When I was younger and still pretty new to the world of Lego trains, I would often browse the internet looking at various Lego MOC sharing websites like MOCPages, Brickshelf, and later Flickr. I was able to learn of a lot of builders and enjoy the work they had published.

Every once in a while, however, I would find a hidden gem off the beaten path of the common Lego websites of the day. The Christmas Train by Matt Chiles is one of them.

Lego has made a couple of Christmas or Holiday themed train sets before, like the 9-volt version from 2006, set 10173 Holiday Train and the more recent 10254 Winter Holiday Train from 2016.

It’s hard to tell from the single-page website when exactly Matt created this model, but I assume it predates the 10173. Even at that age, however, it doesn’t lack detail or clever techniques. Matt certainly put a lot of effort into this set.

The locomotive is a well-proportioned 4-4-0 powered by a 9-volt motor in the tender, built with red, green, and old dark grey which makes for a nice Christmas-theme appearance. The engine rides on Big Ben drivers and pilot wheels and even has an operating headlight and firebox light.

I’m particularly fond of the cowcatcher. Remember, this is the mid-2000’s. I think the locomotive holds up even to some more recent 4-4-0 models.

Matt continued to add to this locomotive making a total of four cars for it to pull, including a boxcar with presents and packages inside, a gondola with a cargo of trees, a passenger car, and a caboose.

Many of the cars and the locomotive have engraved bricks for lettering and numbering, which adds a lot to any train, especially one from this time.

After Matt developed his model, he made ten more and put them up for sale, some of which were sold. Each set came in a wood box with a branded emblem on the top, foam packaging, minifigures, a loop of 9-volt track, and a transformer.

If I had one of these sets, I’d post better photos of it. I did email Matt about it, so who knows. Maybe a follow up article will be called for.

This model has stuck with me over the years (obviously) and has inspired several iterations of my own 4-4-0 models from years ago, and the cars too. It’s always fun to look back at older models, particularly ones that may not have been as prominent in at the time, and see how far the hobby has progressed.

Thanks for reading.