Vintage set of the week: Sterling Baggage Train
Posted by Huwbot,
This week's vintage set is 1551 Sterling Baggage Train, released during 1972. It's one of 16 LEGOLAND sets produced that year. It contains 49 pieces.
It's owned by 70 Brickset members. If you want to add it to your collection you might find it for sale at BrickLink or eBay.
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And yet comes with no baggage at all, which is in its own way a sort of metaphorical baggage.
And they say the new Hogwarts Express doesn’t match the system…
I didn't know this set existed!
Charlatte America is located in town, and its main business is aircraft ground equipment, including baggage tractors. Until recently, I used to see a ton of baggage tractors leaving their place.
Not the train set that I'm usually into, but I guess, whatever works.
Way better than the ATV-like vehicles in City airports nowadays that hold 1-2 briefcases.
No rails included?
@cody6268:
And now you see them returning with years of stolen baggage?
Ah yes, the "STERLING baggage train", because everybody was tired of last years plain old "baggage train"
People know this isn't supposed to be an actual train that runs on rails, right? This is one of those baggage carts that brings luggage between the airport terminal and the plane.
It's the train we can afford, but not the one we want.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sterling_Airlines
The german version of the article lists Billund as further destination.
The Sterling baggage train, one step up from the Good baggage train and definitely better than the Alright baggage train
@PDelahanty said:
"People know this isn't supposed to be an actual train that runs on rails, right? "
They don’t.
The airport in the background of the picture is obviously on fire, and the baggage train has ditched its luggage and is driving itself as far away as it can for safety.
Wow!....9 of this sets 33 pieces are printed, that's nearly 27%, and those printed parts are exclusive to this set. That would not be a financial/logistics option for TLG these days...
Ps, I enjoy applying stickers, and understand Lego's reasoning for using them.
Always interesting when the VSotW has a set from a collaboration I had no idea existed.
@legojohn69 said:
"Wow!....9 of this sets 33 pieces are printed, that's nearly 27%, and those printed parts are exclusive to this set. That would not be a financial/logistics option for TLG these days...
Ps, I enjoy applying stickers, and understand Lego's reasoning for using them. "
Nice! I was seriously worried those would all be stickers. I almost posted: 'All aboard the sticker train!'
Good thing printing was more common in this era (although I'm certain there already were stickers in lots of cases already). It helps that the 'STERLING' brick is used 8(!) times in this set!
I had to google this set to get a clear idea of what I was looking at. The given image is pretty blurred and confusing to my eyes. The angle doesn't help either.
@gorf43:
It’s the baggage train for all of Sterling Archer’s spy gear. Guns, ammo, grenades, prodigious amounts of hard liquor, black turtlenecks…
@legojohn69:
They didn’t have any minifigs, and this set probably cost a day’s pay back then. And, yeah, as @Binnekamp points out, it only uses two prints.
1550 is the “matching” plane.
I've just completed piecing this together (using plain bricks rather than printed - I believe stickers are available as an alternative). The ball-and-socket couplers mean 4837 works as an alternative to the tractor unit.
@legojohn69 said:
"Wow!....9 of this sets 33 pieces are printed, that's nearly 27%, and those printed parts are exclusive to this set. That would not be a financial/logistics option for TLG these days...
Ps, I enjoy applying stickers, and understand Lego's reasoning for using them. "
Now find out how many different shapes and colors TLG had in 1972, and how many of these active bricks were printed pieces.
And then find out how many shapes and colors they have now, and how many of these active bricks are printed.
Seriously, a random Modular Building today uses more shapes and colors than the entire 1972 portfolio.
@Gamlebilrokker said:
"Seriously, a random Modular Building today uses more shapes and colors than the entire 1972 portfolio. "
You're not wrong. Even back in my days (early 1980s), we had white, black, blue, red, yellow, gray, and green (baseplates and trees only)...plus trans blue, red, yellow, green, and clear. No other colors.
OMG! Best Speed Champions set Ever!