Glenn Holland

Thanks for mentioning this actually. I forgot to put it in the original rules post. We are limiting entries to those based in reality. I.E., an entry should be a model of a prototype. The reason for this is, and @raised put it, is that otherwise it would break the idea of the challenge being "out of your comfort zone."

Terry... lol! I did read somewhere that Thomas was once represented as a Jinty but haven't seen anything about a terrier. I guess a better way of asking my question would be the following: Is there enough interest for a Sodor-esque line of products that could be sold under a name like Brick Model Railroader? I have a few things I'd like to achieve for myself along these lines but if there is enough interest I would be willing to look into selling something, obviously with generic naming.

I've been reading this thread since the start, being a fan of the classic TV series and having a huge respect for the original style/setting of the Thomas universe. Allow me to pose this question: if there were to be a line of "Thomas" INSPIRED merchandise, which could be produced and sold under a third party with generic names to avoid copyright strikes, what would the community expect, what would they want to see available, and anything else?

Are there plans in progress/being implemented for reverse compatibility to PF? A conversion wire? ETC? Will we have components like M, L, and XL motors for the new system?

Hey! I got mentioned! I'm happy to serve as an inspiration for you guys, and thank you for appreciating my work! :) -Glenn (StreamlinedBricks)

That was done pretty deliberately. On the real ACF type 27, and most other tank cars, those cross members are pretty thin, as are the running boards. But, if you like a little more structural security, you've presented some good alternatives. :)

We're planning to have more next year, hopefully very soon. This was my initial idea for a replacement. Door rails are far more plentiful, I just haven't gotten around to making a brown boxcar (I actually don't have a boxcar of my own at all) with the door rails instead of the old part. My guess is that it will only look odd because up until now we've ONLY used the handles as ladders. Time for me to build a boxcar I guess

It’s very likely that OcTRAINber will return next year, and very likely with a different challenge.

Hey guys, We’re working on getting everything squared away for judging. I would like to have this done by the end of the weekend, so hopefully the others will be on board for that too. Youre right, we have been overwhelmed with the awesome entries we’ve received. Thanks for making our jobs harder on us. ;) We’ll keep you guys posted. Thanks! Glenn

I'm really glad you finally got around to taking photos of it. It looks awesome. Fantastic job, as always.

I actually wrote a review which was posted just yesterday on Brick Model Railroader. I found the book to be great! A rewrite was long overdue sine Jake McKees’s Getting Started With LEGO Trains from so long ago Holger did an amazing job with all the information, pictures, and instructions I’d love to hear other people thoughts as well! Glenn

The S2 is something I have had on my long list for a while. Unfortunately other projects have stepped in and taken up most of my time. But i'll get around to it, sometime.

You can use a combination of Technic bricks to change the spacing. Cale Leiphart did this mock-up: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=306670 As for traction tires, you'll probably have to grind them out yourself by use of a Dremel.

Man. What a thing of beauty. Can't wait for those to come out.

You just put into words what I had been thinking for the past day. Basically the mechanism would be rotated 90 degrees towards the single track end of the switch. This would push the mechanism farther away from the track, which in turn would allow for greater overhang (I believe). I'm not sure how feasible this would be with the servos you use, but I would be more interested in buying switch motors in this configuration. Glenn

First off, let me say I really am a fan of this system. I'm definitely interested in trying out a motor or two. I like the remote control feature and it seems to work very well. My only concern is that the assembly seems to sit very high. PennLUG uses very long passenger cars and equipment, which my cause a problem if we were to use these motors. Personally, I am a fan of the classic pole switch, something more like the old 12V buttons or something easily implemented into the Lego system. My idea here is to build an interlocking tower around a group of these switches. Great work so far! -Glenn

I think the full switch kit would be the way to go. I would definitely back for a PF switch kit.

I would definitely prefer the PF only with switches option. I (and PennLUG) have been wanting larger turnouts for our locomotives and cars; we don't like having to move long passenger cars from one track to another by hand. I'd be more interested in backing if there was a possibility of getting these switches from the start.

Speaking slightly on behalf of PennLUG... We *sort of* do some more realistic and prototypical operations. I wasn't at Brickworld this year, but in 2015 CrispyBassist and I had a good time operating our own locomotives as switchers. He used his GP-9, I used my Pennsylvania H10s consolidation. We would start by collecting cars from around our yards, siding, and roundhouse and assemble them into a train on our unused third line. Once assembled, we would then begin taking it apart and sending the cars to different places than they were at before. This resembles assembling a train before a trip, and also taking apart a train as if it had just finished a trip. I think I can speak for CrispyBassist When I say we both really enjoyed it. That said, PennLUG recently has not done much of this. We have been focused on rebuilding and detailing parts of our layout, among other things. So in a word, yes, we do that. Sometimes. Glenn

Brilliant rendition. This is without a doubt your best model yet. Excellent job capturing the look and size of the locomotive. Glenn

Railbricks was a top class publication. I'd love to see something new arise from the community. I would definitely subscribe to the magazine, digital or printed. I'd even be willing to write an article or two, as college permits. I agree the it should be solely a magazine, and not overextend itself by doing a separate online forum, instruction database, blog, and photo sharing site all at once. I think the biggest point for me is not to showcase a lot of MOCs, but rather show how-tos and give inspiration. That said, I really enjoyed train spotting from Railbricks, and I think a downsized version of that would be appropriate in the new magazine. A lot of MOCs can get built and published between magazine issues. I also think an event showcase would be cool to do. Each issue could focus on a different LUG's display at some local event, or some larger events such as Brickworld. I'm interested in seeing how this pans out, and apparently many others are too. Glenn

You certainly do not need this many motors. 100% overkill, not to mention impossible, especially if you only want to use 1 battery box. Nate Brill rebuilt his Amtrak AEM-7 for Brickworld 2015, using two XL's on one battey. He found the battery would cut out because it kept overdrawing on power. You should sacrifice power for practicality. Use maybe three XL's, on three different systems (set the IR receivers on the same channel). The XL's are very powerful, one alone was enough to fully beak a thick technic liftarm.

We used ME Models Double-length rails. They work very well since they come unattached to ties. We also used them to span the ashpit. Glenn

Thank you all for the compliments! There will definitely be more of this in the future, and not just from me, most likely... Yes, they are XL size. I used Krylon Patriot Blue spay paint on them. It sticks very well and is a very good Lego blue match.

Hello to all! My name is Glenn Holland, I'm a mechanical engineering student and a member of PENNLUG. I have been reading Eurobricks posts for a while now and finally decided to join. For my first post I'll show you my latest and greatest: the Reading "Crusader," a 4-6-2 G1sa (streamlined) pacific locomotive used to pull the Crusader from Philadelphia to Jersey City, with a connection to New York. My model uses Big Ben wheels, 3D-printed rods courtesy of Zephyr1934, lights from LifeLites, and yes, sound. I'll leave that for later. My model is fairly simple, in essence. It is powered using two PF train motors mounted to the tender. They operate off of one PF rechargeable battery. Both the locomotive and tender are 9 studs wide. (8 wide locomotive + 1/2 stud of streamlining on either side = 9 studs). This makes for some really interesting connections between the body and chassis. Nonetheless, the outcome is brilliant. Because of the extra stud in width, I was able to include a valve gear, which adds to the motion. https://www.flickr.c...s/41032663@N08/ Here is my Flickr page in case the photo does not go through. I unveiled the model last year at Brickworld Chicago, among many other prominent train builders. I borrowed PENNLUG member Josh Sanders' car set to go behind the locomotive, which handled the train with ease. The Crusader uses a sound system from Dallee Electronics. A fellow engineer at college actually happened to be doing an internship for this company and was able to help me install the system. I cannot recommend the company enough, it's a great system, very compatible with LEGO PF components without the need for excessive modification. I use the new High-Line steam sound system, along with a magnetic chuff sensor and speaker (which happens to be exactly 5 studs wide, fitting perfecltly inside the locomotive.) Here is a link to a small vlog-style video I made of the locomotive when I debuted the sound system at a train show: The model was also featured on an O-Scaler website. Look for the update on 12/21/15: http://kohs.com/News/news_15.htm Thanks for reading, let me know what you think! Glenn