Woopud Posted May 22, 2018 I just started getting interested in LEGO trains, always been a fan of LEGO and I love everything trains... I only started looking online a few days ago and discovered LEGO trains and the one thing I don't like is for example the high speed train sets, why do they make the individual cars so short? It could look at least a little more realistic. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JEB314 (James) Posted May 22, 2018 5 minutes ago, Woopud said: why do they make the individual cars so short? Hi Woopud, It is really as a consequence of the length of train bases Lego currently makes, either 6×24 studs (like in 60051) or 6×28 studs (like in 60052 and 60098), thus everything seems a bit short! Personally, I extend the locomotives, carriages and wagons Lego makes in their offical sets by c. 4 to 8 studs, then they look just fine! Just takes a little bit of modification. Another option is to build custom things, like I've been doing for years, though it takes some getting used to. If you're not very confident with building mocs, or need some help getting started, please feel free to ask! I'm sure myself and fellow Eurobricks users will be able to answer most questions! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dr_spock Posted May 22, 2018 They are toy trains and not model trains. Correct scale and prototype accuracy are not high on their design requirements. You can always MOD-ify the train sets to your liking. It is not to hard to extend a LEGO train. Unlike traditional model trains, no cutting, gluing, and painting are required. Keep in mind that LEGO standard curves and switches are fairly sharp. Making your cars too long can lead to operations and running problems unless you upgrade to 3rd party tracks with larger radii. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dan-147 Posted May 22, 2018 True that the curves are very sharp. However, you can usually MOC your train cars so that they can take the LEGO curves. Sometimes they can look pretty silly as shown below (my 5 unit articulated double-stack container car) That is why I'm seriously looking at 3rd party tracks, such as Bricktracks R120 curves. Dan-147 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rijkvv Posted May 22, 2018 The only reason for them to use the 24 stud plates is costs I think. 28 is slightly longer what looks better, while still short enough for a playset. I think I'll go with 46 studs max for six-wide carriages in MOCs. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hambone99 Posted September 28, 2018 On 5/22/2018 at 1:13 PM, Dan-147 said: True that the curves are very sharp. However, you can usually MOC your train cars so that they can take the LEGO curves. Sometimes they can look pretty silly as shown below (my 5 unit articulated double-stack container car) That is why I'm seriously looking at 3rd party tracks, such as Bricktracks R120 curves. Dan-147 Hello Dan-147, I am thinking about building your MOC-1420 (Rebrickable) train and would like to know if it is able to to negotiate curved track. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dan-147 Posted September 28, 2018 55 minutes ago, hambone99 said: Hello Dan-147, I am thinking about building your MOC-1420 (Rebrickable) train and would like to know if it is able to to negotiate curved track. All my railcars are designed to negociate regular LEGO curve, including this one (Gunderson Twin-stack Container car). On a related note, I've been wondering on which site I could host my various instructions so that they would be easily accessible. They were hosted on the Railbricks site but this site has been down for quite a while. I want to update some of my models to make use of some newer parts that have appeared since they were originally made. If anyone knows of a site that fits the bill, let me know. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
supertruper1988 Posted September 28, 2018 2 hours ago, Dan-147 said: All my railcars are designed to negociate regular LEGO curve, including this one (Gunderson Twin-stack Container car). On a related note, I've been wondering on which site I could host my various instructions so that they would be easily accessible. They were hosted on the Railbricks site but this site has been down for quite a while. I want to update some of my models to make use of some newer parts that have appeared since they were originally made. If anyone knows of a site that fits the bill, let me know. I like bricksafe and rebrickable for all of my stuff. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
*thomas* Posted September 29, 2018 In the past lego used 28 long base plates for trains, which looked better. You can, as has been stated above, always lengthen your traincars. For passanger cars in 6 wide, a 48 long base still looks ok, but will seem a bit narrow when looking from the top. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sed6 Posted September 29, 2018 On 5/21/2018 at 7:19 PM, Woopud said: ...why do they make the individual cars so short? Why? I'd guess cost, weight and part count. More parts means more cost and more weight. TLG achieves a marketable train by making cars and engines LOOK like something you've seen recently or remember from your childhood. The don't need perfection in scale or detail to sell them to their target audience, children. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
