Imanol

Well, I´ve finally found time to work with the train again and I have discovered what I think is the main cause of the cracks. The two areas marked in this photo are the main critical points on the car as they are not properly connected: In this other image you can see the connection points (apart from the upper area: This is what I think is happening, the arrows signal the forces involved. The bricks marked are the ones which have developed cracks so the theory checks up. Now comes the second part, which is how to solve this. Frankly I don´t have any idea. I knew from the start that this could be a problem but I wasn´t sure how to solve it but I didn´t imagine it could cause all of this. It might be a good idea to start thinking on a complete redesign of this areas changing the bogie connection from the top to the bottom. If anyone has another idea feel free to say it. And of course there is another problem as unfortunately I will be away from my home several days so I won´t be able to test anything on the real model. Thanks, Imanol

For now, redesigning the entire car is discarded as I don´t think it will be worth it but I will see it in the future. As I said in my previous message there is another possibility which is that the window is pressing it and producing the damage even though the tile on top is perfect it may be transferring the forces onto the brick below and causing the cracks but this is all suppositions. I think that for the other pieces broken I´m going to try to strengthen the union between the two sides of the car which is for now the only idea that comes to mind although there are several cracks on the window frames that I can´t explain for now Do you think if this could be the cause of the problems? Thanks for all the help, Imanol

The crack is like the others, it starts in the middle and covers the lower half. The car appears to be straight but I will check it later more thoroughly. There are two points of concern: - The attachment for the bogie is located in the upper part so the car is hanging from it - This piece is located under the point where the two window parts join, this was used using the cheese slope technique but for some reason the window is larger than the frame and it comes outwards a little bit. Apart from this area cracks are starting to appear in the other 1x3 that is in the image. I hope this will help determine the problem. Thanks, Imanol

Well, I have bad news (again). I have found the first major crack on a piece in the cafe car. For those who are not aware the cafe car was the last part of the train that I ´ve built and it was made with pieces from other sellers. The crack is in a 1x3 block located on the middle of the car (see render). This brings again my initial question, could this be (at least in part) caused by a structural problem in the train. Crack Cafe car by Imanol, en Flickr This idea comes from the fact that all of the external factors are different the train car was not subjected to any forces other than it´s own weight as I have not removed the roof, also as I previously said. The possibility that it is caused by a defective batch can be ruled out as the pieces were bought two months after the first order and from different sellers who listed them as new. Currently I´m very busy with exams so I don´t have found yet the time to inspect all of the train in search for more cracks or any other problem so I can at least know the extension of the issue. If anyone has any other theories feel free to say it as I need to sort this as soon as possible because I have several orders for instructions of my trains and I don´t want to include what might be a critical error in the design. Imanol

Well, for now I want to build a bigger case and I will try to contact other train moc builders that have done bigger and complex models in order to find the extent of the problem as I can´t seem to see this problems in other builds posted on the Internet. Once I rule out any other reason I will initiate a complain with LEGO about the issue but I don´t know if they will answer for the bricks sold by other people even though they advertised them as new. Thanks, the idea is to finish it this summer with the addition of another powercar and the 2 "Turista" cars but first I wan´t to solve this issue

The problem is that all of the bricks that I used as a child were from 2005 to 2014 and I´ve never seen this phenomena occurring so I don´t understand why it´s happening now. Also I´m not happy to sell instructions for a train whose bricks will develop several cracks. I was aware of the issue with reddish brown (although I thought it was solved several years ago) but I never imagined that the problem will be with the rest of the colours. The technique of hiding them works for some but the bricks with side studs can´t be reversed so the cracks will be visible. I was planing to replace these bricks with new ones but only if I can be assured that the cracks won´t happen so for now it will stay as it is.

