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Model of New Jersey Transit's 2020 New Flyer XD60 articulated bus. The model has roughly 5200 pieces. Features drive, steering, independently controlled doors, and custom stickers matching the real-life NJT XD60. Functions/features: Drive Steering Remotely controlled doors Custom stickers Instructions available on Rebrickable: https://rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-100374/JLiu15/new-flyer-xd60-articulated-bus/#details In early 2020, the first New Flyer XD60 articulated buses began hitting the streets of New Jersey. The 3rd generation of New Jersey Transit's articulated buses, these buses replaced the aging Neoplan articulated buses that NJ Transit operated since 2004. A total of 110 buses, these buses are a common sight in the Newark area, as well as in Hudson County on routes to New York City. They are commonly used on routes 1, 13, 25, 39, and 70 in the Newark area, and routes 123, 125, 126, 128, 154, 156, 158, and 159 to NYC. The buses are assigned to four garages, with buses 20801-20828 at Hilton, 20829-20848 at Big Tree, 20849-20891 at Fairview and 20892-20910 at Meadowlands at the time of writing. The idea to model NJ Transit's New Flyer XD60 started when the buses were still under delivery in 2020. Work on the model started with the Stud.io model in December 2020, and the physical model in January 2021. The plan was for a 1:20 scale model using 49.5x20 tires. The functions are drive with a PF XL Motor, steering with a PF Servo Motor, and remotely controlled doors with 1 PF Medium Motor each. I initially thought of including a kneeling mechanism, but seeing as the bus kneels on its front axle, the mechanism was difficult to re-create in LEGO due to there being 3 axles, so I abandoned the idea. The seating layout on my model is identical to that of the real bus - thanks to photos posted in a NJ Transit Facebook group, I was able to accurately model the interior with all 59 seats. I wanted to make a bike rack for the model as well, but seeing as the bike rack on the real NJT XD60 has plenty of complex curves that would be very difficult to replicate while keeping it robust at this scale, I decided against it. In fact, on real NJT XD60s that have the bike rack removed (which is most of them), you can still see the holes in the bumper where it is attached. The bumper on my model has connectors where you can theoretically attach a bike rack, so I guess this is accurate. The model is built with a Technic chassis/frame and a System finish. I initially wanted to make it all Technic with some System details, but seeing as System gives a cleaner and more detailed finish, I decided to go with all System for the bodywork. In fact, this is my first model to have a System finish - all my previous MOCs were at least 80% Technic. The Technic chassis has a frame sitting above it to support the roof, as well as the motors for the door opening mechanisms. The doors are opened with mini linear actuators (1 in the front door, 2 in the rear door). The mechanism for the rear door is located in the upper frame, but because the front panel on the front door curves inward a little, as well as space taken up by the front destination sign, I had to place the mechanism for the front door in the floor, with the motor transferring drive to it via a vertical axle. I initially expected the bellows to be difficult to make and take plenty of trial and error, but after just a few tries I was able to come up with a well-working setup. The bellows are supported by a central section that keep the front/rear halves of the bellows symmetrical at all times, and rubber bands help the bellows maintain their shape, In fact, no matter how I touch the bellows, they will always fold smoothly. It added no extra friction to the model turning, and overall I consider this part to be a huge success. Prior to building this model I did not have many white System pieces, so thanks to Stud.io I was able to design the model digitally and be satisfied with everything before I ordered any pieces. Thanks to the NJ Transit Facebook group, I was able to get an image of the roof of the bus to accurately model the roof. The hardest part to model was the front roofline curve - the complex shaping is quite difficult to model with LEGO pieces. However, my final design turned out pretty well, and looks pretty much seamless. Because I'm using System pieces for the body, I had concerns of structural integrity as this is something I'm not able to accurately test on Stud.io, but after building it on my physical model it actually turned out to be very robust. Once the building process was finished, I created custom stickers based on the real NJT New Flyer XD60's details. In fact, most of the stickers were made from photos of the real bus's decals. The stickers are printed on clear glossy sticker paper, except for the destination sign stickers as the details on a clear sticker paper barely show up on a black surface. I initially wanted to replicate bus 20801, the first bus of the series, but that bus was later retrofitted with a grille in the rear so I decided to model bus 20818 with route 39 in the destination sign, as the real 20818 is a Hilton garage bus that operates route 39. I acquired a gray paper backdrop for the photos and video as taking photos on a white backdrop would not allow me to clear the background in GIMP due to this being a white model. I'm really satisfied with how the photos turned out, and there's no editing necessary so I expect the gray backdrop to become the norm for MOC photos from now on. I recently got a GoPro as well, and thanks to its small size, I was able to put it through the rear door to film the model driving from the interior, making you feel like a LEGO passenger on a LEGO bus. Overall, this has been by far my largest project to date. While it's not the most advanced, as it only has 4 motors, it has nearly 5200 pieces and is a revolutionary MOC for me as this is my first model with a System finish. The model took about a year to finish, much longer than any of my previous MOCs. I had lots of fun working on this project, the looks are accurate, and the functions all work smoothly. Given how well this model turned out and being a busfan myself, I definitely see myself making more bus MOCs in the future. Video: Photos: -
[WIP] New Flyer XD60 Articulated Bus
JLiu15 posted a topic in LEGO Technic, Mindstorms, Model Team and Scale Modeling
Hey guys, here is a long-anticipated project of mine that I'm finally starting. It is a model of NJ Transit's 2020 New Flyer XD60 articulated bus. My model will be fully motorized, with remote-controlled drive, steering, and opening doors. It'll be either controlled by the PF IR system or by SBrick. The model will be propelled by a PF XL motor, which is already in place. The power source is a PF 8878 battery sitting in the very rear of the chassis. So far I have the rear portion of the chassis built - just missing most of the seats. I've already been building the model digitally on Stud.io for about a month, mostly working on the chassis, so this part should be done relatively soon. However, this is not taking into consideration any potential issues that may arise as I build the chassis in real life. I also have prototypes for the doors' and bellows' mechanisms ready (not pictured), and they seem to work pretty well. So overall, it'll just be a matter of putting these mechanisms together into a coherent chassis. Aesthetics wise, my model will mostly be about the outside appearance, which means I'll focus much more on the bodywork than the interior details-wise. However, the seating layout will still be identical to the original bus, with a total of 59 seats. This is definitely a project I'm really looking forward to. It'll be the first time I model a particular real-life vehicle. I'm a huge fan of NJ Transit's buses and buses in general, and these artics IMO are some of the best buses they've ordered in recent years. And because I'm doing a digital build while simultaneously building in real life, I plan on publishing instructions for this MOC when it's finished. Photo: