AussieJimbo

Nice job, CB. Goes well with the TS3 loco and makes for a bright and cheerful Xmas train. :classic:

Wow, what an interesting idea. Well done. :classic:

That would be awesome. Would that mean good supply of basically all current sets?

Picked up a couple of 3180 Octan tanker for 20% off at DJ's today. Also saw a note that the $139.95 price listed in their recent catalog and on in-store signs for the PF Cargo Train was a misprint and that the real price is $239.95. Good luck if you scored one at the low price.

Hi Raplh and KDM, I'm glad you like it. I will be going ahead with a long nose truck similar to the LEGO/TRU one. It's actually only one plate lower than my one but that will make a positive difference against the scale of the tanker trailers. Doesn't mean I'll be breaking down the original though. ;-) That's a good idea. I think I've got a bit of grey pneumatic somewhere. Will see how the parts fall. I don't mind the lack of overhang too much but I like your solution. Don't think I've got the bricks to do it though. Well you'll like what I've been up to today. I couldn't let it rest at a B-Double. Photos tomorrow evening. :classic:

Very nice creation. Great landscaping. :classic:

Thanks Teazza, sens and buddy for your generous comments. :-D I understand the desire for a long-nose truck in this role (especially given the example pic) and I may give that a go later but I wanted to stick with the cab-over and extend it like the original factory might have done if they wanted to produce a bigger model without a complete re-design. I'm pretty pleased with the way it came out, particularly the roof profile you get from the 3 roof pieces. Next up may be a tri-axle dolly and another trailer so I can model a short road train. The example pic above has two sets of these behind the prime mover and then a B-Double behind that. Teazza, I love the Space Shuttle crawler, that's awesome. The oversize load carrier is great too. Reminds me of "Monster Moves". :classic: I was wondering whether to call it a MOC or a MOD. Leant towards MOD for a few reasons. First of all I've seen so many fantastic original creations on here that truly deserve the term MOC whereas this model still draws heavily on the creative inspiration of the original LEGO designer. Secondly, the great majority of the pieces come from the original 3180 set. You could go out and buy two sets of 3180 and more or less build this (with a few extras as noted) so I see this as more of an extended alternate model of the original set. What's your take on this? :classic:

Thanks mate. I was actually looking for a couple of those smaller windows that the yellow truck has but in white, I think that small change would help the look. Might see how many parts I'd need to do the big prime mover in Octan. I'll also have my eye out during the holidays to see what's hauling the B-Double tankers. :classic: Hi pacc, that's an interesting combo with the trailer on a dolly. We don't see that very often down here. Our regulations for B-Doubles specify the double rear wheels on the prime mover and triples on the trailers. :classic:

The B-Double is a common sight on Austrlian highways, delivering goods and fuel from capital cities to various regional centres and country towns. They are the smaller brothers of the massive road trains seen in the outback. Whilst road trains can have up to four trailers (or even more, search youtube) connected with dollies, the B-Double is a more restrained 2 trailer affair with the rear trailer connected to the one in front with a fifth-wheel arrangement. B-Doubles are also known as B-Trains in other parts of the world. See wikipedia for more about these impressive machines: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Road_train#B-double The idea for this MOD has been kicking around since I bought several 3180 sets to use as railway tanker wagons. It's primarily built from two 3180 sets but I used additional 3x2x2 cabinets, wheels and a roof piece from the additional 3180 sets, exhaust pipes from the big LEGO truck and long white tiles from the train station set. I wanted to keep the look of the original set whilst adding all the extra axles and providing the extra accommodation in the cab for the long-haul truck driver. I've chosen this Road Train photo from wikipedia for comparison and then the results of my labours. Feedback and suggested tweaks welcome. I'd be interested in seeing what other liveries might be possible. I hope you like it. Click images for larger versions. :classic:

Thanks mate. You'll get at least one more passenger back in with 12v but the motor section will still be a bit tight. Good luck with it. :classic:

You got it, mate. 8-) Just about to get some photos done, look out for my new thread soon. :classic:

Whilst the people of New Mannum eagerly await word of the new service station that will soon be gracing their fine town, rumours are emerging of a possible deal with a major LEGO fuel distributor. Insiders confirmed that the company will tomorrow launch a new vehicle they have developed to address the heavy demands of Australian long haul deliveries. Keep on Truckin' :classic:

