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ALCO

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Everything posted by ALCO

  1. ALCO
    This topic is in response to a comment in the custom steam rods discussion. I felt it requires a new topic because this is not about custom rods, though you can replace the 1x7 lift arms with Zepher's 7L with 2 holes. Anyway, I agree with the commenter that this little engine would look better with some rods. Because of its size, I'm thinking a Stevenson Valve gear (which is much easier to model). This requires 8 parts and is entirely Purist Approved too! Part list: Part# 15100 - technic pin friction ridges with pin hole - 2x (I used place because that is what I had on hand) Part# 32002 - 3/4 pin - 2x Part# 32065 - 7L lift arm Part# 32073 - 5L axle *optional - 3706 - 6L axle - to replace Stick the 5L axle in the back of the cylinders, the 3/4 pins in the drive wheels. Place the pin part of 15100 in one end of the lift arm. In the middle so that is sound freely. Slide the pin-hole on the 5L axle and the other end of the lift arm on the pin. Done! Works even if motorized. I will post a photo and video of it completed later.
  2. ALCO
    Aye aye @M_slug357 here here! Back story on the uncharted island's steam powered rail system please!
  3. ALCO
    It certainly would be great to have some wye's available!
  4. ALCO
    BMR box cars roll easy with ball bearings! I have to but blocks on my track to keep mine from rolling off the table!
  5. ALCO
    Not sure on the cause, but I've got a Big Boy articulated steam engine with 2 XL motors using the same gearing as the Emerald Night. I would probably start with trouble shooting one of the trucks first. Make sure all the wheels and gears run smoothly with hand power. Then do the same with the other. Once you are sure everything is turning smoothly, add one motor, then the other. I had to make sure all the axles were secured near the gears because they would lift off the gears. Also more of an XL motor issue because they have more torque. Another thing to check is the passage of the axle through the king-pin because that can cause a lot of friction too. In my Big Boy I use 4x4 turntables with the axle hole in the middle so all the turning and lateral forces act on the studs and the turntable and not the drive axle. I have heard of people having issues with using the drive axle as the king pin so that is why I chose the turntables. Based on what I have read about electrical loads and the receivers, I think (my opinion) you should be fine with a V1 receiver since you are using L motors. They don't draw enough current through the receiver to warrant a V2. But that is my understanding of what I have read. Everyone's application is different. Hope that helps!
  6. ALCO
    Whoa! Looks good @pirzyk! Can't wait to see that in person!
  7. ALCO
    Yeah, I think you are right. I should have kept looking at Metra locomotives a little longer. Agreed, the Go Train above looks more like this one.
  8. ALCO
    That Go Train looks very much like an EMD f40phm like this one:
  9. ALCO
    Oh I like it! If I don't get one for Christmas, I will definitely buy one! I'm already planning my layout with this in mind!
  10. ALCO
    Cool! I'd but it!
  11. ALCO
    Great! 1. List the requirements you have (i.e. Big Ben's wheels, etc. Any thing else?) 2. Find as many photos as possible of the first one you want to build 3. Study those photos and start scaling those down to a grid of plates per @ColletArrow's recommendation. That should help you get started.
  12. ALCO
    That is a pretty vague request there sir. We cannot do it for you, but can offer advice when you get stuck...If you can explain how you are stuck. Probably the best place to start is to pick out a prototype you would like to build, then find as many photos of it you can. That will help guide you on the adventure of building a MOC from a real thing.
  13. ALCO
    Wow! What a project! I'm not quite sure I followed you entirely, your depth of detail is quite overwhelming. Very interesting ideas though. I recently inherited an almost complete advanced MindStorms set that is 20± years old. Missing the software CD so I'm not sure how to get into all that... Thanks for sharing this incredible project and resource!
  14. ALCO
    There are some great resources out there for this question. Just about every LUG has their own standard for track ballast. While I am not a part of any LUG...yet. I think the track ballast by PennLUG is some of the best I have encountered. It is both realistic, and seems quite sturdy. Very rich in detail. Depending on the scope of your project you might want to check out their layouts. I know you can find them on Flickr... Unfortunately I do not have a link right off hand. They use a standard close to the MILS discussed on www.l-gauge.org. Also, Brick Model Railroader will probably have good resources on this too.
  15. ALCO
    So THAT is where it went!!! Wow! Thank you!! I was so mad when I saw they redesigned the site and I looked all over but could not find the private MOC's I had uploaded. This is great!
  16. ALCO
    I had a good method of doing this before www.rebrickable.com was redone. You used to be able to upload LDD files and alter the colors and parts and save them as private MOC's. Now they have done away with all of that do I have to find a new method. I have not had the chance to try Stud.io yet, so that is a good idea.
  17. ALCO
    These are the style couplers I had in mind. This solution looks promising, but how do you account for the polarity of the magnets and the orientation of the car? I would think the magnets have to be able to figure out each other's polarity especially if you design it to work regardless of the orientation of the car.
  18. ALCO
    Now if only there was a solution for the old magnet couplers... If one were using them for American trains without buffers....
  19. ALCO
    Nice build! I think it is very interesting how you have both a 9v motor in the tender and another motor in the locomotive. How did you figure out how to match the speeds of both motors so one is not pulling and the other is not dragging?
  20. ALCO
    For me, the fun part is building them with Lego! Most of the locomotives I have built are only in LDD though. I do have plans to build more of them but that is down the road at this point.
  21. ALCO
    Now that is a great solution for power! I just might have to play with that... And look into the IR emitters and receivers I found on Amazon coupled with an Arduino board on each car.
  22. ALCO
    Building steamers are probably some of the most challenging MOC trains to build. Wheel arrangement all depends on what you are building and what you feel works best for you and what your skill is. In my experience, I started with the Emerald Night. I learned a lot about building steamers with that set. If you don't have one you can download the instructions and build it in LDD because it is really expensive. After building the EN I built a 4-4-0 American. Pretty simple but I found it was helpful to start small before going on to something bigger. As for what parts to use, well, whatever works and looks good. I find it to be fun and challenging to find creative ways to use different parts. For example, the dynamo on my Big Boy has a barbell part in it, I use minifig hands in the hands rails, battle droid arms for step rungs....the list goes on. Also, I build everything in LDD first that way I can play with all sorts of different parts to see how they work. Hope that helps.
  23. ALCO
    Wow! That is cool!
  24. ALCO
    I have been thinking about this for a while... While I have not come up with any solutions for providing power, I have been devising a solution for the data side of this topic using these infrared components. An emitter on the right side of both ends of a car and a receiver on the left side of both ends of a car. That way when you have cars coupled together the emitters and receivers of the two cars are lined up. My evil plan to save the world included using Arduinos (sp?) In each car so that each car has a unique ID. That way you could know exactly which car is in your manifest and in what position. You would also be able to operate unique features that are on each car. This is really delving into the theory of my scheme. However we com back to the Power issue unless you pack batteries on each car but that would greatly increase the weight. Boy, if someone could figure out the Power issue... That would be amazing! I cannot seem to be able to paste a link to the IR components on Amazon but the emitters are 5mm and the receivers are 3mm so they would work great with Lego!
  25. ALCO
    Very nice! That is really cool and well done! Not sure if this qualifies for an inglenook but it's nice and small and compact!
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