M_slug357

Finally got that copper tape I had mentioned earlier onto some rails this weekend, and here are the results: A short video of a train on a circle r104 curves Live Rail! (2) by Nick Jackson, on Flickr An overview of a prototype r104 switch r104 Switch Detail (1) by Nick Jackson, on Flickr A close-up of electrical connections at the frog r104 Switch Detail (2) by Nick Jackson, on Flickr

It could be like how Lego currently has the AAA battery box (88000) and the LiPo one (8878)-- except this round, the rechargeable box has a built in BT receiver instead of an integrated speed knob... and then the AAA battery box will either still be usable, or it will get an upgrade to help it play well with a new standalone BT receiver.

While I love industrial trackside structures such as this, when it comes to chemical plants, my hands down favorite is the Chemical Plant Zone from Sonic the Hedgehog 2. lol

Hahaha yes, that was the hardest question to answer-- "What do I do with all this cable?" Speaking of which, has anyone noticed this circular trend with trains? First there were battery operated trains, then there were rail-powered trains, and now we're back to battery powered trains... by 2025 will we have rail-powered trains again? There's a similar pattern with the electrical connectors for trains-- they started with somewhat large plug-in style connectors, then there were 2x2 plate style connectors, and now with the potential (upgrade?/downgrade?) to the WeDo 2.0 style of connectors, the system's back to the plug-ins... I get that there's a huge drive in pop-culture these days to rehash/reduce/revive/reuse/rewrite/recycle stuff from the 1980's (or older), simply because the kids who grew up with that stuff are now adults that wanna remember the "good ol' days"... but some trends are better left dead&buried...! Sorry to rant a bit...

To be honest, it was more like basket weaving!! In case you didn't know, my 7760 also has a light unit in it... so that's quite an extra bit of cable! And, while I couldn't even begin to think of what such instructions would look like, they shouldn't be any harder than any others to understand... we have to remember that Lego set instructions have been dumbed down to also "reach the target audience"... Same here, even if it comes as an alternate build to a larger engine! I *love* how they don't even mention anything about the My Own Train series.... I also *love* how they didn't put up any pictures of the World City trains, or anything from 9v, besides a picture of the switch rails box art.... There sure is a lot o' love out there for train nuts..........................................................................!

I guess this line of thought would explain why we haven't seen a shunter-sized engine appear in a set for quite a while? Do kids rarely (or at all) get to see switching & shunting action? I still want to see Lego's take on a small engine and how they'd incorporate all of the bulky PF gear into one... if I can do it with my mediocre building skills, why can't Lego? 7760 (4) by Nick Jackson, on Flickr Maybe they'll surprise us via another "curveball" train set?

@Hod Carrier These are very nice indeed! thanks for allowing us to follow along during the prototyping phase! Congrats on the promotion! lol

WOW, that's super slick! Though I wonder about the parts' longevity b/c it looks like they have those 2x2 "sliding shoe" pieces gliding over the top of the rails? Since almost all of the rail head is of the notched variety, won't that cause a significant amount of wear&tear?

I really like that tanker car, with the exception of the wheel spacing. Kinda on the far side for me, b/c I like to have multiples in long consists....!

...Although, it would be interesting to see a few Lego versions of the engines that Thomas & Co. are based off of-- albeit in severely different color schemes, as well as no faces (duh)-- so as not to arouse any copyright infringement. Mattel doesn't own the rights to the real-world prototypes, so I think it's safe to say that Lego builds could be made...

I've got a 1-stud wide technic monorail that I was working on; lemme see if I can dig it up! It uses thick beams/liftarms as the rail...

@Bricksmith Another note on technic pins-- make sure you're using the right pins!! Blue & Black ones add friction while Tan and Lt.Grey ones spin freely. Also, if your driver wheels have bricks behind them, you may want to invest in a healthy supply of Nylon washers. Placing those between the drivers and the bricks of the wheelbase reduces the chance of snagging parts.

Pennies for the win!!! I generally try to squeeze about 30-50 cents' worth into most of my lighter engines.

The only problem with this approach is that you need to make sure the adhesive itself is able to also conduct electricity...! I originally tried just regular copper tape a few years back, and now when I look at those few bits of experimental track I see that they're all bluish and jagged. With the particular type of tape that I'm using, in theory I should be able to layer it as well-- possibly up to 3 layers? I'm hoping this tin works better too!

In the next few days, I’ll be investigating a temporary solution to 9V: Tinned copper conductive tape! Supposedly the tin increases durability, reduces oxidation, and is aesthetically silver in color. Also, the tape has .005 ohms of resistance- hopefully that doesn’t add up too much? Can’t wait to throw it on my r104 switches & curves! Will post results&pics when possible.

Not bad @Digger of Bricks! It seems as though most train related projects focus heavily on the engine though....

Thats rufff man, really rufff. I'll admit that I'm also not a fan of waiting around, especially if the cycle's gunna be every 3-5 years for something new to come our way.....! What IS the best way to attract new members to our flock?

At the very least reverse their color scheme so that the main part is bright orange and the nobs are light bley...! Also, maybe a wrist-lanyard to keep people from losing them so frequently...?

...but tiles have an even surface compared to anti-studs (underside). Also, it looks very slick.

Coaster's based in the US of A, last time I checked...?

@gotoAndLego the HE doesn't struggle with a single motor per-se, but it doesn't go very fast either. I'd recommend putting two motors in the lead engine, but you'd need to reverse the polarity of the second motor. It's also possible to place another pair of motors in the rear engine, but that requires a 2nd battery box and receiver... as well as higher radius track to lessen the possibility of derailment...!

Seen any noteworthy projects on Ideas recently...?

Hey all, has anyone used the V2's ludicrous option on a train yet? I'm still on the fence about these, but would like to get one to try it out soon...

Whether they're real or shell companies, those do require some serious capital to create & maintain...

Haha, Frida Kahlo begs to differ ... Also, that Marklin layout is beautifully insane with all those overhead wires covering every bit of track!