Almost done. Just need to look after the driver now. :classic:

Well I look forward to that. In fact you've inspired me to get on and build a mod I've been thinking about for a while. You'll need some way to keep one of those new buildings supplied. I think I've got the solution. Progress is well under way to but I hope you've left a bit of open space. Looks like its going to be about 56 studs long. :classic:

Cool. 8-) I wonder how many Lego bricks pass through Australia Post's hands every year. It would have to be millions. :classic:

Hi LT, I've really enjoyed seeing your little Aussie town come together. This latest effort is another great creation. All your details and trim are spot on. The ute is very cool too. Keep on keeping on. :classic:

What an excellent creation. The curved wall looks fantastic. I could see the same technique used to model Sydney's Museum station. Museum railway station, Sydney Great work, AJW. :classic:

Cheers, LD. As far as building it is concerned: First build one tram as per the standard instructions. Build a second link section but leave out the seat and one the black 1x4 ball connector plates so you have space for the IR receiver and the cables (power from battery and return from IR to motor). This appears slightly differently in the photos above. The motor section is a bit more tricky. Start with the motor. - put a 2x4 plate on the studs at each end. - two 2x3 bricks on that at each end, overhanging the ends. (I used 2 grey ones and two black ones, guessing from the set but not sure) - grey 1x4 connector things under the 2x3 bricks. - end window panels (black opaque) above that. - build the white layer with the orange transparent corner bits but leave out one grey 1x4 connector thing for cable room. - build the roof like a longer version of the link section but leave off the transparent yellow piece. Now for the sides. Basically six window sections, 4 of which leave out one of the white 1x2+2x2 right angle plates. - put window panel on top of black 1x4 brick, times 6 (but see note later) - make the side panels with blue 2x4 tiles. Two of them with two of those white things, the rest with one on alternating sides to leave clearance for the motor wheels (the photos above show this) - attach these to each of the window sections. - hang the windows from the white layer. (you'll find that the ones with only one white thing are a bit fragile when trying to connect them) Note: It would be stronger to link all 3 window sections together with one black 1x6 & two black 1x3 bricks (or a 1x8 and two 1x2's) but the black 1x4's are what you get with the set. Then its just a matter of juggling the cables and inserting the battery box and IR receiver as shown. If you've got it right then the bottom of the battery box will be level with the top of the white layer. Put the roof on and you are done. Like I said above, you will need to lubricate the mini wheels to make it run nicely. You can search Eurobricks for some advice on what to use. :classic:

Thanks mate. That's true but if it wasn't there, they'd have to get out and push. No, the white Intercity is still RC, with motors in the front and rear locos. The red PF suburban commuter train also has powered locos front and back. The Toy Story train is pushed by an RC base and motor hidden quickly under a couple of Toy Story passenger car bodies just joined together. I want to work on this a bit and turn it into a long end-platform coach which would look a lot better. The crash test dummy's maintenance trolley is powered by wishful thinking alone. :classic:

Hello everyone, This is my first post on Eurobricks and I particularly wanted to start off with a post in the Train Tech forum. I'd just like to say how great it was to find this place and to express my awe at some of the fantastic creations I've seen, especially in Trains and Town. I won't list them now but there really are some supreme Lego talents on show here. I've wanted a Lego train since I could put two bricks together and that dream was finally realised last year when I snapped up a few of the remaining RC sets heavily discounted. Since then I've expanded as the PF Trains were released. I think I picked a pretty good time to get into it with all the great sets we've seen recently. Here's a quick shot of my current passenger fleet and then on to the MOD. Set 8404 Public Transportation was a great surprise as I hadn't heard about it until I saw it on the shelf at TRU. I just had to have one right away. As soon as the build was underway I knew I wanted another set so I could do a PF MOD. After one semi-protracted argument with myself about spending too much on Lego, I was back to get a second set that night. The result is one of my favourite additions to the railway. The key to making it all fit together was putting the battery box in upside down. The receiver is at an angle to best pick up the signal. I also found that the little undersized wheels needed to be lubricated in order for the tram to run properly. I know WD40 isn't great for Lego but it was done very judiciously and the noise alone tells me it's doing less damage than running without anyway. Luckily I've got a few spares from level crossing sets if they do wear out. Anyway, that's my take on motorising the 8404 Tram. I hope you like it. Click the images for larger versions. :classic: