At long last, way too long probably, Brick Model Railroader has built and reviewed the new Powered Up train sets from the LEGO City line!

Unfortunately, and quite obviously, we are pretty late to the review party for these new trains. While BMR is a Recognized LEGO Online Community (RLOC) and we do have some benefits from that, we were not able to obtain the new train sets before the official release, but we did try. Cale ended up buying one of each anyways so we could provide a decent review for our audience, being the only Train-specific LEGO media around.

Let’s dive into the new 60198 Cargo Train with Powered Up!

First off let’s consider what were’ getting in this set.

• Generic twin-cab electric locomotive
• Log car w/ log load
• Crane car
• Container car w/ two unique containers
• Switch tower
• Bank van
• Forklift
• End-of-track bumper
• 16 straight track sections
• 16 curved track sections
• 1 left-hand turnout

All that, plus the new Powered Up (PUp) components for a retail price of $229.99 USD, which, admittedly, is a pretty high price. This is likely a result of the R&D and implementation costs of the new PUp system. You do get a fair amount with this set, but for a price like that, I wish there was at least an extra freight car to play around with. Regardless, I have to say I enjoy the set.

The locomotive is easy to build and fun to use. The classic twin-cab design is nothing new for cargo trains from Lego. Classic European-inspired lines and pantographs to match with sleek rounded-off noses at both ends. The battery/receiver is neatly packaged inside the vents and can be accessed with the removal of just four parts.

The locomotive can be activated and paired with the remote by pressing down on the center roof section. Conveniently there is a green sticker which is applied to the proper place directly above the power button on the battery/receiver.

We’ll post a separate review detailing the Powered Up system in the near future of course, but here’s a run down of the system.

The remote and receiver are paired by holding the green buttons on each unit simultaneously, linking them directly. Left buttons control port A, and the right control port B on the box. The train has a total of 10 speed steps, but even running at step 3 is comfortable, especially on the standard curve radius. Those that enjoy crashes can jump it up to 10 if they want.

Bearing in mind that realistic operations is NOT what Powered Up is designed for, I like it. It’s very plug-and-play and easy to use. I can walk to the other side of my apartment and still control the locomotive and I have to put multiple walls in front of me before I lose connection.

Speaking of losing connection, it took me about four minutes to glitch the system, but I WAS trying to. I walked far enough away to disconnect the remote, and upon automatically regaining the pairing to the box, the locomotive would only run with the button held down and would only run at notch 10. For conventions, this isn’t good. BUT, again, not the purpose of the system. I’d feel comfortable leaving this with a younger engineer to play around with.

The log car is the first car on the list in order of the instructions. It’s a nice, simple, and predictable build and comes with three large logs which can be hoisted from the crane. Little to say about it because there’s just not that much to it, sadly.

The crane car is next and definitely the coolest of the three cars. Classic features are included such as the rotating cab, extendable boom and an operating winch and hook. Outriggers are included under the main platform for stability, which is necessary even for such a small crane.

One thing I did notice, though, is that when trying to pick up a crate off the ground with the boom fully extended, the boom lowers itself by several degrees before the crate becomes even barely airborne. See the video below:

In a second test I held the knob which controls the angle of the boom with one hand while winching the container up with the other, and the same result occurred. It seems like there is room for improvement here, but I’m probably just nit-picking.

The third car is the container car, and again we have another instance of an overly simple and predictable one-use car. The snow mobile in the one crate is nice but doesn’t add much to the set beyond looking cool or being something you wouldn’t normally use next to a train. The bank container offers play-ability, which is nice, but still the car itself is lacking.

It seems like we normally get some sort of right-of-way add-on in most freight sets, and this one is no different. I simple crossing is included here, which is nice for those that want to drive the bank truck and forklift over the tracks into the center of the loop. The switch tower, though, is something I actually quite like. I’ve always been a fan of realistic operations, which this structure represents in a neat way. the signal can be flipped back and forth to show green in the desired direction and red in the other.

Using a simple throw mechanism, you can correctly signal trains into your siding. There is even a built-in stop to prevent overshoot. Further still, the real track layout is shown on two stickers which represent the monitor boards in top of the tower.

Nice job here, LEGO.

The first of the two vehicles in this set is the easily built bank truck with a driver. The main body of the truck opens gullwing style to allow the pallet full of gold and cash to be loaded in.

The forklift I like because of the bright light orange color. The forklift assembly with the spring has been done away with and replaced with a two-part assembly with a rubber band providing the elasticity.

In all, the set is good, but a bit pricey for the reasons already mentioned. In my opinion, it’s still great that LEGO still gives us new train sets every now and then, but offers little room for expansion.

What I mean is this. There are a lot of people, most of us, perhaps, who will buy a train set and keep it and mod or MOC our own cars to use with it, which is great. However, the less creative or those who would rather buy suitable cars to use are stuck. We no longer have the luxury of being able to hop over to the LEGO store and pick up an extra freight car or passenger car, and I really miss that. Even now that I’m at the point of consistently building my own models, I still would like to see some expansion sets for trains again.

Thanks for reading, and play well.