PlaymoFriends
General => Trains! => Topic started by: Akiree on January 09, 2013, 23:38:32
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My 5.5 year old son is a huge train fan. We've been doing the wooden train sets but he's starting to get a little old for them. We got some Playmobil in the past year - Fire engines, Airplanes, Ferry and more, but I really wanted to get him a Playmobil train. We love Playmobil! He's to young for true model trains - he still wants to push them himself sometimes, put them on and off the tracks, etc. In short, he wants to play *with* the trains and not just watch them go around in a circle. I love that the Playmobil trains have people, luggage, etc and are pretty sturdy.
So I bought an RC set off of ebay for Christmas. It's a white commuter/bullet train thing. I don't know the set number. But it's awesome for how he plays and he loves it. But I still have a few questions.
1) Is there somewhere that lists with photos all the trains sets and stuff? I see so many different things on ebay - an engine here, a flat car there - I don't know if they are part of a set or just a separate special car.
2) Our RC train battery is finicky and the charger is too. Does the battery holder that is sold by playmobil that holds AA's fit in place of the rechargable battery?
3) Are the track clips sold by playmobil the same as the track clips for the plastic RC track?
4) I'd love to do a garden railway set with the steam engine as well. How do I know if I'm getting a good deal on the electric sets? I know they are older than the RC ones and hence rarer. I also know the trains will only work electricly if they are on working metal rails. I'm fine with that, I think it would be a good begining into model trains. Where can I get more info on the electric trains?
I've been reading past postings and getting lots of info. This is great! I look forward to being a part of the Playmobil train community.
Erika
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I'm not a train expert so I will leave most of your questions for one of the others.
To see the sets you can visit PlaymoDB. Here is a Link (http://playmodb.org/cgi-bin/sets.pl?theme=Train&theme=Western+Train&sortby=setnum&focus=all) that will get you to the train pages directly. You can choose the show images option to see them.
If you haven't already be sure to read the Train FAQ at the top of this forum. It has answers to a lot of the most common questions.
Welcome :)
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1) playmodb, look under both train theme categories
2) Yes, the only one that is new is the brand new train and it takes more than 2 aa's. I would buy lots of re-chargables that you can put into the new unscrewable battery pack. The one you have you will notice is soldered together and the one you see on the web site has a screw. Also the tabs inside the train motor get corrosion and will not make contact unless you clean them. I use a dremal with brush attachment
3) yes they are system x connectors and they hold the track together. there are 2 kinds but they work the same. Ones with long tabs that were supposed to hold the track more and the short ones that you will also see in building sets.
4)You watch auctions and figure out how much you are willing to spend on what condition and if the boxes are there etc........You will pay from $100 to $1000 . You have to over come sticker shock on brass track layouts as it will dig deep into your pocket book. I want a round house switch and if you can find one they starts at $800
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The plastic rail connectors are not really System-X connectors, they were designed for use with the train tracks.
There is also a radio-controlled steam train, so you don't have to go back to the old electrical sets for this, and you can also use the plastic track outdoors.
This site will also give you a lot of information on the trains:
http://www.walts-playmobil-collection.me.uk/
The owner of it is a member here and has close links with Playmobil.
As regards prices, the radio controlled trains and track are cheaper than the electrical ones and the brass track. The rolling stock (trucks, carriages) can be used on either type of track.
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The plastic rail connectors are not really System-X connectors, they were designed for use with the train tracks.
the ones you are talking about are the 30 22 2820 ones and yes they are longer and have little tabs that were supposed to hold the track better. If you buy add on packs of track they come with 30 20 4400's. Most of the inventories for the plastic add on pack shows the wrong ones that came with them. You can see them in the DB pictures having the 30 20 4400's. They both are system x but yes the longer ones would not fit well on say a floor as the tabs would get in the way of cliping all the way down. Both work to hold the plastic tracks.
I must say you are picking a good time to start a collection of trains seeing as playmobil just released a new train theme.
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I have just reinststed my web site. It has not quite come out right at the sides but still works to take you to other pages.
I hope to find the fault and repair it.
www.walts-playmobil-collection.me.uk
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I have just reinststed my web site. It has not quite come out right at the sides but still works to take you to other pages.
I hope to find the fault and repair it.
www.walts-playmobil-collection.me.uk
Here is to your figuring out you sites glitches :**: I like looking at all you shows
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When I try and visit your site, Walter, I get a warning about it being an "attack site".
"Reported Attack Page!
This web page at www.walts-playmobil-collection.me.uk has been reported as an attack page and has been blocked based on your security preferences.