Hi, first I´m sorry but I forgot to update the post until now. The first phase of the train is finished as you can see in the next photos: Side of the Powercar From the back The two cars: And of course one of the interior: But this is only phase 1, phase 2 is already here (although I don´t have any proper photos): But I have a encountered a big problem: last week while working on the train I started to noticed several cracked bricks, see photos below: As you can see is a very extended phenomena that affects all of the cars except the new cafe car. After discussing it with @Hod Carrier we discarded the excessive weight option and the factory error (not all of the pieces were bought from the same seller). The only thing certain is that the pieces are all new Since then I´ve came with an alternate theory that may explain almost every case (but for now the crack in the 1x3 brick is unexplained). I think the problem might be with the fact that they have only one stud connections so the can "swivel" slightly and the might be misaligned with the bottom stud causing the cracks. But this is only a theory that I can´t prove (without permanently damaging more pieces) so I want to know if anyone has another theory. Thanks, Imanol

No, thanks to you for coming up with it. It will help a lot in future projects

I ´ve tried the cheese slope technique in the S-130 car and it works great. I´m going to made a prototype in the near future in order to test the compatibility with the S-449 windows. Hod Carrier Cheese-Slope Technique by Imanol, en Flickr (I still need to improve my "Photoshop skills") For now I´m still waiting to receive the final pieces of the train and I´m planing to finish the build soon. Then I will be able to check and improve any other minor detail. Thanks, Imanol

Thanks, I will try the cheese slope technique first. The problem with connecting studs to Technic holes is the repetition which was my first idea as the lower part of the window is made of Technic bricks that were supposed to attach to 1x1 studs placed between the tiles in the bottom of the windows. Is not only that the technique is illegal but also the fact that it points slightly upward which worries me due to the fact that the roof is main point of attachment between the different sections of the car. In any case if the cheese slopes fail I will try it.

Thanks for the idea, as for part 4585 I could try to make it work in the S-130 as it doesn´t have a black "window frame". The 1x1 bracket technique may solve part of the problem but the train has an interior and it will colide with it. I have checked it and the space between the seats doesn´t align with the black bricks in the windows so it won´t work. The perfect solution will be any type of connection at the end that is not an illegal technique as unfortunately the Technic brick is.

Hi, I have a lot of news. During this time I ´ve been working on the final details of the build and now it´s ready. I started building the train, for now I will only build 2 trailers and 1 powercar (see photo below) Current Plan by Imanol, en Flickr In this moment I only have one of the cars as I´m still waiting to receive some pieces. LEGO Renfe S-130 Preferente PMR [MOC] [WIP] by Imanol, en Flickr I´m happy to inform that the @Hod Carrier bogie works perfectly. But I already found several problems but most of them have already been solved, but this is not easy as my personal piece collection is very limited and is several years old. The main problem that I have found is relating the windows which are not stable enough. Renfe S-130 Window 1 by Imanol, en Flickr As you can see the windows have several bricks which attach to the rest of the roof and make them more stable, but this is not enough as the overhang is not secured enough and can be pushed inside. As @Ferro-Friki has proposed I attached the other end with some tiles and it looks way better Renfe S-130 Window 2 by Imanol, en Flickr But there is a problem, I´m currently on the process of preparing another train in order to send the instructions and I have encountered the same problem but with a worse solution. In this other train, the Renfe Class S-449. As you can see the windows are one plate larger so this trick of using modified bricks with studs doesn´t work as they can´t be aligned. The problem with adding a bar between the two sides is that the interior is in between. Here the windows are attached in both sides meeting in the middle but this relies entirely on the pressure made between the two sides but as I´ ve discovered this is not enough. Renfe S-449 Windows by Imanol, en Flickr I already tried to use the Technic brick hole but as this video explained this is an illegal technique which can add stress to the bricks and I´m not willing to do that. So the question is, Is there any "legal" technique which can attach the plates at the end. I´m hoping that you could understand it. Thanks, Imanol

Thanks. It has been a challenge to build in Medium Azure but I think is worth it

Thanks for the suggestions, unfortunately I have to discard the ski pole as i can´t cut it in Stud.io. I ´ve been looking at the telephone as it may pass as the leaf spring but I will need to redesign several elements in order to be able to attach it. Currently there is very few attachment points in the bogie and to make it more difficult there are only inverted brackets in medium azure

Thanks, I´m trying to understand what you mean. When I did my previous train I added this bars to the bogie. Is this what you mean? LEGO Renfe 7702 Perspectiva 1 [MOC] by Imanol, en Flickr Unfortunately there is no bar piece in Medium Azure, the closest one is Dark Turquoise.