LEGO Trains 2022

[M_slug357]

@Toastie the main rod & side rod are connected using the new 3L frictionless pin: https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=77765&name=Technic, Pin 3L without Friction Ridges with Stop&category=[Technic, Pin]#T=C&C=86 

Its hard to tell from the photos’ angle, but its just a #1 connector overlapping the #2 for the conn rod.

[Toastie]

33 minutes ago, M_slug357 said:

but its just a #1 connector overlapping the #2 for the conn rod

Thanks for the link! Did not know that part. Much appreciated!

Yes, apparently both connectors are then attached to the wheel with that 3L pin. But how do you crank the shaft then to see the mesmerizing motion of a steam engine? Doesn't this setup bolt everything into place?

Regards,
Thorsten

[M_slug357]

 magic 

7 minutes ago, M_slug357 said:

…Theory, what if TLG reuses this giant steam wheel mold to do an upscaled rendition of 7750…? If you do the math, the Galaxy Explorer was upscaled by a factor of 1.5 times— and the roughly 4s diameter of a standard L driver upscaled by 1.5 would equal roughly 6s diameter…! The only drawback being the set would also be rendered in the 10 wide scale that the HP set uses, although still articulated (like the original) in order to navigate r40 curves…?

Had a wild thought in the other thread, figured I’d repost it here

[Toastie]

40 minutes ago, M_slug357 said:

 magic 

Ahhh - of course! As with the non-pivoting bogies. I totally forgot - magic. Yes. That's it!

Best,
Thorsten

[Feuer Zug]

All I need to know is it is LEGO. This beast is getting modified to fit on regular track, a XL motor stuffed in the boiler, and some work to make it go around curves. I'm going to have a lot of spare wheels once I put the carriage onto roller bearings. Maybe I'll recoup my costs by hawking the minifigs too :)

[Ondra]

Its not train at all its just prized HP statue.

Easy pass, nothing that I can use anywhere...

[Murdoch17]

2 hours ago, Feuer Zug said:

All I need to know is it is LEGO. This beast is getting modified to fit on regular track, a XL motor stuffed in the boiler, and some work to make it go around curves. I'm going to have a lot of spare wheels once I put the carriage onto roller bearings. Maybe I'll recoup my costs by hawking the minifigs too :)

I would love to think this would work, but it would require a literal complete redesign from tracks up, with a ton of parts being not used. (Probably) Nothing recognizable as being from original set would be left by the time you got it done.

If you DID manage to pull it off, make instructions for the rest of unwashed masses trying to figure out a good Hall loco. 

[ivanlan9]

Standard disclaimer:  I'm not a fan of steam.

But I still bought & enjoyed Emerald Night, and wish I'd bought three instead of only one.  Missed out, regretted it ever since.

I was hoping for an upgraded EN, but instead, we get--a big sneer.  I will now officially give up hope that TLG will listen to us.  They haven't, they don't, and this is TLG saying clearly, "We will NEVER listen to train fans again. There is no profit in it."

Buy one?  Hell no.  Would I take it if someone gave it to me?  Yes.  Spend my own money on it?  Not a cent.

Too bad.

[Djmojo]

A thread on legoleak on reddit shows pictures of the undercarriage. This seems like an easy process og converting it to lego tracks, getting it around the corners on the other hand.. 😅

[Toastie]

14 minutes ago, Djmojo said:

This seems like an easy process og converting it to lego tracks, getting it around the corners on the other hand..

Well, this may be leading to a new discipline: Linear shunting.

Thorsten

[Murdoch17]

2 hours ago, Toastie said:

Well, this may be leading to a new discipline: Linear shunting.

Thorsten

There is a prototype for everything!

Push-polls were wooden beams placed between an locomotive and a freight car set on a adjacent parallel track. As the engine moved, it pushed the car along. Woe betide the poor soul who was nearby when it fell out of position, (normal operations allowed for this, as when the engine stopped, the car didn't and the pole fell down as a result of the widening gap.) as getting feet slammed into with a heavy oaken timber 5 inches across and 12 feet long would lose you your foot. Hopefully you wouldn't be nearby when it wouldn't violently splinter while under strain, otherwise you just became swiss cheese. (this wasn't that infrequent, but was NOT normal!) Push pole pockets are the dimples on the corners of period US locomotives and freight cars for use with the poles, an example of which is seen below from Wikipedia:

The "Poling" practice started around 1870, and was outlawed around the time steam finally gave up the ghost here in America, so the mid-1960's.

So, again "linear shunting" has been done before @Toastie!

Edited August 11, 2022 by Murdoch17

[M_slug357]

@Djmojo Thanks for pointing that gallery out!

The wheelbase in general is frustrating to comprehend considering that its actually built in 4 studs wide but then pushed up to 5 studs wide via 1/2 bushing pieces… but, like why though?

[Daedalus304]

1 hour ago, M_slug357 said:

@Djmojo Thanks for pointing that gallery out!

The wheelbase in general is frustrating to comprehend considering that its actually built in 4 studs wide but then pushed up to 5 studs wide via 1/2 bushing pieces… but, like why though?

To make it clear that the engine was not designed to run on LEGO's track, and that if you want it to do so it's going to take modifications. 

The XXXL drivers it comes with will certainly not make it through LEGO's tight r40 curves. If the engine is not compatible with their track system (and, even discounting the gauge, it's not), then making the deliberate choice to completely sidestep this incompatible similar product is the smart thing to do for them.

