I’ve completed the site migration to the new content management system. There are a few lingering issues like missing images, but I’ll get those cleaned up over the next couple of days.
If you see anything big that’s broken, let me know via the contact form so I can fix it.
The BRIO #33214 Freight Battery Engine is an impressive puller for it’s size, but it has its limits. A single AA battery plus one set of drive wheels will only get you so far, as you can see in the video below.
So why get two of them?
The answer is because they have magnets in both the front and back, which means you can do the same thing “real” trains do when they need more power: add engines. With two Freight Battery Engines working together, you can pull an impressively large load.
And, if you want a longer train, you can always add a third. Very few of BRIO’s battery engines allow chaining like this (for example, the #33249 Rechargeable Engine 8WD).
You could always, of course, put one in front and have a second in back, going in reverse to “push”, but on longer trains that is more likely to cause a derailment. Plus, two of these engines together looks really nice.
BRIO has started rolling out it’s new Smart Tech railway products in Europe. You might remember the Smart Track products from the mid-2000’s, which used RFID chips embedded in A1 track and some accessories to control the actions of the Smart Track engine. You also got little plastic signs to help you remember which track was where. The system was expensive, the Smart Engine was temperamental, and the track was only available in those A1 straights, but by and large it worked.
In contrast, Smart Tech does away with the track and instead uses little plastic tunnels that go over the track. Like the old Smart Track, each tunnel has a specific action programmed into it which controls the engine. The actions haven’t changed much, though it’s still the first year of the product line (and there aren’t really that many actions for a train, anyway). The tunnels are obviously more flexible than the track since they can be placed anywhere without altering your layout, provided you have space on both sides.
Both Smart Tech engines released so far seem to be the same design (three pairs of wheels, with the last being the drive wheels), in two different color schemes. The 3-wheel design should address at least one common complaint with the older system: negotiating the sharper E1 curves without derailing.
Update: Smart Tech will come to the U.S. in June.
To discourage disassembly by curious toddlers, modern BRIO toys use screws with a triangular head. This is great for preventing accidents with your child, but not so friendly for you whether you are trying to repair something or are just curious what’s inside. The answer is to get the right tools for the job: triangular head screwdrivers, which you can find on Amazon and eBay. I’ve found that most of the BRIO screws are a TA23, but get an assortment to be safe.
My BRIO #33883 Airport with Control Tower arrived last week and I am quite happy with it. The first thing you notice when you unbox it is its size: it’s huge!
As you can see from the photo, the airport base has a D-size track molded on one side. The entire base is a little larger than DxD, so this beauty requires quite a bit of space. Much more than the original airport from 2013. The S-shape to the canopy gives it a very modern look, and the flooring is a molded tile pattern which is a nice touch. Also interesting is the luggage slide, an elevator for getting bags to the top, and a loading zone for vehicles. The top of the control tower is removable, and is identical to the one found in the original set which means you can also remove the roof to place a figure inside. The best features, though, are the airplane in red, and a large locator light that glows for several seconds when you tap it.
It’s a winner. It’s expensive, but you are getting a seriously large accessory for your money and the attention to detail is appreciated. It’s a better design, IMHO, than the older airport and monorail combo and worth the money.
If you live in Europe, 2018 is also bringing a mostly-new vehicle for you: the #33907 Tanker Truck with Wagon.
This two-piece vehicle is an accessory for the #33883 Airport with Control Tower. That may not seem obvious at first, but the product description helps out a bit: “Service and maintenance is a crucial part of keeping any airport up and running. The BRIO Tanker Truck with Wagon makes sure every airplane is refueled between landing and take-off.”
Whether or not you want it for your airport, it’s still a nice piece. The wagon is the same wagon used in the fire truck with new livery, but the tanker truck is a completely new design and an awfully nice one at that. Given the magnet at the top it looks like the tank is a removable load, too.
Alas, for those of us in the American markets it’s not slated to cross the ocean this year, so we’ll have to rely on importers and international sellers on Amazon and eBay.
Ever wondered what your BRIO #33214 Freight Battery Engine looks like on the inside? (You do have one of those, right? If not, you should get one, as they are pretty great.) Back in September of 2015, David MacKay opened his up to try and repair what he described as “intermittent operation”, which he traced back to a faulty auto-start/stop switch. This is the green button that sticks out below the undercarriage. David’s blog has some nice pictures of the surgery, as well as a thorough description of what he did.
My current BRIO layout makes use of a number of modern accessories that are quickly becoming favorites. My goal was to build a setup that incorporated an airport and a string of the red, arched bridges at a diagonal. I only had a single table to work with this time because of space constraints, so I opted for less track and a higher density of scenery.
You can view the whole album on flickr.
If you live in Europe you can buy the new Curved Bridge as a separate product, BRIO #33699. Those of you living here in the U.S. can also find it on Amazon from international sellers, though you may find cheaper shipping from sellers on eBay.
I only find starter sets interesting if they have something unique to offer, and the BRIO #33627 Travel Station set has something that has been missing in the BRIO lineup since it first appeared in the 1950’s: curved bridges!
There’s two of them in the set, and they are designed to fit the large E curved track. The track is not attached to the bridge: it fits (snugly) inside the curved frame, allowing you to slide the track forward and back to get the positioning you want. You can very easily put two of these bridges end-to-end.
The bridge itself is a simple truss style, but what it lacks in frills it makes up for in just being unique. It’s the only curved bridge in the BRIO lineup.
Of course, US$80 (as of April, 2018) is a steep price for just two bridges, but there are several other components in the starter set that are enticing including a F parallel switch (which hasn’t been in production in nearly two decades) and a rather unique curved-Y track station design. If you like the BRIO World styling, the latter is another unique addition to your setup.
