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I really hope the battery box won't be any wider than 4 studs. That would making hood-type switchers, that also have to look decent, a lot harder.

Please no, I still want it in dark blue...

Yes.

I guess the new battery box will contain AAA batteries just like with the current one, I wonder if a LiPo rechargeable battery will become available.

I actually grew up with the 4559, and thought it was great back in the day. I didn't care about realism at that age (I converted it to a roadside assistance train, not realizing how impractical it would be). Later I wish I got the Metroliner instead - but when the Metroliner was still available I was young-ish for trains, and other stuff was higher on my list. Yes, they used big nose pieces in the past, but with the red train I was really hoping they would break with that bad habit. I rather see they released a new track piece instead. Related to that: why was the 7996 crossing discontinued again? Did it not sell enough? Anyway, are those pantographs new parts? I can't recall seeing them before. A bit too small IMO. I think those look off on the freight train. I find that building ugly, but the forklift looks nice and the crane looks very well done IMO. Speaking about new parts: I'm very curious about the new battery box. The receiver integrated would allow designs otherwise impossible. I hope they didn't put any Technic holes in the sides or something like that. And please, let it be dark bley again. :D

I'm no fan of the new front. It's prefab, while TLG showed us they can make good-looking brick-built train fronts. But it's an ugly prefab IMO. The older train at least looked like the real deal. What's this? It doesn't look like a light rail, it doesn't look like an intercity, it doesn't look like a high-speed train... unless you make it very cartoonish. If I'm wrong, I would like to see a pic of a real monstrosity train that looks like this. Before people start about the target audience of LEGO trains: there were plenty of trains released that looked realistic. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, let's agree to disagree. So, a new mould. A copy is not what we are waiting for, I agree with that. But now they invest in a new part, that likely will be released in a single set only (again), with not many other purposes. I would rather see they did invest in more general usable parts. The elements of the Metroliner appeared in other sets while they were considered too specialized by some. Not even starting about the 7938, in my eyes the best regularly available passenger train in the last 20 years. With a front mainly consisting of standard bricks. And no more train station? If there at least was a decent platform in the passenger train set, but the platform included is not even the length of a single track element. Well, it's bigger than the Euro-pallet sized "platform" in the previous train I guess. I really don't like how the quality of designs is declining IMO, especially compared to better parts becoming available. I really do look forward to PF 2.0 As for that Alsthom locomotive: plenty of European railroads use Alsthom locomotives that look like that one. With quite a number of MOC's in 6-wide around, I'm curious how an official set would compare. If they release something like that, people will mod it into the different colours for sure.

A passenger train that looks like an EMU, only with one front. And again a new prefab design. They could do it in the past, why can't they do it now? Hard to please? I don't know. The red passenger train (7938) looks awesome compared to this, even 60051 looks more complete. Not counting the Horizon Express, this is the first passenger train since the 9V era that looks unfinished to me.

Me noticing this topic only now is a clear indication that I should visit EB more often, or becoming more active with Lego in general. Nice to read all the progress. Years ago I was briefly interested in building a monorail myself, also based on Hidaka's work, but lack of parts prevented me from building and trying anything, and I lost my interest. But I'll keep an eye on this topic.

I really like @HoMa's designs, it pushes me to try to bring my own works in progress to a higher level of detail. Too bad that kinda resulted in me getting overcritical about my NS 200 locomotor, and now I'm still not sure if I should complete it. Some other designs that I like are from @aawsum and @dj_legostyle because of what they manage to achieve in six wide.

Maybe it's an idea to make instructions of the old version? I'd be interested at the very least. I can't wait for the second video. It looks very impressive so far.

GIRO_VAGONES by MTorralbo, on Flickr 10 detalle ejes by MTorralbo, on Flickr I don't know if this will work, but I found it an interesting solution. It might be worth a try.

Hey @Commander Wolf. Kongõ is one of my favourite battleships, both in real life (the history, the looks) and in World of Warships (not sure if the best overall, but certainly the best midtier :P ). Your Kongõ is recognizable as such, and that's an impressive feat at this scale. Well done!

Welcome back TheBrickster WesternOutlaw! I'm not that active on the forum anymore, occasionally visit it, but I liked reading your articles and I hope more will come. I was known as Richie back then, but changed my username as well (and thinking about changing it again).

This looks very useful! I'm working on a tank engine design now and then, this could help to get the neccesary PF equipment on board.

Long time I haven't visited this forum, but what a pleasant surprise to see you built a DAF, and a very nice one! If you ever make instructions of this, I might give it a try to convert to the Super Space Cab, because that's what my uncle drives.

