7722 - Steam Cargo Train Set

1985-1990
495 pieces, 3 minifigs

instructions
booklet, 36 pages
14.6 x 21.0 cm (A5)

4.5V Starter Set
from 6 years

In 1985, Lego introduced a third wave of new Train sets, overhauling the starter sets. Of the new starter sets, 7722 is the 4.5 Volts entry set.

A-Model

This steam engine has a unique style and looks unlike any other steam engine from the grey era. First of all, because the 4.5V motor does not have a central axle, 7722 is the only steam engine to have only 2 axles. This is covered by the smart usage of two round red 1x1 bricks at each side. The engine uses space parts in order to add some nice details. The top of the steam boiler is a mixed bag of a yellow bell, a square steam dome, a round one, and a very small chimney. At the front a 4x4 dish accentuates the round shape of the steam boiler.

The first wagon is the battery car, which was finally upgraded to the styling of the grey era, with the magnets and wheels having been changed to black. The second wagon is a flatbed car that carries two palletes of what could well be Shell fuel barrels, but without the Shell logo. The third car is a small mail wagon, adorned with the horn-and-envelope logo introduced in 1982, design-wise fully based on (and almost completely identical to the B-model of) 7819, even including the distinctive translucent red lights next to the doors on both sides of the wagon.

The set comes with a loading station with ramp, which is intended to load the mail car, a big forklift for loading the flatbed car, and a trailer that acts as a flatbed car. The track is a complete circle with a total of four straight sections, just like its predecessor, 7720. And it was the last set to include the red signal post and direction switches, first introduced in 1972...

Set 7722 was available until the end of the grey era in 1990. As such, it was the last battery operated train (besides Duplo) until the RC train technology was released in 2006.

B-Model

The B-model represents a little diesel goods train with 2 flatbed wagons and a brakeman's cab at the end, a little platform and even an alternative car design.

based with kind permission on a series of reviews by Christian Andersch; revisions, editing and additional research by Fouke Boss.