SavaTheAggie

Thanks much! There are two large Power Functions motors in the tender, powered by the 6xAA battery Power Functions battery box. There's a picture here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/savatheaggie/...57617050328144/ The new couplers would work, except I'm not sure I'm willing to put in such a large investment. :) Other options would include rare earth magnets between the couplers (to increase the magnetic strength of the couplers) and/or using liftarms and 2 long technic axles to replace the magnets. --Tony

I was able to get a hold of my father's point-and-shoot camera this weekend for a road trip we took; it's the only camera we have that can take video that we can successfully offload onto our computer. While I had it I decided to take advantage and shoot some video of my C&O H8 Allegheny 2-6-6-6 steam engine with it's Power Functions upgrade. You can view the video on youtube. The video has four scenes, two with a huge rake of rolling stock including Santa Fe Super Chief cars, and two without said cars. I actually own two more pieces of Santa Fe passenger cars, but the magnet couplers can't hold together, there's just too much weight to pull. That's why on those two scenes (scenes 1 and 3) the locomotive is running slower, even with the two fewer cars any faster and the magnets pull apart - the locomotive can pull MUCH more than that. The scenes without any Santa Fe Cars (Scenes 2 and 4) show's the locomotive at full speed. Yup, she really does move that slowly, and on purpose. She's got a frightening amount of torque and pulling power that way. --Tony

Except you have to break open your motors to install the DCC, which some people don't feel comfortable doing, and you still can't do things like double-back loops because of the limitations of electrified rails. --Tony

Wow, that truly is biased, and partially through blind ignorance. I'm not going to give up my 9v trains, but Power Functions is a lot better than you seem to think it is, and I would highly suggest you do more testing and actually use all of the Power Functions elements before you write them off. The Power Functions motors are the most powerful motors LEGO has ever produced, and the variable speed PF train remote works well in my opinion and gives you the ability to control up to 8 trains. And having batteries in the train isn't all that bad - by doing so you are able to run multiple trains independently on the same loop and use track configurations that could never be done with 9v or 12v. TexLUG has decided to fully embrace Power Functions trains. While we're not going to give up 9v trains, our recent testing of Power Functions driven trains has shown us that we've been given so many more options for future displays and freedom from having to have someone sit in or next to a display waiting to turn off a 9v regulator in case of derailment. --Tony

Thanks to everyone for the replies. Believe me, as a steam engine fan it was painful to build this MOC, but at the same time I have to recognize it is a logical and very real step in the lifespan of most steam engines. I'm tempted to turn this into a sort of maxi-vignette, put it on a 16x32 green baseplate and add some grass, flowers, and maybe another piece of derelict machinery. --Tony

The derelict, rusted boiler of the Emerald Night locomotive taking its' last journey to feel the final sting of the scrapper's torch. Built for Tim's Mini Challenge #1: Weathering. --Tony

That's what's so great about LEGO. You can build your own stuff, and with the modularity of the Power Functions system, you can build all of those things. It makes sense, though, if you really stop and think about it. Since it is line of sight, there could easily be a situation where, if it did have set number values, while you were cranking up the speed on your train the signal was lost for whatever reason - too far away, a building got in the way, your hand dipped accidentally and the beam couldn't make it to the receiver, etc. Then when you went to crank it up/down to the next level, your train would either drastically increase speed (step 3 to 5) or wouldn't do anything (step 4 to 3 with the train set to 3). Imagine if you had a stopped train, and while not pointing at the train you set the dial to one step below maximum. Then when you go to start your train up, you fire it up to full speed, potentially derailing the train, and certainly not creating the look and feel you want. At least with unmarked speed steps, no matter what happens, one "click" of the wheel = one increase/decrease in speed no matter what. --Tony

Marry me. Giving me an excellent excuse to plug one of my all time favorite YouTube videos. --Tony

