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Greetings for the main page!!! Well deserved! Ciao! Davide

Thanks, thanks, thanks!

Very very nice locomotive - it gives the same "simplicity" feeling of the prototype! And being narrow gauge, I like it even more!!!! Ciao! Davide

Thanks sir!!! Yes it was something I wanted to try (the snowy one in particular!!!) Thanks!!! It is a bit bigger in comparison to the rolling stock, but making it static was a bit boring! Ciao! Davide

OOOOH YES! Beautiful. I am trying too (in digital designs) the SNOT technique for front windows in "gray era" Mocs...thanks to your Crocodile I have proof that in real life results are very nice!!! Great machine!!! Davide

Oh well...this is a kind of doubt that can be easily wiped out! Basically, you're free to appreciate whatever you like, independently from its nationality (and many many other variables, too!). If someone gets offended by your appreciation or your taste , in this case thinking that you cannot like a locomotive, train that was created in his/her country...this means that the person you're speaking to is RIDICULOUSLY narrow-minded and must not be considered at all (especially when he/she's doing this from beyond a computer keyboard) - it's a loss of time... Let people speak ,build what you like best - and what makes you happy!!! Building and designing LEGO is an hobby and must be taken as such! By the way...that locomotive is really, really a mix of styles - starting from its name!!! Ciao! Davide

Original, unusual, "seasonal", detailed, funny: it's LOVELY! That jumping golf cart is pure fun! Great entry!!! Davide

OOOH, that "front-wheel drive" system is a really smart solution! Perfect gray era "spirit" - go on with your 12v builds!!! Ciao! Davide

These two models are spectacular ones, with a lot of research behind them. A lot of aesthetic and functional solutions all together! Those curved frontends, lower sides and central articulation really capture my curiosity and surely are matter of study for me!!! Great job, as always. Ciao! Davide

Both models are stunning, but the way you managed to recreate the round nose of the red one leaves me wordless. Excellent job, it perfectly gives the idea of all the aerodynamic efforts the German railways were constantly applying to make the locomotives more efficient. Ciao! Davide

A real beauty, which absolulely recalls the real one resting in the Museum! I also love the video of it in action ... great job ! Ciao! Davide

Spectacular! Clean design, nice colors...it should be a joyful ride! Ciao! Davide

...and a very nice one!!! Really really cute!

Hi all! I decided to quit the challenge, since I did not have the possibility to order all parts and the time to prepare the "presentation" of my entry. It has been a really busy month - and frankly I am a bit tired...and not so "creative" . I'll show the final version of the Vnx as a standalone thread as soon as I've the time to refine the last details Ciao! Davide

Nice solution!!! It's good to see some experiments like this one!!! Ciao! Davide

Great locomotive and really smooooooth design! I love the GG1 and this is a very nice MOC!!! It makes me wanting to create a "retro" style version!!!

In one version of the wagon I tried to make the whole power pickup with a bit of "suspension", using a rubber band - a bit better, but then I stopped the experiments , using a 9v dead train motor (without motor and gears) as a more efficient power pickup!

Hi all!!! Some days ago, back from holidays, I found here on EB that the new OcTRAINber contest has been started earlier!!! Well, I was expecting it in October, so I was a bit "unprepared"!!! Topic is particularly interesting , but it's difficult to immediately figure out what to prepare. I was quite lucky, since during the holidays, I had the the opportunity to spot a special hystoric train on the Ceva-Ormea line, in Piedmont. This line was literally the last one adopting the three-phases alternate current "Italian" system, and was converted to diesel-only in 1973. Therefore, being unusable on the new DC system, all the old locomotives were scrapped, or abandoned...or in one specific case...CONVERTED. Here's a specific page (in Italian - but can be translated by the browser), showing the Ceva Ormea in its electric and diesel era. As you can see,the AC system required two overhead wires. http://www.stagniweb.it/foto6.asp?File=l_aln2&Inizio=26&Righe=10&InizioI=1&RigheI=50&Col=5 Among all the AC locomotives, the FS E.550 was the smallest electric "three-phases" locomotive of the whole lot. A small wonder that allowed to pull trains on the terrible Giovi line, which was a real pain for steam locomotives. The AC system was affordable, easy to use, reliable, and smooth. The only problem was related to the fixed speeds (25,50,75, and the top limit of 100 Km/h) , which declared the end of the AC and the adoption of the still used DC system (started with the glorious E.626) The E.550 is only 9.5 meters long, has 5 axles (central one with plain wheels, the outer axles have a lateral movement of 20mm), so it's a pretty agile locomotive. I sincerely DO NOT KNOW if it has ever been used on the Ceva-Ormea line. Now that we've introduced the E.550, let's forget about it for a moment,and let's move again to the Ceva-Ormea line - to be precise to Ceva Station, which is near to my holidays house. Back in the late 80s, my dad used to travel from Genova to Ceva during summer months, staying in our house for weekends. Therefore, on fridays my mom and me used to wait him at Ceva station. This station has a backyard with some dead tracks, which at the time were full of old stuff and easily accessible, since it was near the car parking. In this yard I could see a lot of things - an old shunter, some wagons, a tender... and THAT thing ! For more info, look here - the first photo is clearly depicting what I used to see back in the days: http://www.stagniweb.it/foto6.asp?File=trifase2&Inizio=27&Righe=10&InizioI=1&RigheI=100&Col=5 At the time I tought it was an old, odd diesel snowplow, resembling me a...slug. Then a very nice man working at the station explained me that it once WAS a locomotive and then it was converted to a dummy unit, needing another locomotive to push it. It's marked as VNX 806.200, and it's basically an E.550 without motor,rods,electrical equipment...and with a big snow plow mounted frontally. It was used to clean the Ceva-Ormea line and was permanently assigned (and parked) in Ceva station. I saw a restored VNX at the Savigliano's museum, but it was another unit (VNX 806.221). The 806.200 is currently parked in another station near Turin (I hope waiting for a full restore). This is what I want to propose this year for OcTRAINber contest, and I can tell you it will be in 1:87 (4-wide) and will be a display only model. There will be also an E.550, so I can show the BEFORE and AFTER together (in a pretty limited space!) See you in the next days!!! Davide

Hi and thank you @zephyr1934 and @Hod Carrier!!! When designing small things, I use this kind of approach - I get photos of the prototype, and make them smaller and smaller. If a detail or shape remains clearly visible - it means it is "important" and must be reproduced. Also the proportions need to be more or less correct to please the eye. This often means the scale is not EXACT 1:87, but it can be kept very near. For instance, while the vNX is quite correct, the snowplow part is BIGGER than it should be to include the articulations, since "functionality" was something worth to add in this otherwise completely static thing But I was lucky to find a pretty compact link solution, so it's attached very near to the chassis Ciao! Davide

Ah I did not see the second video - I did the same thing with some straights and curves (and some wheels, too ) I found some pictures (from 2010 - look at the MacMini in the background) of an experiment I did for an ITLUG show. Basically it was a wagon with 12v power pickups, connected to the 721 locomotive. At the time i did not have any 9v rails and I could not try it too much , but it worked. The drag was a bit too much, in my opinion, and during the show the power was obvioulsy kept between 50% and 75%, so the 12v motor was slow and without any "spirit".

Nice! I tried to convert a PF motor to 12v some time ago, using the slot cars string (after all 12v and slot tracks have basically the same electric system). But it happened sometime to create a short, since the strings were moving a bit too much. Plus, slot cars always work in one direction only, and reversing was a real problem, since the strings tended to bend under the motor. The shown solution seems quite simple and seem to work properly!!! Before the summer I discovered the copper tape !!! It's thin and can pass between bricks (I admit that Minecraft and Redstone system were an inspiration). But I still have to try it on a PF motor. Currently a PF/RC/PUP piece of track can be converted to 9v using the copper plate tape. I think a bit more of work must be done on switches, since there are some "dead" parts to be powered in order to make the train pass over them without slowing down or stopping Thanks for sharing!!! Davide

Your choice was perfect, mudguards are really too specific and this car has a soft, clean shape to be respected! Ciao! Davide

Ciao Sven! Thanks for sharing this fantastic model! Working on it was...well...educative. As far as I can see, the PV831 has not so big tires, and wheel arches are in reality a bit more "closed" around the wheels. But In Lego it's quite impossible to reproduce them better than you did. I therefore tried to work with real parts to recreate a bit bigger wheel diameter, starting from standard tires (in this case slick ones, but it works also with treaded ones). Using the gear as wheel and forcing a bit the tire on it, you can pass from a bit less of 24mm to 25.5mm. Using old and a bit hard rubber tires works better since they do not bend too much. I added also an "hubcap" (sorry it's not in correct color!) it's the maximum I could achieve...hope it's sufficient and it's as big as the current train wheels. I prepared two renderings of the PV in Taxi version (with a modded tire part increased to 25.5mm) and the wheel seems proportioned to the body. How can I share it back to you? Ciao! Davide

You're right !!! This is the 'limo' version, I thought to the PV544 body, without remembering it was 2doors only. Ok, the problem are the wheels...which were high, stretched...and way inside the body. More or less it seems that the custom train wheel is the right size, so an overall combination of rim and tire with the same diameter could be fine. Maybe I've an idea but I've to try it before !!!

Great work, I particularly like the workshop with its "80's fire station" feeling!!! But also the cargo bay is a nice place to see in the whole landscape. Go ahead, you're creating an amazing layout!!! Ciao! Davide