“The Blue Comet” Lionel 400E by Alex Dixon

About “The Blue Comet” Lionel 400E by Alex Dixon

The Blue Comet - Lionel's well-known and beloved 1930s train set was designed after the Central Railroad of New Jersey's train of the same name. With bright colors chosen to match the blue sea and sandy beaches, it was a perfectly colorful subject for Lionel's next hit toy! While many variations exist, the most iconic toy set was headed by Lionel's top-of-the-line 400E locomotive.

This LEGO model is designed to replicate later editions of the 400E with the red wheel and nickel trim specifications. The model is comprised entirely of official LEGO pieces, with the exception of custom-printed stickers. A Powered-Up hub delivers power to the large driving wheels and the working headlight. Each car has a small technic switch on the roof that can be flipped to activate a light brick inside - illuminating them with a warm, yellow glow.

There were many exceptionally fun sections to design within this model! The cylindrical portion of the tender has a convoluted support structure inside in order to achieve all sorts of half-plate offsets with studs on every side. Designing that was like putting together a puzzle! I also am quite fond of the small lavatories. In order to verify their count and locations within the cars, I called someone who owned an original 400E Blue Comet set. He shared all sorts of detailed tidbits that made the process extra fun!

To see a video of the LEGO Blue Comet in operation, please visit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WA5wvyf44hw&ab_channel=TrainofThoughtLEGOBrickCreations