Brickworld Chicago 2016 Train Activities

[BMW]

Hey... its time to start thinking about Brickworld Chicago again !

We are pulling together the Train Enthusiast activities for this year and would like to get everyone's input. Please respond with your interest in the following ideas ... or if there is something else we should include. If you wish to contribute to a presentation, please speak up too :-)

- BMW

- Train Roundtable - This is a train community meeting without a fixed agenda. Anyone can bring up a train question or topic for discussion. We have had this in the past and could bring it back. We talk about whatever anyone wants.

- Presentation: Building Bridges - Ideas for ramps and elevating train track. This ranges from the simple/cost efficient approaches to lessons learned for spanning long distances.

- Presentation: Designing Lego Train Yards - Have a group discussion on types of yards and lessons learned about implementing in Lego. Discussion of cutting turnouts possibly too.

- Presentation: Train Set Modifications - Panel discussion of how to make something different from an existing Lego train set. Like what Benn C. did with his instructions to build the ConRail Diesel from 60052.

- Train Set Draft - We did this once before where everyone brings a particular set. Maybe 40138: Christmas Train, or 31045: Creator Tugboat, or 31044 Creator Dog & Duck ?

- Special Guided Tour of the Illinois Railway Museum - America’s Largest Railway Museum! ( http://www.irm.org/ ) Would you like to join a group walking tour just for AFOLs. With enough participants I can arrange to get us into normally locked equipment and sheds. How would you feel about doing it Wednesday June 15th in the morning?

[SavaTheAggie]

I hosted one or two talks last year, I can't think of any to do this year, nothing that would last longer than 5 minutes anyway.

Train Roundtable - I'm always interested in that one.

Bridges - I would probably go to that. I'd love to figure out a way to get my trestle bridge module to Brickworld someday, but it's just so big and we always bring so much other stuff.

Train yards - I could be up for that, especially for ideas regarding getting non standard switch placement to line up to standard track lanes.

Train set modifications - I would probably skip this one, but that doesn't mean it's a bad topic.

Draft - I'm 50/50.

Museum - if we can get in town in time. What time in the morning?

--Tony

[legoman666]

I might be convinced to do one about electronics if people are interested.

[CrispyBassist]

I'd be interested in the roundtable, bridges, and yards session as well as the IRM visit (depending on timing of that). As Tony mentioned, the set modifications isn't a bad topic, I just tend to stick with MOCs over sets.

[pirzyk]

I would be interested in most of these items with the Roundtable or Bridge building being my top choices.

[BMW]

I might be convinced to do one about electronics if people are interested.

Thanks. What sort of electronics do you have in mind? Like lighting with LEDs... DCC?

Bridges - I would probably go to that. I'd love to figure out a way to get my trestle bridge module to Brickworld someday, but it's just so big and we always bring so much other stuff.

Train yards - I could be up for that, especially for ideas regarding getting non standard switch placement to line up to standard track lanes.

Museum - if we can get in town in time. What time in the morning?

Tony - If we do the ITM Group Tour it would likely start at 10am when they open.

As for the talks - Actually you have plenty of experience building yards. Would you want to host this talk? You could do it solo, or include others. The Bridge talk would be great if you can bring the trestle bridge. I have a bridge I'll bring and maybe we can get a few others to bring theirs.

- BMW

[legoman666]

You sent me a PM and I replied but never heard back: Custom power pick-ups, dc-dc converters, home made Bluetooth controllers, track power/battery hybrids. Super capacitor backups.

Stuff like that.

[BMW]

You sent me a PM and I replied but never heard back: Custom power pick-ups, dc-dc converters, home made Bluetooth controllers, track power/battery hybrids. Super capacitor backups.

Hey this sounds great. Yes I'd love to see a talk on these topics. Are you using the S-Brick to drive trains. I saw this at a show recently and think a lot of people would be interested in driving their trains via cellphone. Especially with additional channels to control lights, decoupling, etc.

- BMW