NEW MEMBERS TRAIN TECH Registry

[landam77]

Hello All. It was good that I found you. I feel less alone in my quest to build my first train lay-out for my little kid (this is an excuse - the only way my wife would not complain about spending 500 euros in a "bunch of toys"). This is in fact a wish I had since long time ago, revived since the introduction of the Maersk train.

After figuring out the train Eras and understanding that I should stick to RC and Power Functions, I am still not able to come up with a final track design. I am sure there should be a software out there that can help me, but all I could find was some old win95 programs. Anyone knows?

I am somehow attracted to the double switch, depite the high price tag. Is this useful in layouts? What about crossings (the 9v)?

Many thanks, and best regards,

Landam

[fred67]

Hello All.

Hi, landam... welcome aboard; we're glad you found us, too.

There's BlueBrick, it seems that there was a lot of support here for it, although I haven't heard much lately. It allows you to add your own "tiles," and a lot of people here have added parts (train sheds and such - I think even some modular buildings). One of the latest posts says it'll even run on Linux. So it seems kept up to date and is user expandable.

You could probably even do just tracks in LDD, but I'm not sure. I haven't had the space for anything but a simple layout, so haven't bothered looking at software for a while.

A 3D one might be cool... I am a programmer, but I have more ideas than time, unfortunately.

Edit: oh yeah... switches and crossovers are always useful; what they haven't made for PF trains you can use the 9V equivalent, even if they're a bit more expensive. ME Models has now been making track, too, and while it's conducting track for 9V, it's also compatible. They seem to have pretty much run out of their first batch - and haven't gotten a second batch in quite some time, but it got great reviews and I'm optimistic they'll get new inventory, hopefully new parts, too - they were working on larger radius curves, for example, but we haven't heard from them in a while.

Edited August 10, 2012 by fred67

[WesternOutlaw]

Hello All.

Hi Landam - welcome to EB and Train Tech. Hope you enjoy the forum.

[DmChylde]

Hello from Oregon! I've built with legos since my childhood thru the 80's & 90's and enjoyed the town, castle, space & train sets, thou as a child we could not really afford to have the system trains of the past, then as I entered adulthood I packed them in totes for years while I entered the dark ages and joined the workforce, and now since I have a son I've opened them back up to share in the fun of building with him some of the old & the new sets I've been buying like mad the past couple of years. I really am impressed with the progression of the new pieces, power functions,and the use of CAD software in some of the creations strewn about the interwebs. I enjoy the trains that have come out more recently the Emerald Night, Red cargo train, & The Maersk which is a special one because I got to chat with the designer Pierre Normandin at Brickcon 2011 for a few minutes. I mainly stick to the City sets & modulars now and have a couple of MOC's in progress one of I was inspired to make after attending the World's Greatest Hobby Tour this year in Portland and doing some digging on mocpages not seeing many mocs of a UP Big Jack, I'm guessing becauce of its size in releation to the BNSF or Maersk at 86 studs on my moc it looks silly on tight radius curves; it's a work in progress but wanted to share it and get some community feed back.

[twenty6twelve]

Howdy from Indiana

My story is one you've heard many times in the past - I grew up with Lego, and I can fondly recall pestering my mother for "the smaller Lego sets" by the age of 5, having only been supplied with Duplo until that point. Lo and behold on my sixth birthday I unwrapped a copy of 1821 Rally Racers and from that point on, there was no turning back. I managed to convince my parents into taking me to Legoland California's opening day and they must have been hard-pressed to coerce me to leave when the park closed.

About a decade later in 2007 I slipped into a 'dark ages' period, when school and familial responsibilities took priority and I wrestled with the notion of being in my late teens and 'still playing with toys.' I parted ways with my collection behind and moved to the other side of the country. I entertained little thought of the brand until deciding to visit the inaugural Brickworld Indy nearby to reminisce where I encountered not only many of my childhood sets, but some magnificent displays from the users of IndyLUG. Upon seeing a favorite train set being set up on the huge layout, I wound up speaking to the man setting it up - Jeramy Spurgeon, who spoke to me of the world of AFOLs, MOCs and the like. I was fascinated by the concept, but life dictated my time spent elsewhere.

Bumbling around the internet a few months ago I came across the latest entry in the modular building series and fell in love, deciding that it was time to try a new perspective as a young adult and return to the hobby. Trains have always been a passion of mine both in the steel and in the brick - my first train set was 4565 and it quickly became the centerpiece of my childhood town setup. I ended up getting the Metroliner as well - probably one of the sets I miss the most.

