Celeste

I'm so mad at myself for constantly forgetting about that trick. I tried the other day and was able to get 26 cars being pulled. I forgot I also had a video of those same two locos pulling around the same number (though lighter) cars on an actual table layout before I switched the motors over. I don't see any shaking in it, but I do remember it happening at some point during that weekend of display. Might've been with heavier cars or low batteries. Who knows. It seems like if it does make a difference, it's not by much. Even if it's not hard data being pulled from these videos, it's still cool to see them run with long trains. Here are the locos running before the motor switch. And after on my carpeted living room.

After some non-scientific tests, I have some anecdotal results! As a note, in between using the old motors and testing the new ones, I updated the Pybricks software I was using to control my double header locos. Basically, I'm just using one controller instead of two now, but it shouldn't impact the results. Also noting that I did these tests on a carpet layout because that's what I had to work with, unfortunately. Next time I'm at a show, I'll try on a proper table layout. However, I was surprised with the results. The locos were able to pull pretty much all the freight rolling stock I had on hand. About 30 small, 2 axle cars (Mostly light weight). The magnets became the weak point, though, so I had to shorten the train a little bit so it wouldn't snap in half through tight switches! After running it for half an hour or so at varying speeds with varying loads (And fresh rechargeables), I found the performance was actually better. It was really hard to tell if the shaking was even there anymore, so it's either barely shaking or gone completely. It was clear they could go fast, and could *haul* ! I think it is due to the motors all starting out at the same point in terms of wear, but I think this is a good example of how pairing up motors of similar performance can impact the loco. If anyone else has thoughts or experiences, I'd love to hear them!

Thanks for all the input, everyone! Even though it seems like getting matching motors doesn’t really matter, I did enjoy finally finding out what those codes meant! I’ll try and report back how my locos run with the new motors (whenever I have a layout again :) ). My guess is it will be a little smoother, but more to the motors being new/having the same amount of wear than the matching codes. Also the lack of cat hair will help :).

That makes sense. So, in theory, 30I9 and 29I9 should be close in performance. Is it possible they are made in a different factory due to being electronic parts? (I have no idea what I'm talking about)

Hi all! Apologies if this has been asked before, but I couldn't find any information about it online. I have started running my trains for longer periods of time and noticed that one shakes a bit when running. I was told by a fellow LUG member that for dual motor trains, it's a good idea to get motors that were produced in the factory around the same time as there can be slight performance differences in batches over time. I was told that motors that aren't matched well will fight each other and cause shaking and quicker battery drain. It seems like the way to tell the production run is by the numerical code on the bottom (At least it seems that way for PU. I can't speak on the topic of PF or 9V). Does anyone know how to decode these numbers? Are they coded like car tires with a week and year? Is it something else? Are they uncracked as of yet? What does that mysterious "I" mean in the third digit slot? It seems that identical numbers means the same production group as these four were ones I got directly from the Lego Store and were pulled from the same storage box. For non-identical numbers, is there a rule as to which numbers should be closer? Is it more important that the first digit is the same or the last? Does it matter? I also took pictures of some of my other spare motors with a variety of numerical codes as examples. Any thoughts or knowledge would be greatly appreciated! JopieK, if this is an already discussed topic that I missed, please move or delete. Thanks!

Wow! So much playability and thought put into these! Love how all the pieces seamlessly work together as part of a system. Absolutely wonderful alternate build!

Glad to hear that the pits look good! I'm so happy I was able to get them into this model. They really added a lot to it. And yes I think MILS is the right choice for this build and my future builds, though my wallet doesn't necessarily agree. On the other hand, I don't have to search for the old green baseplates too, so it might be the cheaper choice too haha.

Wow! Looks fantastic and you've faithfully captured the prototype! I especially love the use of the older red train wheels for the leading and trailing trucks and the tender truck detail is very nice!

