Recently, to allow for testing and review, The LEGO Group supplied Brick Model Railroader with a number of components from the newly released LEGO Powered Up line of electronics. Powered Up is TLG’s update to the popular Power Functions line of motor, battery, and remote systems.

As “mostlytechnic” mentions in his review on EuroBricks, the components have been released in the newer Boost and Train sets, which started in 2018.

The post on EuroBricks is excellent (and recommended), so rather than write another straight up review of something you can read elsewhere, I concentrated on playability as it concerns us train fans.

First up, the components. BMR was supplied with a large 6 x 16 x 4 (studs x studs x bricks tall) hub, numbered 88006, that, in the paperwork enclosed in the bag, is described as the LEGO Move Hub. It combines, motors, ports, battery box, and receiver all in one piece. For train building, it’s pretty large.

Next up was part number 88007, which appears to be a light sensor. The size is 2 x 4 x 2, with a 29 stud-long power cable, terminating in one of the new Powered Up electrical connections. Without a way to program this, I wasn’t able to really review it other than to plug it in to confirm that it works.

88008 is a new motor, roughly the same size as the medium Power Functions motors. Again, the cable is 29 studs long, with an element footprint of 4 x 6 x 4. What stood out most upon opening it was that it has stud connections! I believe this will make it easier to include in train builds, and the motor will be able to snap in place with no extra fiddling of adding Technic pins.

One of the main components is 88009, the basic Powered Up Hub. The Hub has the same dimensions as the Power Functions battery box, but includes the Powered Up receiver. The good news for train builders is that this eliminates the need for allocating space for an RC receiver, which again should make it easier to use for train builds.

Component 88010 is the Powered Up Remote Control. First up, it’s tiny! At least compared to the old 9V train controllers and the old Power Functions remotes. Truthfully, though, it’s about the size of a game controller, and handling it was no problem. I actually liked using the push buttons for control instead of rotating dials.

Finally, there’s the newest incarnation of a standard Train Motor, component 88011. As expected, the motor is the same size as previous train motors, though the electrical cable is shorter than those used in Power Functions. The good news is that this should allow a basic swap of motors to upgrade from older systems to the newer one.

So, my overall first impression? I’m intrigued. I like that some of the components are more compact. I think this will allow for easier builds of locomotives, especially for those who build in 6-wide. Fewer and smaller parts mean more space for design, and less for engineering.

I have mixed feelings on the electrical connections. Mostly, I like the size, shape, and locations of the new type plugs. However, new connections mean a loss of backwards compatibility with older systems. I really didn’t care for the bulky single-direction connections in the Power Functions system, but for folks that have been using PF for many years, switching to a new system could be a burden.

My main dislike of the new system? Batteries. Lots of them. For a basic hub/remote setup, 10 AAA batteries are required. 6 for the hub and 4 for the remote. The battery covers on both are held in place by tiny screws, which in turn require tiny screwdrivers to open. These tiny screws are a general dislike of mine, as they tend to get stripped easily, and are troublesome if you don’t have the proper sized screwdriver. As a father of five with lots of toys in the house, however, these type of battery covers are pretty standard across the toy industry, so I’m used to them.

So what about playability for train fans? The train motor, battery/receiver, and remote give a pretty standard experience for those familiar with the 9V and PF systems. One click forward on the remote, and the train motor takes off at a fairly high speed. Not ideal for folks looking for prototype-like action, but definitely suitable for model trains designed for children. With the train motor connected to the hub, speed is a set it and forget it affair. The motor will continue to run until the speed changes, the stop button is hit, or power is lost.

The non-train motor is a different story. The Powered Up hub apparently recognizes what type of motor is plugged into, and behaves differently depending on what it senses. While the train motor will continue to run after a single button press, the Powered Up motor runs only while the user is holding down the control button. This limits the use of that type of motor for continuous running of trains unless the user is constantly controlling the motor’s speed and direction.

With two ports on the Powered Up hub, it is possible to plug in and use both the train and non-train motors together. This does bring up some possibilities. My first thought was to build a motorized crane, using the train motor on the carriage, and the 2^nd motor to activate the arm. Another thought was a snowplow with working wings. Perhaps a locomotive with a working decoupling mechanism?

My overall feeling after playing with the new system components is that it has some potential for train builders. There are some drawbacks, but there are drawbacks to any system. Overall, I liked what I saw, especially with having less components necessary to make an operational locomotive. Visions of revisiting the Matson’s Landing locomotive have come to mind. With the Powered Up system, and 3^rd party track components that have been released over the last couple of years, that project could take a different turn and come to fruition. I’ll definitely be playing more with the new Powered Up system.