Ts__

Please try to update the Firmware from the HUB with the Lego PU App, after this try PyBricks again. My guess: the Firmware from the PU-Hub is maybe very old. Too old for PyBricks. Thomas

Emanuele, I really forgot your name, sorry Fun fact: My first locomotive was strongly inspired by your BR05-003. I only showed it in a German forum (with reference to you). Therefore, I am particularly pleased that I could now inspire you. hehe, I don't think so ;-) Thomas

Hello Lego Train 12 Volts ( I can´t find your first name, sorry), cool, immediately recognizable that this is a "Blauer Enzian". The cars look particularly familiar, but somehow one is missing or? Should be 5, or ;-) Thanks for mentioning it, similarities are definitely there. Thomas

That would be great. Thanks! Yes, the 180° is clear and correct. However, relatively little force (by hand) was enough to break out the 2nd eyelet. I destroyed the first switch with a small motor. A small PU program to start determined the end stops and from then on the turnout was always approached to the correct value without force. I had used the PU Boost Interactive motor with rechargeable batteries (7.2V) and had reduced the force in the program to 50%. In order not to have to constantly change rechargeable batteries at the exhibition, I had then switched to a 9V transformer. The higher voltage was then probably too much and has destroyed the first switch. In the search for the cause, I had then destroyed the second by hand. That went with surprisingly little force. I also did not want to just rant publicly here, but also warn other users. Be careful ;-) From the basic principle I like the switches. Turning is great and you can also easily represent the switchsignal for the position of the switch. BSBT 2021 Rangierbahnhof Zwickau Bakken Weichenbereich by Thomas / Ts__, auf Flickr Thomas

I have had some of the switches in operation for 4-5 days at a large exhibition. There and also in the run-up at home I had the problem with a few switches as legotownlinz. Even after hooking it occurred repeatedly - annoying. But much worse I find the very weak mechanics in the turntable. The plastic part there is much too thin and can easily be destroyed by hand. The first damage I had created with a drive (Lego Boost Interactive motor, regulated down), the second by hand. And this 2 days before the start of the exhibition... Panic mode turned on and the switches only treated like cotton balls!... Fortunately, none more destroyed during the exhibition and I still had free switches to replace there. Conclusion: the switches look really good, the surface is great and they are also very well traveled. I also like the easy motorizability. But the mechanics IN the turntable is not good and must be improved. I try to repair my 2 defective switches with wire or to print a stronger connection part. In the original state, the connecting part between rotation and slider is a misconstruction. Sorry for the harsh words, but that's the way it is. Thomas

Maybe, though I don't have an overview of what's possible in America or Australia this year. Size is not everything, after all. ;-) Thx ;-) My favorite was the Linderei station by Pieter and the BR44 locomotive by Tamás. You can also see in the video, they appear more often. Thomas

After a few weeks away from the Lego hobby, I managed to sift through all the photos/videos from the meeting in Schkeuditz and hopefully create an interesting video from them. I tried to show something from as many participants as possible. All I have unfortunately not managed, either no picture / video created or I could not assign the model unfortunately. Please accept my apologies. Special thanks to Micha / MTM and LBrick Leipzig for the organization. Without you such a great meeting would not be possible! Have fun! Thomas

I was at a big Lego train exhibition in Germany last weekend and I can say PU was clearly easier to use than PF. Yes, a loco with PU stops the train out of radio range. But this is not always a disadvantage. I have seen several PF users running after a loco, desperately trying to stop their PF loco before the crash. You have to get really close in the sunlight.... Although there were many PU users present, there was not really any interference or obstruction between users. When building PU consumes less space. But there are also disadvantages: connectors e.g. not stackable. Can therefore also be a problem. I myself have 6 locomotives on display. 5 with PU and one with BuWizz. No real PF... Thomas

Sounds are difficult to describe comparatively. However, the boost motor is not quiet. It has a different sound than the train motor, but not a nice one either. Currently I have no video of the locomotive with this engine, that will take time. Thomas

