Take The Train: Lian Li PC-CK101, Built, Tested, And...Driven?

Packaging And Contents

Although the retail package appears surprisingly compact, it does contain everything you'll need (even plenty of Taiwanese air; there's quite a bit of space left inside). It quickly becomes apparent that this train is a rather small descendant of the awe-inspiring steam locomotives of yore.

The packaging material is not crumbly Styrofoam, but rather polyurethane and cardboard. That means you don't have to vacuum up tiny foam fragments off of the floor after you unpack this train's components. Apart from the packaging material, we find one 20”-long track segment, a thin user guide in leaflet form, plenty of screws, some rubber gaskets for installing the hard drive, a mounting bracket for the train, and even a small piezo speaker.

The train, composed of the locomotive and the tender, comes already assembled. Extra parts come in small plastic bags, making sure that they stay in pristine, dust-free condition during storage and shipping.

As far as packaging and accessories are concerned, this case is like any other enclosure. Well, almost. Because there are several protruding parts, I had to take extra care that it didn't get scratched up during assembly.

I discovered that laying this platform down on a duvet or pillow makes handling a little easier. Even after building this thing up and tearing it back down three times, there's not a single scratch on its powder-coated black surface or acrylic windows. Why did we build it so many times? I tried two different motherboards and the motor kit, requiring some major changes to our parts list. But let’s not jump too far ahead of ourselves. First, a discussion about that unique power supply.

  • Trueno07
    I am so jealous right now, this looked like it was a blast to put together!
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  • slomo4sho
    I am surprised you didn't use the model with the moving train!
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  • bit_user
    Not the first time I've seen it, but I still think this case is just an exercise in sheer ridiculousness.

    But since the PC era is coming to an end, who can blame Lian Li for having a little fun while they still can?
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  • edogawa
    This thing is so awesome...if it wasn't for the noise I would get one...I love trains...
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  • ASHISH65
    awesome! i want to drive that train
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  • JOSHSKORN
    The Little Engine That Could...
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  • g-unit1111
    *Ozzy Osbourne Voice* ALL ABOARD!!! HA HA HA HA....
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  • bambiboom
    Just brilliant. Finally, a computer case with a bit of style suitable for grownups.

    Taking the mobile computing theme further, and addressing the limitations on computing power, if you had a Dell Precision M6600 or 6700 laptop with a broken screen, how about mounting the components, motherboard , PSU, batteries, drives, Wifi and all? Then, there could be an i7 CPU and a Quadro 4000M, all very quiet and still getting more air than it's used to. And, appropriately, no power cord!

    The idea of a serious, self- propelled workstation steam train model seems the best use possible of this fantastic enclosure idea. That the computer is itself the game is on the borderline of being art.

    And congratulations to Igor Wallossek for an excellent description of something so wonderfully out of the ordinary.
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  • shikamaru31789
    I remember when I first saw this on Newegg. I thought I'd lost my mind for a moment. It's definitely a unique case.
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  • ojas
    Tom's Hardware's German team has a lot of fun, i can see :D

    Really enjoyable read, Igor! Also got to know about that Gigabyte wireless streamer, should prove useful!

    Nice house btw :)
    Reply