Hello :)

I'm presenting my very first train MOC try. I'll try yo post some photos soon. As a Technic head I have kinda limited System bricks'n'plates and did the LDD file after the actual build.

Please share your advices on what to remove/cleanup/edit so it becomes a decent diesel. My thoughts are that it's kinda short when compared to the Maersk and the BNSF(which I do not have; actually I recently got the Consitution Case and it's my only train set).

Cheers :)

I'm afraid t say I can't give much advice on trains, lego or otherwise (I also only have the Constitution), but I can say I like it. It looks futuristic and I'm not sure why...

Welcome aboard. Yes, although it doesn't look like any specific train, the model definitely has a strong "TRAIN" feel to it with interesting features all over. The two suggestions that come to mind are, first, the robot arms sticking out of the side. It looks like those are to hold a hand rail like on the Maersk train or BNSF, right? On a real train those are the hand rails for the running boards. But the body of this train goes out to the edge of the frame (presumably with the walkway inside, like some trains). If so, then I'd suggest removing those robot arms and maybe replace them with vertical hand grips near the front and rear to help the crew up and down the steps on the ends. Second, the color scheme seems a little disjoint. Railroads tend to go either for flashy with lots of colors or utilitarian with few colors. So if you built it mostly in black it would look more the latter, or if you found a way to bring a deliberate, well defined color change in then it would look more like the former. It sounds like you built it first then rendered it. So in this case, perhaps just repainting the virtual model.

In any event, looking good.

Thank you for the comment :) Yes, the robot arms are for rigid hose like on the BNSF. The sides are not on the edge, but it's not clear from the rend. And yes, I built it and then port it into LDD.

I am very new to trains and color was the last thought. Currently it's a composition with 3 wagons that I think "look about right" and nothing IRL-close. We're coming with an expo here in Bulgaria and there's not much time for photos, but I promise I'll do :)

Zephyr, it looks like a 4wide train on top of a 6wide chassis

Since it's 9V you don't have to hide the ugly batterybox/IR reciever, so there's no need for the 6178 trick

You can use doors/hatches and make a decent (fake) motor

Nice train anyway, looks very LEGO'ish. My kinda style

Nice job! Did you base it on an actual train?

Personally, with a few color and detail changes, this looks like something that could have been in THE LEGO MOVIE. Part of the police force vehicles perhaps. I like it.

...Since it's 9V you don't have to hide the ugly batterybox/IR reciever, so there's no need for the 6178 trick You can use doors/hatches and make a decent (fake) motor Nice train anyway, looks very LEGO'ish. My kinda style

Thank you very much. It's not a 9V train - that came with the transfer from LDD to MLCad for the rend and since I'm not familiar with the latter it stuck that way. The LEGO-ish look was what I was aiming for.

Nice job! Did you base it on an actual train?

If we count actual LEGO trains - yes. Other ways - not even close to a real one. After comparing it with the Maersk, BNSF and even the Santa Fe I feel that mine is a really short train - will work on that. Scale-wise in the city it looks even worse:

Personally, with a few color and detail changes, this looks like something that could have been in THE LEGO MOVIE. Part of the police force vehicles perhaps. I like it.

Still hadn't time to watch TLM. I hear it's great, so thanks for the compliment :)

Edited May 31, 201410 yr by Akeyzerr

And some photos. Better late than ever? The composition now has a sort of a "B Unit" with a regular battery box and the whole thing has the juice to pull all the locos I've built - only 5 at the moment.

The "B Unit" Is not quite the design of the "A Unit" but I doubt that this will be fixed in the near future. The cargo wagons could've been a bit longer, but then it would be only one wagon due to shortage of parts and not wanting to wait for an order.

I see you switched it from 9V to PF, but it still looks great. I like your wagons to, the whole train has a very futuristic feel to it.

I like it! Although, I'd like to chip in a few suggestions ;).

Please note that is simply my opinion, and can be dismissed if you like...

I'm not sure how I like the rear end compared to the front. Most of the train is pretty square-ish, but the rear end feels very rounded. Perhaps you can match the A-unit rear end to the B-unit's ends? That will tie them together nicely!

Getting into the scale of your model, here's another thought. How about turning it into a shunter? Shunters are usually smaller than the big loco's, so it plays into the size of your loco. I could also imagine making it a double cab, one at each end. You would have to fit the battery box and IR receiver into your loco though, which is a challenge but I think that can be sorted.

In any case I love the train you've made! There is a certain "feel" to the loco that is shared by the B-unit and the carriages. I love the carriages a lot, and part of me want to take styling elements from them, but I am going for a very different look...

I see you switched it from 9V to PF, but it still looks great. I like your wagons to, the whole train has a very futuristic feel to it.

It never was a 9V. Just couldn't find the PF bogie in MLcad for the rendering.

I like it! Although, I'd like to chip in a few suggestions ;).

Please note that is simply my opinion, and can be dismissed if you like...

I'm not sure how I like the rear end compared to the front. Most of the train is pretty square-ish, but the rear end feels very rounded. Perhaps you can match the A-unit rear end to the B-unit's ends? That will tie them together nicely!

Getting into the scale of your model, here's another thought. How about turning it into a shunter? Shunters are usually smaller than the big loco's, so it plays into the size of your loco. I could also imagine making it a double cab, one at each end. You would have to fit the battery box and IR receiver into your loco though, which is a challenge but I think that can be sorted.

In any case I love the train you've made! There is a certain "feel" to the loco that is shared by the B-unit and the carriages. I love the carriages a lot, and part of me want to take styling elements from them, but I am going for a very different look...

Thanks for the feedback.

The B unit has sufficed few days ago and its ends match the loco's, not the other way around. I began with the roof for a cargo wagon but "hey, can I stick a battery box inside and motorize it" thought crossed my mind and it came to be the B unit that look nothing like the A unit. Then I added the ends to resemble the A unit at least in that element.

Unfortunately I dismantled the shooting place and I cannot snap a side view of the loco - it has a front to back line that I really like and it doesn't show on these photos.

As far as a double cab - that was the original idea, but I found out that I don't have the parts for 2 cabs :D I'm "working" on the idea that would make the loco a bit longer - and that's a good thing.

Like I said earlier - I'm reeeeeealy new to trains and don't know exactly what exactly is the difference between a locomotive and a shunter.

The carriages were made using the rule "work with what I have, parts-wise". What elements would you kick out?

Woah thats awesome! I love the toxic color combo and futuristic look.

No problem ;).

A shunter is basically a small locomotive used on yards and such. Its job is to move carriages about whenever a big locomotive makes no sense.

Here is a like to my class 08-inspired model: http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=98197

What elements would I kick out when I make carriages for my shunter? Tough question! I think I will try and stick to a 1980's British theme, and I'm very interested in passenger transport. Your models have a futuristic vibe to them I think? I'm finding it hard to put my finger on specific elements ;).