BrickBuff

I would love to own a lot of 9V track, but as a relative newby to LEGO trains (2010) I decided that is not realistic, or smart. For the same money you can simply buy so much more of the PF track, and it's future proof. And whilst there are some genuine advantages of 9V over PF, notably the fact you don't need a battery box, with some creativity this can be overcome with PF. For example, I've made a train where the battery box does not take up any interior space and therefore can have a fully details interior. See here for inspiration:

If you also have a fair amount of bricks, you may consider two layers, here's my example: And finished product:

Short video clip of this super space efficient commuter train running on my elevated railway.

Have you considered a layout over multiple levels? It's a great way to increase playability and track length on a modest surface?

Un-be-lie-va-ble! I hope you have the track to go with it, it must be enormous! Kudos.

Thank you! For one scene I used the infrared receiver to control one of the PF switching mechanisms, but that was only a temporary solution to allow both the red and green train to run simultaneously for this video only. The IR remote is not practical as there are only 8 channels available, so my 4 trains (including one unseen freight train) I could only control 4 switches. One alternative which I have used to date is simply PF extension cables and PF switches, but you need a _lot_ of extension cables! So... my permanent solution will be the SBrick (www.sbrick.com) of which I have ordered 4 through the Kickstarter campaign. But the mechanisms will remain the same. The SBricks should ship soon, so I will post an update on YouTube as soon as I got it working! If you look carefully, you will also notice I have 4 pneumatic switches as well. These are actually my favourite because they are even more compact than the PF electric switches. Of course you need tubes for these, but these can very easily run underneath the elevated track. I had this all working in my previous set-up but I am redesigning the compressor. Again, when it's done I'll post a new video. PS if you want I could send you the LDD files for the electric switches? I have these in 2 varieties, one for the regular switches (based on someone else's design, but can't find the reference at this moment!) and one for the crossing. Thank you. Not sure I will do any landscaping anytime soon, and not much room left for buildings. In fact, the reason why I started the elevated track was that that way LEGO train track can be better combined with a LEGO City. But as I went along, I found the play value of a train much greater, especially if I managed to design a layout that allows a train to travel between levels. I have a spacious basement but am still constraint for space, so in the end the buildings just had to go... Next steps are to extend the layout a bit further to allow for a freight train, and to implement the upcoming SBrick (www.sbrick.com) for the remote controlled switches!

Finally, almost two years in the making, I proudly present what I think comes pretty close to the ultimate LEGO train layout with relatively modest dimensions. Built on a purpose made modular table, the layout contains almost 40 meters of rails over 2 levels. Over 300 pieces of track were used (details at the end of the video) and an endless amount of pillars and other parts for the upper level. Enjoy! Details about the table and pieces used at the end of the video.

I've been busy re-designing my train layout for imminent arrival of the SBricks I have on order for my remote controlled switches: More straight track on order to finalise the outer high speed track. Keep an eye out my youtube channel.

I did the same even before my son was born - the best excuse to start buying LEGO again! , Not sure how old your boy is, but if he's still very young, have you considered checking out Intelli-train? It was a Duplo range with some very basic interactivity / "programming" by placing special bricks on the track e.g. Stop, Reverse, Tank fuel etc. It was a great success in my house. You can still find them in good shape on Bricklink.

Simple: you click together as many of the former as you need, and add one 'stop lamella' at the end. This end will be the bottom of the door, touching the floor when closed. Good luck!

New pics on Lego CUUSOO / Ideas (picture 4) should give you some idea of how the battery box is connected under the train. But I see you can now add building instructions to Lego Ideas, so will do that soon!

Well executed modification! On the point of losing space for the battery box, I started another thread here with a solution: http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=94266 Doesn't work for modification of existing standard 6-wide trains but could be good solution for MOcs.

Now live on CUUSOO: http://lego.cuusoo.com/ideas/view/61944

Who doesn't love train sets? I certainly do. But since the introduction of the Power Functions system for motorization, with all its benefits, also came with the need to house a battery box. In passenger train sets in particular, this is a bit of a downside to the system. My Light Rail design solves this elegantly by placing the battery box underneath the train, leaving almost the full length of both carriages available for passengers. See high def pictures here: https://flic.kr/s/aHsjWsg6Ek You can also support me on CUUSOO: http://lego.cuusoo.com/ideas/view/61944

Successor to the celebrated LL 924, now fitted with a loading ramp similar to the larger Galaxy Explorer Mk. II. And a perfect companion to the upcoming "Benny's Spaceship" set from LEGO Movie? More here: https://flic.kr/ps/2RzMiR Or at CUUSOO: http://lego.cuusoo.com/ideas/view/61204

Okay, you're right actually, looks so cool in the original Classic Space colour scheme: https://flic.kr/ps/2RzMiR CUUSOO page also updated: http://lego.cuusoo.com/ideas/view/61204

Thanks! And sorry for posting in the wrong place. Can I or the moderator move?

Boy do I wish LEGO re-releases a classic space theme. I have some proposals on CUUSOO, see here: http://lego.cuusoo.com/ideas/view/61204 And here for higher res pictures, including of upcoming 924 Mk.II https://flic.kr/ps/2RzMiR

I'm afraid the bricks have gone milky white even in your closet... Here you can see that all white bricks were the same normal white before: http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItemInv.asp?S=6289-1

A while ago, I found my old Classic Space sets on my parents attic. Very fond memories of the late 1970s that brought back! Sadly, my sets aren't complete, with some key pieces missing. So once back home, I set out to design refreshed versions in LDD. Starting of course with the epic Galaxy Explore (928 / 497), and then the slightly smaller Space Cruiser. Have a look here: https://flic.kr/ps/2RzMiR By the way, if you like, please support on CUUSOO here: http://lego.cuusoo.com/ideas/view/61204