Hello all! It's been a few years since I last updated this project, but it seems I am in the habit of keeping MOCs around for years and doing small changes every so often. So without further ado, I present the current iteration of my engine shed. First off, I was on the fence for years if I liked the original color scheme I built it in. I've finally made up my mind that yes, I was going to keep it this funky paint scheme that matched my locomotives/fictional railway livery colors. Secondly, I moved this model to a MILS plate. Over the past year or two, I've been updating my modular buildings to be on MILS plates and it seemed to only make sense that I do the same for my train items. I also might bring this model to shows in the future and it would be good to be compatible with my new rail modules (Pictured above). I changed the rails inside the shed to be the singular 1x16 rails (for reasons that will be clear in a moment), so it took a little trial and error to create a seamless transition between that and the normal track without part modification. Because they don't actually "click" together anymore, the MILS technic bricks also help here with a good connection. I also added a back layer of plates to the doors as I hated the look of the boat studs. I also reworked the caution stripes and the shape of the doorway for clearance. The lamps were changed years ago, as suggested by @zephyr1934, but I apparently never posted photos of that change. The side door was tweaked to this version. A new step was added for the extra height gained by the interior foor matching up to track ballast height. The lamps were changed as well and the sign above may get a custom sticker (if I ever get around to it). You'll notice too that I've added more greenery and flowers around the building. Here, you see the rear of the building. I added a large concrete "patio" (?) for work to be done on and goods moved on. I built this rack to help clean up the trash that was left out behind the shed and make it look more intentional. I also plan to put one of my small forklift MOCs here eventually. In addition, I've put in a hopper of coal, in case the one or two steam engines I own need work. Of course, I had to change the lamps here too to something more of my liking. The rear door is the same, if not raised slightly with the new floor, though it does now have the proper caution striping. Let's take a look inside at the new interior! Let's address the elephant in the room first. Yes, the workers FINALLY disassembled the scaffolding and stacked it neatly against the far wall. Oh, the holes in the floor? Yeah, I guess those are new too. So, the MILS plate + ballast gave me a tall floor that finally got me the space for maintenance pits. It's not deep enough to be 100% realistic (See below), but I'm happy enough with the result. Shallow pits are better than no pits. At the far end of the pits are ramps to get out and new caution striping. The buffers were switched out to a new design and overall, the shop space was reorganized and reconfigured. There are new builds here and there, but nothing really of note. Here you see where a typical buffer hits on a minifig standing in the pit. So workers will need to sit or partially lay in the pit to work. And finally, we see a reverse view of the inside. Hopefully you've enjoyed seeing these updates to another model of mine. Unfortunately, there are no Stud.io files to accompany this build unlike many of my other MOCs, but I would still love to hear any thoughts or suggestions!

Absolutely love the interior engine detail on that red shunter! So cute, but still packed full of detail. Also, very much appreciating the associated stories, history, and nicknames that you came up with for all your locos. Makes them feel like a cohesive whole and its quite fun to read about!

Train wheel size chart that might help if you want to switch from 3D printed to a 3rd party manufacturer, @Stereo.

Looks fantastic! I really love the passenger cars and the loco is quite faithfully reproduced here. As a fellow 6w builder, I understand the constant struggles of proportions and details. I've been working on an A5s style switcher for ages, but can't get the height of the tender to be lower and still hold a battery box. Out of curiosity, have you run tests of the new wheels vs stock Lego in terms of ride quality and friction?

Hi Filip! Welcome to Eurobricks! Already, I'm loving what you've presented so far! Your ST34s look awesome and I love the design of them! Just enough detail to look interesting, but still looks toylike and imaginative. Really looking forward to seeing your other custom models. Also, that 4559 conversion/mod certainly is unique! I think that set gets a bad rap from many AFOLs and I'll admit, I haven't found it all that charming, but your love for the set is clear with how much attention you've given it. It looks great!

Wow! The Bulldog looks fantastic! I love the shapes and color blocking used! Can't wait to see this in real bricks!

Honestly, this is one of my favorite projects on Train Tech and I'm loving following all the updates. These two modules look awesome! That S-curve station platform is *particularly* impressive! And I love that orange and black train on the upper level!

I haven’t noticed issues driving it over switches, but I’ll take your word for it! Next iteration of this will have a new motor position. Did you rotate your motor by twisting it 90 about the output shaft? Or did you move it to be directly above the drive wheels facing down? Ooh! Those do look similar!! I like those little guys a lot!

The Ship of Theseus is one of my all-time favorite paradoxes (I swear this connects back to Lego trains). For the unfamiliar, it goes like this: Theseus is an ancient Greek hero and he has a ship. As time goes on, parts of his ship begin to wear out and decay and he must replace them one by one. After some time, he has replaced every single part on his ship. The question raised is: Is it still the same ship?. If not, when does it become a new ship? When half of the pieces are replaced? When the final piece is replaced? It's an interesting thought experiment for sure. So, how does this circle back to Lego trains? I have been building Lego trains since I was little and while most of my old creations are long gone, some survive. Specifically, two small switchers from around 2012/2013. For the sake of this post, I'm just going to focus on the larger and more interesting one. Please excuse the photo quality. This is the best I could find. I remember being quite proud of this at the time. Funnily enough, it uses my fictional railway's color scheme of blue and white completely on accident. Back then, I built with whatever colors and parts I had on hand, and I chose blue and white at random. I ended up really liking the combo of those colors (As well as the variety and commonality of parts), so when I chose an "official" color scheme a few years later, this was an obvious choice. Anyway, back to the locomotive itself. It was based on a British Rail Class 04 with side skirts, inspired by a particular TV show and a particular character. At this point, the locomotive was not powered and functioned purely as a "push train". As the years went on and on, I made little tweaks and big redesigns to it. However, I never thought about taking it apart completely, only improving it. I'll skip all of these in between versions for sake of not boring you! Fast forward to today, 12 years later, and I have the latest version of my little switcher. Version number IHaveLostCount. On the whole, the locomotive is a fair bit shorter and a little bit taller than in its original form. Usually, I am a fan of longer, lower locomotives, but for this switcher, I really do like the current silhouette. For some reason, I decided the design directly prior to this one was just too simplistic. So, I started adding details and weird building techniques just because. I never normally build like this, but it was an interesting challenge. In addition, I gave myself the restriction of only using parts I had on-hand, so no Bricklink orders. I got super invested in creating this angle using car doors. The big challenge came when i had to fill in the gap it created at the top. The solution I went with involved cheese slopes on their side, but just trapped inside, free floating. With techniques like these, the model certainly looked more interesting, but it feels less sturdy than it used to, which I am not a fan of. There is barely any space in the cab with the electronics, but I wanted to at least fit in a figure and one control panel. With the roof removed, we can see the recharging port for the Circuit Cube that is powering this little guy. The back section also comes off easily to access the power switch. This also reveals the trick that the engineer has no legs! Honestly, ever since the first powered version with Circuit Cubes, I could never figure out how to get the minifig legs to fit in too. So, I always omitted them. Here I've removed some of the side skirting so you can see the motor mounted below. It just uses one basic circuit cubes motor driving the rear wheels. Maybe one day I'll try making it dual motor or something, but that's a while away. I did take a video of it briefly running. The top speed is not all that fast, but this thing can crawl quite well (Both shown in the video), which makes sense for a small switcher like this. In terms of pulling power, I haven't tested the limits of it, but it hasn't struggled when I've hooked it up to a handful of cars. So, with all these changes over many years, is this switcher of Theseus the same switcher I built in 2012? I would love to hear your thoughts! Thanks for looking!

Thank you! I agree, they are certainly one of a kind. I'm personally a big fan of the vent boxes sticking up past the roof. And the color palette is to match the rest of the locos from my fictitious railroad company fleet. Originally chose the colors for part availability and price, but I've grown quite fond of it as time has gone on! Yeah! I was surprised to find not many people have modeled this locomotive. It seems like they barely even get called by their name even by people who own the LGB G scale versions of it. Thank you for the compliment on the colors! I admit, sometimes I worry about constantly using the same livery for all my trains, but I do really think it looks nice. Also, I believe a few of the prototypes wore blue and white liveries, though it's hard to find photos of them. I found this PDF with decent photos of the two liveries on pages 16 and 18. I couldn't get the photos out of the document, so apologizes for linking the whole thing. Maybe one day, I'll try and replicate these liveries more closely just for the fun of it. And I'm glad you also like the moustache look! I'm going to order the parts as soon as I can and make it so I can switch out the designs with ease. Thank you! I agree they both look good. I think when I get super focused on one detail, I have to make it absolutely perfect and ignore the fact that many solutions can look good.

Hello! Back in 2020, I made a model of an Alco DL535e (With many liberties taken and entire parts of the design changed to look more like a GP-38 or something similar). Recently, I decided to update it and make it closer to the Alco prototype, specifically with the nose and cab. I was relatively happy with the rest of the body save for a few minor tweaks. I also had made a dummy unit for double headers, but with this update, I decided to power it as well. To save you from having to search/read through my old posts, here's a photo of the old 2020 design. And here is my new design. I changed the base and handrails to match the livery for a new look, but also so I could get a second train base plate (Needed to make the second unit powered) for $1.50 instead of $25. Hey, it was a thrifty change, but I like how it looks more now. Also, here is a photo of the prototype for reference. It's a decently obscure loco and I did not model it perfectly, but I'll talk about the issues later on. I feel like I can already predict some reactions regarding the nose design, so I should explain. This is not the original design. I wanted to do warning stripes on the front of the loco and went through many designs and I finally settled on one. Then, I come to find that the 2x2 triangle tile in blue had no listings on BL that would ship to me. So, I slightly changed the design and accomplished the look with a custom sticker. Not the biggest fan of this solution, but I kept the funky design of the nose in case I decide to go back to the old stripe. This is the current design with the sticker. And here was the original nose design in Stud.io. It kind of looks like the engine has a moustache, I had to admit, but I found that aspect rather charming. Unlike the old model, I put a little detail in the cab. Nothing to write home about, but I do like seeing a minifig behind the controls through the glass. And since I have two of them, here's a photo of them in the double header formation. This is likely how I'll run them most of the time. Now, to mention the issues. For starters, keen eyed readers or anyone with knowledge of these locos will note that the bogies are completely wrong. My models are 4 axle, standard gauge locos, while the prototype is narrow gauge and has 6 axles. I wanted to run these with my regular trains, hence making them standard gauge. In terms of the axles, I would love to make these 6 axle, but I can't think up of a compact, powered 3 axle bogie design. I don't want to go to using regular, non-train motors, but I may have to experiment with them in the future. Besides that, there are many other inaccuracies compared to the prototype, such as a missing side door, vent locations, and handrails (though I kind of like the chunky, old school look of these ones), among many others. However, I'm okay with those for the moment since the locos aren't even the right gauge or wheel configuration. Because of this, they're "DL535e adjacent" in my mind and I've started calling them DL540s. In reality, there's no such thing, but a little imagination and making stuff up never hurt any toy trains, right? Overall, I think these are an improvement over my old design and I think it shows how much I've grown as a builder since the start of the pandemic. As per usual, feedback is welcome and I have uploaded the Stud.io file to my bricksafe page. If you would like to take a look at the model, tinker with it, or even build it yourself, please feel free. If you do tinker or build, please post it here, as I'd love to see it. Thanks for looking! Link to my Stud.io Models folder. Make sure to click on the new "2024 DL540" file as the "2020 DL535e" file is still on there.

