legoboy3998

The first floor looks to be 8 studs deep, the first toy shop was 7 or 8 studs deep.

150? That's ridiculous! Bricktracks injection molded R104 switches are under $50 for a pair. You can't honestly tell me making the metal components is $100 per pair.

Perhaps there will be some info at Brickworld this week. Sal WFB, WI

I think a clarification between DC and DCC is needed at this point in the discussion. DC (Direct Current) control is the simplest form of motor control. In simple terms, in DC control, one lead from the power pack is connected to each rail. For the motor to go foreword, the positive voltage is sent to, say the left rail, and negative to the right rail. To reverse the motor, the positive and negative is reversed within the power pack. Speed is effected simply my increasing or decreasing the voltage applied. In DCC (Digital Command Control), full DC voltage is applied to the track, through wires known as a "power bus", and remains constant throughout operation. A Command Station takes commands from a DCC handheld controller, converts the commands to digital signals that are sent through the "power bus", through the rails, and to the pickups of the locomotive. From the power pickups, the commands are sent through a DCC "Decoder" in the locomotive that interprets the commands and tells the motor, lights, sound, etc. and tells the various outputs how to operate. In legacy LGEO 9v motors, the power pickups on the locomotive are directly connected to the motor. This works for DC control, but does not work for DCC. In DCC, The power pickups need to be isolated from the motor, in order for power to be routed through the "Decoder" FX Bricks' plan to have their motor come with the power pickups separate from the motor with a supplied "jumper" to connect tem directly, is the simplest way to make the motor pack the most versatile for both straight DC control, and DCC users. In my opinion, it would be a waste of time , money, and resources for FX Bricks to develop a LEGO specific DCC system. There are plenty of them out there for the user's to choose from The only real components that would be useful, besides the new motor, would be a "DCC Friendly Wiring harness" with a connector for the new motor, and JST connectors for speakers and lights, and a track connector with no connector on the "power pack end" for easy connection to the screw terminals of commercially available DCC Command Stations. Sal WFB, WI

@michaelgale Since you are talking about features, and looking at feedback. One of the big train shows my LUG does asks layouts if they have controls on the outside of the layout for kids to operate trains. Some of our members have been interested in trying to incorporate this with the new Powered UP system. The big concern is being able to limit the max voltage the system will send to the motor to limit the max speed. If there would be a way to include some way to set a max voltage limit, that would be useful. Since you mentioned "slave" controllers, This could maybe be done by having some way of connecting the "mother" and "slave" controllers so that the max speed can be set on the "mother" controller, inside the layout, (the speed slider might suffice for this) and the "Slave" controller, on the outside of the layout that can only utilize the max voltage that the "mother" controller is set to. Just something to keep in mind if possible. Sal WFB, WI

Having a built in DCC decoder in every power pickup would be a bit excessive, and drive up the size and cost dramatically. Most DCC manufacturers, and even different decoders by the same manufacturer have different features. A decoder for controlling a locomotive has far more functions than one for just freight or passenger cars. There is also usually a lot more room in the carbody itself for the DCC decoder and wiring and speaker. Having just the power pickup, separate from any DCC decoder would be much simpler, cheaper, and far more versatile. Sal WFB, WI

I doubled the height of the tree from the original Toy Shop set, and added mini Christmas lights. I think it makes a nice town Christmas tree in my park area. Sal WFB, WI

Where are you seeing dual molded legs on Santa? The sleigh set does not show Santa's legs, and advent calendar shows him with all red legs. Sal WFB, WI

@cbqmp27 It sounded like you had trouble with the all black part steps. This is not really a BMR issue, so much as it is a LDRAW? issue. I have the same issues with Brickmania instructions. I have found using my phones camera often helps to better show where the brick edges are to identify brick shapes and placement. I don't know if the LDRAW? allows the ability to change the brick outline color. Sal WFB, WI

These "upgraded" crossings are typically found in "Quiet Zone's" where trains are not to blow horns for crossings. PSA! if you ever find yourself caught between the crossing arms, remember, the crossing arms are designed to break away at the mounting point, with little damage, so vehicles can "escape". I have seen this in action. a few scratches is a far better outcome than a totaled car, or worse. Sal WFB, WI

I agree, a bare wheel design, with an optional "cover" that resembles the standard LEGO train wheel holder would be ideal. Sal WFB, WI

I would like to see a single axel power pickup bogie, and a single axel standard power pickup/motor bogie . This would allow for shorter, or wider wheelbases, power pickups for steam locomotives using technic motors to drive driver wheels, and three axel "powered" trucks for 6 axel or bigger diesel or electric locomotives. There may be two existing solutions to your motor interconnection issue. 1. If the streetcar with three motors is a preeminently connected unit, simply run your motor control (orange and grey?) wires from the decoder to all three motors. I did this with my GP-38 with MRC's Loco Genie wireless DC/DCC/AC decoder board installed. since my motors are set in opposite directions, I simply sapped the wires around between motors to reverse the polarity of one motor. This way both motors get the same power changes direct from the DCC decoder. 2. If the motors are in three independent cars that can be separated and run independently, three separate decoders can be used, one per car, and "consisted" through the DCC system. Consisting makes all the decoders in the consist receive and respond to commands as if they were one decoder, just like how multiple locomotives work on real trains. I hope those ideas help Sal WFB, WI

