MOC Ice Planet 2002 monorail train

[Artanis I]

Hi. Here the details of two different solutions of how I added extra wagons.

I have more pictures but I cannot upload them because I have 100k size file linits.

Thanks, that image answers my question. If you upload your photos to a 3rd party site (I use Flickr) you can post as many pictures on Eurobricks as you want. If you need help, there are tutorials here like this one.

[Brick Devil]

Can you tell me something about the lighting brick used in the two minifig couch?

I guess it is http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=54930c02 but I cannot understand how you have powered it. Maybe it has a battery inside.

Thanks. Cris.

[Artanis I]

That is the one. They have a small button cell battery already inside. There is a screw underneath if you need to replace it, not that any of mine have run out of power yet.

[Brick Devil]

I just have finished the LDD project of the monorail convoy. Basically, it is yours with some minor changes (I increased the lenght of the short cockpit by one stud), but I have added a "rocket transport plus crane" wagon.

If you like, i can let you have the LDD project so that you can tell me what you think about.

Bye. Cris.

[Brickthus]

A day after telling someone that "monorail is dead forever" I post my latest in-denial manifestation:

...

Great application of the theme to a similar train, and well catered for passengers and cargo.

Semi-off topic, but is there a reason I never see a middle car for space monorail sets/MOCs? Does it just not work with the electronics or something?

Yes - the monorail bases only work as base - motor - base. If you wanted anything longer it would be very difficult to mod together.

Some people have used the suspension piece from the Blacktron 6-wheeled vehicle as part of a close-coupling mechanism for extra monorail carriages.

I found extra carriages can be pulled OK but pushing is harder for the motor, so bidirectional working is lost.

The new monorail can have more carriages if there is a motor at each end.

Hi. This is Cris from Italy.

I have been told too that monorail is dead... I do not care at all. I like it and I like to build MOCs around my MTRON style monorail.

Cris.

Really good M-Tron diorama.

Monorail is very far from dead. There is a limited supply of the obsolete 1990s system but there is a whole new system to try that will never go obsolete!

This was started by Masao Hidaka a few years ago; I decided to develop the engineering for the last 2 years.

The new system uses only basic parts for track. Mostly 2x2 plate, 1x2 plate and 2x2 tile for curves. Longer 2x plates and tiles for straights. Pieces connected with Technic pins.

I have recreated all the functions of the 1990s system track parts with the new system, and pushed out the limits:

Straights were 8M, 16M, 32M, now up to 64M

Curves were 1 radius, now 4 radii tested and more possible!

Points used to stick, now more reliable, easy to fix and a single junction of up to 8 points possible with a single Servo motor!

Hills were 10M high, now tested 5M, 10M and higher hills possible.

Start/Stop rail replicated with PF switch but easier with PF IR remote control.

Right angle crossing now possible.

Helical tracks facilitated. Double track helix tested.

Track colour can be adapted to the Space faction.

Trains longer and faster - up to 0.95m/s (about 5x speed).

Train travels up to 3 kilometres on a single charge of the PF LiPo battery.

Train pic shows prototype Classic Space and Blacktron trains. I would like to do other factions too.

These prototypes show the motor in the middle, like the old system, but motors at both ends can be better.

This is how to get started making curved track. Please have a go. I think this is the best alternative to the original system, to keep monorail very much alive!

Mark

[Brick Devil]

Hi Mark.

Congratulations... Never seen something similar. It's simply "from another galaxy".

Bye. Cris.

Does anyone know the reason why I cannot upload any picture?

[Artanis I]

What website did you try to upload them to? Don't upload to Eurobricks, upload somewhere else and post links here.

[Brick Devil]

Did try to eurobricks. The first time it worked.

[Artanis I]

It will only work once, the storage limit is very small. That is why we use other image sites.

[Brickthus]

It will only work once, the storage limit is very small. That is why we use other image sites.

Most people use either Brickshelf (dedicated to LEGO, folder structure available, but not always reliable) or Flickr to store their photos online.

Then it is a simple matter to copy the text from the address bar to create links in your posts.

Best to upload in Web large format 640x480. I usually add watermarks so people don't copy so easily.

Mark

[Brick Devil]

Hello Guys. Much time has passed since my last reply... In the meanwhile I listened to all the suggestions and I worked on my monorail.

