're already manufacturing those bags for the sets... so why not just make some more to be sold separately?

[@spdaylight1]

That may be a revolution for the model railroad industry as a whole.

[@kupferbergbahn7952]

I loved this line of Lego train when I was younger (Also thanks to TurboJUK). I never owned any of the official sets though, just knockoff ones lol

[@gearandalthefirst7027]

I think these were my first lego sets, so early that my parents had to build them for me. Nearly 20 years later, and I went to uni for public transit design.

[@TheOtherGuys2]

I always liked these trains, they came out just when I started really getting into Lego, and their disappearance was the main reason I never got into Lego Trains. They made the idea of trains feel like something that fit in the Lego world, rather than a token extra thing that everyone has to have rattling around their basement city. The idea of individually sold train engines and cars was, I thought, a no brainer idea that baffled me when they stopped doing it.

[@kikivoorburg]

I have some nostalgia for them since they were right at the start of my childhood journey with Lego, but never got any myself. I like the customisation and 9V is honestly my preferred form of motorisation to this day (even though I’ve never really gotten to use it) just because the small motors are so nice. I never really use flexitrack so I don’t mind giving that up. With that being said, I think I do prefer the emerald night as a train set. The loco’s design is just that bit nicer and more realistic that I still love it even today. I do think it would have been cool had it been sold in various different colours (sapphire night, ruby night, etc?) like the MOT sets though. Then again, maybe I’m just biased because the emerald night was the first Lego steam engine I was ever able to buy, so nostalgia plays a role here

[@jacobdragonblood1217]

oh yeah i remember the turbojuk train videos, god that was a massive hit of nostalgia

[@chasechildress2720]

Bro you love the trouble with trains as a kid in the 2000s as well.

[@jondorthebrinkinator]

I only ever got the large green steam engine with tender and I never had more than a few pieces of straight track for it. It always seemed a bit weird to me that it had two articulated trucks like a diesel, but I can understand why they went with a simple design like that. Green bricks were quite rare at that time, but when they did eventually start making more of them, I obtained enough to expand the length of my engine and tender, which is how they still sit on the display shelf today.

[@SignedDiamond]

I have the Express Deluxe and it has been a favorite since I got it as a child. I remember being stuck with the base set as it was so difficult to get add ons ordered. One day I was taken to the Lego store at downtown Disney and before my eyes was a shelf with every product for the theme. I got so many tracks, a additional passenger car, and the big tanker car. Sadly it's a bit of a big investment for Lego today. Personally I think if lego made a line of much smaller trains (think microfighters) and had them sold as a large base set with additional cars purchasable as blind boxes. You could have theme tie-ins like a special Ninjago car or Disneyland locomotive. I could see collectors who are envious of the huge Lego train displays being happy they can get a lot of track but small enough to fit on a coffee table.

[@jossdeiboss]

Nowadays they could re-exploring the MOT line with online only purchase. Now everyone uses internet without issues. I would probably put in shops some tags with QR codes so that you can be re-directed to the online shop and specific article. This would allow LEGO to explore the market again and see how much to extend. Especially with the new types of bricks available, they could really go crazy with better looking locomotives and carriages.

[@NickLavic]

The ability to mix and match locomotives and wagons is what made My Own Train so great, you didn't need to buy a whole train set just for one wagon, you could just buy it on its own (ignoring that blue coach.) Some Chinese Lego compatible brands do offer individual wagons, but I'd prefer to buy genuine Lego. Like you said, the reason why this theme failed was because of bad marketing and little to no in-store availability. Having to rely on early internet or telephone orders severely limited this theme's ability to grow. I didn't have any of these sets, but boy did I want them. My first Lego train was the 4708 Hogwarts Express which didn't even come with track compatible wheels, but I later got the 10132 Motorized Hogwarts Express and you know why I got those instead? Because my parents where actually able to find them in stores. Seeing as most people buy online these days, I don't think it would be such a problem anymore. I wish Lego would bring this theme back, or something similar to it, but I doubt they will.

[@LegoTrainBoy]

I think you bring up many valid points that I wouldn't have thought of. I am sad about the series not only being discontinued, but I was too young to have any 9v train set before they switched to RC at the time.

