retrotecchie

Sorry, but I have to confess my favourite LEGO Station is set number 148 from 1975! I do have the new City station, but I have always been a fan of LEGO sets with set numbers below 1000! I guess a lot of users of this site don't have too many sets down in the 100's! And to go with the station....favourite train set of all time is 171 - I have five!

Indeed Toastie! Thanks for the info on the voltage range. I'm an electronics engineer by trade and used to 'butchering' various devices...overdriving things and generally mucking about to see what limits I can push! As I only had one PF IR reciever (ten more coming in a day or so) I didn't want to 'experiment' and risk frying it until I was sure I'd not be left 'trainless' for a few days

Aha! Bingo!! I can indeed confirm that 4.5v motors, with a PF IR reciever and a 4.5v Alkaline or 4.8v NiMH supply do indeed work like a dream...exactly what I was after! The downside is that the really early locos (116, 120, 171, 182, 183 etc) really don't have the space to fit the receiver in the cab. But....with a little imagination, an old 6x12 carriage base and some black bricks and blue plates, you can build a reasonable 182 style battery tender and incorporate all the gubbins in that. Have some photos... Oversized Image 1 171 with 4.5v motor, PF reciever in 182 style tender, 7.2v NiMH battery pack using 7939 battery box Oversized Image 2 Power Functions to 9v cable just snaps straight on to 4.5v motor power studs - simple! Oversized Image 3 The IR reciever protrudes forward of the 6x12 carriage base by one stud, but this then gives enough space to curl up the surplus cable between the receiver and the battery box. Incidentally, 6 x AAA NiMH cells soldered into a pack to give 7.2v is exactly six FLU's long, or two studs shorter than the 8 stud long battery box, so if you make up a rechargeable pack, you can fit everything into the footprint of the 6x12 carriage base, and hide the front of the receiver...you just need the sensor sticking out of the top of the tender. Apologies for the image quality.....very low light levels in my attic and the camera on my phone is, er, not good!

Great stuff! My 4.5v battery boxes have already been converted by changing 3 x 1.5v alkaline 'C' cells to 4 x 1.2v 1700mAh NiMH AA cells at a cost of a few Euro/£ a box, so I am already using 4.8v rechargeable as a 'standard' for my old retro trains. I didn't think of trying the 4.8v boxes as a power source. That would indeed mean I could keep my original tenders, but would then be lost for somewhere to fit the IR receivers....unless I can squeeze them into the cabs somewheres! The only downside, is that to 'hack' a PF extension cable to plug in on the old battery boxes you will need to add a silicon diode in series with one of the leads to make sure you don't accidentally reverse the polarity from the battery box...the new PF snap on connectors are polarised, whereas none of the old 4.5v or even the 9v stuff was, strictly speaking. Unless of course the electronics Gurus at TLG have already added a bridge rectifier or something into the PF reciever....

I have to confess to being a bit of a purist with the older trains, so I shall keep the rest of the rolling stock as original as possible. I am rather fond of the old 70's train bases, but all my new 'recreations' use the current train wheels, bogeys and axle blocks available from PAB unless I find an old retro train lot here and there on ebay! Next trick....convert my 1968 116 loco to Power Functions, but that will probably mean building the IR receiver and battery pack into one of the carriages (probably the cargo waggon) as there is no easy way of redesigning the old style hand-held battery box type tender to take PF: http://www.peeron.com/scans/116-1/5 The original tender will then be just a dummy replica and I'll need a longer cable that goes from the loco, through the dummy tender and into the next carriage!

Love my new 7939 Cargo Train, and love the Power Functions RC system. I have a 7740 replica I assembled from odd elements, thanks to an instruction scan downloaded from Peeron. I don't have any of the 12v track conductors, controller or running gear but managed to adapt a new 9v train motor from the LEGO shop to work on the loco. This 9v train motor has the older style stud connections, like the old Sound and Light stuff, but there is a Power Functions cable that adapts the motor to the new system. So, a new motor, borrowed battery box and IR receiver from the 7939 and my 7740 ex-12v loco is now motoring round my old blue track under PWM speed control...lovely. Then I got to thinking...I have twenty original LEGO locos spanning 1968 to 1985 all motorised with the old 4.5v classic 4x12x3 1/3 4.5v motor units. The 7722 train set used the 4.5v motor and a 4.5v battery tender, but one of the pages in the instructions shows how a later 9v motor can be adapted to replace the 4.5v unit. Figuring that the 4.5v motor was the de facto standard for 30 years, I concluded that exactly the same adaptation would work for any train using the old motor. http://www.peeron.com/scans/7722-1/30 for the scan So I took my beloved 171 loco from 1972, did the motor conversion and hooked up an old train base with the PF battery box and IR receiver as a temporary tender. Result. A Power Functions 1972 171 Train set! I then built a replica 182 style battery tender, and incorporated the receiver and battery box, tweaking the design a little to clear the IR sensor and the battery box connector. It did take some tweaking but the whole battery and reciever pack does fit into the same size as the old 4.5v tender. Downside....the new train motor weighs 220g less than the old 4.5v block. 120g as opposed to 340g, which is why the 7740 modification shows the inclusion of the 2x6x2 black train weights. Can't fit those into the design of the 171 so the loco is a little too light to get the best traction. But then I thought...the old 4.5v motor has the same two stud contacts as the 9v train motor, so in theory, the Power Functions cable SHOULD fit the 4.5v motor and make an electrical contact. Perhaps I could retain the old motor and red train wheels (with rubber drive rims), keep the look and the weight of the loco exactly right, and still run it under remote control using power functions. The 9v motor is never driven directly across the 9v supply using PF, unless you connect it directly to the battery box and bypass the receiver. Instead, the motor is driven from the C1 and C2 terminals of the PF using PWM. So, in theory, driving the 4.5v motor using the slower speeds and PWM shouldn't do too much harm to the motor. In practice, I found this to be the case and now my old 171 is happily motoring round the track using PF control. When my new battery boxes cables and IR receivers arrive from the LEGO shop, I will then be able to run all my trains using PF! Replace the 6 AAA 1.5v batteries with NiMH 1700mAh rechargeables at 1.2v each (for less each than the price of a decent Duracell), making a 7.2v pack, PF runs like a dream and the 4.5v motor is much happier - a bit more torque and not so much overvoltage! And rechargeable to boot. Photos to follow :)

Love the new LDD Universe mode, but I would like to see old retro elements that were produced years ago but have long been discontinued. I know a lot of folks play with MOC's and the like, but a few of us older veterans are still using classic elements from the 60's and 70's. 2x4 axle bricks and the small and large studded red wheels, and the flanged x444 train wheels 2x2 wheel bricks for older Legoland vehicles Train carriage bases (6x12 and 6x16) Old 4x12x3 1/3 LEGO Motor Train motor plates with magnetic couplings Blue and grey rails Train battery Tenders Old 1x2 buffers White 1x6 with SHELL logo or white 1x2 with the Shell (pectan) logo Original 1970's minifigs with the non-articulated arms and legs To name but a few! Is there a way of creating these elements using some other system and then importing them into LDD?

All being equal and if I'm in the UK (I work away far too much!) I'll come along for a look-see. Wanted: 4x5 train doors (80's and 90's) and 4x3 train windows, any colours. Offering: Well, a couple of kilos of mixed elements, mostly tiny pieces...fill your boots!!

I just boarded up the attic floor and have 40 square metres of space to lay the track out. No carpet as old blue/grey rails don't like a soft surface. The knees suffer a little (especially if you kneel on a brick - ouch!) so I have a small table and chair to sit and build at in relative comfort.

43 year old train geek here. I bought my first train set in 1974, the 171 Complete Train Set without motor. I did have a motor for it once upon a time, but blew it up before I bought the train! I kept on playing with LEGO until my late 20's when marriage, kids and general lack of funds consigned it to the attic. About five years ago, a newly converted attic and some free cash allowed me to dig the old boxes out and start playing again. I now have about 40 classic LEGO train sets, mostly classic 4.5v stuff from the 70's...three 171's, 182...a lot of rolling stock from that era too, as well as a couple of the original 'train themed' buildings like the Fuel Refinery, Level Crossing and Central Station. Thanks to buying various lots of mixed LEGO on ebay over recent years, I came across a few newer train parts (4x5 doors, etc.), was introduced to Peeron.com by a friend and managed to recreate a few other train sets, everything from the 116 Train set from 1966 (with hook and eye couplings), through very early 70's sets (120 with separate magnet couplings), most of the classic 4.5v stuff right up to the 7710, 7725 and 7740 sets....or at least some items, if not complete sets. Pretty much a purist, I try to recreate early sets as accurately as possible but am prepared to substitute new elements if required (1x1 windows are hard to come by!) but am prepared to take a scalpel and a pot of glue to the LEGO if absolutely necessary. I do have a few brand new sets (7939 Cargo Train, Station and Level Crossing) but am really a 70's and 80's guy at heart!

What's really wrong with it, Tony, is I haven't got any!

But the downside of that is that it would be one more 'set specific' element which would be hard to find on Ebay or LEGO Shop@Home! As it is, the cockpit windows look pretty specialised! Another issue I have with 'set specifics' as they relate to trains is the integration of Power Functions into the newer trains. I have a home-made 7740 InterCity loco I built from plans downloaded from Peeron.com. Not quite original but pretty close. As I built it from scratch bricks, I don't have the original 12v motor or any track but I can adapt using stuff off the shelf from LEGO. I can buy a 9v train motor, PF adapter cable and IR receiver from the LEGO shop to make this compatible with my Cargo Train, but I cannot buy the 6xAAA battery box from LEGO. They are happy to sell me the Lithium Ion Rechargeable pack and charger for £39 but won't sell the standard box as a PF item. If I could buy the battery box as supplied in 7938 and 7939 as a separate item I would happily buy a couple of packets of cheap NiMH AAA rechargeable batteries and use those. According to LEGO's own data, PF trains run quite happily on 7.2v and have the advantage that they don't come flying off the curves as they tend to with 9v on the fastest speed! All my old 4.5v stuff has been modified to run from rechargebles. The early 1960's and 1970's battery boxes for trains took 3 C size 1.5v batteries to make the 4.5v necessary power source. If you use C sized NiCd or NiMH batteries, the output voltage drops to 3.6v (1.2v per cell) and as the old Buehler motors are quite inneficient, the trains do not run so well. If you hack out the plastic inside the battery box (and this works for the old 182 style tender too), it is possible to fit 4x AA NiMH batteries and an external charging socket as well. That way, you have a 4.8v battery pack that you never need to worry about leaking electrolyte or having to keep buying expensive disposeable alkaline cells for. Yes, I know LiPo batteries are very hi-tec and expensive and shiny, but for the number of trains I have (over 40 at the last count!), a far cheaper NiCd or NiMH solution seems better to me. So LEGO......sell the battery box from 7938 and 7939 Train Sets as a separate item. Sell a 9v PF train motor for the same price as the 'non-standard' 9v train motor plus adapter cable. That way we only need to buy one complete train set and can adapt older rolling stock to work with the great 8 channel 7 speed IR remote! In fact...sell a PF Train Kit...Battery box to take the AAA batteries (we can use alkaline or rechargeables then), IR reciever and complete motor assembly. That would retrofit older 9v or 12v trains with new PF gear. I'm still working on a conversion from PF to the older 4.5v motor!

20 years too late?! I guess! Had I had the cash to buy train sets and track between 1995 and 2010 then I would have had a reasonably smooth and seamless transition across all 5 generations of Trains but buying a house, having kids, getting married and all that malarkey meant funds were diverted elsewhere for fifteen years :) But...my 1966 116 Complete Train Set runs on the new 2009 rails and my 2010 Cargo Train runs on the old 1960's blue rails. I guess I could always sell my new track on Ebay now LEGO ITIW have stopped selling the Curved and Straight Rail Pack and everyone seems to be crying out for it! My Level Crossing and the Station from the new City themes work just as well with the older track types....at least sleeper spacing (end to end) and track pitch didn't change over the last 45 years!

Just got the 7939 Cargo Train Set...which comes with a small oval of track and a couple of points and a selection of flexi-track. Not impressed!! So why, oh why, did LEGO move away from the standards they defined oh so many years ago? I have trains going right back to the 1960's (116, 120), the 70's (171, 182, 183) and some odds and ends of later trains (7710, 7740). Vintage blue and white track was replaced by the grey/dark grey track, but the grey rails would still clip onto the white sleepers allowing you to mix and match grey and blue track. The points were also the same, with the Y end having two parallel connections. Designing and laying out track was a breeze. Then the 12V stuff came along....which was exactly the same as the 4.5v grey track, but with conductive centre rails. The 12v conductors, transformer and controller were all available separately, so your could retrospectively electrify old track if you so desired. And....still all track was compatible. Then, the short lived 9v system came along.....completely different track with the silly interlocking pegs to join it together. You could not connect the 9v track to the older stuff. And now....new City Track. Just like the 9v, but a single plastic moulding. So Blue to Grey - compatible Blue or Grey, with or without 12 conductors - compatible. Old Blue or Grey to later 9v track - incompatible 9v Track to new City track - compatible and useable if you replace the 9v motors with PF stuff. BUT.....the pitch has never changed (rails on studs 2 and 7), any train will run on any rail system if you make provisions for internally powering the train, but why oh why did LEGO change the mechanical interface of the rails? Clearly my new PF Train runs beautifully on my old blue or grey track, alongside my older 4.5v sets....but I now have a load of new track I can't do much with, and LEGO clearly don't want to sell me the Curved/Straight rails set anymore....I now have to buy nasty flexy. AND......what on EARTH was their rationale for changing the shape of the switching tracks.....you now cannot make a parallel siding like you could with the earlier blur and grey tracks as the points are no longer parallel....and even on the 7939 Cargo train, you cannot make a perfect parallel siding with two points and the flexy.....the pitch isn't right because of the shape of the switching tracks. I will probably put my new track back in the box and forget about it....hey, a whole 3m of track wasted isn't going to lose me any sleep when I have several kilometres of the 'good stuff'! I have asked the LEGO tech bods in Denmark (via the UK office) to come up with a 'connector' to interface new 'all in one' plastic track (and the 9v come to that), with the old stuff. All it would need is the one stud wide connector piece with lugs from one end of the straight track moulded onto a 1x8 plate to allow the old rails to clip to the end. Heck....if I could buy a single piece of straight track, I'd do a cut and shut job and manufacture my own! But....having to use glue and a Stanley knife to modify existing elements just seems to be a poor solution. Now, for the record, I don't have any 9v or 12v stuff....my evidence is based on looking at a friend's son's LEGO. I had the early stuff when I was a kid, and then skipped LEGO during the 90's as I was too busy trying to just 'get by' to spend any money. Now I have some disposeable income to spend on LEGO again (in my mid 40's!) I can indulge my passion for trains. But....chalk and cheese, the old and new rails....and contra to the entire LEGO philosophy that any element made today shoud mate with any element made in 1958!