My collection as an AFOL thus far only includes the seven modular buildings, but I'm currently tossing around a few ideas for designing a narrow gauge locomotive and train inspired by the works of late cartoonist Rowland Emett, which once complete will be Bricklinked and my first MOC as an adult:

As a bonus, have some images circa 2000 of a childhood creation which, although crude, should be recognizable.

<br class="Apple-interchange-newline">

...I'm guessing becauce of its size in releation to the BNSF or Maersk at 86 studs on my moc it looks silly on tight radius curves...

Nevermind that - most creations do. Your design is gorgeous though - I'd love to see it built!

[WesternOutlaw]

Hello from Oregon!

Welcome DmChylde. I'm glad you took some time to introduce yourself here on EB/Train Tech. Your UP Big Jack is most impressive. I bet it looks fantastic on a large layout with lots of straights. One would certainly need the space to run Big Jack. Great build and again, welcome!

Howdy from Indiana

Hi Sixoh. Welcome! If one were to collect any LEGO on a limited basis, I would recommend the Modulars and Trains. Great AFOL-oriented sets. Hope you enjoy the forum.

EDIT: Oh, and the front-end of your "Emett Loco" looks fantastic. I look forward to seeing it built.

[Pulsar]

Hey y'all!

I suppose my first post should be an introduction :) I'm Pulsar, 29 years old, living in Holland but originally from Belgium. I'm here because i found out about the Power Functions trains last week, and i'm hooked again...

As a kid i had a 7715 lego train, the hand model without an engine. Parents didn't have the money for an electric type, so i always dreamed of the 7745 model, but never got one. As a college student, about 10 years ago, i suddenly realised i made my own money now so i could probably buy the old trains i always wanted. Everyone was into 9v by then, but i liked 12v better. Electric switches, stoplights, things to seperate a car, 9v had none of that. In no time i had a 7745, 7725, two 7755s, a 7760, and of course my old 7715 was now motorised. :D Also had a lot of rolling stock, all 12v era of course. Most my trains had the crazy rare Belgian style stickers too, i was very proud of that. Nearly all trains have the German kind. I had a ton of tracks, lights, switches and stuff, and 4 trafo's to control the seperate parts.

Then i ran out of space (small student room), i got upset with having to clean the tracks all the time, and i needed money to fund other hobbys. I was also tired of having to come up with impossible track divisions to allow me to run seperate trains. The controls were just too limited. I want to control my trains, not my tracks. The trains ended up on top of the wardrobe, and stayed there for years. I sold a lot of my "new" stuff, except for the 7745 and one of the 7755s. Also sold a LOT of the old grey tracks. Needless to say i'm still slapping myself for that. I'm never going to find a 7725 with full Belgian stickers again... :(

Anyway, last week, i was in a toy store, and saw an impossibly big lego box. Yellow cargo train, extra tracks, extra switches, train station ... and ... a remote? o.O Really? This suggested we can now run individual trains! Could it be? I went home, fired up the old internet, and found out my suspicions were actually true. Of course i ran back to the store to buy the box! The 7939 is now behind me, running circles on a new type of track. :D

I immediately began planning ahead. Right now my track is in the living room, on the floor. Not the best place to trip over, and i need to take it apart all the time. Ineed a more permanent solution. I'm planning to move closer to my job somewhere in the next 6 months, and luckily i have a girlfriend who likes lego. :D (Maybe the rarest treasure of them all!) She was totally okay with the idea to make a lego room in the next house, so i'm gathering idea's here. Untill that time i'm going to test a couple of things, like how the PF trains work on 12v tracks. If they are any good, i'll probably convert the 12v trains i still have to PF, and use them on my old tracks. I'm also interested if someone has a working method to connect 12v and powerfunctions tracks together. I'll search the forums some more as i'm sure people have tried this before.

Also as a side note: i'm totally amazed at the 7939 trains detail. It's really a few steps beyond the old 12v trains. Is this just an amazing set, or are all new trains this good?

[fred67]

Hey y'all!

Hi, Pulsar... welcome to Eurobricks AND the LEGO Train Tech forum.

The cargo train is a really popular set, but you will find the greatest detail in the standalone trains (without track or power functions, which you would need to add later).

The (somewhat) recently discontinued Emerald Knight is probably the most detailed LEGO train ever sold as a set. It may be possible, if you like steam era, to get one on bricklink for a reasonable price... under $200 in the U.S., I don't know what they may be going for in Holland.

If diesel is more to your liking, then the Maersk Train is still available from LEGO. It's about on the same level as the 9V BNSF sold about 10 years ago, but with Maersk coloring and cargo cars.

[peterab]

Hey y'all!

I suppose my first post should be an introduction :) I'm Pulsar, 29 years old, living in Holland but originally from Belgium. I'm here because i found out about the Power Functions trains last week, and i'm hooked again...

... snip ...

Also as a side note: i'm totally amazed at the 7939 trains detail. It's really a few steps beyond the old 12v trains. Is this just an amazing set, or are all new trains this good?

Hi Pulsar,

While it is possible to connect 12V and PF track (you need a half stud offset between them) and convert your 12V trains to PF there are a couple of considerations which might affect the way you go. Because of the half stud offset combining the two will create problems if you want to have baseplates connected under the track (nice if you want complete scenery). The 12V wheels have much higher friction than the PF (and9V) wheels, so if you do convert you should consider changing all the wheels too.

While I do have a soft spot for the 12V (and even more 4.5V blue track) trains, I think the detail in both the 9V trains and the RC and PF trains are better. I think in general the cargo trains are better (there have been some pretty bad passenger trains) and 7939 is pretty good. 7939 has its critics but it seems mostly to be non-europeans who find the loco shape to be unfamiliar. I like both 7898 and 3677 better from a looks point of view (beware 7898 has a different, not as good, remote and motor system). Since the 12V era there have been some trains which are now considered classics like the Santa Fe and the Metroliner, I don't have either but they have many fans. The Emerald Night and Maersk trains are in a class of their own details wise, since they are exclusives to LEGO stores, and are aimed at an older audience than the normal sets.

Welcome back to LEGO trains. You should check if there is a Lego Train Club near you. I love running my trains on my clubs layout since I have to finnish renovating my house before I'll have a dedicated LEGO room

Edited September 4, 2012 by peterab

[WesternOutlaw]

Hey y'all!

Welcome Pulsar. It's great to see that you found us here on EB Train Tech. I hope you enjoy the forum and 7939.

[Bamos]

Hello everyone

My name is Bill and me and my wife are from Northern Illinois.I have been reading the forum since we got back into lego about a year ago. We had both played with Lego as kids and loved them. We got back into Lego after she found the small car set 3177 and I found the cargo train 7939 last Christmas. From there it kinda snow balled into a hobby we could both enjoy. Now the HO things that she was not that into went on Ebay and a new layout will soon replace the planned HO one.

Thanks Bill

[WesternOutlaw]

Hello everyone

Hi Bill. It's great to hear that you and the Mrs. are appreciating LEGO Trains, esp. over HO. Make sure you share a picture of your layout once completed. I have a hunch that it will be a nice one. Enjoy the forum.

[Paddyb98]

Hello everyone. My name is Pat, and I recently got back into Lego trains. I was a really big fan of HO scale trains after my friend showed me his room. (With a table mounted to his wall with two separate layouts. The coolest HO scale setup I've seen in a very long time.) I plan to get a 9v train to power my MOC's because it seems far superior.(Correct me if I'm wrong.) I am a fan of electric locos more than anything, but I like to stay open to other builds.

Thanks,

Pat.

[WesternOutlaw]

Hi Pat. Welcome to EB and to our LEGO Train community. The comparison of 9V to 12V and new PF system has been a long standing argument and while many have fought to keep 9V alive, many like the new PF system as well. I'm still an old 9V guy myself as I prefer electric track like the HO system I grew up with (plus I find it easier to slap on a 9V motor after building the train).

I'm sure you'll enjoy whichever system you choose although it sounds like 9V is the one you prefer. Hope you enjoy the forum.

[Darthluke824]

Hi all,

You have probably seen me for that last 100 posts in the Star Wars and City sub-forums. I have always liked LEGO Trains ever since a friend bought me the My Own Train Green Passenger Wagon. (10015) Many years later I got hold of the 7938 on sale in late 2010. Then for my birthday I got the rare: http://brickset.com/detail/?Set=66374-1 while visiting a friend in Holland. I then got the Emerald Night in 2011 then the Maersk Train and the Metroliner for my Birthday this year! I really hope to get lots more trains in the future and hopefully the Horizon Express as a late Christmas present.

I hope to make a new layout as I have moved house recently and have enough room. I also love making trains on LDD and I am working on a Eurostar that I will build soon.

Here are my current trains: (Minus the HE)

-Darthluke824

[DmChylde]

Hi Pat and welcome to the community! I must agree with TheBrickster on being able to slap a 9v motor on and it's ready to roll.

[Locomotive Annie]

Hello everyone, I've just realised that I forgot to introduce myself here. Ever since I was a wee kiddie I've been keen on trains and railways. I come from a railway family as many of my aunts and uncles were employed on the New Zealand Government Railways (as it was known then). My Mum worked as a porteress during the war and her father. my grandfather, was an engine driver. My other grandfather was a carpenter at the railway workshops, - so as you can see I couldn't really avoid becoming keen on trains

Lego and brick built trains are a very new thing for me as up until now I've been a scratchbuilder working in wood and card as well as with brass and steel. When I was younger I worked in finescale to 4mm scale (P4) and then later on to 'S' scale. I collected tinplate '0' gauge trains for a while and then decided to take a step up to the garden gauges working in 16mm to the foot scale. I really enjoyed working in 16mm, but after suffering a relapse with this illness I live with I found that handbuilding models was getting too difficult for me. Then I stumbled onto Bricktrix's photo album on-line and my eyes were opened. Building good and accurate railway models from Lego, - who would've thought it! In a word I was hooked

My aim is to build a layout which represents a rural station yard circa 1910 such as would have been found in the district where I live. Progress is slow at the moment, but I have made a start on building a loco and a typical passenger carriage as well as accumulating more bricks and planning out the layout. I've learned a lot from lurking around and reading everything I can on the forum and I hope to be able to contribute in my own small way once I get my hand in with building brick built railways.

[zephyr1934]

Hi Pat,

I would encourage you to explore different train systems. I like the small size of the 9v motors, but I've been very impressed with the pulling power of PF trains, the ease of not having to worry about power loss on a large loop, and the fact that PF can comfortably crawl along at a slow speed. It can be a pain to stash all of the pf components though. I'm still 80-90% 9v, but I find it is nice to have a mix. Although I've never wandered into the promised land of 12v, everything I've seen of it is golden, it was by far the most developed functionally and everyone raves about the durability of the motors.

Hi Annie

Lego is a great medium for building trains and a fun challenge to figure out how to get the detail you want without making too many compromises. Bricktrix work is fantastic. You might want to also check out the work of a similar builder, Brian Williams (he was featured in RailBricks #4).

[WesternOutlaw]

Hi all,

Hi DL and welcome to Train Tech. Looks like you've got a fine collection of LEGO Trains started. I'm looking forward to the HE as well. Perhaps we'll see it by Christmas. Hope you continue to enjoy the forum and good luck with your future layout.

Hello everyone,

Hello Annie. Good to have you join us and take a little time in introducing yourself. Sounds like you have a family history with trains - cool! LEGO Trains are fun as they provide one the opportunity to build anything - from that favorite engine to a full layout. I look forward to seeing your layout - feel free to share your progress in the forum. Enjoy!

[Gumpoleon]

Hello fellow brickers!

I'll start off with introducing myself:

• Originally built in 1976
  
• Got 1st LEGO train on my 4th birthday (blue era, push along upgraded to 4,5V)
  
• Currently working in the Danish navy
  
• Slowly clawing my way out of my dark age
  
• 1st big LEGO project in years were completed yesterday: A 2-8-4 Berkshire type loco, built after Anthony Sava's amazing instructions
  
• 2nd project is in the mock-up phase - it's the Union Pacific 844
  

And for some pics:

Berkshire:

https://fbcdn-sphoto...092399295_o.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphoto...893824912_o.jpg

I am building the 844 in a roughly 1:45 and I'm using BBB XL drivers...

This project will grind to a halt tomorrow - I am going sailing for the rest of the year...

Brick on!

[Locomotive Annie]

Hello Gumpoleon and welcome to the forum. Your Berkshire loco is magnificent and makes for a great way to have broken out of your Dark Age.

[Gumpoleon]

Thankyou very much Annie Sadly, I can't claim full credit for it - Mr. Sava did all the designwork. I did, however, put propper 3-axle trucks under the tender

[Lazarus]

wow like it would love the plans for it that would love lovely on my self with all my other trains.

[WesternOutlaw]

Hello fellow brickers!

Welcome Gumpoleon. I have moved your introduction to our Train Tech registry. Hope you enjoy the forum.

[Gumpoleon]

wow like it would love the plans for it that would love lovely on my self with all my other trains.

Sava sells the instructions in his bricklink store