[@360lateflip]

These ones were definitely some of the best. The designs were simple enough that kids could customize them while still being trains. The exclusives through Lego's website is definitely because internet shopping was just starting to take off. Also the little flash game where you could build your own train and order it too.

[@NinaFelwitch]

I have a green small loco with tender, a green passenger wagon and the caboose. My own train was awesome and I wish I had more money back then to buy them all.

[@Stuingtion]

I was lucky enough to get the small blue tender locomotive after it was discontinued. But I really wanna get the rolling stock Really, Really badly... However, if they were to ever bring this back, I wish they made a few boxcars.

[@eddmorrell90]

Great video man! I grew up with 7710 7720 and 7735 and still have them. When all the 9v came about I was so keen to get my kids into it but they preferred video games! I wish the moc trains were available back then! I’ve subscribed and liked👍

[@zangryomani1257]

Personally I think they could of done more with this whole idea, especially now with Powered UP out. Like making them modular, giving you different wheel bases like 4-6-2, 4-6-0, 4-4-0, etc. And maybe improve upon the rolling stock you could buy. For instance, maybe not making certain rolling stock set specific, and maybe including the color packs with the locomotive itself.

[@ethribin4188]

These definitely were the end of the golden age of Lego trains...

[@taz3rgamer247]

Funnily enough, I've been thinking of these recently, and I used webricks to order the parts for one, and it only cost 15 bucks for the small tank engine

[@tobiassoffa9257]

Lego hat sich hier noch in gewisser Weise wie Modellbahn angefügt. Startersets, Einzelne Loks und Wagen.

[@spdaylight1]

ungefähr so ​​gut wie sie konnten. Mein Deutsch ist nicht sehr gut. lol

[@tobiassoffa9257]

@@spdaylight1 kein Problem.

[@matthewmitchell3508]

I had the Tanker & Hopper, good fun with them.

[@user-gf8tj5cj3f]

They should bring the like back with updated pieces and parts im loving the new train pieces that Legos made .. Lego doesn't know that trains were it's popular theme.. bionicles saved Lego from bankruptcy.. but trains kept the profits at ease

[@spdaylight1]

Updated? I'll try my hand at updating this line

[@MK-of7qw]

Nice thing about the MOT... It's fairly easy to replicate with modern bricks. And PF should be squeezable into the tender with a little bit of jury rigging

[@br4nthem4n98]

Brilliant video! Hopefully Lego does bring this line back and expand it and make it better than ever before. I did a review on the brown locomotive set 10 years ago but maybe I should do one again maybe. Anyway hope we get a sequel to this video 😁

[@spdaylight1]

I'd say do it! nothing helps tell a company we want something than saying it.

[@flippersteinschmatz]

Hello! In my museum eitle Kinderkram Neulengbach ALL of these sets are on display - I will review them in the next years, I am working chronology...

[@michaelharle722]

We have the one I bought my daughter way back when. Comes out to go around the Christmas tree and some of the Christmas village sets. Was a great line and buying an extra motor and robbing the trucks off one of the cars we have a running early Hogwats Express too. Was a great line and loved by my daughter.

[@potawatadingdong]

I remember seeing these all the time in the magazines. I ended up with the caboose and maybe one other car. I wish I got the whole set.

[@blackstone1a]

I ended up rebuilding the small steam train recently with a modified O gauge motorized chassis a few years ago. It's definitely an illegal Lego build but it's a big hit at train shows.

[@spearmintpony7105]

6:56 Pretty sure this line was never available at major retailers. The only store I ever saw the subtheme at was the LEGO store, and I only ever saw the motor on shelves.

[@tidmouthmilk12]

I had one locomotive when I was a kid and then they discontinued the range before I had anything for it to pull 😔

[@chriscummings4206]

I think there's also a possibility that LEGO relying upon marketing data as well as every set or possibly even theme has a predetermined shelf life. From what I've heard on BrickTsar's channel, that the my own trains were deeply discounted at some point so that tells me that even if they would have sold well they might not have been continued. LEGO always seems to be looking for that next great shiny thing to market.

[@ZergSmasher]

My only issue with the look of these little trains is the lack of working running gear like the Emerald Knight and Orient Express have, but I understand the limitations of what they could do. They are still super neat, and I do vaguely remember them existing although I never had any.