Attack pages try to install programs that steal private information, use your computer to attack others, or damage your system.Some attack pages intentionally distribute harmful software, but many are compromised without the knowledge or permission of their owners."
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When I try and visit your site, Walter, I get a warning about it being an "attack site".
"Reported Attack Page!
This web page at www.walts-playmobil-collection.me.uk has been reported as an attack page and has been blocked based on your security preferences.
Attack pages try to install programs that steal private information, use your computer to attack others, or damage your system.Some attack pages intentionally distribute harmful software, but many are compromised without the knowledge or permission of their owners."
Me too: I also got this warning (I ignored it).
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Me too: I also got this warning (I ignored it).
So did I. :)
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Google put this on in December. Since then the web site has been wiped clean and a new one installed. Hence the problen with the page sides.
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Google put this on in December. Since then the web site has been wiped clean and a new one installed. Hence the problen with the page sides.
Have you asked them to remove the block, Walter, or is there a new web address we should use?
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Gorden no you can go to the same web address.
If you go direct there is no problem.
I will be working on the page sides as soon as I can.
www.walts-playmobil-collection.me.uk
I will contact Google when I have got the sides of the pages fixed.
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Thanks for the info, Walter.
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Gordon web site sorted. Just need to check I have put on all I need too.
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the ones you are talking about are the 30 22 2820 ones and yes they are longer and have little tabs that were supposed to hold the track better. If you buy add on packs of track they come with 30 20 4400's. Most of the inventories for the plastic add on pack shows the wrong ones that came with them. You can see them in the DB pictures having the 30 20 4400's. They both are system x but yes the longer ones would not fit well on say a floor as the tabs would get in the way of cliping all the way down. Both work to hold the plastic tracks.
I am looking at set versions and found this interesting post from Rasputin three years ago. It makes sense but contradicts other sources of information, so I am quite confused.
Sets 4384 to 4390 inclusive are sets of add-on plastic track. Collector shows two versions of each. Version 1 (of each) has the longer connectors 30222820 and Version 2 has the short ones 30204400. The dates when the two versions were available are given as 1997-1998 for version 1 and 1988- (to present day) for version 2. To begin with, these dates seem wrong, with V2 being produced earlier than V1. Also, the sets available today (e.g. as shown on playmobil.de) are pictured with the long connectors, i.e. Version 1. Rasputin said (in the quote above) that the sets of tracks come with the short connectors.Both sorts of connectors are available from DS (including a pack of 12 (?) of the longer sort available as 30511540).
So are the dates in Collector wrong? Are the pictures the wrong way round too? Any help appreciated.
I am not a 'train enthusiast' but I am trying to get to grip with set versions. Something here doesn't add up. (Mind you, I have a long list of errors I have found in Collector, so this might be another to add to the list!)
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The pictures in the collector are the wrong way round and would have been put right in the next edition.
Connectors for the track are now the long ones. The short ones are still used in some buildings that is why they are still available.
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Thanks for that! Just as I thought.
What about the dates, though- should V2 read 1998-> rather than 1988-> ?
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If you are really serious about driving a train through the garden, I should choose LGB Toytrain. The handrails from the Toytrain range fits Playmobil hands quite good, and also the Playmobil trains fits on LGB. Most G scale rails fits to another (LGB, Piko and so on) and the choise in different types of G scale rails and switches is very large. At the moment there is no Playmobil trainset in the current catalogue, and I am afraid that Playmobil is stopping with the train range. You may also learn your son that a train hobby is slowly building up, but certainly it is a hobby for life. Keep your son also interested in trains (visit a railwaymuseum, that certainly lasted a great impression to me).
If you visit some older topics from me on this forum, you will see that I am running a mixture of old LGB trains and Playmobil trains. But that certainly does not stop the younger people to visit my garden at the camping site in summer.
If you have more questions, I certainly will help you :)
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What about the dates, though- should V2 read 1998-> rather than 1988-> ?
Ja, denn die Funkbahn mit Plastikschienen kam ja erst 1997 auf den Markt. Definitely as RC trains and plastic tracks were first presented in 1997.
jj:
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Vielen dank, JJ!
I think I have it sorted to my satisfaction now, the pictures for V1 and V2 are transposed in all 7 sets and the V2 dates are 1997->
I hope there will be another edition of Collector before long. Perhaps they will include the DS sets too?
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Ich fürchte, es wird keine weiteren Collectoren mehr geben, nachdem Axel (der Collectormacher) vor zweieinhalb Jahren leider verstorben ist. As Collector editor Axel died two and a half years ago a new collector's quite unlikely.
jj: