Dutchiedoughnut

How about brick building your own door? The big door is my main issue with 60052 ;). But if you like 'm, keep 'm!

I can! Here is the file for the Peterbilt: https://www.dropbox.com/s/76wekxyphbsq00d/Peterbilt%20tractor%2016-8-2015.lxf?dl=0 I removed one of the technic pins that holds the hood in place. LDD seems to have a problem with rotating parts that are fixed at two points. (The entire truck would rotate)

I've used 1x1 technic bricks for the hinge. But there are quite a few options... I've experimented with Technic half beams as well. The hinge on the Peterbilt is where the oil sump on the engine would be.

Those are the ones! I used those because I could build a stronger rear axle with them. I guess you found that out too ;). I think it's cool that a 4-wide cab and a 6-wide cab both turn out pretty good! All in all, my tractors are 8 wide at the mirrors though :o.

After looking at some of the other truck-related topics on here, my models got a big upgrade as well. Credits for droomangroup for the mirror design on the Peterbilt, and to cameronmiller1988 for the inspiration for the wheel arrangement. Im going to start with the red Peterbilt. A big difference is in the wheels, they have a bigger diameter and are wider under the tractor. I would love to have two separate wheels at the back instead of these fat ones, but I haven't found the right parts to make it look good. The mirrors are also changed, I'm happy with their width. The biggest difference is under the hood, quite literally! The hood can now be opened and reveals the engine. It's modeled loosely after a Cummins engine. Similar changes have been made to the DAF. It also has a bigger cab which corresponds to their biggest model of truck (named the XF). The bigger cab allowed me to make a cab that tips open to reveal the PACCAR engine. It's modelled differently: Black instead of the red for the Cummins engine, and it's narrower at the top. On the DAF, the fat rear tires are actually correct and are more common in Europe that two narrow rear wheels. I'm very happy with the cab as it tips in the right place. On the real thing, the headlights and bottom of the grille don't tip. It took quite a bit of effort to get the fenders correct. There is also more detail to the back of the cab with the air intake. Any other details would be out of place, as the hydraulic and pneumatic connections are mounted on the chassis itself. Here's a cement truck thrown in for fun ;).

Well, we can build our own train base plates out of regular Lego without any difficulty ;). And I think it's possible to put a model train smoke generator in a Lego train. The difficulty I see in a Lego model railroad is automation, how to get the thing to work automatically with multiple trains.

Great looking RV! I'm also inspired by the mirrors :). They might just find their way onto my truck! I'll also look at the bumper but I think they won't work for me. The hood (bonnet?) on my truck can open, and the wider bumper sits deeper towards the front wheel, so I think it will just bump into the wheel when opening... And of course, I'll want to change my rear wheels to 7-wide ;).

I've updated my own model with the bigger wheels and a lot of other things. I'm returning the favor and sharing my LXF file: https://www.dropbox.com/s/ciphz5azfv5vx7a/1980s%20Peterbilt.zip?dl=0 Compared to your model, mine has a different rear and front suspension, i think mine are a lot stronger in real life and less likely to come off.

OMG, the Simpsons moved out of Springfield to Capital City! Really cool build :). How does it look in your city?

Cool! I'm downloading your files now for some inspiration for my own tractor trailers :).

I love the container latches you've made :). Interior space is a serious drawback of 4-wide cabs... although, even 6 wide isn't quite enough if you want to include details. Ah well! :).

Really nice representation :). Well done!

I love the extending boom crane :D. I'd love to build one of those myself, some day!

Nice! 1 question - why don't you use two separate doors? Just for the cat? ;). There are double-high 1x3 doors available.

Lets do a bigger report on the Peterbilt ;). The red American truck is based on a Peterbilt of the 1980's. Something like this: There are a few features of these American trucks that I focussed on. First off, the narrow and tall hood. I've seen a bunch of 6-wide hoods and 6-wide windscreens and I think they are just wrong for these trucks. Next, the wider sleeper section and gas tank underneath. Last is the narrow set of lights that sit between the rear wheels. Lets compare ;). The grill is all black, I might change that to silver. Don't know yet. Obviously it's a red truck ;). There are lights and airhorns on the top of the truck as well. And I've modified the kingpin on this truck and the DAF. The distance from the cab to the kingpin is identical in both trucks. The elevation of the kingpin is the same as well, so all trailers fit both tractors. Here is the trailer for the Peterbilt: And to compare: The trailers are line up, so it's obvious that the American combination is so much longer than the European one. It's also a touch taller.

