[MOC] New Flyer XD60 Articulated Bus (INSTRUCTIONS AVAILABLE)

[JLiu15]

Model of New Jersey Transit's 2020 New Flyer XD60 articulated bus. The model has roughly 5200 pieces. Features drive, steering, independently controlled doors, and custom stickers matching the real-life NJT XD60.

Functions/features:

• Drive
• Steering
• Remotely controlled doors
• Custom stickers

Instructions available on Rebrickable: https://rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-100374/JLiu15/new-flyer-xd60-articulated-bus/#details

In early 2020, the first New Flyer XD60 articulated buses began hitting the streets of New Jersey. The 3rd generation of New Jersey Transit's articulated buses, these buses replaced the aging Neoplan articulated buses that NJ Transit operated since 2004. A total of 110 buses, these buses are a common sight in the Newark area, as well as in Hudson County on routes to New York City. They are commonly used on routes 1, 13, 25, 39, and 70 in the Newark area, and routes 123, 125, 126, 128, 154, 156, 158, and 159 to NYC. The buses are assigned to four garages, with buses 20801-20828 at Hilton, 20829-20848 at Big Tree, 20849-20891 at Fairview and 20892-20910 at Meadowlands at the time of writing.

The idea to model NJ Transit's New Flyer XD60 started when the buses were still under delivery in 2020. Work on the model started with the Stud.io model in December 2020, and the physical model in January 2021. The plan was for a 1:20 scale model using 49.5x20 tires. The functions are drive with a PF XL Motor, steering with a PF Servo Motor, and remotely controlled doors with 1 PF Medium Motor each. I initially thought of including a kneeling mechanism, but seeing as the bus kneels on its front axle, the mechanism was difficult to re-create in LEGO due to there being 3 axles, so I abandoned the idea. The seating layout on my model is identical to that of the real bus - thanks to photos posted in a NJ Transit Facebook group, I was able to accurately model the interior with all 59 seats. I wanted to make a bike rack for the model as well, but seeing as the bike rack on the real NJT XD60 has plenty of complex curves that would be very difficult to replicate while keeping it robust at this scale, I decided against it. In fact, on real NJT XD60s that have the bike rack removed (which is most of them), you can still see the holes in the bumper where it is attached. The bumper on my model has connectors where you can theoretically attach a bike rack, so I guess this is accurate. 

The model is built with a Technic chassis/frame and a System finish. I initially wanted to make it all Technic with some System details, but seeing as System gives a cleaner and more detailed finish, I decided to go with all System for the bodywork. In fact, this is my first model to have a System finish - all my previous MOCs were at least 80% Technic. The Technic chassis has a frame sitting above it to support the roof, as well as the motors for the door opening mechanisms. The doors are opened with mini linear actuators (1 in the front door, 2 in the rear door). The mechanism for the rear door is located in the upper frame, but because the front panel on the front door curves inward a little, as well as space taken up by the front destination sign, I had to place the mechanism for the front door in the floor, with the motor transferring drive to it via a vertical axle.

I initially expected the bellows to be difficult to make and take plenty of trial and error, but after just a few tries I was able to come up with a well-working setup. The bellows are supported by a central section that keep the front/rear halves of the bellows symmetrical at all times, and rubber bands help the bellows maintain their shape, In fact, no matter how I touch the bellows, they will always fold smoothly. It added no extra friction to the model turning, and overall I consider this part to be a huge success. Prior to building this model I did not have many white System pieces, so thanks to Stud.io I was able to design the model digitally and be satisfied with everything before I ordered any pieces. Thanks to the NJ Transit Facebook group, I was able to get an image of the roof of the bus to accurately model the roof. The hardest part to model was the front roofline curve - the complex shaping is quite difficult to model with LEGO pieces. However, my final design turned out pretty well, and looks pretty much seamless. Because I'm using System pieces for the body, I had concerns of structural integrity as this is something I'm not able to accurately test on Stud.io, but after building it on my physical model it actually turned out to be very robust.

Once the building process was finished, I created custom stickers based on the real NJT New Flyer XD60's details. In fact, most of the stickers were made from photos of the real bus's decals. The stickers are printed on clear glossy sticker paper, except for the destination sign stickers as the details on a clear sticker paper barely show up on a black surface. I initially wanted to replicate bus 20801, the first bus of the series, but that bus was later retrofitted with a grille in the rear so I decided to model bus 20818 with route 39 in the destination sign, as the real 20818 is a Hilton garage bus that operates route 39. I acquired a gray paper backdrop for the photos and video as taking photos on a white backdrop would not allow me to clear the background in GIMP due to this being a white model. I'm really satisfied with how the photos turned out, and there's no editing necessary so I expect the gray backdrop to become the norm for MOC photos from now on. I recently got a GoPro as well, and thanks to its small size, I was able to put it through the rear door to film the model driving from the interior, making you feel like a LEGO passenger on a LEGO bus. 

Overall, this has been by far my largest project to date. While it's not the most advanced, as it only has 4 motors, it has nearly 5200 pieces and is a revolutionary MOC for me as this is my first model with a System finish. The model took about a year to finish, much longer than any of my previous MOCs. I had lots of fun working on this project, the looks are accurate, and the functions all work smoothly. Given how well this model turned out and being a busfan myself, I definitely see myself making more bus MOCs in the future.

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Edited February 2, 2022 by JLiu15

[weavil]

It looks big and nice. But how well do the tires handle the weight?

[Nazgarot]

This turned out amazing! I've been following the build, and must say the result is even more amazing than I thought it would be!

You have done an very good job at preventing sag after the joint. I for sure thought this would be a problem in such a heavy build.