Hi Everyone! Normally, I'm over in the train forum, but I do like doing town MOCs too. Here is my latest (and largest) town MOC. I've loved the modular series ever since Cafe Corner and I've always wanted to do my own. I have tried a few times over the years, but they were never very good. This time, I designed the entire thing on Stud.io and then got parts after (Which is how I've been doing a lot of my train MOCs for the past few years). This building takes inspiration from a building in my hometown, but I tried to make it its own thing. It was only later that I realized how similar the whole thing looked to the Town Hall set. Bah. Either way, I wanted to do a camera store for a very specific reason. When my brother and I were kids, we built a Lego camera store together and it was something we were both very proud of. We didn't have many of the actual camera pieces and instead used part 4070, the classic headlight brick, as our cameras. Even today, I still call them camera pieces in my mind. Anyway, I wanted to do an homage to that so here we are. First, some exterior shots. I'm very proud of how the front looks. I think the clock tower is very striking and makes the building way more interesting. I also am so glad I added the Fabuland camera above the door. I'm always a fan of funky store signage, so I needed something like that. The trees were a very last minute addition. I had completed the entire building in real bricks and then realized the sidewalk needed more green. I'm happy with these small, simple designs. The flower boxes were always in the plan, though. A view of the facade detail. I like how the cornice detail turned out. A closer view of the clock tower. I wasn't sure if the Bowser shell piece would fit in above the clock faces, but I was surprised at how well it worked out. The back of the building is extremely boring and I'm not the biggest fan of it. I don't know what would spice it up, though. Maybe some ivy? A floorplan view of the first floor/store. In the bottom left, you'll see an original camera from my childhood store. I made the decision early on to have a wood floor, and unfortunately, the color I felt looked best was dark orange. I think it was worth it though. Also, you'll notice the shop cat. I really wanted it to be a black cat as I used to have a black cat as a kid, but alas, they were pricey, so I went with an orange kitten. We also see some film canisters and old tape reels for sale here, as well as a variety of lenses and a big flash near the windows. The radio on the shelf is meant for music for patrons. The computer in the back is used for inventory management and whatnot. A closer view of the computer. Happy how this turned out. Here's the display case showing off all the new models. Wish there were more camera molds, but ah well. A better view of the checkout desk with a variety of photos hung up, showing off the quality of the cameras for ads and what not. The boxes against the window are all cameras still in their boxes, as the store has no stockroom. I wanted this store to feel like it's been here a while and just have a variety of stuff, but I really don't think I captured that well at all. I think I need to add more stuff and interior detail in the future. Anyhow, now we move on to the upstairs apartments. The door outside leads to a cramped staircase. The floorplan of the second floor apartment. The checkerboard tile totally dates the building and I love that. No railings on this one as it would make the stairs smaller, but I should probably still add them. This apartment opens into a cramped living room/kitchen. I like how the glass coffee table turned out here. The fridge is ok, but could be improved on. I love funky interior design, so the idea of everyone in my city just having a white kitchen was boring to me. Thus, black kitchen. The bedroom has a nice big bed, though, along with a dresser and artwork on the walls. The door past the desk leads to the small balcony on the front of the building. The bathroom here, I love. I think the tub especially turned out well. Now, we're onto the third floor. This apartment is the same size as the one below, but it feels much smaller to me. Tried something different for the fridge and kitchen here. Again, artwork on the walls. And again, limited space combined the kitchen with the living room. The guys here invested in a flat screen TV though. Despite this bedroom being cramped, I really like it. I think the bed turned out well and this was my first time attempting a hanging closet. I think it looks good, but someone needs to pick their dirty socks up off the floor! Gross! The bathroom here is off of the bedroom, unlike downstairs. It was hard to get a shot of the shower, but it really isn't anything to write home about. And that's it for the interior! Lastly, I wanted to shoot it next to a few modulars to give a sense of scale. Thanks so much for looking/reading! I really appreciate it! This was a super fun, yet expensive, project! I have other custom modulars I'm working on and want to build, but those will be much further down the line. Comments, questions, and suggestions are greatly appreciated! Also, if anyone wants the Stud.io file to check out for themselves or to build their own version of this building, I can provide. I only ask that you credit me. Thanks!

I do like that there are no exposed studs on the side now. In a perfect world, I'd have it all flush to the side and there would be something filling the gaps in between, but I don't think the parts exist to do that/I didn't want to have to rely on crazy techniques.

Finally got some time to update the model and change some things. I changed the roof to use cheese slopes, which I think I like better. I also changed the nose a bit and messed with the color blocking/livery a little. Lastly, I switched the rear bogie around as @LEGO Train 12 Volts suggested. I considered that I might make this an A-A set someday, but I'll figure out the problems with those bogies if I chose to make a second one, let alone buy the parts for the first! Might do some real world tests to make sure I like the design before ordering parts, but we shall see!

I don't know why I didn't see these comments until just now, but thank you! That's a really good point on the front and side windows. Now that you pointed it out, I can't unsee it! I definitely think that's part of the "off"ness about it. I'm also noticing now that I forgot the round window right near the back. Oops! I might mess around a bit and see if I like the cheese slopes better, but I do like the curved roof a lot. Thanks! And that's a great point I hadn't even considered! I have very limited experience with 3 axle trucks like this and I haven't tested it much. If I do the orientation where the two free axles are behind, would that complicate running the locomotive through switches in reverse? When I get a chance, I think I'm going to need to experiment more! It seems like I have some work to do, and I'll need to go back and revise my design a bit. I'll update the post when I have a new version. Thanks for all the helpful feedback, everyone!

Thank you!! Thanks! I am pretty staunchly a 6w builder. I like all of my models to fit with each other and with official train sets. Plus, it helps save money and that matters a lot to me. However, if you'd like to take a crack at making it 8w or ordering the parts yourself, the Stud.io file is at the bottom of the original post and you are more than welcome to do what you wish with it. If you do make any modifications to my model, please post it here! I'd genuinely love to see it done in an 8w format. It's just not my style so I can't take full advantage of the extra studs.

Thank you!! Thanks! Glad to hear! I don't tend to do a lot of brick built lining and details like this normally in my MOCs, but it's something I envy in other builders and want to do more of!