LEGO Winter Holiday Train, A Review

Hello everyone,

Today I am going to take a close-up look at the LEGO Winter Holiday Train.

The Winter Holiday Train is set number 10254, and contains 734 pieces, including five minifigures and 16 track pieces. The set retails for around $99.99, plus any applicable taxes, and you can purchase it here on LEGO.com.

As with many of LEGO's railed train toys, this set can be motorised. To motorise this set there are four separate pieces to purchase additionally. These are item numbers 8879, 8884, 88000 and 88002. Instructions for installing them into the train are included within the main train set instructions (since the motors can be used for more than just this set).

So, let's take a look at the front and the back of the box:



The contents of the box:


I did purchase the motor parts, and so this is what they look like in their packaging:


Construction was broken into three initial stages (not including adding the motor). This is what I had after stage one:


Progress after stage two:


This is where is gets complicated! I finished the set, but then decided I would install the motor system, but before I did that, I took photos just of the engine part of the train, as to document it without the motor. So, here's the engine without the motor (which is how it would look in its completed form):





Then, here is the engine once I have installed the motor. It should be noted that adding the motor meant that some parts had to be removed completely. I have provided a photo of those below, too.




So, here is the completed set, with track and minifigures etc, with the motor installed:











Close-ups of the minifigures, front and back (I know, I forgot the back of the engineer!):










The lady has two expressions; this is the second one:


I would give this set five out of five. I think it is a really fun set which captures the spirit of the season well. The train has festive decor along the sides of it; the bench has snow around it and the lamp post has a wreath; there are gifts that fit into the section next to the Christmas Tree; the Christmas Tree itself actually turns when the train is moving (via a cog attached to the wheels); and the minifigures look somewhat festive with their rather warm looking cold weather gear on. While you can't see it in my photos, the track actually makes a complete circuit, so you don't have to worry about buying extra track if you just want to run it around.

While they are expensive, I do recommend purchasing the extra motor elements, as they add a lot of extra fun to the set. The speeds that the train can reach are actually quite impressive, in both forwards and backwards movements! At one point I was whirring mine around at what looked like derailment speeds, and it stayed right on course!

If you have previously bought and/or are collecting the yearly holiday range from LEGO, this is an excellent addition that really brings to life the town that has been evolving over the course of these annual releases (other sets in the range include Winter Village Toy Shop, Winter Village Bakery, Winter Village Post Office, Winter Village Cottage and the Winter Village Market).

Have a great day everyone,

Dan.

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