It’s that time of year again, train lovers! You’ve waited, you’ve wondered, you’ve heard the rumors and maybe even seen the leaked photos–and now they are confirmed! Once again, you’ll be able add a (sort of) brand new LEGO train set to your diorama (or dioramas) this summer! Coming (very) soon to stores–it’s the LEGO City Heavy Haul Train 60098! But as much as I like this red train, it’s giving me a little case of deja vu…

Photos began to leak out of a red cargo train set way back in the winter, and LEGO Train collectors have been waiting ever since for that set to be officially announced as a reality. And today, that time has come! But while I’m always glad to see a heavily-demanded new LEGO set revealed, I’m a little disappointed with the selection of the Heavy-Haul Train.

This set basically looks like a better-looking remake of the 7939 Cargo Train set that was released back in 2012. Now, the decals and red color definitely make this Heavy Haul Train more attractive than its predecessor, but it is sort of disappointing to see what’s essentially the same train making a return appearance just three years later (and likely with a much higher price tag).

If you already have the LEGO Cargo Train 7939, then you may decide that this year’s new version of the train isn’t worth the big wad of cash that it’s certain to cost. Personally, I much prefer the red color of this new Heavy Haul Train iteration.

My favorite part of this set, however, isn’t the train at all–it’s this super-cool crane with working winch! I love it when construction vehicles and trains can interact like this! The set also includes a brick-built bulldozer, which I have plenty of already, but don’t mind having as an inclusion here.

Seeing the set’s number (60098) emblazoned on the side of the train really makes me smile. I don’t buy all the trains (believe it or not), so I don’t know if this is a regular practice, but it’s a really fun detail no matter what.

At the moment, no official price-point has been announced for the 60098 LEGO Heavy-Haul Train set. However, seeing as how last year’s 60052 Cargo Train sold for $199.99 and contained 888 pieces, I think we can reasonably expect that this year’s LEGO 60098 train set (which contains 984 pieces) will sell for $200 (but hopefully not any higher).

$150-$200 for a 984 piece set obviously does not look like a good value (at all), but normal valuation rules don’t really apply for train sets. I’ll post an update when we know more (or anything, really) about the official MSRP for this set. Stay tuned.

The 60098 Heavy Haul Train LEGO City Summer 2015 set is scheduled to be released by June/July 2015 on the online LEGO Shop and in official branded LEGO Stores. As this set was not announced or displayed at the New York Toy Fair 2015 in February, I believe that it will be another train that is not sold in regular brick and mortar stores like Target, Toys R Us and so forth.

What are your thoughts on this year’s new summer 2015 LEGO Heavy Haul Train set, locomotive lovers? Is this a train that you want to have pulling into your brick-built station, or are you underwhelmed with what LEGO has churned out for train fan in 2015?