[samsz_3]

Quote from the designer, Marcos Bessa on his Instagram in a reply to a comment

"...I wonder at any point in the design process, did you consider making it slightly smaller and to be compatible with Lego train track?..."

"quite early we’ve decided we wanted a different experience than the play theme version of the train, that we still have in the assortment. Besides, doing a steam train bigger than the ones we’ve done, but keeping the “big wheels” small enough to work with our tracks means doing it in the scale we’ve done before. You can’t really make bigger wheels and still have the engine run on all our types of curved tracks."

[Toastie]

1 hour ago, samsz_3 said:

" [...] and still have the engine run on all our types of curved tracks."

Huh? All our types? What does he mean, the R40's, i.e. 4.5V same as 12V, which have the same radius as 9V same as RC same as PF?

Maybe he includes the roller coaster rails?

PF runs on 9V, 12V on 4.5V, RC on 12V, 4.5V on PF, 9V on 12V, RC on 12V, and now we do it with the Crocodile: All together: The - Crocodile - runs - on - 12V ...

BUT this one. And done in a quite early decision: No, not for trains folks, this is for others. You go and play with the cool high-speed and cargo trains we made for you.

Oh well, yes, we said it before but ...

Best,
Thorsten 

[supertruper1988]

I mean that is kind of true. A long wheelbase FBF of even XL wheels will struggle on R40.

[GoHabsGo]

Definitively not a train for train fans :(

Good news for my wallet

 

[dr_spock]

Running through switches can also be problematic.  Although there is a particular audience out there at train shows that enjoys seeing derailments and crashes.

[legotownlinz]

I can't believe the Hogwarts Express is not compatible with train tracks. I felt so certain we get a new AFOL train set, now I'm deeply disappointed.

[*thomas*]

16 hours ago, samsz_3 said:

Quote from the designer, Marcos Bessa on his Instagram in a reply to a comment

"...I wonder at any point in the design process, did you consider making it slightly smaller and to be compatible with Lego train track?..."

"quite early we’ve decided we wanted a different experience than the play theme version of the train, that we still have in the assortment. Besides, doing a steam train bigger than the ones we’ve done, but keeping the “big wheels” small enough to work with our tracks means doing it in the scale we’ve done before. You can’t really make bigger wheels and still have the engine run on all our types of curved tracks."

As others have said/predicted: the design was never going to be aimed at train-fans.

The 'wheel-story' is utter BS. AFAIK, LEGO has used many different wheel sizes to run on ALL their train track since the 60s. 

[Daedalus304]

19 minutes ago, *thomas* said:

The 'wheel-story' is utter BS. AFAIK, LEGO has used many different wheel sizes to run on ALL their train track since the 60s. 

It's true, though. Wheels this large require a spacing far enough apart that the wheelbase is too long to fit through an r40 curve, and especially too long for an r40 switch.

For even the Emerald Night drivers, spacing the flanged drivers for a wheelbase longer than about 14 studs starts to run into issues. The larger the driver, the sooner this becomes a problem - and this Hogwarts Express has a driver wheelbase about 16 studs long with drivers larger than even third parties produce right now. 

An engine with 4 of these drivers (close enough together) could probably deal with r40 just fine. A 6-driver loco like the Hogwarts Express... Probably not!

[KaiW]

By the way, this will actually run on G scale track (at least if you add pivoting points on the whole train). 5 studs inbetween the wheels works well on 45mm tracks, at least G scale, the flanges might be too high for proper gauge 1 tracks that have 45mm as well. It is even designed in 1:32 scale, like gauge 1. My BlueBricks BR89 works very well on my LGB garden railway with track width expanded to 5 studs (easy mod).

However, 500€ is simply too much.

BR

Kai

[Toastie]

1 minute ago, KaiW said:

My BlueBricks BR89 works very well on my LGB garden railway

Nice!!! Another BB BR89 - I really do love my copy. Did some more elaborate tinkering of the chassis (e.g., split center axis, all 6 wheels flanged) - it does negotiate R40's and switch point well. However is doesn't have the XXXL wheels of course and: It does not like flex-track that much (the inner guard rail).

So I really can imagine, how nice it must run on LGB rails! Very cool!

Best wishes,
Thorsten

[Big_Daddy]

Just out of curiousity, does BlueBrixx have good quality pieces? I'm looking into Lego trains again after saying my Dark Ages goodbye, but with Star Wars as my main focus that is a bit difficult money-wise (I'm REALLY sorry about missing the Emerald Night!). 

And what are LGB rails?

[Toastie]

1 hour ago, Big_Daddy said:

Just out of curiousity, does BlueBrixx have good quality pieces?

Well I guess this is not the place to discuss "third party" pieces, but much has been said already here as well as in the Community forum, there is a dedicated BB thread.

I'd put it that way: As long as you are willing to swap a couple of pieces with TLG stuff (this is what I do, when things happen) then you should really give it a try. Begin with something that has clear lines - and do not go right away for a Big Boy type steamer. Then make up your mind.

I did that, and yes they have a program that large, that I'm always thinking to myself: How on Earth do these people make any money? Because apparently it is soooo difficult to have that many sets available at one time - and even more mysterious: In the absolute negligible niche called "Trains".

Hmm. Is it maybe that TLG has too many lawyers to pay? Or marketing folks? Oh well, who knows.

All the best,
Thorsten