engineer003

Eurobricks Vassals
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About engineer003

  • Birthday 02/23/1957

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  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    Lancaster, PA

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  • Country
    United States

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  1. engineer003

    Getting back with my Lego trains after 10 years

    I currently have both 9v and the newer PF. Just realize that the old 9v metal covered track and the new plastic PF track do fit together and the PF trains can ride on both quite readily, so I would not recommend selling your 9v system outright as that is a good bit of useable track. You can also convert your 9v trains to PF as well. And on my layout I have a few 9v loops and an out and back that accommodate either trains and then the rest is PF plastic track that can only handle the PF trains, so I am not sure you have to be devoted to one or the other. And my 9 and 5 yo grandsons know exactly which trains can travel where too. It adds a bit of realism in our play sessions as if they are different gauge tracks like there used to be early on in the US with a mix of standard gauge and narrow gauge as in Maine. So we change engines to keep the trains rolling.
  2. engineer003

    Found an old 4.5 volt moc that needs to be fixed

    When you say magnets, I am assuming that you mean coupler magnets. If that is true, I just purchased a few from a seller on bricklink for cheap and they worked just fine. I have 2 train sets from the early 80's when my son was a kid and have refurbished each. I also found the build instructions in .pdf format which was helpful in identifying the missing bricks and other parts. Do you know the set numbers?
  3. engineer003

    Has Anyone tried doing an Operating Session in Lego?

    This does sound like a cool idea...and I have actually done it. I have a large (20'x40') G scale layout which I run with my 2 grandsons who are 9 and 5. As Storms26 stated, going out and buying what I can buy for G scale on the market is not the same as dealing with Lego. But I built a 16'x12' Lego layout that is 4 levels and has both PF trains and the 9 volt trains (and we actually have 2 1080's vintage battery trains), with the metal tracks (9 volt) on level 3 and 4 and the PF tracks (all plastic) on level 1 & 2. They are not all connected but it gives plenty of controllers so that we can have a rather lengthy operating session. The PF trains can be used on all levels for obvious reasons. I have all of the modular buildings except the town hall, so there is a city with a trolley, And we have several scenarios like a winter village with the Christmas train delivering gifts, a mountain town with a small lake and outdoor activities, the artic sets digging for gems that need equipment and people, a large harbor with ships and the Deep Sea sets that need supplies and shipments to send back to town, a logging scene, a rail yard with three sidings and yard buildings, cranes, and an engine shed, an airport, a small town, and 4 different train stations for the passenger service between all of these scenes. There are several other scenes and 12 separate switches, which are all manual. The manual switches require perfect timing and requires us to move around the layout. We have a reversing loop in 9 volt track that is very challenging for the boys to handle as the change in direction has to be timed perfectly so the train continues to move on its way. I have the Op clock on the wall for the G scale layout and we use that for the Op session. We have plenty of fun, plenty of late trains, plenty of switching of cars, and some crashes too. I have collected all of this over the past 25 years, and the Lego layout actually replaced part of an older HO layout, some of which still exists and connects to the Lego layout. To make it really fun, we also include the HO trains at times to transfer between railroads and pretend we are going between scales like the old 2 foot gauge that is still used up in Maine, etc. and standard gauge trains. The Op session includes working the different scenes, like deep diving in the harbor, loading and unloading ships, logging logs, etc. So it is not only moving freight and people, it includes working the scenes too.
  4. engineer003

    What Modular Should I Buy?

    If money was what kept you from buying in the first place, then buying one of the mods that are still sold will be a great deal cheaper than the ones that have been retired. Go to the Lego webpage and look at the mods on there.
  5. engineer003

    Lego train track round the walls of a room

    I have used Armstrong drop ceilings and cut to fit as a ballast, and angle the edges. It is a sound absorbing material and the white side down will look nice too. I repaint the white side after I am done cutting and fitting.
  6. engineer003

    New basement layout

    Very nice! I would love to see this again when your good bridge and trains are back. Keep on trainin'!
  7. If you can't go out anymore....go up! Add on a deck or two and have tunnels and more building space. My layout is 3 decks high with trains and buildings on all 3 decks. And from the pics you have wall space for a shelf deck(s) as well supported by wall brackets.
  8. engineer003

    Unbuilt Set Backlog...

    All my sets are built and running (if trains), I just cannot afford more right now. I would be thrilled to build any sets that anyone have stored away. Lego should not be stored in a box, but proudly displayed and admired.
  9. engineer003

    A loop layout used all curve tracks

    For your table size issue, put a right sized piece of plywood on your table. When you need the table remove the plywood. If you don't want to remove the track, use some small screws and attach the track with them.
  10. engineer003

    What got you into lego trains!

    TRAINS!!!! I have had trains for as long as I can remember. I am now 58 and got my first train set when I was a child of about 8 years old or so. I have 3 brothers and we all played with and built layouts. After marrying my beautiful wife and having our children, the oldest a boy, I continued with trains with him. I have a large HO train set that we have moved all over the country as we transferred for my job. When we were in LA we had a large G scale layout outside, which is now in our basement. And I continued the Lego tradition with my son and now our 2 grandsons. Besides the HO and G scale layouts, we have a large 10 train Lego layout as well with all of the modular too. The basement is full of trains!! there is a Lego layout in one of our extra bed rooms, and there is a very large bag of Duplo trains in our family room. So when the boys come to visit, they choose which floor to play with the trains, and then we build for hours. The grandsons are 8 and 4 and love to visit and stay with Grandpa and Mom Mom. Our oldest (and still running] Lego train is from 1982, back when battery power was the norm. Oh, and as I am an electrical engineer, all of the layouts are electronic and run including the Lego layout.
  11. engineer003

    Rail corrosion

    That looks similar to the old three rail Lionel track after it 'aged'. A little very fine steel wool and a little elbow grease and it should be useable again. Do not use sandpaper as you will ruin the track! I cleaned my father's childhood Lionel train set like that and I have been running them for over 40 years. Good luck.
  12. engineer003

    Detective's Office question

    The number of bags is shown on the instruction books.
  13. I too have had the same problem with both these trains as well as other sets...like the Red Barron's Fokker Tri-plane. My wife, a scrap booker, suggested two solutions depending on the problem. I have stickers that have been applied but cracked over time, and I have unapplied stickers that have lost their stickiness. For already applied stickers I use a clear scrap booking tape that works well but you have to be careful on trimming the tape away. On new stickers I use a clear scrap booking glue that works great and does not show. As I am on vacation I cannot give you the brands and details, but these are available at any craft store like Michael's or AC Moore. I will post the details when I return home.
  14. engineer003

    Lego Room Build

    Wonderful room and layout. Who is the second chair for?
  15. I have the advantage of finishing my own basement which is loaded with trains...Lego, HO, G Scale, and Z scale. I was fortunate enough to have forethought 18 years ago as I was laying the room out to think of growth and the need for storage. So I included 4 faux windows in the walls that I can store trains of the Lego, and HO size. The I built shelves for the G scale trains, and added a ceiling height shelf for 'show' trains. I hope this helps. And see the pic. Here is a pic of the G room with shelves...I too saw cut grooves for 'track' to save money.