Tearloch

Thanks. The color palettes I had did not have the Maersk blue on it. It looks like the Maersk blue is slightly better, but I still would LOVE somebody to put the actual bricks of these 2 colors side by side and post a photo...that would help me out the most.

I found a pretty neat picture a week or so ago that prompted me to think about making a new MOC. It is a EMD GP-7 and a bay window caboose from the Rock Island railroad. Their normal paint scheme was dark red and yellow, but in the mid 70's (before shutting down in 1980) they started using this neat blue and white paint scheme. I thought it would be a nice addition to me train collect since it was one of the major players where I grew up. The MOC of the engine went pretty quick using my design for a GP-38, but I quickly realized the color that I really need is the "Medium Azure", which does not really exist in most of the parts I would need. I did the MOC in Medium Blue, but I was wondering how the Maersk Blue color (I don't have any of that) differs from the Medium Blue. Can anyone that has both the Maersk Blue and Medium Blue color bricks take of picture of the 2 side by side or connected and post in a response? That would help me figure out is the Maersk Blue will work better than the Medium Blue.

OK, update time..... I got the Papilo white vinyl sticker sheets. It did seem a bit thick at first, but that was mostly the paper backing. Once I peeled off the sticker, it is about the same (possibly slightly thinner) as regular (paper) sticker sheets. The stuff is pretty cool...it is flexible if you need to bend a corner. It doesn't tear. It takes inkjet ink very well. I am impressed with it. I have my decals for the BNSF MOD getting coated with the clear coating right now...I hope to have it done tomorrow.....matching the colors is a whole other story.

So I finally sat down to work on completing my BNSF GP-38 MOD to PF. I have created all the decals that I need, and I am just waiting on some vinyl decal paper that I ordered to start the printing. I will let you know how they turn out, but so far I am very happy with how they look. If they work out OK, I will try to post the "sticker sheet" (MS Word document) on my MOCPage to go along with the design I put out.

Thanks. Papilo advertises that their vinyl is 3 mil (thickness), while other manufacturers I found were 4 mil or thicker. Judging off teh 3 mil plastic I have at home, I think it should work. Maybe they have upgraded the product? But we will see hopefully next week. And thanks for the heads up on the ink. It says the product works with pigment, solvent, or dye based inks, so I think my fancy HP will work. I hope that the UV protectant spray that goes with it will make it sufficient for use on an indoor LEGO train. Your shunter looks great, and its nice to see someone else taking the same route to cover up the battery box. I also worried about offending the purists by use of decals...

Tony: Thanks. I have resisted going to 7 wide or 8 wide (for some reason). I haven't tried to use my waterslide decals yet, but remembering experiences from model cars/planes as a kid, I was wondering how long they would last. I did just order some vinyl adhesive paper for injets (from that link above). I think they will be a lot more durable. I hope I get them quickly, as I have the next 2 weeks off from work. The only issue I have with the vinyls is that it is only in white, which is fine for most uses (like the ones I need for the BNSF mod, but for my OTM Tracker MOC, I will have to use the clear water slides for the corporate logos (or do some very fancy X-acto work to cut around letters and logos....

Deejay: Amazing work. Could you post a picture or two showing how you did these modifications? I have been wanting to try this for a while, and was hoping to see some ideas on cutting the sliding bar and adding in the lever connections. The stock design has the yellow lever sitting in between 2 raised bars on the sliding piece. Once you split it, how did you add in the parts to allow your modified yellow levers to sit in between 2 raised bars? Also, when you split the sliding piece, did you have to shorten it at all, to allow for both sides to be in the position where their independant sliding piece is closest to the center (since the stock design does not allow this condition)?

It could also cause some problems if you use one PF motor and one RC motor, since they may not run at the same speed (from the same source). I think Philo did some testing and posted results that show the PF motor takes a train around a test circuit faster than the RC motor on a full charge. Once the charge starts running down, I think the difference is quite dramatic. Not sure what kind of problems that would cause.

OK, so it is 6 months later, and I still have not found the will power or the time to complete this project. I hope to spend some time over the holidays trying to finish this up. But I wanted to check on thoughts on paper. Right now, I have white and clear water slide decal paper. I plan to use the white in most cases since I am making "full cover" decals. I see that some use adhesive photo paper to make decals. What are the pros and cons of using each type? Has anyone found a better product to use? Something that is more plastic based (as opposed to paper based) that would be more like the factory LEGO stickers? I know JopieK has a store that does this, but I was looking for an "at home" solution. I am looking at trying out a vinyl product here....anyone have any experience with this type of product?

If you use LDD, and are thinking of ordering direct from LEGO, here is some advice: The Design By Me function (where you by your design straight from LEGO) usually runs about twice as much compared to buying the parts straight from LEGO using Pick A Brick. Here is the one catch....LDD will not give you a parts list. To bypass this, I use an Access DB called LDD Manager, where you upload your LDD file into it, and it provides you with a parts list. The parts list even tells you if Pick A Brick sells that part (if you are not using LDD Extended, then all the parts should be on PAB). It will also create a file that can be uploaded straight into BrickLink as a wanted list. The program is free online, and even has available a version of Access that is shareware (if you don't have MS Office). The standard mode of LDD only allows you to use bricks that are currently available through Pick A Brick. LDD does have an extended mode, which allows you to use virtually any part LEGO has ever made (and make it in any color regardless of if it was ever made in that color). Using this mode prevents you from using Design By Me pricing and ordering, but allows you to do just about anything. There are directions somewhere on here on how to activate LDD Extended mode...it takes adding a line of code to the start up script. So if you are looking for something beyond LEGO's inventory, and are comfortable using BrickLink, this option (combined with LDD Manager) is great. I have found that some parts (on the part list) from LDD Manager says LEGO does not sell it currently, but in reality it does. The PAB prices are not that bad (compared to BrickLink)...you don't have to worry about the quality of the part, and they are always new....and you don't have to worry about dealing with the few sellers on BrickLink that are slow shippers, or provide misleading part descriptions (rare occurances, but still possible).

I am looking at creating my first ground up MOC train of a 1970's era Burlington Northern passenger train (EMD E9). I am starting with the front end of the Santa Fe Super Chief as a guide, but the overall length of this MOC will be about 40 studs based on scaling (consistent with Super Chief, BNSF, and Maerk). This MOC will include 3 axle trucks, so I am forced to delve into the world of using a XL or M motor, and gearing it to run well. I have seen several other topics that mention this, but I am looking for advice on specific technic gear setups to make either of these motors operate with similar power and speed as the new PF train motors (or the old 9V motors). Links to articles would be great. I plan to use the 3 axle truck design from one of the RailBrick issues (with the floating center axle). I understand most people seem to mount the motor vertically, but has anyone tried to mount it horizontally (similar to the setup of the Emerald Night)? What are the pros and cons of mounting the motor vertically or horizontally? Any help would be appreciated.

Ugly? I does look a bit odd right now, since I haven't finished the decals that will cover up the PF components. Once the decals are done, it should look pretty good. Here is my Flickr set for this mod showing some of the other things I was able to do with this MOD. Flickr pictures of my MOD Check it out...it gives you a better idea of what I did as compared to just the LDD screen shot on the MOC Page. The decals should be pretty easy, although I am procrastinating on taking the time to match the colors correctly. I also have to make the decals for the yellow stripes to go around the back of the body, and on the hood section as well to fully finish it off. The LDD picture is meant to give directions to the location of the PF components, not necessarily show the final product. Directions (LDD file) are posted on my MOC page for the MOD. [EDIT] Now my feelings are all hurt and I will have to get in gear on the decals. But in the end, it was how I chose to solve the design problem that the BNSF presents for a PF conversion. I wanted to minimize visible structural changes to bring in the PF equipment, and prevent having to do custom wiring. The problem with using one of the long after market battery setups is that the BNSF as built by LEGO, is about 18 -20 studs long inside the body (behind cab). There is also a section that is only 1.5 stud wide (although that could be altered), which give you about 14 studs in length behind that section. [EDIT] I also looked into using RC LiPo packs that were long and skinny, but in the end I thought it would require too much custom work to make it feasible. There are things you need for LiPo packs to prevent the battery from catching fire, for instance, that is already built into the LEGO LiPo battery (and I have no experience with RC applications). And charging would require tearing the entire train apart (in my opinion, of course). So if you can deal with the decal dilema, then my design should work for you.

Wow, that was a kick in the pants......VERY NICE! It seems I may need to do a 4th re-design on my version I really like the horns under the front bumper. Beautiful build. I am almost ready to post the pics of my actual build on the truck....just need to put on some decals (I made some nice bitmaps of the Brandt and OTMTracker logo). I just ordered all the parts for my OTM Tracker crane and gondola car build, so as long as PAB doesn't take 4 weeks like it did last time, I hope to have mine fully done by Christmas. I did find some interesting pictures on the Brandt website, showing a mechanism on the bed that raises up to same level a gondola to allow the transfer...so I may add that part in latter.

New pictures added to the top.

OK, so I have completed my second redesign on this project, focusing on making the truck as nice as I can. I am still working on the crane, and as waiting on Pick-A-Brick order (taking way too long, BTW) to finish this build, but here is a tickler. [EDIT: Pictures moved to top]

I remember seeing someone on here that said they had a business that made custom lego stickers, but when I tried to email him an inquiry, I did not get a response. It would be awesome to be able to get the color matched perfected, but that is why I haven't attempted it yet (atleast not more than some playing around).

I would have liked to keep the driver cockpit, but I could not really see anyway to put the IR receiver in a section that was 4 wide (most of the train) due to the wiring connections. I guess you could do it by tearing the IR receiver apart, and splicing wires, but that was a trade-off I was not willing to make (at this point). On the decals, I think my plan is to scan actual tiles in the colors I want, sample the colors, then print it out...then scan the printout to figure out what kind of offset there is between the scanner to printer process. It is still a trial and error process I have not had time to work on, but will keep you updated.

I am finally posting pictures of my conversion of the classic 9V BNSF GP-38 to PF, using 2 motors, LiPo battery, etc, all within the normal 6-wide body. I still need to create some decals, to cover the PF components, as well as adding in some yellow pin stripes to match the existing structure, but that is still a work in progress. I customized the front end, adding in steps, and changing the structure of the front end to make it sturdier (not really visible here, but you can see the change in how the front headlight looks). I also modified the cab roof design, lowering it a small amount. I customized the rear end, adding in steps, and changing the back of the body (still need the yellow pin stripe decals). I also modified the roof, changing the technic plates for train wheels (which also look alot like the fan blades), as well as added the PF battery to the very back end. I created a handy ON/OFF switch (like is on the #7939 cargo train), to allow to turn it on/off without removing any parts. Here is a close up of the ON/OFF switch. I made it all in clear parts, hoping to be able to see the green light (doesn't work unless lights are off in the room). You can also easily remove the rear end for charging the PF LiPo pack with minimal part removal. Since it has 2 motors, I was able to fit the LEGO polarity switch directly infront of the LiPo pack. The PF IR receiver takes up most of the cab, but it works well for reception, and the cab is still removable. The LDD file is available on my MOC page for those interested. http://www.mocpages.com/moc.php/292615

Added the LDD file to my MOC page... http://www.mocpages.com/moc.php/291212

Updated LDD shots at the top...I am still working on modifications to the crane part.

[updated on 21 Nov 2011] To make this thread less confusing, I am updating this item here, instead of at the bottom. I started with the OTM Tracker from RailBricks #6, and went through several modifications to get where I am at today. I have the truck almost build (thanks Pick A Brick for taking a month, and missing some pieces), and I just finished my redesign on the crane. I may still make some minor mods to the truck bed to handle connecting the 2 components together, but.... I hope you enjoy. Final version of truck. Truck (rear) with hydraulic pistons "down" Truck with hi-rails "down" OTM Tracker Crane, featuring a sliding cab (allows it to crawl)....it should hook up to a 6 wide gondola car, and will ride on the back of the truck (I hope).

Where is this subforum at? Can someone link it, or provide directions.

Is there any way to add parts to the LDD part catalogue? Or is it always linked to the Pick-A-Brick catalogue? I am working on a MOD of the OTM Tracker from RailBricks #6, where I replaced the entire cab with the cab from the yellow modern semi-truck (minus the sleeper). It looks pretty good, except for the bright red bricks that I had to use in places where yellow was not available on LDD. I would like to post a picture, but the color problems drives me nuts, and since I am a perfectionist, I am embarassed to post a Franken-MOD.

So if you fix the motor directly to the truck, how to you fix the entire truck/motor assembly to the base (or body) of the train?

Very nice MOC. As for BNSF cranes, when I worked for BNSF Maintenance of Way Dept. (up to 1998), then didn't invest the money to paint any other their track equipment. Much of it is leased, so painting would be a no no. But it would have been fun. All the ones I operated where the standard factory yellow or white (depending on manufacturer).