[@spdaylight1]

these engines were 25 odd dollars and emerald night set was 150 without being powered. that may be why they skipped side rods who knows.

[@cjstrader8171]

2:36 Look at Back To The Future 3 where Doc and Marty chase the train. It's smaller here, but is roughly the same concept.

[@wakinki]

The best concept with the worst execution ever (with the boxes being the same and all that)

[@t00nverseYT]

I hope lego will reboot this train stuff with new stuff they got

[@mailstorminurbox]

The way it is now, the bulk of what you have will always be a MOC

[@dannybrezelhorner2715]

Knowing modern lego they would probably do something like this But each of the train cars and the tender box would be a seperate "gift with purchase" and if it had any the prints on it wouldn't match the colors on the stickers

[@cowerdnerddespacito9518]

Seeing how much rolling stock was available and how cheap it was makes me wish I bought a bunch instead of being -2 years old😭😭😭

[@madmaxmxp7811]

This was one of the best things lego ever made imo. About bringing it back or not, I realy don't care. I won't buy lego with it's current prices and contenders like Bluebrixx making way nicer models.

[@solidmario64]

Honestly I think it'd be a good idea for Lego to bring back MOT in some form or another. They have a design going for steam locos with the recent Ideas set Orient Express, and modders have found ways to make the engine not only motorized, but also not cause friction with the wheels.

[@Bricks.and.Motors]

This needs to come back. I never owned any of these sets, but I would buy these sets as I would get into Lego Trains. The only Lego Train I Own is the 2018 Hogwarts Express from Harry Potter but if this theme made a comeback I'd buy these sets who agrees with me? 👇🏻

[@rc-fannl7364]

MOT is great, but as you correctly mentioned, Lego could have executed the concept better in a few areas.

[@avshutsach]

They need to make a new hybrid system of both rc and 9V system similar to a modern DCC system seen in modern High end HO. The current RC system is cool because it doesnt need metal track and takes advantage of flex track, but you are liminted because you have to swap the batteries out of the train and controller from time to time (more so with the train) but the 9v system could run days before you would need to do maintenance on the motor or heavn forbid if the motor broke, you could easily swap motors for a new on due to the modular ability of the system. A system that is comparable to what im also looking at for lego to go to would also be similar to the Lionel Lioncheif or legacy command system where there is a remote control for the train but it takes power from the track and not a battery pack

[@spdaylight1]

A smaller rechargeable battery would be a great start for Lego. plus making it 1 to 2 bricks less in height. that way it's fit a lot of old Lego tenders and be better suited to MOC.

[@dragon1173]

Pretty sure I had/have that large train in the blue. Wonder if I can separate it out from all the other lego I got lol

[@iron1349]

i have an old green one, it's been kitbashed to make an intact engine.

[@Garinovitch]

So poor packaging paired with relying on the internet back when online shopping wasn't totally mainstream led to this theme's downfall. Had this series been done today, it would have been a MASSIVE success. Like, I have no doubt in my mind this would be consistently sold out. Kind of a shame, I think now more than ever we need classic locomotive sets. Sets like the recent UCS Hogwarts Express and the Orient express shows that people are desperate for motorized locomotives.

[@kingwolf9447]

Bring these back as an affordable option.

[@lassepetersen9301]

I brought two Orient Express sets, just to get to four cars... I really felt it was kind of unnecessary...

[@spdaylight1]

No trains are cheap these days. Not even 80s stuff

[@StephPH85]

0:00 song= air main theme alton towers resort

[@Silverlink28]

I NEED IT

[@neilrusling-je6zo]

They failed because they were almost kept secret. The early 2000s was a nightmare, the Lego website was no fun to use and the little catalogue they used to send you was tiny and not everything they sold was in it. The train section was maybe half a page once a year and the price of everything train was real high, track was unbelievably expensive so most people got bored very quickly going round and round a very tiny circle. you wanna sell a lot of trains then make the track cheap so people dont get bored, Lego went the other way with the price...so it died.

[@deannakinsey2888]

i wanna see more ho scale videos

[@nicholaslesage4063]

I think Lego should bring them back and bring back the 9v

[@matsv201]

They probobly could have made the loco smarter. Simply buying 1, 2 or 3 packs to make it smal, larger or with a tender. Eliminating the diffrent packs.

[@troycongdon]

These trains came out when I was a teen. I had enough money to buy things I wanted. I was not impressed with most of this line. The steam locomotives looked ridiculous to me with not even an attempt at side rods. By that age I was building 8 wide and I was dumbfounded that Lego released something in 8 wide. I think I bought 5 or six tank cars for my locomotives to push around. In the time I remember before I had money to buy my own Legos, Lego sold a few individual cars. To me, the first golden age of lego was around 1990. I wanted almost every set they made. When themes like Aquanauts came out I was not impressed. The MOT line seemed to me at the time like Lego was trying too hard and not trying at the same time. In retrospect, I think they were doing the best they could to make unaffordable electric trains affordable. The RC trains that came next were another try at making an unaffordable situation affordable. I think the modern train sets are for children but the lego ideas sets do a really good job of satisfying an older audience. I think plastic track and power functions are better than 9 volt because I enjoy making the mechanisms and the flexibility of wheel arrangements it allows. For kids, there is no real difference in construction except that forbidden track arrangements are available. I am sure that kids burning through batteries is undesirable though.

[@spdaylight1]

ngl, you're the first person to say MOT is not as good as we remember. I'd tend to agree about the lack of side rods and I think lego could have done something simple/didn't move. (working on my ideas for that using bricks available at the time)

[@evanjans5002]

It wasn't only online. At the time, lego had a catalog you could order from by phone. That's how I got mine. I'm pretty sure they had all the sets in it. It wasn't a hassle for me, as that's how I got almost all my lego at the time. At least this was the case in Canada. Not sure if the US got the same catalog as us or not.

[@spdaylight1]

Care to link a photo or website? I could not find any refrence to the catalog.

[@evanjans5002]

​I don't know if the issues of the catalog were identical in Canada or not. But I definitely remember that page advertising the my trains engines. Looks like all the variants and colors and sets were in that issue of the catalog.

[@evanjans5002]

KZbin seems to be eating my comments. It seems I can't share links, or even mention websites. You can see the whole catalog if you search "Lego Shop at Home Fall 2003" - the whole catalog is available to view on the internet archive. Plus many other issues of it.

[@evanjans5002]

KZbin seems to eat any comments with links or detailed descriptions. Look for Lego Shop at Home Fall 2003

[@user-pz3si6fl8p]

What was your first Lego train? my first was set number 10277 😊

[@spdaylight1]

what ever the hogwarts express set with the blue car is.

[@UPRR_844]

Can someone tell me the name of this video and the link? Pls 1:02

[@Da1X_Builds]

It’s a LEGO Train stop motion called “Underground”! Here’s the link! kzbin.info/www/bejne/qZOVqpqGZbOoY68si=THCuXt8in7gs_A0j

[@gavinstricklin9512]

Does anyone know the names of these old MOT films, I want to relive my childhood

[@spdaylight1]

you mean the trouble with trains?

[@lindseypapakirk97]

I have a question for you guys which individual locomotive would you get? For me it would the one at 1:41

[@lindseypapakirk97]

I also like the one at 1:38

[@lindseypapakirk97]

And the one at 1:44

[@neilrusling-je6zo]

Been trying desperately to get those train windows glass 1x2x3, I NEEDS IT BAD MAN. Can I get 10 fairly cheap and in good condition?..not a hope in hell. Why do the WINDOW FRAMES if you do not do the GLASS for those window frames.

[@iteleportbread3998]

Spycrab tf2

[@spdaylight1]

Do not teleport any bread!

[@ASHE_ATTACC]

someone correct me if I'm wrong but I think the Express Deluxe has a log car because some old American steamers ran on wood and would often carry extra loads other than in the tender My only idea of this comes from BTTF Part 3 though so I could just be blatantly believing in misinformation

[@spdaylight1]

You might on be on to something. That movie was still mew when all this came out. A great theory!

[@JacksonHolloman]

Is it because they're vaguely European?

[@ConorDaRobin]

What does "317" even mean?

[@16jan1986]

This was the best time in lego trains modern lego trains are useless

[@matthewdowling616]

It’s not mot it’s not