CrispyBassist
-
Content count
180 -
Joined
-
Last visited
1 Follower
About CrispyBassist
Recent Profile Visitors
926 profile views
.thumb.jpg.446043b3f425d0f620323b4c52e74d3c.jpg){kind=avatar}
-
I finally found the box my PF remote was hiding in and was able to test the Brickstuff Power Functions adapter v2 that I built into this loco: Headlight Test by Matt Csenge, on Flickr I've got it on the red input and the motors on the blue, so I can control them independently if I wish. So far I'm very happy with the way it works!
-
Back again with another duo of BMR freight cars! This time it's two State of Maine boxcars, one for the Bangor and Aroostook and one for the New Haven, since both railroads owned these cars. State of Maine Boxcars by Matt Csenge, on Flickr I chose dark blue after seeing Dawson Santoro's on Flickr. The cost of the handle plates in dark blue is pretty high on Bricklink, so the New Haven got black ends to keep the price down. Aside from the color, the only major deviation from the BMR plan was for the charcoal heaters on the underside of the car. These cars were outfitted with heaters to keep the potatoes they transported from freezing in the winter. Wow, these reefers are gorgeous! You're right about them fitting in with the BMR cars. I'm impressed with the quantity you have too!
-
Shay geared steam locomotive and silver ore mining train - MOD of a MOC
CrispyBassist replied to Murdoch17's topic in LEGO Train Tech
I can't tell from these pics, but is the boiler centered on the loco? Another defining feature of a Shay was the offset boiler to accommodate the pistons. You might be able to use jumper tiles to get it slightly offset, though that might complicate the piston assembly and frame... Looks good though, the geared drive on the side is eye-catching. -
So I'm not the only one with that plan
-
Having seen the post in another thread regarding the price of large drivers on BrickLink, I might pick up a couple of these for the parts too...
-
That's not standard Lego track though, the rails are inverted T, more like ME Models. Maybe it's a plastic better suited for outdoor use. That's a sweet layout though, I want to see more of her MOCs!
-
Exactly, just 8 more studs. Boxcar Open Doors by Matt Csenge, on Flickr Here's one side. I made them slightly different so they were open different amounts. And here's a just for fun one of all my freight cars together: Lego Freight Train by Matt Csenge, on Flickr (Don't mind the clutter, I really need a layout to get them out on...)
-
Got another new one that I just finished, this one is a 50' version of the BMR PS-1 boxcar in Boston & Maine colors: B&M 50' PS-1 Boxcar by Matt Csenge, on Flickr I really wanted to do a boxcar with the doors open and a couple hobos ridin' the rails, and I wanted the open door to cover part of the stickers. I chose the 50' version, because the door of the 40' version would cover too much of the sticker. The hobos seem to be enjoying the breeze! B&M 50' PS-1 Boxcar by Matt Csenge, on Flickr I also did some work on my New Haven MOW gondola that I run with my wrecker. More pics of both can be found on Flickr (since it's not a BMR car :-) ). Freight Cars by Matt Csenge, on Flickr
-
Bam: Gotcha, thanks for clarifying!
-
Are these comments from the book? I haven't read it, but haven't found the listed issues to be a problem for any of my long 8-wide builds. The weight can be an issue, but there are ways to work around this, such as ball bearings for axles (discussed in a separate thread). I've had the opposite problem with my long 60+ stud passenger cars, where my train was almost too fast through curves! (Pulled by 2 PF train motors) The overhang can be worked around by not placing structures as close to the tracks or using larger radius curves and switches, though often the wider cars can run around the standard curves and switches - Tony Sava, for example, builds the vast majority of his MOCs to run through standard track geometry. And as far as the wheels spoiling the overall impression, I simply haven't found this to be true. I'm sure many 8-wide builders would agree with that, or they simply wouldn't build 8-wide. Overall I'd say go for 7 or 8-wide for the benefit of extra detail! There's plenty of ways to work around the impractical scale of the standard Lego track geometry, and plenty of us willing to give advice and solutions if you run into problems!
-
Thanks, all for the kind words! Just the photo, the reds match very nicely in reality. The trucks have changed, though that was done previously. Here's the current trucks: NYNH&H GP-9 Truck Detail by Matt Csenge, on Flickr As you know, I personally like using PF train motors with plate-built sides. I've got similar setups on my RDC and my three big boxcabs (with a fourth in the works). Sorry to switch teams on ya, though NY was where I started out :-)
-
I recently rebuilt my GP-9 to resolve some aspects of it that I was unhappy about. Here's the final result: New Haven GP-9 Rebuild by Matt Csenge, on Flickr Primarily, I rebuilt it so that the section around the battery box and IR receiver is truly 5-studs wide. After that, I added the fuel ports to the sides of the fuel tank. Then, being inspired by Aaron Burnett's amazing Central of Georgia GP-9, I modified the ends using less-than-half-stud offsets to get rid of the stepped slope typically seen when using cheese slopes. I also added lights using Brickstuff's new Power Functions Power Source v2, which includes directional lights. Unfortunately when I moved back to NY I misplaced my controller, so I haven't tested it yet... Stickers from OK Brick Works and Jim Pirzyk. New Haven GP-9 Rebuild by Matt Csenge, on Flickr New Haven GP-9 Rebuild by Matt Csenge, on Flickr And here's the pre-rebuild version: NYNH&H GP-9 by Matt Csenge, on Flickr
-
I cranked out a couple BMR flat cars following the tankers I built: BMR Flat Cars by Matt Csenge, on Flickr The first is the Southern Pacific car in dark red that BMR offered stickers for. I had a custom order with OK Brick Works and asked for the SP heralds in addition. I came up with the tarped load using the fabric piece from the Indiana Jones Race for the Stolen Treasure set (7622). Southern Pacific 142588 by Matt Csenge, on Flickr Second is the Turtle Creek Central car in reddish brown. When cleaning I came across a sheet of TCC decals that were included in an issue of Model Railroader Magazine from 2002. While the sheet was made for HO and N scale models, the heralds (as you can see) fit perfectly on 2x2 tiles! The aforementioned OK Brick Works logo took care of the rest of the stickers. Turtle Creek Central 132 by Matt Csenge, on Flickr So far I've got a pretty good train going! Lego Freight Train by Matt Csenge, on Flickr
-
Nope. I'll buy the Power Functions bits and track to support tlg, but the sets don't appeal to me anymore. I'd rather moc things that I want to and make them as realistic as possible. I was tempted by the Maersk set though...
-
THAT is a great point that I completely forgot about. My Budd RDC is log and low enough that it still hits the switch stands without the levers. If that becomes an issue, one of the aftermarket track manufacturers (can't remember which one) makes switches with the throws on the other side.