WOMA C0377 Train des neiges

This set has 1,232 pieces and features a steam locomotive and tender on a section of brick-built track set in a snowy wilderness scene with brick-built trees and snowy landscaping. It’s a great aesthetic. Upon receiving the set, I unpacked the bricks, which are divided into five building stages, and the instruction book, which seemed small at first given the size of the set. It became apparent that the reason for this is that so many of the piece count goes toward building the evergreen trees in the background, which look really nice, and which requires a bit of work, but fewer discrete steps due to the repetitive nature of the trees’ construction.

The bricks used by Woma seem to be high quality, with good clutch powers. The colors are consistent, the plastics seem sturdy, and I find no fault generally with the bricks. The project begins by building the base and the track. This is not a traditional Lego-style train track, but rather a track meant for display only, built of smooth plates and L-shaped smooth plates for keeping the train in place. In fact, the train itself is primarily meant for display or for driving on a non-track surface. It cannot be placed on a traditional Lego-compatible train track at all.

The base incorporates lots of details such as weeds along the track, snow mounds, and the previously mentioned very detailed evergreen trees. I really like how the trees are designed. These are not the vaguely tree-shaped structures of our youth when we started building with bricks. My one complaint is that these trees attach to the base by only a single stud. If knocked over (which can happen easily during construction), the trees will require some reassembly as they are a bit fragile.

The train itself is a relatively simple build but still manages to look quite detailed. The prints on the pieces are all very well done. The locomotive employs modern SNOT building techniques, giving it a sleek and current appearance. It’s got a lot of special bricks typically associated with such techniques, such as curves and 2×2 bricks with studs on the sides. The result is an attractive display piece. I’ve recorded a short video showing the motion of the train. It’s got wheels attached to one another by pistons that generally move well. But as mentioned, this train is really for display primarily, as evidenced by much of the set being in the display diorama. But I suppose if one wanted to play with it no harm would be done. It’s a pretty sturdy train. This was my first Woma-branded set. I was not familiar with their brand until now. I am pleased with the overall appearance and quality of the set and if a snowy train scene is what you’re after, you’ll get a nice one with this set.