@michaelgale, I guess if that is the case, I will stick with plastic track and battery power. I think you are going to end up pricing yourself out of the market. With Bricktracks being half the price, I can buy double the track from Bricktracks and build more trains. Sal

@michaelgale, I have to say, while I was super excited for the revival of rail powered train components for the possibilities of adding DCC to LEGO trains, at your proposed pricing, I will be strongly reconsidering just sticking with battery trains. $70 (double Bricktracks pricing) for an 8 pack of track seems a tad excessive. Looking at your pricing formula for R40, and figuring the capital and production costs (per 5,000 units) are abut the same for other track pieces, it sees you are trying to make back all of your capital costs in the first 5,000 units. However, it would seem if you spread the capital cost recovery over say 20,000 units you could greatly reduce the retail price. For example, figuring: $18,000 capital +30,000 production for 20,000 units ($7,500 per 5,000 units x 4) $48,000 / 2,500 SKU's (20,000 units / 8 units per SKU) =$19.20 breakeven price Unless I am missing something. a $30-32 retail price per SKU would seem to be more reasonable. I think selling 2,500 SKU's over the lifetime of the mold would easy to do, particularly with straight track, especially with a more reasonable price point, and once the complete system becomes available. I think your current price point will turn a lot of people away, and risk the new FX track system not being the success it could be. Just my two cents. Sal

@michaelgale That is the next best solution. Perhaps @coaster can offer his switch stand piece separately so it can be used with your switches as well. It looks like both use similar attachment styles. Sal WFB, WI

Thanks @bogieman for the info on XL systems, I will keep them in mind when I need more. This past summer I picked up some extra diesel Loco Genies when MRC had them 40% off and free shipping. I haven't had any issues with mine running 2 PF train motors off the PF rechargeable battery I seem to only have the usual PF 3 hour time out sometimes when running at shows. Sal WFB, WI

@michaelgale, one of the really nice features of Bricktrack’s R104 switch is the new rotational “turntable” style mechanism for operating the switch. What mechanism do you have planned for the P40 switch? The “turntable” style allows for some more realistic switch stand modeling, compared to LEGO’s lever style. Very excited for all of your track and motor priducts. Sal WFB, Wi

I love to see someone else (besides myself) using the MRC Loco Genie. I have only used the diesel version, I have not yet played with the steam versions. I am guessing you used the "Heavy Steam Sounds" version? Did you need to do any matching to get the "chuff" sounds to line up with the movement of the drive rods? The MRC Loco Genie system really makes it easy to add a lot of extra sound and light effects. Very nicely done with the Smoke generator. Sal WFB, WI

I see great possibility in these! For railcars, allowing power pickup for lighting, EOT devices, and even sound (Soundtraxx SoundCar}. For locomotives, allowing a power pickup truck and a PF Train motor truck, adding a power pickup wheel set to the standard PF train motor for three axel trucks, for technic motor drive trains, using one or two pickup wheel sets, and one or two drive wheel sets, depending on truck type and builder's desire. If (and that is a big if as I know it would take significant time, money and effort to get it into full production) it could be released at a similar time to Fx Bricks metal track system, I think both would work well together to increase demand and usage for each other. Sal WFB, WI

@Silly_donkey With FxBrick moving forward with producing metal track, and their plan to produce power pickups, motors, controllers, etc. I would suggest perhaps reaching out to @michaelgale about possibly partnering or maybe working together on such an endeavor. with electric powered trains being an increasingly smaller part of the hobby, I think having competing groups working on basically the same thing would seem very counter productive. Collaboration may be more beneficial to all. Sal WFB, WI

Before you need motors and controllers, you need track to run it on. I think that is the thinking behind the order of products. Hopefully if demand is good for the initial runs of track, motors and controllers will follow "soon". Sal WFB, WI

I would be very interested. I would love to add dcc to my trains, and the most logical way is through track power. I have used a wireless dcc system, but it still lacks some of the functionality of true dcc systems. If the products are available, and supported/promoted by some of the more well known builders in the hobby, there is no reason it can’t succeed. Especially if LGMS were to endorse it as a future recommended practice. Sal WFB, WI

@zephyr1934 is this similar to what your are referring to (except the rest of the curve being R120)? I had come up with that same idea about and proposed it to OK Brick Works a year ago. He seemed less than enthusiastic. I think it could be very helpful for LGMS layouts, especially for doing other than "racetrack" loop layouts. Sal WFB, WI

In a single set per year, collectors type theme like the Winter Village series is, I would say the market is likely more stagnant than say the City Police market. If you did only a re-release in a given year, those who already purchased that set would not buy the set again. The market would only be those who missed out on the set during it's original release, or those new to the Winter Village series. If you released the re-release along side a new set as @jpx stated above, you would get people buying one or the other, but not likely both. I consider a re-release to be the exact same set with little to no changes. When LEGO did release the updated Toy Shop, I picked it up, even though I had bought the original, because they made good updates to it to correct the originals shortcomings. The original lacked details that all the other sets have automatically, the stickered sign and decorations on the building for example.

Probably because re-releases greatly reduce the market for that set. If you hope to sell 100,000 copies of a new set, if the first release sells 90,000, the re-release will probably only sell 10,000, unless it is a really highly sought after set.