I don't own a layout, nor do I even have room for one. But this is a design that Rocketseason helped me come up with over time. The whole idea is a small town like the ones out in east Texas, old towns with their ornately style buildings (Cafe Corner) but struggling economies. My town has moved on to tourism as their greatest commodity, based entirely around a heritage railway - "Sava Railways" - which makes steam engine excursions on a daily basis. It'd be a fun project, and I do plan on making a layout someday... I just hope I can get started sooner (in a few years) rather than later (when my kids are grown and gone). --Tony

The RC trains aren't as bad as I once first thought they were. As long as you don't plan to add rolling stock to them, they work really well for what they are. The fact it comes with cars and track, the RC train may be something you don't want to pass up. After all, if you're going to then graduate up into the Power Functions train system (Emerald Night), the track is the exact same stuff. I'm supremely impressed with the Power Functions system, and you don't have to buy the rechargeable battery and battery charger if you don't want to. The Emerald Night as-is requires the expensive rechargeable version, but so long as you can make the room for it in your MOC, the Power Functions battery box (the kind that takes "AA" batteries) is MUCH cheaper and actually produces more current for the motors to use. More current = more power/speed. As I've said in another thread, the Power Functions system can be turned into the most powerful system LEGO has ever devised for trains. I have seen, and now built, a locomotive using two large PF motors that can out pull a locomotive with 2 9v motors. My locomotive, for example, is so powerful that the magnets holding the train cars together give out before the locomotive does (which can be solved with rare-earth magnets or using another method than magnets to hold the train together). After retrofitting my locomotive to Power Functions for the first time, I took it to a TexLUG train display to do some tests. Even using every piece of rolling stock we had, TexLUG was unable to stall my PF equipped locomotive - it kept breaking the magnets apart because the train was too heavy for itself (even humans pulling on the train broke it). But I've sacrificed speed for power, and my train is slloooooowwww (but the real one was slow too, so I don't mind). You can always gear up the motors to produce more speed, but you'll sacrifice some pulling power. For example I could make my train go twice as fast as it does now with half the pulling power by simply swapping out the large PF motors for the medium, and to be honest I think I'd be ok, because two medium motors is still a VERY powerful setup. Since we don't actually know the upper limits of my locomotive's current setup, half that power still may be above the limits of simple magnet couplers. Power Functions are expensive, I will not argue with it. But once you have a design built that works and is sturdy, they are very very hard to beat. --Tony

Yes, and the solution is indeed jumper plates. The gap becomes incredibly small, almost to where they touch. You can see the results from experimentation here: http://news.lugnet.com/trains/?n=28979&t=i&v=a (Read through the whole thread for all the details) --Tony

I've only really been building trains since 2006. I've always been interested in trains, and it's all because of my father. He's always loved trains, probably because my grandfather worked for the railroad. He frequently took us on scenic railroad tours whenever possible, usually pulled by steam trains. I still remember my first trip on a steam train back when I was three years old on the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic narrow gauge railway out in New Mexico and Colorado. As I grew up I had a modest collection of HO gauge trains which I played with frequently, I even went so far as to get a train table built (with a lot of help from my father) for a future layout, but it never materialized. In the end my collection got packed up and it's still in boxes in a closet in my parent's house. (I'd like to set up a LEGO train layout on that table we built, but it's so big I don't know if we could ever find room in our house). I never got into LEGO trains because, quite frankly, none of the LEGO trains I saw in the LEGO magazines ever looked like trains. European styled locomotives have never looked like trains to me, more like little sedans, airplanes or Volkswagen vans. That all changed, though, when LEGO released the My Own Trains system and the Santa Fe Super Chief. My first LEGO train sets were purchased in 2003 at the young age of 24 I was able to purchase two copies of the 4535 LEGO Express Deluxe when Toys R Us was liquidating them at $50 a piece. Then at Brickfest 2005, my next train purchase came as a lucky find: one of the vendors had a complete Santa Fe Super Chief collection (1 engine 5 cars) at just about retail, even though the sets were about to be or had already been discontinued. Since then I've purchased several more train sets, as well as added to my tracks. After that it was the infamous Tuesday Morning sell-off of the re-released Metroliner at $75. Since then I've now also purchased, I believe, the BNSF, the TTX cars, an extra MOT green passenger wagon, the Hobby train, two Emerald Nights, and my wife owns the Holiday Train. My first train MOC, though, comes thanks to my wife. During Christmas of 2005, my wife and I watched the movie "The Polar Express" for a second or third time, and she asked if I could build a Polar Express as a static display. Not wanting to turn down a challenge, I decided to make a fully functioning 9v capable train. It was a daunting challenge, but I think I did rather well for my first time out. It's a design I can't seem to leave alone, though, I've updated her many times now. After I completed her, I was commissioned to make a copy, and with the modest proceeds I was able to buy the extra parts I needed to build a classic old west style American 4-4-0 steam engine. It was all downhill from there. Next I built two locomotives from the Texas State Railroad. Next was my Streamlined Dreyfuss Hudson And a little ten wheeler inspired by the Grapevine Railroad's Puffy located near Dallas When Ben Fleskes introduced his Big Ben Bricks wheels in different colors, I was finally able to build the Blue Mountain & Reading #425, a Pacific class locomotive I had wanted to build, but built the TSRR #500 instead. I'm glad I put it off, she turned out terrific. Then I experimented with articulated locomotives, building a 0-8-8-0 "Angus" class Erie L-1 Camelback Which was a lead-up to building my largest train to date, the massive 10-wide C&O H8 Allegheny 2-6-6-6 And finally my Emerald Night kitbash, the Emerald Garratt I've started dabbling with the new Power Functions trains, and I'm very impressed. While I won't be abandoning 9v, I've already upgraded my Allegheny over to Power Functions, and I'll be building a second Power Functions enabled tender for my Polar Express so that I can run her either on 9v or PF. If anyone cares to know what my next project will be, I am working on building a PRR T1 Duplex 4-4-4-4 with some wicked streamlining. Unfortunately the design necessitates articulating her where there never was articulation, but I think it'll work out for the best. Finally, here's a YouTube video of all but a few of the locomotives listed above. --Tony

I'm not entirely sure I have to say for which I voted. Diesels and electrics are plain and too easy. ;) --Tony

The rules state only LEGO parts can be used. However, could there be an exception allowed for Big Ben Bricks wheels? --Tony

Three: Braille (from a certain point of view) Danish English --Tony

--Tony

Thanks! Outside of Africa and areas in and around Australia, the Garratt type locomotive is pretty unheard of, and the fact that there were only 3 G class Garratts ever made makes these truly rare. They were unique even among Garratts - they had a total of 6 cylinders, were built with parts exposed that were usually hidden, and carried its' coal bunker fixed to the cab. In fact finding pictures of these suckers was so incredibly difficult, that in the end I only ever found four photographs and one drawing, and only half of them answered any of my questions. As for the coaches... well... I had to do something with them :) Besides, it proves I didn't have to scalp parts off of them (well... one part, but I finally found a replacement in my collection). Thanks! I had to do a lot of calculations before I started, I had to be sure I wouldn't run out of cheese slopes and dark green in general. In the end I think there are 8 extra dark green cheese slopes and a handful of 1x4 bricks. I ought to take a picture of the leftovers, there's quite a bit. I plan to finally make a few more pieces of rolling stock with them. Thanks! I never can resist the oddballs - they're just like me! --Tony