I think the topic description is clear. Show your designs designed with TrackDesigner, TrackDraw, BlueBrick or a similar program. I'll kick off with my design: It's more or less the maximum space I can use. I want to add poles for signals and electricity, and the wall of my room is sloped. It's designed after Ede, the city where I live. The names are in Dutch, I see now. -Riedel becomes a juice factory, with loading docks and trucks. In real this company makes Appelsientje, Taksi and Coolbest, well-known drinks in the Netherlands; -Station Ede-Wageningen: this will be the main train station, where an intercity passes by and sometimes stops; -Station Ede Centrum is smaller. Here come only regional trains; -Gemeentehuis is the city hall. The one from Ede is built over the road, so that's what I'm gonna do; -Onderstation is an electrical substation. I designed this with BlueBrick, but I used the 1997 road plates. The real one will have the 2002 road plates, but they are not in the program.

I've bought the book as well. It's been more than 10 years since I last read reasonable amounts of text in German, so sometimes I am a bit struggling to exactly understand what is written. But in general I get it most of the times without having to rely on Google Translate or German-Dutch dictionaries. I don't read it constantly, so I'm not even close to finish it, but so far I'm very happy with the book. I didn't care about the explanation of standard pieces, but perhaps it can be of great use to people new to the LEGO hobby. Nice to read about the different train systems, pro's and con's of the different widths in wich you can build (I was surprised to read 7-wide is currently Holger's favourite width ), design process, detailing and last but not least building instructions to build an ICE (with three different nose ideas), an open wagon, a Swiss Crocodile electric locomotive and a passenger coach. Very generous to give us such an extended look in the kitchen. I recommend this book to everyone who is interested in LEGO trains, experienced or not. On a related note: this book inspired me to try to bring detailling on my own models to a higher level.

If this set turns to be unpopular, TLG might see trains not important enough to release new sets. Bricklink price tags after retirement won't change that, because TLG doesn't earn on those sets anymore (they were already sold, possibly at a discount). Time will tell, I hope I'm wrong. Yes, people wanted a new train. I just doubt it was a christmas train they wanted. Just my €0,02

Thanks! I'd prefer an ACTS version (container terminal with the container crane of Barman ), but the purple colours make it hard to be able to design something buildable with real bricks. Someone at Lowlug gave me the tip to make it in either this or the Shortlines colours, and of those two I think this is the most interesting. As for a petition: I could try it at LEGO Ideas, but few train-related ideas seem to make it to the deadline. Perhaps it makes more chance if I finish the Gottwald design as well. That's an even better solution. Nice work!

Well, the idea of a maintenance train appeals to me. I've already designed a V60 in the colours of Volkerrail, one of the three railroad contractors in the Netherlands, with the intention to add two Gottwald cranes, one or two flatcars and maybe some additional cars. A crane would be a nice addition to an official set as well. They already did that before, but I think it's possible to release a slightly larger one as well. And less cartoony, the last proper design was 4552 IMHO. It should fit right into the idea of a repair train and adds playability as well. I'd skip the blinking light idea. Unless LEGO releases a new part for it, there are IIRC two options: either the old 9V Light & Sound light (discontinued) or a complicated mechanical contraption (I doubt that'll fit in a shunter, and unlikely LEGO will do that in an official set). As for the Snow Service I actually see something like this an interesting possibility. This requires some mechanics as well, but it can be built very easy as LEGO already did with 4533.

That's a very nice tractor, and perhaps I'd buy a set of it. But then you still don't have smaller tractor wheels. If it was up to me then I'd rather see that conventional Claas you mentioned. How about something like this? Because of the narrow gauge, I think a model around scale 1:20 should fit the standard LEGO track (although the standard curves get ridiculously tight) and the crane at the back adds functions.

I have not much with the Claas brand for tractors. I think John Deere would be a good choise, if I'm correct John Deere has it's 180th anniversary next year. But any brand might be welcome. Smaller front wheels make almost any tractor possible to build (well, they already are, but the front tires look weird), but equipment like combines and forage harvesters as well.

I partly agree with you. In general I think the quality of the regular sets is lacking. But I think the last 7 years or so we also saw some highlights: the introduction of PF after the awful RC system, the introduction of official LEGO large train wheels and sets like the Maersk and the Horizon Express. What bothers me is that sometimes it seems to get better (or less worse) and then LEGO comes with a disappointment. We saw the end of 9V some years after the BNSF, the return of big single-piece noses after the brick-built noses of 7938 and said Horizon Express, and now we see a christmas train from which I don't see a large potential buying audience, not helped at all by the price tag, awful design or limited usability because of it's theme. Does anybody know if the Holiday Train sold well back in the day?

Very recognizable as a 1200. Nice to see you achieved the sloped sides. Good work! You triggered me to restart my work on my own 1200. It's a matter of opinion of course, but I find the NS 1200 class one of the most beautiful engines that ever hit the Dutch tracks, and the single most beautiful electric engine for sure.

Nice coaches you've built Sebastian! Keep in mind though that they are pretty long. I don't think they'll manage to negotiate the standard LEGO curves well.