JLiu15

UPDATE 7/3/26 I've started building the chassis of the model. The rear raised section is largely complete with the seats in place. The removable engine model, a Cummins ISL, is largely identical to the one in my New Flyer D60HF model. The PF rechargeable battery box and SBrick are placed into the chassis in a very compact way, with them sitting on either side of the engine model. The drivetrain consists of a single L motor with an almost direct connection to the rear differential with a 12:28 reduction. I am concerned whether or not it will be enough torque, but I shall see as the build progresses. The low floor section, despite only being two studs thick, is very robust thanks to using multiple of this piece as reinforcement. I have everything built up to the steering servo motor so far, which will be connected to the SBrick with a PF extension wire. I had thought of placing the servo motor in the roof frame and transferring its motion via a vertical axle to keep the low floor section completely flat, but I was concerned whether that would introduce too much play to the mechanism. Overall I like how the build is progressing so far; the chassis looks good and is very robust. Note the red axles sticking out from the side - they will be used to attach the body panels, which are red in the rear section. Photos:

I had the opportunity to showcase this MOC at Brickworld Chicago 2026, where it was nominated for Best Land Vehicle. I've added my Brickworld photos to this topic!

I had the opportunity to showcase this MOC at Brickworld Chicago 2026. I've added my Brickworld photos to this topic!