Gallery In 1928, the New Zealand Railway took delivery of three new Garratt type locomotives. These double Pacifics, named the "G class" were purchased to satisfy heavy hauling needs over the tight curves and steep grades of New Zealand. Unfortunately, these locomotives proved to be too strong, damaging the light freight cars used on the line, and were too hot in the many tunnels that dotted the landscape. They were eventually scrapped in 1937 and rebuilt as six standard Pacific class locomotives. This is my kit bash of two copies of LEGO's set #10194 "Emerald Night". This "Emerald Garratt" is equipped with two medium Power Function motors, one inside each tank. The IR receiver is placed in a similar position as the Emerald Night, but the battery box (while I as of yet do not own one) sits inside the boiler where the firebox would be. There is also a Power Functions switch inside the cab (plus a bunch of wires) to reverse the direction of the rear motor so all the wheels turn in the same direction. While the original G class garratts were scrapped and each turned into two Pacific class locomotives, I took the opposite route and rebuilt two Pacifics into this G class garratt. I quite literally built the locomotive on top of the chassis of the Emerald Night wheelsets. I tried building this locomotive without using any outside parts, but it proved impossible. However, the number and type of extra parts were pretty low, and the majority of them were basic bricks and plates. No extra cheese slopes were needed. --Tony

Yay! Dave got no pictures of me! That's something I truly regret, and I only realized it as I was driving away. I took so many pictures of MOCs and so few of people... and it's a lesson I had already learned but forgotten from Brickfest 2005. Sigh. Next year... next year... --Tony

At Brickworld this year, Power Function trains were given a huge spotlight. Cale Leiphart had PF'd his giant Y6B locomotive, and while it didn't win any speed competitions (it was geared slow, which actually most steam engine model railroaders prefer slower to faster), it beat the snot (not SNOT) out of 9v in pulling power. He entered it into the train pull contest, where locomotives were hitched up to ever increasing lengths of rolling stock to see where they'd stall. Even using two 9v motors and a non LEGO model railroad power regulator capable of melting the 9v motors, no one was able to even come close to the pulling power of Cale's Power Function steamer. I'll be ordering PF motors and accessories to upgrade a few of my steamers this week. --Tony *He was using a standard battery box, IIRC, rather than the rechargable $50 PF battery

No, and fortunately none of my fellow TexLUGgers have uploaded any of the evidence to youtube. --Tony

Given this news I think I'll take my time going downstairs Friday morning. I've already been on TV a few times because of my LEGO hobby, and each time I seem to find a way to make a fool out of myself. I'll happily give my 15 seconds of fame to someone else. --Tony

I am calm, have always been. I would like to invite you to go back and read the entire thread again, since you seem to have missed much. --Tony

You people would complain if you were hung with a new rope. "Too American"? What a load of BS. Personally I'm a bit insulted so many are upset about a flag that doesn't really look all that much like an US flag to begin with, and they think a "plain" building is automatically "American". That flag is 1 or 2 steps away from 50 other flags. Would you be so upset if it were a Canadian flag? What about Chinese? Would you complain if it were a French flag? (Replace three plates and you got a French flag) Firehouses are utilitarian buildings, they're not supposed to be pretty, and they are very plain 9 times out of 10. Not all firehouses have beds for the Firemen to sleep, some are just where they gather to await being called. All volunteer forces, especially, are this way. They may have one bed for someone on call, but for the most part they sleep at their own homes. --Tony

Thanks much! The few people that have seen her in person have all commented on how she looks more like an O scale model than a LEGO MOC. Thanks much! I've been thinking of building an Allegheny for some time, but the first serious look into a design happened in mid December. However, the first real bricks didn't start coming together until mid April. I'm too lazy to do the math so I'll leave the actual counting of days to you. She's powered by three motors, two in the tender and the third is disguised as the three wheeled trailing truck. (So if you want to get incredibly technical she's not, in fact an Allegheny but a 2-6-6-4, until I build her a non motorized trailing truck) Thanks! I'm hoping there will be enough clearance somewhere for her to run, since I don't have a layout of my own. I'll be at the Steam Train Design Techniques talk, but I don't know how much I'll actually contribute. I'll certainly chime in if the subject turns to one of my MOCs. --Tony