_ED_

 

 

[Jeroen Ottens]

Wow, I'm just gobsmacked.

I have been following this build as well. Incredible detailing on top of a great functionpack. For me the outstanding feature is the harmonica, I never thought this could be replicated in LEGO.

Fantastic model.

[JLiu15]

5 hours ago, weavil said:

It looks big and nice. But how well do the tires handle the weight?

The tires handle the weight pretty well. The middle and rear axles have double wheels.

4 hours ago, Nazgarot said:

This turned out amazing! I've been following the build, and must say the result is even more amazing than I thought it would be!

You have done an very good job at preventing sag after the joint. I for sure thought this would be a problem in such a heavy build.

_ED_

 

 

Thanks! I reinforced it with two turntables (one at the bottom and one at the top), and it's pretty robust. Although to be fair the middle axle is probably enough to prevent sag - real articulated buses are also able to move up/down at the articulation point in order to navigate slope changes in the road.

4 hours ago, Jeroen Ottens said:

Wow, I'm just gobsmacked.

I have been following this build as well. Incredible detailing on top of a great functionpack. For me the outstanding feature is the harmonica, I never thought this could be replicated in LEGO.

Fantastic model.

Thanks!

The accordion part is actually the first part I figured out for the model, before I even started designing the model in Stud.io. My prototype was just a cross section so I was afraid the finished version won't work the same, but still it expands/folds very smoothly.

[Lukes_Brick_Studio]

WOW, your articulated bus looks very good. You captured the lines very well, and it looks super clean. Definitely one of the best bus MOCs I´ve ever seen. Well done.

[imvanya]

A really nice MOC! It was very cool following the WIP thread and seeing this go from a digital model all the way to the accurate bus model. From some angles, you can hardly tell it's LEGO, so going studful definitely payed off.

[Stuartn]

Incredible work, I've enjoyed following the WIP topic, and this model turned out extraordinarily well.

[JLiu15]

3 hours ago, Lukes_Brick_Studio said:

WOW, your articulated bus looks very good. You captured the lines very well, and it looks super clean. Definitely one of the best bus MOCs I´ve ever seen. Well done.

 

3 hours ago, imvanya said:

A really nice MOC! It was very cool following the WIP thread and seeing this go from a digital model all the way to the accurate bus model. From some angles, you can hardly tell it's LEGO, so going studful definitely payed off.

 

2 hours ago, Stuartn said:

Incredible work, I've enjoyed following the WIP topic, and this model turned out extraordinarily well.

Thank you guys! Honestly going studfull was one of the best decisions I made for this MOC. You just can't get this level of detail with Technic pieces. I love how everything I modeled digitally just came together on the actual model so well.

[phmzt]

 

8 hours ago, Lukes_Brick_Studio said:

WOW, your articulated bus looks very good. You captured the lines very well, and it looks super clean. Definitely one of the best bus MOCs I´ve ever seen. Well done.

@JLiu15 Ditto. WOW

Also, my compliments on the video: I love the passenger pov, it feels so real!

Amazing, really 

Edited January 31, 2022 by phmzt

[Milan]

Great and informative presentation, nice pictures, and most importantly - an impressive model. Frontpaged it is

[howitzer]

A while ago, I wondered why TLG has never released a Technic bus model, and concluded that it might be a somewhat boring from the marketing perspective, perhaps not looking good enough at the shelf or maybe without enough interesting functions. I see now that my train of though was completely wrong, your model proves that a bus can look great while having some quite interesting functionality. Well done!

[karmadrome]

What a fantastic model. Ultra-realistic looks and impressive functions - you really nailed it! The bellows is my favourite part.

 

[MCD]

Simply Sublime! The attention to detail is breath-taking! I particularly like the back end detailing, its spot on and often an area over looked!

You've certainly studied your subject with this one.

[SaperPL]

This is next level. Awesome work. The only areas that give away it's a Lego MOC are the bellows and lower part of the front door when looking at this side. It's amazing how it feels non-bricky.

[Leonardo da Bricki]

I saw some of the early WIP photos, and this turned out incredible! I'm most impressed that a single XL-motor drives such a massive model. The exterior is beautifully done, it looks like it isn't Lego.

[LEGO Train 12 Volts]

Wow impressive work and amazing video! 

The stickers are the icing on the cake! 

[Gray Gear]

I followed some of the progress in the WIP topic so I already saw most of this. But what impressed me most in the video was how smooth the doors move, and how precise they close... Very cool to look at. Well done!

Edited January 31, 2022 by Gray Gear

[MajklSpajkl]

Very beautiful model. Looks very clean ;-) The way the joint of front and rear works is really mesmerising. Well done and well deserved front page!

Would be nice to see the door mechanisms and the harmonica mechanisms as well.

Edited January 31, 2022 by MajklSpajkl

[JLiu15]

16 hours ago, Milan said:

Great and informative presentation, nice pictures, and most importantly - an impressive model. Frontpaged it is

Thank you!

BTW I never knew there was a front page on Eurobricks! Where can I find it?

[Milan]

26 minutes ago, JLiu15 said:

Thank you!

BTW I never knew there was a front page on Eurobricks! Where can I find it?

Just click on the blue cover page (with the Porsche blueprint) all the way up.

[blackdeathgr]

Just WOW! At first I thought it was a toy model (I had to double-check which site I was reading)

[JLiu15]

UPDATE: The instructions for the model are now out! Go check them out on Rebrickable:

https://rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-100374/JLiu15/new-flyer-xd60-articulated-bus/#details

Edited February 2, 2022 by JLiu15

[_TLG_]

Very cool and realistic!

[Brickander Brickumnus]

Amazing!