Model of a Westchester County Bee-Line 2005 Orion V (05.505) transit bus. The model uses Power Functions IR remote control for motorized drive, steering, and opening doors. It also includes a Detroit Diesel Series 50 engine behind an openable engine door. Functions/features: Drive Steering Working steering wheel Motorized passenger doors Opening engine door Detroit Diesel Series 50 engine model (removable) Instructions available on Rebrickable: https://rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-265143/JLiu15/2005-orion-v-05505-bee-line-bus/#details The Bee-Line System, the public transit agency in Westchester County, NY, ordered 21 Orion V (05.505) buses in 2005 numbered 116-136. This order of the 05.505 model, which is 32ft long and 96in wide, succeeded buses 101-115 from 2002 and are the last of this model ever built. At the beginning of their service life, buses 116-129 were operated by Liberty Lines Transit, Inc. while 130-136 were operated by P.T.L.A. Enterprise for routes 16, 18, and 31. The first retirements occurred in 2016, with the first four units (116-119) retiring and two of PTLA’s buses (135 and 136) transferring to Liberty Lines. In 2021, PTLA’s 131-134 were scrapped, and Liberty Lines’ 120-123 were transferred to PTLA to fill the gap. In early 2024, all remaining buses (124-127 and 129) were transferred to PTLA while all other units in the series were retired. These five buses are still active at the time of writing. My model depicts bus 124. When I decided to attend Brickworld Chicago 2026, I wanted to display a smaller bus model next to my New Flyer D60HF model from last year. I had already been wanting to build an Orion V bus model for a while, such as a 2000 05.501 model (40ft long and 102in wide) in Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission livery. However, seeing that Bee-Line is also quite famous for their Orion V buses, especially being one of the last operators of Orion V buses today (they also have a few 2008 05.501 suburban models numbered in the 800s still in operation), I decided to do it in the Bee-Line livery. From the start, I knew that a challenge would be the livery, since their livery includes diagonal stripes that would not translate as well to LEGO pieces. Unlike my previous bus models, I actually started with the bodywork this time in Stud.io, then built the Technic chassis around that. This meant fewer changes to the chassis to attach the bodywork, a revision that was often needed for my prior bus MOCs. I designed the livery to have the horizontal stripes done using LEGO bricks and plates, and I found LEGO blue and bright light orange to match their livery quite well. The diagonal stripes, which continues onto the roof, I decided to make using custom stickers. I first got the idea for this MOC in mid-February; by mid-March, I had a bodywork designed in Stud.io. This was followed by designing the chassis, and in early April I began the building process starting with the chassis. The shorter length of the bus meant that the build had to be compact, but there was enough room in the chassis to fit a PF L motor for propulsion, a PF Servo motor for steering, and a PF AA battery box. Because my PF Rechargeable battery box and SBrick are still in my New Flyer D60HF model, I used PF IR control for this model. In fact, it is my first time using IR control in a MOC since 2020! I was initially concerned whether a single PF L motor would be enough torque, but given that my Airport Crash Tender MOC from 2017 was even larger in terms of dimensions and did fine with a single PF L motor geared 1:3 and then 14:20 at the differential, I decided that the same gearing in the drivetrain was sufficient. It also helped keep the rear stepwell area compact, as the drive motor sits directly adjacent of the stepwell and two L motors may have taken up too much room there. One of my favorite parts about this model is the inclusion of a Detroit Diesel Series 50 engine model connected to the drivetrain, as that is the engine the real-life bus uses (their 2008 units use the Cummins ISL instead). For this, I ordered some sand green Technic pieces to capture the iconic Alpine Green that Detroit Diesel engines are painted in. A notable difference between Detroit Diesel Series 50 and Cummins powered Orion V buses is that those powered by the Series 50 omit the middle seat in the rearmost row due to the larger size of the engine. This meant that I was able to keep the cylinders exposed on my model, so you could see the pistons moving even without removing the engine model from the chassis. The doors use a different mechanism from my previous bus models. On the real-life Orion V, the door leaves protrude significantly from the body when open. A mini linear actuator here would have 3 studs of travel, leaving the door leaves flush with the body when open. I went for one fewer stud of travel range, and used a linkage mechanism driven by a worm gear. The mechanism performed flawlessly despite my initial concerns; I was worried this setup would be more likely to jam when opening and closing. Both the front and rear doors use a PF M motor and a 24T clutch gear is used on each to prevent the motor from stalling when the doors are fully opened/closed. The steering mechanism is set up similar to that of my New Flyer D60HF model, and likewise, a working steering wheel is connected to it. The doors’ motors and the PF IR receivers were placed in the roof, attached to a Technic frame; I was able to blend the IR receivers in almost seamlessly with the rest of the roof, which is largely made using 8x16 tiles. I am overall satisfied with how this MOC turned out, and in some ways, it looks even more realistic than my New Flyer D60HF model. I like how I captured the shaping of the driver’s side windshield, which is sloped to reduce glare for the driver. While there is a slight shade difference between LEGO pieces and the colors printed onto the stickers, from a distance the livery still looks pretty seamless, especially the side stripes. I had fun making the video as well - I also included a few video clips of the real bus taken by Kyle Garcia, a friend of mine on the East Coast. I’m also glad I finished the model while the real bus is still in active service, as I wouldn’t be surprised if the last 5 remaining units are due for retirement very soon. Video: Photos: Brickworld Chicago Photos:

I'm honestly concerned about the future of remote control in LEGO. When SBrick was introduced it was revolutionary in that it allowed us to use Bluetooth to control our MOCs, instead of relying on the PF IR receivers that barely work in sunlight. Last I checked the SBrick app is no longer on the App Store, but thankfully I still have the app installed and the app still works to control my MOCs for now. I also have a BuWizz 2.0, but it has been glitching since the latest firmware update; I had thought of using BrickController2 to see if I could still get it to work properly, but as you said the developer of BrickController2 has lost interest in the app, and it apparently no longer works with the latest firmware with BuWizz. Also, it's been 3 years since the last LEGO Control+ set with the Bluetooth hub and individual motors. All sets since then (Porsche, Lamborghini, etc) have been the integrated hub. With as much drawbacks as it had compared to PF (e.g. no stackable plugs), it at least allowed for some modularity instead of building similar vehicles around an integrated hub. I fear that LEGO is planning on doing away with this system in the future, and once no more updates are provided (and as third party solutions like BrickController2 and SBrick/BuWizz lose interest), I'm afraid as you said they may all end up being expensive paperweights in the future. It might very well be looking like I'll have to return to old-fashioned IR control for my MOCs in the future... EDIT: I created a topic to further discuss the concerns around LEGO remote control options here:

Hey guys, I have been having an issue with my BuWizz 2.0 since the latest firmware update. I used my BuWizz 2.0 (which I bought in late 2020) for the first time in a few months, and the BuWizz app on my phone asked me to update the firmware of my BuWizz. It updated the firmware to 1.2.70 which it shows as up-to-date. However, when trying to control a motor, there is a noticeable delay from my slider input to the motor, i.e. the motor would not start/stop until slightly after I move/release the slider in my control profile. I tested it with a PF Medium motor and Servo motor, and both did this, so I'm pretty sure it has to do with the BuWizz rather than the motors (both motors performed fine when I tested them with a PF AA battery box). Additionally, the Servo motor would not stop calibrating when in Ludicrous mode. My device is an iPhone 15 Pro on iOS 26.2. Did anyone experience the same issue, and if so, did you find a way to resolve it? Is going back to a previous firmware version a possibility? It was working just fine on the previous firmware. Could using an alternative controller (e.g. BrickController2) instead of the BuWizz app perhaps mitigate this issue? I had posted this in a separate topic earlier, but I figured I'd post it in the main BuWizz topic as it could be more relevant here. Any help is greatly appreciated!

The instructions are now published on Rebrickable: https://rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-245043/JLiu15/2003-new-flyer-d60hf-metro-transit-bus/#details

Just PMed you

It’s missing from my main profile page (https://www.eurobricks.com/forum/profile/177480-jliu15/) under “Activity” if you scroll down to it.. If I post or edit something, it’ll show up briefly before it disappears again. For replies in older topics like this one it stays, but for my two most recent topics they disappeared. Here’s a screenshot from this morning when it did show up under “Activity” before it disappeared

Thanks! I love how the doors turned out, especially with the pneumatic mechanism.

Just to add - I can see my replies to the topic under my activity after posting them, but after a while they'd disappear as well. If I edit a reply it also reappears under my activity before disappearing again shortly after.

Thanks! I do have a WIP topic for this MOC, which could be found here: Thanks! As an AFOL and bus enthusiast, I love combining these interests for my bus models. Despite some shortcomings this one had, its building process was one of the most rewarding among all my MOCs.

Thank you! btw, for some reason I don’t see the topic under my activity on my profile page when I posted it. Do you know if this is an issue with Eurobricks, or perhaps it changed what shows up under your activity? Thanks! Edit: I could see my replies under my activity after posting or editing them but after a while they'd disappear as well. Weird...

I went to my profile page after making a new topic, and saw that it was missing where it shows your activity. But if I go to the Content Type menu and click on Topics, I can still see it. It also shows up just fine when I click on the forum it’s posted in. I noticed this with a topic I posted a while back as well, where it did not show up under my activity on my profile page, but it was still visible to others on the forum. Does anyone know what may be causing this issue and how to fix it, or perhaps Eurobricks changed it recently? That topic was from late June, and an earlier topic I posted in April still shows up under my activity, including when I initially posted the topic. Thanks!

Model of a 2003 New Flyer D60HF articulated bus from Metro Transit in Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minnesota. The model features motorized drive, steering with working steering wheel, a removable Cummins ISL engine model, and pneumatically operated passenger doors. Functions/features: Drive Steering Working steering wheel Removable Cummins ISL engine model with moving pistons Pneumatic passenger doors Instructions available on Rebrickable: https://rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-245043/JLiu15/2003-new-flyer-d60hf-metro-transit-bus/#details In the 1990s and 2000s, Metro Transit in Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minnesota ordered a large number of New Flyer D60 high floor articulated buses. Nicknamed the Galaxy, the D60HF entered production in the late 1980s and was produced until 2006 as a final option of a Metro Transit contract. The final units produced for Metro Transit in 2006 were the last high-floor articulated buses ever built in the United States and Canada. Over the years, Metro Transit's D60HF buses were gradually replaced with newer New Flyer D60LFR and XD60 articulated buses, and the final units in Metro Transit's fleet were retired in late 2021. My model depicts bus 3143, which is a 2003 model built in January 2004 and now privately owned by a friend of mine in Pennsylvania. Prior to its retirement, 3143 operated out of Metro Transit's South Garage, and later out of Heywood Garage in May 2020. A number of 2003 units were already retired by Metro Transit in 2016, but 3143 and several others were returned to service in May 2020 to provide space for social distancing amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The remaining units were also retained for service during the 2021 Minnesota State Fair in August-September 2021, and were retired shortly after. 3143 operated in revenue service for the last time on September 5, 2021 and is among the final D60HF buses in Metro Transit's fleet to operate in revenue service. I had the opportunity to see 3143 in-person at the 2022 NJ Historic Bus Festival, which inspired me to eventually build a LEGO version of it. The building process began in summer 2024, starting with the rear section's chassis. Because the model was likely going to be heavy when finished, I used two Power Functions XL motors for propulsion. The two XL motors are placed transversely in the chassis, between the rear door and the rear axle, and are hard-coupled using knob wheels. Placing the motors longitudinally would have required more length, which was not ideal as the rear door and rear axle are relatively close to each other. This section is designed to be very compact, with the two XL motors taking up all available transverse space between the outer body panels and the rear door and rear axle placed as close as possible to the motors. This allowed me to still have space behind the rear axle to include a Cummins engine model, as the real-life version is powered by a Cummins ISL engine. Thanks to the high-floor design of the original bus, I was able to include a floor made using flat Technic panels, with gaps kept to a minimum. This had the benefit of keeping many mechanisms hidden as well, such as the steering mechanism, which is placed entirely under the floor except for a small portion of the PF servo motor that's exposed. The steering motor's output is also connected to the steering wheel. Unfortunately, some of the bevel gears connecting to the steering wheel are exposed as their diameter prevents covering them with Technic beams/panels. A challenge for this model is the articulated joint with seats in it - the real-life version has four passenger seats in the articulation joint's turntable which rotates halfway relative to the front and rear sections during a turn. Keeping the floor continuous here was particularly challenging as it is perfectly circular on the original bus, and perfectly round shapes in LEGO are rather difficult to create outside pre-made circular pieces. In the end I went with a design using panel fairings 2387/2389 around the perimeter of the floor section at the articulation joint, and the floor flows pretty seamlessly from the front to the rear section. The bellows use the same principle as in my New Flyer XD60 model, but thanks to the floor section at the articulation joint, I was able to keep all the rubber bands maintaining the shape of the bellows hidden beneath it. There are 68 passenger seats (34 in the front, 30 in the rear, and 4 in the articulation joint), consisting of a mix of high-back and regular ones. Another friend of mine owns bus 3200, a 2006 model, and I was able to design the seating layout exactly like in the original bus thanks to photos provided by him. AFAIK, the 2003 and 2006 models are largely similar to each other, and many of my model's details were done accurately thanks to his photos. Above the chassis and interior, there is a Technic roof frame in both the front and rear section housing two independent pneumatic circuits for the front and rear passenger door. Because the two passenger doors are independently controlled, I made each door use its own compressor and valve instead of e.g. having them share a compressor but using their own valves. A PF L motor is used for each of the pneumatic circuits, driving both the compressor (geared up 5:3) and the valve through a clutch gear and 3:1 reduction. The compressor/valve setup is built in a compact manner to ensure a mechanically efficient mechanism as the clutch gear slipping and the compressor add a significant amount of friction. They are placed below where the roof AC units are located in the finished model, as the valve's lever extends past the roof height slighly when passing through the middle position and the roof AC units can be designed hollow to allow the lever to pass through. Although I tried to ensure that the hose lengths for the front and rear sections are largely identical to each other, I still noticed the rear door to open and close slightly faster than the front door. Nevertheless, the pneumatic doors are one of my favorite features on this model, because its movement is much more realistic compared to if it was purely mechanical (e.g. a linear actuator or a worm gear). Designing the bodywork was relatively straightforward, and because Metro Transit uses a yellow and blue stripe for the livery, I was able to easily make it using LEGO pieces. This kept the need for custom stickers to a minimum. I had already designed much of the bodywork in Stud.io by January 2025, and the Metro Transit livery was recognizable even without stickers. I also like how the front destination sign turned out, as the protruding curved destination sign design is one of the iconic features of New Flyer high floor buses. This is further pronounced by the fact that Metro Transit has the area around the destination sign painted in yellow, and I feel my design captured the color break here pretty well. I also like how the rear turned out, especially for the rear grille and destination sign. However, there were still some shortcomings with the design, especially with the front and rear lights. The amber turn signal lights on the front and the two center brake lights on the rear of the real bus are much smaller, and it was difficult to go smaller than one-stud width for these lights. The side windows also had some inaccuracies which I feel could've been remedied by considering the body panels' design while designing the chassis and seating layout. Because of the position of the doors and seats, I had to make some windows smaller/larger than others by a stud (when they look to be all the same size on the real bus) to prevent the windows' positions from looking out of place relative to the doors and seats. The roof is largely made using 6x6 tiles, and because the PF rechargeable battery box is placed near the rear of the model facing upward, I added a switch on the rear that can be used to press the power button on the battery box, as well as remove a section of the roof to access the battery box for charging. The roof AC units on the real bus are sloped towards the top, and thanks to the 5540 piece becoming available in white, I was able to capture the slope shape of them while maintaining a seamless finish with the top surface primarily made using tiles. I'm overall satisfied with this model turned out. It is my fourth motorized bus model and my largest MOC to date (with over 6600 pieces). The model performed well mechanically, and the two XL motors do not struggle at all to move the heavy model. While I was initially concerned about the pneumatic door mechanisms having more possible points of failure than a purely mechanical design, the doors worked as expected every time I opened and closed them. Despite some shortcomings with the aesthetics, I had a great time designing and building this MOC, especially with this being my first time doing a model of a specific unit privately owned by a friend. It's also my first model of an older retired bus, as my previous bus models were all of newer buses in active service. Video: Photos: Brickworld Chicago Photos:

I just noticed this today while making a creation and looking for a control profile! It showed "unable to fetch the profiles" for both public profiles and my profiles so I figured maybe I needed to update the app - and noticed that I can't find it in the app store (I'm on iOS). This is my first time using SBrick since 2023, and thankfully I still have my previous MOC complete with a control profile that still works, so at least I still have something to use.

Thanks! Being able to press the power button and allowing it to be accessible for recharging plus keeping it concealed was definitely a challenge, but in the end the 2L thin liftarm for the power switch on the rear is the only thing that's exposed on the exterior for the entire setup.

Not sure if this has been asked elsewhere, but today I tried to create a new control profile and made a new creation in the SBrick app. However, when I went to select a control profile, it shows "unable to fetch the profiles" for both public profiles and my profiles. This means I am unable to control my MOC using SBrick since it cannot get a control profile. Does anyone know how to fix this? I'm on SBrick v4.8.3 btw. Thanks!

UPDATE 8/15/25 The model is now completely built, after just over a year of work. All that's left to do is to make the custom stickers. The model contains over 6650 pieces, making this my largest MOC to date. Since the previous update, I had to modify some of the roof as the roof AC units did not need such a large gap. Thanks to this piece recently becoming available in white, I was able to capture the sloped edge around the AC units while maintaining a smooth upper surface without studs. Acquiring them was a challenge given how new they are, and I ended up buying all the available ones from the only Bricklink seller to have them at this point. Even then, I had to buy a Lego City 60465 set (the only set it's available in so far) to have enough of them. I'm overall satisfied with how the roof AC units turned out given the availability of LEGO pieces. The final part left to build after this was the bellows, which are designed identically in principle to the bellows on my New Flyer XD60 model. Because the real bus has 4 seats in the central section of the articulation joint (two on each side), I was initially concerned whether that could affect the bellows, but in the end the bellows still worked well and the central section with seats did not affect the bellows at all. Thanks to the space below the "floor" of the central section, I was able to stabilize the bellows with rubber bands below it. In the end, the model is pretty heavy and the rear section can sag a little at the articulation joint, but the bellows still seemed to handle just fine when I tested it driving and turning. Overall, I am satisfied with how this model turned out. It is my fourth bus model, and I have definitely come a long ways since my first bus model (the New Flyer XD60). In fact, it has nearly 1500 pieces more than that model. On this model, I was able to include a full interior as opposed to a mere skeletal structure below the seats. The pneumatic doors also open and close much more similarly to a real bus. And with two PF XL motors used for propulsion, the model is able to move at a reasonable speed without the drive motors do not struggle with the weight of the model. The photos and video for this MOC will be coming soon. I will also be publishing instructions for it on my Rebrickable. Photos:

UPDATE 7/26/25 After a year since starting this project, the entire bodywork is finally complete. All that's left to do are the bellows and the roof AC units. Since the previous update, I've built a roof frame for the rear section containing the pneumatics for the rear door, as well as the SBrick which allowed me to finally connect and organize all the wiring. A challenge in this section was fitting the entire pneumatics control mechanism (motor, compressor, valve) into the space forward of the rear door as that's where the pneumatic cylinder for the door is placed. I initially tried putting the motor behind the rear door and diverting the drive from the motor around the cylinder using gears, but it ended up having a lot of friction where the motor would stall due to the friction from the clutch gear for the valve as well as the compressor. In the end, I was able to fit everything forward of the rear door, but the compressor sits very close to the articulation joint. Once the rear door mechanism was complete, I noticed that it would open and close faster than the front door. I figured it was due to the longer pneumatic hoses for the front door mechanism so I modified the front section's roof frame to bring the pneumatics control mechanism closer to the front door. However, the difference in speed was still there, so I figure it might be due to the internals of the cylinders (they are quite old; I got them in a used 8436 set). Another modification since the previous update is the drivetrain. As the model got heavier, I began to notice the gears skipping in the drivetrain, especially at the differential. Despite the limited space, I was able to reinforce the drivetrain and add a heavy-duty differential, although I did have to move the Cummins engine model back by one stud. Now even with the entire bodywork in place, the two XL motors do not really struggle to move the model. I'm overall satisfied with how the bodywork turned out. To ensure a largely seamless finish for the bodywork, I also added a power switch which not only hits the power button on the 8878 rechargeable battery box but also can be used to remove a cover to access its charging port. The switch is accessed by a 2L thin liftarm on the rear, and this setup allows the battery box to be fully concealed. While there were some areas where I felt like I had to compromise or could've turned out better, I feel it definitely captures the looks of the original bus. Photos:

Hi everyone, I was using Stud.io when it froze and crashed, and after it crashed I saw that my file was a .io.backup file. I tried opening it in Stud.io but the parts never load (gets stuck at 0 / 1 when parsing). After I tried opening it the file shows as a .io file now, but under file type it still says "BACKUP File" when I view it in File Explorer. This is a rather large model so I really hope it can still be recovered. Has anyone else experienced something similar and managed to get their file to work again? Thanks!

It's pretty heavy but I think two XL motors should be fine. A single XL motor was enough to power my New Flyer XD60 model from 2022.

UPDATE 5/25/25 The bodywork for most of the front half is now complete, and the build is starting to take shape. There is a gap in the roof where the front roof AC will go. I plan to make it easily removable, as the pneumatics for the front door are placed in that area, which will make it easy to see the pneumatics mechanism in action. Photos:

UPDATE 5/18/25 I've made some progress on the build for the first time in several months. The front left body panel is in place, and this was thanks to the front roof frame being installed. The front roof frame contains the pneumatic compressor and valve for the front passenger door. The front passenger door is also in place and is functional now. Photos:

Thanks! The large angular motor really helped me make the model compact while still offering AWD, as there really isn't much space for electronics once you have the large dump bed.