Finally, here is my first version of monorail: it is a four coaches: two nearly identical to the original of Artanis. However, the other two carriages are mine: it is a carriage for the transportation of vehicles (in the present case a snowmobile and a snow plow) and another carriage which is a wagon crane with compartment for the transport of a rocket. This goes well with the three satellites in the original version of Artanis. You can see the first pictures, very rough at the moment, in the page that I've added to my website (http://cristianoruggeri.malpensa.net/3_Lego_mania/MOC/Ice_Planet/iceplanet_monorail.htm).

I am still missing a few pieces of the right color, also I have not checked whether the monorail can turn into a path of tracks, at least oval.

Engine and lights as in the version of Artanis, but I think I will make some small changes to fill the engine block.

What do you think? Especially you, Artanis, you've made the alpha, do you think my additions can make about your version?

If you are interested, I have all the variations in a file LDD.

Every comment is welcome, with the understanding that half the monorail "is not flour coming from my bag."

Good night or good morning depending on when reading. Here is 23:26.

Bye. Cris.

[Umbra-Manis]

Beautiful!

[Artanis I]

I like the idea, that's awesome. It's a bit hard to see the dark areas in those photos, but I think it would look better if you could make the colours match the end sections. If you take a look at mine, there is a slight theme of horizontal stripes. So black on the base, then blue, then white, then trans neon orange. If you could make it look more uniform in that way it would be a big aesthetic improvement, giving it more continuity. Also the black bars & hoses along the side. More white on the crane section somehow, with black & blue as the highlight colours.

Sadly those big ice planet wheels stick out to the side too much for my liking. If I were to build something like your sections, I would either skip that one or have much smaller vehicles. How does it look with only the rocket crane section in the middle? And without the vehicles?

The more I look at it the more I see areas on my original train that look messy, but I don't have much time for this sort of thing so it probably won't change.

Thanks for sharing, it probably looks really cool in action in real life!

[Brick Devil]

I like the idea, that's awesome.

CR> Thanks a lot.

It's a bit hard to see the dark areas in those photos, but I think it would look better if you could make the colours match the end sections. If you take a look at mine, there is a slight theme of horizontal stripes. So black on the base, then blue, then white, then trans neon orange. If you could make it look more uniform in that way it would be a big aesthetic improvement, giving it more continuity. Also the black bars & hoses along the side.

CR> It's because the pictures are very bad. When I will post better pictures, you will see that the two engines trucks respect exactly your sequence of stripes. Also the bars are there.

More white on the crane section somehow, with black & blue as the highlight colours.

CR> That's a good idea. I did not think about that. But I WANT the inner site of the arm white and the outer site blue.

Sadly those big ice planet wheels stick out to the side too much for my liking. If I were to build something like your sections, I would either skip that one or have much smaller vehicles.

CR> Unfortunately those wheels are Ice Planet style and, furhtermore, the smallest. And there is a problem: I like very much the vehicle truck, also in my 1:87 H0 train models. My favourite since always.

How does it look with only the rocket crane section in the middle? And without the vehicles?

CR> I don't know. I will make some trials and post pictures.

The more I look at it the more I see areas on my original train that look messy, but I don't have much time for this sort of thing so it probably won't change.

CR> The details are all there, but, unfortunately, I have not been able to find all the parts of same color as yours. Some white replaced with black, some others are same color but shape a bit different. Also in this case you will see.

Thanks for sharing, it probably looks really cool in action in real life!

CR> I hope so. I will poste a movie on my YouTube Channel.

Thanks a lot.

Bye.

Cris.

[Brick Devil]

Hi there.

I have just uploaded at the same page (http://cristianorugg...et_monorail.htm) the LDD render of the four trucks, the sled and the snow plow. The colors you can see are exactly the colors (and the parts as well) used into the real pictures.

I have respected the sequence of stripes by the original but I have made some changes in color and in structure because I could not find exactly all the parts and all the colors.

Please note:

1) LDD does not have as library part the floor of the monorail so I simulated it with two "4x20 black plates" close each other to make the floor of 4x20.

2) The yellow parts represent the battery pack and the electrick bricks. Still LDD does not provide old 9V parts library.

3) Some decorated tiles are not Ice Planet pattern because not supported by LDD, exactly like the cockpit canopy extender.

4) The winch should be blue, but actually I have a black one. The blue one is on the way...

That's all, folks!!!

Good night and "read you next time". Bye. Cris.

P.S. Comments about my rusted English (long time without practice) are well accepted as well.

[Artanis I]

I see now that you have put crane stabilisers that fold out to the side. That makes more sense.

Great!