Well, I've studies Aerospace Engineering myself so it might be a bit more difficult to make my head spin ;). How do you not get confused when you see this: ACU - aircraft communications system ACU - antenna control unit ACU - apron control unit ACU - autopilot control unit (See more at: http://www.aviationt...h.irZHPDgR.dpuf) Back on topic, I'm also looking at a nice American tractor and trailer. It's a work in progress, however:

Just an addition. For inspiration I'm including a picture of the Kenworth I've been working on. The nose is 4 wide, but the sleepercab (at the back) is 6 wide. It's even 7 wide at the gas tanks. I'd like the mirrors to be a bit wider as they don't see past the sleeper at the moment.

The windshield might be too tall and too wide. US trucks are required to have a narrow cab by legislation. Thats why you see the sleeper cab stick out a lot. Depending on how big the real truck is, the nose might have to be taller. The big rigs have enormous radiators and a nose to match

I can see a Blues Brothers theme developing :D

I think IRL is quite common (in real life). I did try and explain the FTT and daycab, but DAF is the brand name (Actually van Doorne's Aanhangwagen Fabriek, translates to van Doorne Trailer Factory. They started out making trailers a long time ago). CF is the model name, it's not an abbreviation.

Tricky question! Perhaps you could look at sbrick rather than IR control as you could see your ship sail off into the sunset when IR fails... I also dont know how to waterproof Lego. There are so many seams in a model that can leak. Do you have ideas to waterproof your ship?

Its truly a MOC, since I used to work IRL for a truck company and now for a trailer company. What better motivation than to recreate your work in the brick? To that end, I've created a DAF FTT CF daycab truck. The DAF features a double rear axle (therefore it is an FTT), a CF cab with no bed (daycab) and it does have additional side windows. That's not very common, but it is optional and I think the model needed a little something. It has stairs to get into the cab, and aerodynamic spoilers to the sides and back. I do think the front would benefit from some stickers. As in real life, stairs have been built into the gas tank to climb onto the back of the truck. The gearbox can be seen at the back. There is a filler cap at either side of the truck for diesel and AdBlue (might have to replace that one with a blue filler cap). At the back of the truck, an air tank is placed between the rear lights. I might have to re-work the kingpin, but it's working quite well. I didn't quite stop there. A truck needs a trailer! While the truck is modeled after a specific model, the trailer is a generic-style moving floor trailer. These kinds of trailers are commonly used (over here in Europe) to haul agricultural goods. Lets hook 'm up! The trailer itself sports a partial chassis. In front of the landing legs, the trailer is self supporting. A bit of the structure can be seen here that tries to mimic real life. (ive hidden some bricks). Behind the landing legs the chassis runs all the way to the rear and equipment storage has been added in front of the axles at either side. There are three axles - a bit rare in Lego but there you go - and the lights have been fitted on the bumper. The rear has opening doors which show the moving floor (currently in the forward position) and a little of the subfloor in white. This is in fact an abrasive panel. I wanted to do something a little different, so the trailer also has a loading and unloading gate at the rear. This can be used whenever there is not enough room to use the doors. At the front is a catwalk with stairs at either end. These can be accessed from the truck, but they are a bit high for my liking. I have to say I adore their proportions. They look about just right :). If anything the trailer could be a bit longer. The catwalk and the clearance to the tractor when coupled. Looks great together! And they can go around a bend together!

Indeed. I guess making it a 1 pivot carriage is easiest, just remove the one pivot. I'd like to make a sliding center axle but that's a bit trickier due to space constraints. I've only realised this after I posted the screenshots.

Next to the party is a 3-axle Milk Van. It'll get white lettering (EXPRESS DAIRY - MILK FOR LONDON) and I'm sure you can work out I've based it on the milk van preserved at Didcot Railway Centre ;). It's a 3-axle carriage, so it is articulated to take those tight corners:

Its a concern... So I took my Lego trains and tried the wheelbase in my real life models and while there was some additional friction, it was nothing major.