Pdaitabird

I wanted to share this simple decoupler with the community. The advantage of this type of decoupler is that it actually separates the magnets rather than just holding back a car by its wheel, so there is no chance of the train separating in the wrong place. Mine is activated by a hand crank, but the output shaft could easily be connected to a motor. The photos should give you a pretty good idea of how to build the mechanism. I hope others can make use of it! IMG_0649 by the chestertonian, on Flickr IMG_0650 by the chestertonian, on Flickr IMG_0651 by the chestertonian, on Flickr IMG_0644 by the chestertonian, on Flickr IMG_0647 by the chestertonian, on Flickr IMG_0648 by the chestertonian, on Flickr Soli Deo Gloria

Thanks! Although I haven't tried it, you could probably mount the whole assembly on wheels to roll on a narrow-gauge track beside the mainline.

Here is a video of the decoupler in action. My apologies for the shaky camera - I'm trying to film and run the 9v controller at once! Soli Deo Gloria

Nice layout! I really like the SNOT doors on the shed - you've given me some inspiration for the (much smaller) shed I've been planning.

What a beautiful engine! The tender looks great.

Nice! I think your solution for the cockpit looks better than just using transparent bricks.

This shot tower looks really nice. The colors work well together, and there is enough architectural detailing to make it interesting without being overly complex. As an interesting aside, I've read that some companies are now experimenting with cubical and other shapes of shot - apparently it packs more tightly inside the shell!

Well, I don't know anything about sales, but as far as my personal taste goes (which is, of course, the only thing TLG should consider when designing sets ) I agree with @3797 that City trains (and pretty much all modern diesel and electric engines) seem pretty uninteresting. At least they threw us a bone this year with a new Hogwarts Express - I'll take what I can get!

Well, it's already been bumped so I guess we can comment. This wagon really has it all - massive size, realistic tilting function, and serves to illustrate just how ridiculously tight the standard Lego curves are. Someone should build a train MOC with bogies 80 studs apart that could just rotate around the center of a track circle!

Nice vignette - the cobblestones look good!

There's probably an easier way that I don't know about, but I would make a table in Excel or a similar program, screenshot it, and deeplink the screenshot image. It's a clumsy solution, I know, but at least it would show up.

Very nice MOC. Is the black box with wires for lighting?

Nice builds! The little details and Easter eggs are fun, like the bottles and cash sticking out of the shrubbery. It looks like Lego City's police need to patrol this park more often!

Nice! The big intakes give it a powerful look.

Looks great! Enough exposed studs for '90s nostalgia while still keeping a realistic feel.

This loco is packed with great details - when I first saw the pictures, I thought "Ok, where's the Lego version?" The tender bogies are really well designed and that angled cab front really sets it off!

Welcome to Eurobricks! I like the double-decker coach. You can upload the .lxf file to a site like Bricksafe and add a link in your post here.

This description could also apply to the origins of Nexo Knights!

Very nice station! The brick pattern with the red/dark red plates looks really good.

The engine and coaches look great! I prefer the car with the narrow spacing between windows - it looks like it would fit perfectly on an early 20th century commuter train!

There seem to be two broad options: "hard" science fiction or space fantasy. For hard sci-fi, the best bet is probably near-distant future (think 2100s) exploration of the outer solar system with different factions (reminiscent of Blacktron/Exploriens?) competing. Note: For the record, I will eat a bowl full of bricks if TLG ever actually does the following: On the space fantasy side, an adaptation of CS Lewis's Out of the Silent Planet would make an interesting concept. The novel, written in the late 1930s, includes three different species of Martians. The retro "hero ship" - actually the villain's ship - is described vaguely enough to give TLG some design liberty, and it could appeal to Adventurers fans as it features 1930s British explorers in space. Again, I realize that the probability of TLG actually building a theme around such an obscure IP is basically zero - just wishlisting here.

@Aanchir has made some good points about the limitations of the current minifig design, even apart from the discussion about minidolls. It got me thinking that minifigs themselves are due for an update. The biggest drawback, as others have noted, is that the minifig is about 4-wide with its arms down. Train builders, for example, have to go to ridiculous lengths to get two rows of seats in a passenger car. What if the minifig was updated with a torso and legs based more on the battle droid? (Of course, modified to look more human and solid!) It could probably use the same arms/hands and head, be about the same height, and fit in a 2-wide space. How would the community react to such a change? I, for one, would welcome it. But that may be because I see minifigures as train accessories -- part of the background scenery rather than the focus. What do you minifig collectors think?

I like the NS version! It reminds me of the ones that come through my hometown. The angles on the front end are especially nice.

Looks good! The little details like the removable engine really add to the model. Well done!

Here's a 2-4-2 locomotive created in Studio 2.0. It's built around a rigid frame - the drivers are unflanged to allow the loco to pass curves. The 1x4 DBG tile on the boiler side is supposed to be a nameplate. The Studio file is available here. Thanks for looking! Soli Deo Gloria