Cale

LEGO train Display for the National Toy Train Museum in Strasburg, Pen

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Hello

Our club, PennLUG, is working with the National Toy Train Museum, http://www.nttmuseum.org in Strasburg, Pennsylvania to install a new LEGO train themed display in the museum. In the past we've had a smaller display case at the museum that has proved very popular with visitors. Our club took over this display in 2013 from WamaLTC, and for several years prior to that we had worked with WamaLTC to help provide content for the display while in their care. We change and maintain the display annually to provide new content for returning visitors each year. Here are the past displays PennLUG has done.

2013 Display - https://flic.kr/s/aHsjEszyM3

2014 - https://flic.kr/s/aHsjYtqwo8

2015 - https://flic.kr/s/aHsk4Y5iD5

This year the museum has approached us about upgrading the display to a new, larger, and more prominent display. This I'm sure you will all feel is a wonderful opportunity to showcase LEGO trains, and the LEGO train hobby, in front of thousands of museum visitors each year. This new display will be much larger than the previous small case, the new display is 8ft x 12ft in size, and will have multiple levels for display purposes. On the main 8x12 display level we will be working to set up a full custom LEGO train layout similar to what we do with our own club layout at train shows, and LEGO conventions. This will be similar to several other displays in the museum showcasing layouts in various model train scales. Besides the main 8ft x 12ft display area, the display case will have several smaller display areas, and display shelves for us to use. We plan to use these to tell the history of LEGO trains, and the LEGO train Hobby, using vintage sets, catalogs, and other materials. This new display area will become a permanent feature of the museum, with PennLUG helping to maintain the display and refresh elements on a yearly basis, to keep visitors coming back to see what is new.

The display case is still under construction and planing has just begun on this effort. We are planning to visit the museum this evening to see the new display area, and to start coming up with a plan for the main display area and the smaller displays. We are very excited to be working with the the National Toy Train Museum on this project and hope that it will help further promote the LEGO train hobby. However there are many challenges that will come with a project like this so we are turning to the greater LEGO community for any assistance they may provide.

Probably our biggest challenge will be funding. As with the other train layouts in the museum this display falls largely on a group of volunteers to donate time and materials to create and maintain it. PennLUG will be assuming the responsibility for this new LEGO train display. We will need to acquire bricks to build the main display and other materials needed to create the smaller historical displays. Our club does have a small treasury and we are willing to donate funds and material from the club and from our individual members toward this display, however we would like pursue funding sources outside our group as to lessen the burden on us and to help provide the best display possible for museum visitors. So we would like to reach out to all of you in the community for ideas, advice, or experience in this matter.

Our next problem is making the main display a functional train layout with, 1 to 2 loops of track with running trains, as well as other animated features, and lighting built into the models. Since this will be a permanent display it's not feasible to have the trains and other moving parts running continuously. So our plan is to have the layout set up for push button operation. Visitors will be able to push buttons on the display to start the trains running and other animated elements, they will run for a few moments and then come to a stop again until the next time the button is pushed. This will save significant wear on the 9v motors, hopefully prolonging their life. This system is used for many of the other displays in the museum, and we have even used our own take on this for another LEGO train display we set up every December, for the America on Wheels museum. So we have some experience with it, and we will be working with the museum to learn about and hopefully adapt their system to suit our needs, but we are also interested in hearing from those of you in the LEGO community who may have dealt with something like this before.

We of course have many questions to answer in regards to creating a running display of this type. For the running trains on display to work, we will need to rely on power from the track, and use the older, out of production, 9v train motors. 9v motor longevity is a concern as they are expensive to obtain now and supply is limited. We hope that the push button system will help keep motor wear to a minimum and plan to construct the layout in a way that eases strain on the trains while running. We are interested in hearing from any one who has dealt with the issues of a long term running display before. What are the pitfalls, what can we do to get the most life from each motor, and what is the expectant life span of a 9v motor in this kind of situation? What can we do to maintain the motors, track, and other components?

As stated earlier, for the smaller display areas in this new display we want to tell the history of LEGO trains, and also the story of the LEGO train fan community. So we are of course interested in any information, or resources that we can obtain for this. So if any one here has anything you may feel would be of value to this goal we would be most interested talking to you and appreciative of any help.

Cale Leiphart

PennLUG, the Pennsylvania LEGO Users Group

http://pennlug.com

Edited by Cale

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Hey Cale, Contact Shawn Kelly skelly@kcbricklab.org or Stuart Kahler from KC Bricklab, They have been running a permanent 9v display at Union station and I am sure would love to share the challenges they have encountered over the 4 years it has been there, with track cleaning, wheel wear and so on.

Sounds like a GREAT opportunity though. Exciting that Lego trains are being embraced.

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Hey Cale, Contact Shawn Kelly skelly@kcbricklab.org or Stuart Kahler from KC Bricklab, They have been running a permanent 9v display at Union station and I am sure would love to share the challenges they have encountered over the 4 years it has been there, with track cleaning, wheel wear and so on.

Sounds like a GREAT opportunity though. Exciting that Lego trains are being embraced.

Thank you very much for the information. I will be contacting them soon.

Cale

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You could also look at using PF train motors with power pickup bogies as an alternative to expensive, hard to get 9V motors. Dead 9V motors could be converted into a power pickup bogie.

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You could also look at using PF train motors with power pickup bogies as an alternative to expensive, hard to get 9V motors. Dead 9V motors could be converted into a power pickup bogie.

We have discussed this as an option. Our main concern with this set up is reliability of the custom track pick up. The display will need to operate with minimal intervention from us so we would need a solution that will work reliably for weeks, and better yet months on end reliably. Going out to the museum on a daily or even weekly basis to maintain the train pick up is not a realistic option.

Converting a dead 9v motor to pick up is maybe a more proven option. But we would need to source a supply of dead motors. Also there are other components in the train motors besides the actual electric motor that still wear such as the wheels, axles, springs, etc. These would eventually wear out as well so it's not a perfect fix.

We would be interested in hearing from anyone who has experience with either of these options.

Cale

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Hi Cale, this is very exciting. As I mentioned on FB in response to your post there, Brickstuff would be willing to sponsor lights for the setup. Contact me when you're ready and if you're interested.

Very much looking forward to seeing this take shape!

--Rob

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Even if you keep 9v train motors running by replacing the motor inside by using PF train motors or something ordered online, the contacts that scrape the back of the wheels will eventually wear out. I've taken apart several motors that were rode hard during our club displays and found that the motor itself still worked, but the contacts were worn off on one side because the train went the same direction around a circle its entire life.

I've had some luck using phosphor bronze wire to replace contacts, but its not easy to do. Swapping the motor out is relatively simple though. Just be aware that the motors inside a PF train motor and the motors inside 9v train motors spin at different speeds, so you can't use both on the same locomotive.

For our club displays that last longer than a single weekend, we use lamp timers to cycle the trains on and off at 15 minute intervals. For something that is intended to run indefinitely, I'd agree with what the idea you put out there of using buttons to only fire up the train when someone is there to press it. Billy who does Studsville uses some sort of off the shelf product to do just that.

For track cleaning, we found that cleaning the track once a week was vital to keeping the trains running smoothly. At home I designed a car that brushes the track with Scotchbrite to keep dirt from accumulating. Cleaning the track once a week every week is not an option, having the museum staff add the cleaning car to the end of the train and running it for 15-20 minutes every other week might work though. I've talked a bit with model railroaders and they say that using all metal wheels (on the rolling stock too) will greatly decrease the amount of cleaning required. The only off the shelf product that's even close to standard lego wheels are the NWSL wheels a few of us have been modifying. But if you only had to modify enough wheels for 1 or 2 short trains, then it'd be worth it. Using brass tubes to hold the axles is also much less friction than the standard Lego mounts. Lego train wheel mounts eventually wear and start increasing in friction after being run continuously. A steel rod through a brass tube will barely wear.

You'll also have to do away with Lego's stock magnet couplers. Technic liftarms will work, but you'll have to glue the pins to the liftarm because they'll eventually walk out.

Just some thoughts.

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Hey Cale, Contact Shawn Kelly skelly@kcbricklab.org or Stuart Kahler from KC Bricklab, They have been running a permanent 9v display at Union station and I am sure would love to share the challenges they have encountered over the 4 years it has been there, with track cleaning, wheel wear and so on.

Sounds like a GREAT opportunity though. Exciting that Lego trains are being embraced.

I love the KC Union station display, always swing by it when I'm in town.

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Even if you keep 9v train motors running by replacing the motor inside by using PF train motors or something ordered online, the contacts that scrape the back of the wheels will eventually wear out. I've taken apart several motors that were rode hard during our club displays and found that the motor itself still worked, but the contacts were worn off on one side because the train went the same direction around a circle its entire life.

I've had some luck using phosphor bronze wire to replace contacts, but its not easy to do. Swapping the motor out is relatively simple though. Just be aware that the motors inside a PF train motor and the motors inside 9v train motors spin at different speeds, so you can't use both on the same locomotive.

For our club displays that last longer than a single weekend, we use lamp timers to cycle the trains on and off at 15 minute intervals. For something that is intended to run indefinitely, I'd agree with what the idea you put out there of using buttons to only fire up the train when someone is there to press it. Billy who does Studsville uses some sort of off the shelf product to do just that.

For track cleaning, we found that cleaning the track once a week was vital to keeping the trains running smoothly. At home I designed a car that brushes the track with Scotchbrite to keep dirt from accumulating. Cleaning the track once a week every week is not an option, having the museum staff add the cleaning car to the end of the train and running it for 15-20 minutes every other week might work though. I've talked a bit with model railroaders and they say that using all metal wheels (on the rolling stock too) will greatly decrease the amount of cleaning required. The only off the shelf product that's even close to standard lego wheels are the NWSL wheels a few of us have been modifying. But if you only had to modify enough wheels for 1 or 2 short trains, then it'd be worth it. Using brass tubes to hold the axles is also much less friction than the standard Lego mounts. Lego train wheel mounts eventually wear and start increasing in friction after being run continuously. A steel rod through a brass tube will barely wear.

You'll also have to do away with Lego's stock magnet couplers. Technic liftarms will work, but you'll have to glue the pins to the liftarm because they'll eventually walk out.

Just some thoughts.

Good thoughts, thank you.

While we at the museum last Thursday night the gentleman who does most of the electronics for the other layouts was there. We talked to him and he will be helping us out with installing the control system in our display. The system he's used for the other layouts is pretty slick. It can be adjusted for whatever voltage we need, it has soft start and soft stop, where it slowly ramps up the voltage from 0 to what ever running speed we want and then slowly backs down again to 0. It has built in timers, and he can set it up to run as many loops and accessories as we need. He can even work in a point to point trolley line type set up. Pretty much covering anything we might plan to do. It's really impressive. This will help immensely in prolonging motor life. e'll also be using our own truck designs on cars, with axle in brass tube, for the least amount of friction and wear. However we still expect to eventually wear our out motors. It's just a reality we have to face. Fortunately we do have a small stock of new motors available.

Cale

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