Yes, is worth a test Gear ratio is 1.6667: 1, but I use BigBenWheels M-wheels in the locomotive. So larger than the small train wheels. And faster. The locomotive is a shunting locomotive and is designed for power, not speed. For a mainline locomotive, you would have to use 1:1 or more with this motor in any case. My goal was to drive as consistently slow as possible. The locomotive runs with wagons at about 20 revolutions (per minute?). Maximum speed is about 110 revolutions. Values from the APP. The maximum speed of the locomotive is not very high. Currently, I have shown nothing more of the locomotive here on Eurobricks than the pictures in the thread here. I plan to create videos in August. An L motor is 2 studs longer, but much faster and more powerful. For the V90, I decided against an L-motor for the following reasons: - I wanted to drive all 4 axles, which is difficult with one motor. For climpl hills with max traction. - 2 L-motors overstrain the small Lego City PU-Hub -> draw too much current -> overload flashes constantly, batteries immediately empty For a smaller locomotive surely also an L-engine is enough. The train engine is a good engine for mainline locomotives. However, it is not good at slow speed and it is difficult to use under/over gear ratios. Yes, the train motor is a fast motor and can´t drive good slowly. Thomas

I want to push many (e.g. 10) freight wagons up a hill, hence the 2 motors. I have never tried out whether it would also work with one. If more wagons work, it would also be nice. I think I have tried it so far with 9 mixed wagons from 330 grams to almost 1 kg. All my locomotives so far have at least 2 motors, so the question of whether it would also work with one did not arise. At the moment, i have only a pic with two wagons. The grey one weighs about 510 grams. The tanker is much lighter. Thomas

Yes, I have installed 2x the Lego Boost Interactive motor in a shunting locomotive and use the speed feedback to control the constant speed, no matter how many cars are to be pushed/pulled. The locomotive is of course bigger than what you have in mind. But there are also 2 engines inside. Really small locomotives are difficult with such a setup: HUB 8 studs long, motor with gear 9 studs long. Thomas

Wow. Shiny. Great. You can see what would be possible if such chromed stones were (still/again) available. This way it is certainly not a cheap pleasure, but absolutely unique. A real eye-catcher! Thomas

Nice technique demo, very well elaborated. For me, it is not the first known to me locomotive with 2 motors and differential for different speeds (there was a China brick manufacturer rather), but you still had the idea. I "know" the set only from videos and do not have it (do not want it either ;-) ). What I see as a problem: 2 PU L- motors to a City-Hub draw too much current, the HUB is constantly in overload flashing. You can also see in the video. I had also tried a locomotive with 2 PU L-motors on the City Hub: was not good. - Akkus weak - Batteries immediately empty and could not bring their higher voltage The PU-L motors draw a lot of current. Two of this are too much for one HUB. Thomas

Congratulations. Train projects rarely make it to the 10,000 club at Ideas. Whether it is realized or not, you have achieved a success. I would also buy it as an Ideas set. But that doesn't mean much, because in principle I buy every train set and then use the parts for my own train projects. But I am happy about every train set that appears. Thomas

After a long time, I have created a video: enjoy watching Thomas

For a pure display model, however, the Lego crocodile should be visually reworked and its weaknesses eliminated. You don't have to pay attention to any curve radii. Last weekend, the long-awaited delivery from SuT arrived to finish building the tank cars: ZCS 23 Lonza: I have omitted the large Lonza sign so far, it looked very weathered and unattractive in the prototype car. Maybe I will add it, because it will make the wagons a bit more different and it would fit better to the prototype. The car itself was already in the crocodile video, but a few individual parts in the right colour were still missing for the presentation. I can now make up for that ZCS 23 Lonza by Thomas / Ts__, auf Flickr ZCS 23 Press: A former Swiss car on the island of Rügen / Germany ZCS 23 Press by Thomas / Ts__, auf Flickr ZCS 23 Motorex: my favourite of the three. It stands out with its bright colour and the large lettering and is an eye-catcher for me. Not too bad, but just the right splash of colour for a dirty goods train. ZCS 23 Motorex by Thomas / Ts__, auf Flickr ZCS 23 Motorex by Thomas / Ts__, auf Flickr Technical Lego data: Parts: approx. 360-370 Lego parts, no foreign parts, exception ball bearing Weight: approx. 260-270 grams On Flickr I was asked if there is a nub at all pointing upwards. Basically, the cars are simple, just SNOT in almost all directions, but not really complicated. Once you have built the middle part of the boiler, the rest is rather simple. The wagons themselves are of course almost all identical and only differ in detail apart from the colour. It was this balancing act: they should be the same but not the same. Group picture without lady: ZCS 23 Tankwagenkollektion by Thomas / Ts__, auf Flickr Of course, the wagons also belong to the crocodile of mine and complement my freight wagon fleet: SBB Ce 6/8 II "14253" mit ZCS 23 Kesselwagen by Thomas / Ts__, auf Flickr Thomas

Yes, the position is very similar to the real crocodile. The reason is simple: this way you have the smallest deflection from the stem in the cabin wall. Thank you very much. You can also look into the past, I have already shown a few moves there. But yes, I am already designing the next locomotive. But it may take me half a year. Thomas

Thanks for the great comments... Unfortunately not ;-) I have my decided for optics and against R40 curves. I myself usually drive on minimum radius R104 and also lay out my models on it, if R40 requires too many compromises. And let's be honest: 66 knobs long cars in R40 curves looks like 90° turns, doesn't it? With the Crocodile, it was important to me: - all 3 wheels should have the flange. Uniform optics and no hovering of a wheel in the curve or switch. This would probably be more difficult to do with R40. - No gap between stem and cabin. Also goes relatively well with R40 curves. With R104 I also have no gap in the curve outside view. - Sliding operation: because of the tight curves with R40, the buffers/coupling should turn with the first axle. However, I had the problem with locomotives with single-axle leading axles in the past, so no sliding operation of a few cars through R40 switches is feasible. The leading axle has jammed in the R40 switch. Therefore, I want to fix the buffers / coupler rigidly to the frame, regardless of the leading axle. somehow I currently have one locomotive too few. But I am working on it... The pivot points are pretty much directly under the front of the cabin, just past the center drive axle. In the video is a picture without the cabin and hoods of the leading axles. There you can see the pivot points. They are one knob next to the reddish-brown cab floor panel. The pivot point in each case is a light gray Technic pin 4274. The car itself rests on tiles of the stems. Thomas

Hello together Who does not know it? The Swiss Crocodile. An icon for a long time and has been on my "want to have" list for quite some time. Then Lego made us happy last year with the set 10277 Crocodile. That was the starting signal for the realization of my dream crocodile. The Lego version has strengths and weaknesses. But it has made the locomotive better known in Lego circles and generally the praise for the set prevails. I also praise it, but the weaknesses had to be eliminated. Main criticisms from me were the wrong running gear and the huge gap between the stems. But I didn't want to hide only the weaknesses and so it became a complete redesign. A few ideas from the Lego Crocodile have certainly survived, also there are general similarities. It would be funny if there weren't, because then Lego or I would have done something completely wrong. SBB Ce 6/8 II "14253": This locomotive is the oldest surviving crocodile of the class. The "14253" was built in 1919 by the Schweizerische Lokomotiv- und Maschinenfabrik (SLM, mechanical part) and the Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon (MFO, electrical part). Thought and used the locomotive for freight train traffic among others on the Gotthard railroad (1920 - 1924, 1943 - 1976). Technical data: Length over buffers: 19.4 m Service weight: 126 t Friction weight: 103 t Driving wheel diameter: 1350 mm Power: 2688 kW / 3650 hp (rebuild Be 6/8 II) Speed: 65 km/h In 1943 it was rebuilt to Be 6/8 II "13253". The rebuild included more powerful engines, so that the top speed was increased to 75 km/h. This was followed by the change to the new engine. This was also followed by the change to the dark green paint scheme. After the rebuild, the locomotive was again stationed and in service at Erstfeld on the Gotthard. In 1976, the locomotive was handed over to SBB Historic for maintenance. It was refurbished as a ready-to-run museum locomotive "14253" and the original red-brown paint scheme was restored. The locomotive was also reclassified as a Ce 6/8 II, although the more powerful engines of the Be 6/8 II remained installed. To this day, the locomotive is in service and on display at Erstfeld as a museum locomotive ready to run. Main goals of my version: - correct running gear - all wheels equipped with flanges, because the "flying" flangeless wheels usually look unattractive. Consequence was, that the middle axle has to be mounted laterally shiftable (like in the prototype). - functioning linkage with counterweight - working lighting with correct light in both directions - usable power to be able to pull a nice train sometimes - prototypical details as far as possible and reasonable - prototypical lettering - a driver (ok, only 1/4 driver, there was only space for head and hair...) I invested a lot of time in the prototypical linkage. I couldn't realize my idea with Lego parts, nor with ready-made 3D parts off the shelf, so I designed a rather complex part for the triangular rod and a simpler one for the counterweight: I was able to find a small space for Urs: Lego version: - approx. 1830 Lego parts - 4 BigBenWheels S for the leading axle, because the wheels are free to see, I decided against the Lego train wheels for optical reasons - 8 3D-printed parts for the rods - 1x BuWizz 2.0 as battery and controller - Lighting brand "Self-Made" with PF connector - sticker brand "Self-Made" no other foreign parts and no machined or glued Lego parts. weight: ca 1050 gram length: approx 48 cm width from the model: 8 knobs with slight protrusions from individual details To switch on the transformer can be removed upwards and so you can get to the BuWizz. The BuWizz is charged in the same way. This is also an advantage of the BuWizz. SBB Ce 6/8 II "14253" in service with contemporary freight cars: All wagons have a concrete prototype with formerly existing numbers SBB J2D 22179: Vegetable and fruit wagon J2D with ventilation, color scheme 1950-1965. SBB K3 43105: Standard freight wagon of the SBB, color scheme period ca. 1913 - 1935 SBB J2D 22715 Express freight wagon of the SBB, period ca. 1912 - 1935 SBB K3 44738: modernized standard freight wagon K3 of the SBB, color scheme period ca. 1958 - 1968 this wagon has got the tail light attached The freight wagons are mostly identical, but always differ in details and in the color scheme. Differences are e.g. sometimes with brakeman's cab, sometimes without, number of windows on the brakeman's cab. In the case of the refrigerator car, there is also the ventilation. Each car weighs about 510-520 grams and requires just over 1100 Lego parts. The high number of parts comes from the elaborate sidewall structure with jumper plates (almost 200 per car) and the higher roof. To keep the rolling resistance low, I equipped the Lego metal axles with ball bearings again (analogous to the rest of my car fleet). SBB Ce 6/8 II "14253" in its current state as a museum train: SBB C4 5301: 3rd class coaches with 72 seats of the SBB, built in 1937 SBB AB4 3721: Built in 1951, 1st/2nd class coaches, 24 seats in 1st class, 32 seats in 2nd class. This car is equipped with the final signal and therefore runs at the end of the train. Details were hinted at on the underbody: detailed bogies were of course a "must" again: both cars have an interior with seats (most of them also suitable for figures) and toilets in the ends of the coaches. The middle roof part is removable for playing: Car crossover: The passenger coaches consist of about 1550 Lego parts each. The decals are again self-made and all metal axles were equipped with ball bearings. The weight of one of this coaches is almost 1Kg, the length 66 studs. I think the passenger coaches also cut a good figure behind the crocodile: Special thanks to Ronny. The freight cars are based on a design by Ronny, but built from scratch with many changes. For some details for the locomotive there was also good advice from Ronny. As bonus: Have fun watching. Thomas

Thanks. Thanks but unfortunately, I'm not so sure about that. In times when a set of alternative bricks is getting significantly more attention in the train area on Eurobricks, there has hardly been any frontpage news in the train area for half a year (yes, there were certainly MOCs during this time that would have deserved this attention) it's not very motivating to show a lot here. Sorry, sounds very harsh and has no relation to your contribution. Is just my observation of the development of Eurobricks. I've been reading this for a few years and signed up here late. Please don't put everything here on the gold scales ... Thank you, but also please show. It doesn't all have to be huge. I also like to look at "smaller" MOCs and maybe I'll discover a nice detail. Thomas

Ouch, bad. The sound of the engine is not good, but what is not possible: the friction of the car. They don't roll at all. Swap the axes, Lego axes go. That should improve a lot. And the traction of the locomotive alone also looks very bad. Thomas, Lego user ;-)

Thanks, but your dreams don't seem too wild from a Lego point of view ;-) Thank you. Are there pictures of a "Glenfinnan Viaduct" in mini-figure scale? That would have to be about 3-4 times as big. Many thanks. With the 4 different stone colors I wanted to create an old, weathered look. I think it fits. Yes, the meeting of over 20 Lego train mokers was great and my highlight this year. We think it was the largest community facility in Europe so far. And the meeting should take place for the third time next year. Yes, I've seen most of the films since the end of last year. Mainly this year. But my first picture of the Hogwarts Express was this book cover. After that, I only started watching the films. I have no idea where the head comes from. I just looked at all the heads in black on Brickset and picked one that looked cool and suitable and had open eyes for the lighting. The LED behind the eyes is a flicker LED. Of course, if you don't see it in the picture, it comes out really good and demonic. Thanks to all... Thomas

Hello everybody, parallel to my train "LMS Class 5 The Jacobite" I also built a famous railway bridge in Scotland. Ok, not the" Firth of Forth Railroad Bridge "... And not the bridge over the Tay ... It should of course be a bridge that the train "The Jacobite" actually crosses. I myself was there in 2005 and was able to photograph the bridge "The Glenfinnan Viaduct" with the train "The Jacobite" and I was a fan of Scotland, the bridge, "The Jacobite" and of course whiskey for a long time. The "Glenfinnan Viaduct" was built in 1897/1898 and has a curved track design as a special feature. Of course, this doesn't make it easier to recreate it with Lego bricks. The next problem is size. The Lego R40 curve is too narrow for most of my trains and the bridge wouldn't really work either. Then it would only be 4 curves long and only one locomotive would fit on it. So I used the R104 curve from Trixbrix as the rail. This means that the bridge has 8 curve segments and 1 Lego straight at the beginning and end. The arc describes a 90 ° curve. In order to be able to show the bridge at exhibitions and to integrate it into routes, it had to be built transportable. A modular construction was unfortunately not really possible for me, only the area with "The Glenfinnan Monument" is modular. I transport the bridge itself in a specially made wooden box and this box also serves as a height-adjustable table at exhibitions. For the Lego implementation I first tried to build an arch from Lego bricks. Then the pillars down, then the foundations, then the landscape. Just like you build a bridge: from top to bottom ;-) There was no digital planning, the model was created through trial and error, various new buildings and many stone orders. My children's Lego Duplo bricks that are no longer used are built into the substructure and covered with a Lego 2x4 wall. Construction began after Christmas and dragged on until summer. In August 2020 the time had finally come. Despite the Corona crisis, it was possible that a meeting of Lego railway fans could be held in Schkeuditz near Leipzig, Germany. And I was there ;-) There were hygiene requirements and no visitors were allowed, so that only we Lego train fans had 4 days to play with. A huge track was built and my bridge was integrated at the beginning of a single-track branch line. At home in the living room my bridge looked huge, on site in Schkeuditz it was rather tiny and there were concerns that not all models would fit ... But it worked for most models, even an ICE could pass. Only a huge American diesel locomotive got stuck. But it was just a branch line ... But what is a bridge without a train? The railway line between Fort William and Mallaig is still in operation and in summer the steam train "The Jacobite" runs as a tourist attraction over this railway line with the famous bridge. I had shown the train "The Jacobite" of an LMS Class 5 locomotive and 6 classic British passenger cars of the BR Mk. I series here at Eurobricks. And hasn't the bridge become even better known through a series of fantasy films? Many may only know the bridge from the Harry Potter films. And so it made sense to change my design of the LMS Class 5 to a Hogwarts Express train. I hadn't seen any of the films until last year. My first impression of the Hogwarts Express comes from the book title of the jewelry edition from the first volume. This is how a Hogwarts Express had to look to me. Later on in the films I was disappointed: the locomotive looks way too good and has nothing at all like a magic train. So it was clear: "my" Hogwarts Express should look something like on the book title: I hope I was able to entertain you a bit and you had fun reading and looking at the pictures. Enjoy, Thomas

Beautiful role model. It's also on my to-do list. The implementation is already a house number and very well done. To improve I would have the following points: - the cabin windows are too slanted - the cabin roof goes down too far and looks too massive But above all: I really like the model. Good work and recognition is guaranteed. Thomas