Switching from 12V system to 9V system

[hoeij]

12V is great for having a nice long cargo train running at a low speed. Its electrical resistance is about 4 times

less than that of 9V track, so you need much fewer electrical connections when you have a long loop.

But it is very time consuming to set up. Even though at our local train show I had a lot more 9V track than 12V track,

the 12V track still took about 4 times more time to set up than the 9V track (if I didn't have people helping to set

up the track, the 12V track would have had to stay at home).

[Lazarus]

I have never been a 12v man i started in the 9v error and never left. I do see the pros of 12v mostly the remove switching for turnouts is my fave. The con of the 12v error is the track is horrible very unrealistic even in lego terms.

Yes 9v most train will need 2 or more motors but you can get around this by running 9v and pf motors to save cost. (check out my new videos on how to fix a 9v motor with pf motor). I now only need to have on 9v motor in a logo paired with a PF motor, any 9v guys will know this is to save the $$$. 9v motors are costly to buy 2nd hand and even more new.

I have 7 trains at present all needing 2 motors and one needing 4 due to being 8 wide and huge brick count with loco and coaches. So that's a lot of 9v motors that's why i wanted to make away for me to save $$$ and did that by watching the above video.

With the remote switching there is ways around that also with some modding if you are upto it. I now have remote switching on my 9v turnouts with another mod you can see on my youtube channel.

Edited June 19, 2013 by Lazarus

[hoeij]

I have never been a 12v man i started in the 9v error and never left. I do see the pros of 12v mostly the remove switching for turnouts is my fave. The con of the 12v error is the track is horrible very unrealistic even in lego terms.

Yes 9v most train will need 2 or more motors but you can get around this by running 9v and pf motors to save cost. (check out my new videos on how to fix a 9v motor with pf motor). I now only need to have on 9v motor in a logo paired with a PF motor, any 9v guys will know this is to save the $$$. 9v motors are costly to buy 2nd hand and even more new.

I have 7 trains at present all needing 2 motors and one needing 4 due to being 8 wide and huge brick count with loco and coaches. So that's a lot of 9v motors that's why i wanted to make away for me to save $$$ and did that by watching the above video.

With the remote switching there is ways around that also with some modding if you are upto it. I now have remote switching on my 9v turnouts with another mod you can see on my youtube channel.

One of the 9V switches in my layout is remote-controlled (using ideas I learned from eurobricks) so 12V is not a very big advantage as far as that is concerned. For some reason I do like running trains over the 12V track though. Biggest problem is setup time.

For the 9V trains, all but one of them in my layout have only 1 motor (the Maersk has two 9V motors). They run fine (speed setting is #3 which is about 5.4 volts), the loop with the Maersk train is set at about 4.8 volts which is between settings #2 and #3 on the speed controller (I modified a 9V controller for this). I modified the wheel sets (see railbricks #2) to make them run more easily. This way the motors do not get warm.

So for 6-wide trains, 1 motor is enough for lots of trains except if they're very long.

Of course, when you build 8 wide then the weight increases dramatically, and so does the cost (in bricks, motors, etc).

[Lazarus]

I have found just recently with the trailing locos say in the horizon and the red passenger train the tecnic train wheels add a heap of drag. So i swap them to normal train wheels where i can. If i cant i remove the rubber o ring off and then remove the axcel and replace with tenic pins in each wheel removing the axcel is the key bit here long story behind it just needs to be done :-)

[hoeij]

I have found just recently with the trailing locos say in the horizon and the red passenger train the technic train wheels add a heap of drag. So i swap them to normal train wheels where i can. If i cant i remove the rubber o ring off and then remove the axcel and replace with technic pins in each wheel removing the axcel is the key bit here long story behind it just needs to be done :-)

The technic pins have a lot of drag too. The Maersk train in the video in post #26, the first engine has two 9V motors, while the second one is a dummy, where all the wheels sit on technic axles. Drag for the dummy engine is reduced a lot (I think more than a factor 2) by applying a tiny amount of lubricant (I used WD40 out of laziness but it is better to use something else) in the technic holes where the axle goes through.

[Lazarus]

Taking the O rings of does wonders. That is way easy most of the drag comes from.

[zephyr1934]

One of the 9V switches in my layout is remote-controlled (using ideas I learned from eurobricks) so 12V is not a very big advantage as far as that is concerned. For some reason I do like running trains over the 12V track though. Biggest problem is setup time.

See REC in RailBricks 12 for a PF switch control for 9v and PF track that does NOT require you to modify the switches. More info can be found in this thread.

[Lazarus]

Ya those solutions work and are lego made what some people want to keep it that way. But the size and the looks put me off, i like to keep the look of my layout and realistic as possible. you could do it with this buy you would end up with heaps of line side huts around the show haha.

Also i suspect $ for $ the version i use would work out cheaper also. Unless you have all the lego parts already.

Edited June 22, 2013 by Lazarus

[hoeij]

Ya those solutions work and are lego made what some people want to keep it that way. But the size and the looks put me off, i like to keep the look of my layout and realistic as possible. you could do it with this buy you would end up with heaps of line side huts around the show haha.

Also i suspect $ for $ the version i use would work out cheaper also. Unless you have all the lego parts already.

There are certainly advantages to a compact solution. What exactly is the motor that you use for this? Is it something they have at a regular hobby store?

[Lazarus]

I am using (Tamiya Sprint Dash Motor Mini 4WD racing for 4WD Car Kit) but it was just one i picked up from a hobby shop. So i think anything will work just your normal cheap toy motor.

[AlmightyArjen]

I am using (Tamiya Sprint Dash Motor Mini 4WD racing for 4WD Car Kit) but it was just one i picked up from a hobby shop. So i think anything will work just your normal cheap toy motor.

How do you fix the non-lego motor to the lego bricks? Do you glue it or something?