Unfinished_Projects

Yes you are correct! I forgot to mention that I bent down the original prongs on the track connectors. Thanks for noticing that! Unfinished_Projects

I wish I could say it definitely is, but I've found that it depends. So far I've bought 22awg wire from two different places, and the first one seemed thicker than the wire I used here. I'm guessing it's a problem with the cheap wire I bought the second time around. Unfortunately I would suggest trying a few different sources if possible, or purchasing in person. Unfinished_Projects

I like the texture that the bottom of the bricks create! Very original creation, great work! Unfinished_Projects

I thought of doing that, but my soldering skills are decent at best so I went without. Unfinished_Projects

UPDATE: I took the time to do a better repair. I ordered some 22awg stranded ribbon wire and peeled off 2 wires to use for the repair. This time I opened the track connectors with small flat head screw drivers. Inside I twisted the wire around a hole in the metal, that is used to hold the metal in place, but worked good for holding the new wire. Then I closed the track connectors back up and since some clips had broken, used a lighter to weld them closed. For the standard 9v connector I opened it as described in many locations around the internet, and pressed the wire onto the original prongs inside. This all resulted in a much nicer repair, that I'm quite happy with (the color looks cool too! ) Unfinished_Projects

Wow! I am very impressed with the craftsmanship required to built this layout, both Lego and non-Lego! I have a wall mounted loop of 9v (nothing compared to yours!) so I understand the desire for something different than the standard table layout. Again, great work! Unfinished_Projects P.S. I see where all the 9v motors went!

You can definitely see the new parts in the following video: I personally don't mind if the design changes, as long as it functions the same. Unfinished_Projects

Very nice work! Do you have any pictures of them behind a locomotive? Unfinished_Projects

All three look great! And I always like to see the 9v system still in use Unfinished_Projects

Wow! I really like the design of the nose! Does it handle all standard Lego track?

Great build! I like the design of the caboose windows! Unfinished_Projects

Good work! Interesting solution that allows use of original controller which is convenient. Unfinished_Projects

Awesome work! Great to see people keeping Lego train history alive Unfinished_Projects

That's a great idea! Thanks! Unfinished_Projects

Thank you! Unfinished_Projects

Hello, I bought some blue era remote points in rough shape, that need to be opened and repaired. Has anyone attempted this before? Is there any tips or tricks I should know about? Also, I do not own an original transformer, so I will be using a generic power supply for these. Will 12v DC work, or do I need higher voltage? Thanks, Unfinished_Projects

I have not heard about these. Are they more powered up components? Where did you find this interesting information? Unfinished_Projects

Very cool idea! Great job using pieces from the time period! Unfinished_Projects

Very nice details! What does this get pulled behind? Unfinished_Projects

Those look great! I too am a big fan of studio 2.0 built in rendering, it works great! Unfinished_Projects

Found myself repairing a 9v cable this morning, and it went pretty smoothly. Ended up using 22 awg stranded wire. Thought I would have to solder, but ended up pressing the wire into the original contact prongs. There is a few more pictures/descriptions on my flickr account here: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmxAdgKx Unfinished_Projects

Update: One of the train bases had a bent axle that needed fixing. I was able to pull the wheels off and straighten the axle using a hard metal surface and a hammer. Using a vise (with rubber caps) I was able to carefully press the wheels back onto the axle. The base is now ready for use .

Hello, I'm creating this write-up to share my experience buying and operating a set of old 12v track in the US. I had been wanting some 12v track and motors since I was in middle school (and I'm in college right now, so yes my tastes in Lego have always been old and expensive haha) but hadn't found the right lot until about a week ago. I managed to score the following lot on ebay for a good price: It is a decent amount of stuff, but some key things are missing: motor (the blue one in picture is 4.5v and doesn't work), transformer, and the piece for connecting to the track. My goal was to have an operating train for as cheaply as possible. Hopefully these ideas can help someone else out who wants to make use of older track without spending a fortune. FOR PURISTS: I handled all of these missing components in an unorthodox way that includes modification of vintage parts, so consider yourself warned Motor: Instead of buying original 12v motors, which are only available for crazy amounts of money on bricklink, I chose to use @bricks n bolts method of picking up track power and using it to drive PF motors (https://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?/forums/topic/63535-mod-7745-to-use-the-pf-motor-still-on-12v-track/ I know it was a little while ago, but thank you @bricks n bolts for sharing! ) The process of cutting down the pins was pretty straightforward. I used a dremel with a cutoff wheel to make the initial cut and a sanding wheel to finish things up. If anyone attempts to do this, try to keep the pin cool, as I melted the plastic a bit on one of my pick-ups. I also ended up cutting off the curved section of one pick-up, to accommodate for the magnet assembly. Connecting to track: To connect to the track, I simply soldered some wire to the little tabs on the bottom of the rail. The correct part for connecting to these blue rails isn't that expensive on bricklink...if you don't factor in overseas shipping. Transformer: Since I live in the US, using an original transformer would require a converter (I had no luck finding the 110v version on bricklink or ebay). I originally thought of using a model train transformer of some kind, but wasn't sure so I asked here on the train tech. @dr_spock suggested a cheap DC motor controller and a generic 12v DC wall adapter (Thanks! ). This ended up working perfectly, and was quite cheap. Only downside is no reverse, but I'm ok with that for how much I spent. Final Result: With everything together I swapped out one of the motors on my Powered Boxcar (https://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?/forums/topic/169681-moc-powered-boxcar-power-functions/) with the completed pick-up bogie and turned on the speed controller. It worked perfectly! I now have a functioning 12v loop that powers my newer trains! I do however have to watch out that I don't over-power the PF stuff. I suppose I could have used a 9v power adapter, but I'm leaving room for a 7740 that I hope will join my collection if I find a good deal ^These last 2 are videos, you just have to click on them There's a few more pictures of this project here if interested: https://flic.kr/s/aHskR5KZX3 Thanks for looking! Unfinished_Projects

I've wanted to try the "20 GAUGE 2 CONDUCTORS BLACK SPEAKER WIRE-100 FOOT HANK OF WIRE" from this link: https://www.electronicplus.com/content/ProductPage.asp?pagenum=1&lname=&maincat=wr&subcat=wsp It seems like a pretty good match. But, I haven't tried it so no guarantees. Unfinished_Projects

Awesome! Great job matching the slopes of the cab! Unfinished_Projects