Amoreternum

As far as I know, Bluebrixx partners with a few chinese companies, their own products included. They do not produce bricks themselves, but design and distribution is done in house. And while I have to agree with Black Knight about the legal aspects, I have to say that everything they do might be legal, but being protected by the law does not mean that it's okay to sell sets of MOCs that have been reproduced without their builders permission while agitating and basically splitting the community apart by one-sided PR strategies. And regarding the original topic of this thread, so far I have only tried Trixbrix and am very happy with what I got. I do think it depends on your location, but love to try out Bricktracks, but have the same issue with shipping costs.

Considering the OP has not been here since November of 2018, you'll most likely get no response.

Unfortunately, a project reaching 10k is not that big of milestone anymore, with dozens of projects reaching it these days, usually at least one a week. Not to say those projects are not worthy, but reaching 10k is not as meaningful as it used to be.

Well, I really, really dislike bluebrixx and their fanbase, especially after the last incident with Lego, but still would like to know about the quality. A lot cheaper than trixbrix, I really wonder where they get the difference in pricing from - do you have some other products for comparison?

Only thing that I found that matters is which cables are connected to the PF cable. Motors use different cables than receivers, so far I have not been able to connect them in a way that makes both work - the two cables on the outside are for using a receiver, the two on the inside for a motor if that helps.

Doesn't change the fact that converting is tedious if you are used to one system. Having all necessary info in one picture would help a lot.

Totally agree. BlueBrixx announced a Big Boy a while ago and I have been taking a look at the site for a while now, every now and then, but since the announcement a while ago there have been no updates. Theirs surely will manage R40, but at the cost of splitting the 8-8s into 4 4-4s, turning the 4-8-8-4 into a 4-4-4-4-4-4 while still being a 6 wide. Needless to say that the proportions are ridiculously off - to me it looks like a Brio engine, and while I see why Lego made the Crocodile the way it was made, it still works for me. Other classic locos, especially with such characteristic parts of the frame, might not, and I want a good representation since a bad one would mean less sales and therefore most likely no more 18+ sets for the train hobby.

Ah, those are such a treat! Great work, it's nice to see the variants as well. I also have to give a huge thanks to you - your last thread inspired me to switch over to custom 9v, and right now I'm waiting for the parts to arrive via mail. If all goes well (and from what I found it should not be too difficult), I'll save a huge amount of space in my models now and in the future!

His videos on building a steam locomotive are also a treat to watch, even if you're not building in 6w. Too bad he seems to be inactive at the moment.

I'd recommend looking up a few model railroading videos on YouTube, especially videos on layout and track planning. Most of the basics covered in those can be transferred to the brick, but basically, it's all about the shape - your layout is basically a circle, and if you have enough pieces to do so, that should be the first thing to break up. Most common tip I found was to go for an asymmetrical shape or a "dogbone", meaning long straights and curves at the end where the trains can turn around, maybe add in a yard or a station in between, or at both ends. The most important aspect should be to keep your layout interesting, so other things that might help are breaking the line of sight to your train or adding scenery it can disappear behind, even if it's just for a few seconds. For example, try placing your modulars in one long straight and have the train in front, but also behind it. But when staying at Lego, Pennlug has some great coverage of their videos and I can also recommend Smith Movies series on building a Lego model railroad.

Should not be too difficult - try using Slope, Curved, 2 x 2 for the shape, connecting them with 1 x 3 and 2 x 3 plates, then fill in the gap in between the slopes with a 1 x 6 tile.

Yeah, exactly - sorry, I should've linked the part. I'd try using these with the windows of the older render, placing a 1 x 4 tile on them and then a 5 wide roof.

I'd try using hinge bricks on the blue one, creating a ever so slight slope that closes into a 5 wide roof, I think that would get closer to the original.

That OctanE idea is interesting, but why stop at loads and rolling stock? As far as I know, a lot of railways have been experimenting with hybrid engines in the last few years, maybe a new train set could portray that as well?

Great model! I always admire people being able to fit so many electronical components and details into such a small model - very impressive. Would love to have this on my layout! May I ask what kind of custom adapter you have used? I consider using a custom power source myself, but no idea where to start.

I'm not too familiar with these things, that I have to admit, but I think you're right although I know some manufacturers use scents of for example pine in their products. And the second thing you mention is exactly what I'm worried about.

While I'm highly suspicious about the whole thing and companies like these in general, mainly due to their stealing of intellectual property to make a profit, the smoke effect thingy good me hooked - no idea if that's too much for the hobby, like some mentioned with the new BMR couplers, and not sure whether I want some device creating fumes I do know nothing about in my flat, it does sound intriguing.

Wow. Incredible job, it's obvious why it took you so long to finish this, the level of detail is marvelous and almost ridiculous. Totally worth the time though, I'd say - the color really do work together and your model really captures what makes the prototype special. I'd love to see this in the brick, just to admire it! I'd consider getting custom stickers printed though, if you have access to some templates - adding them would make a model that is already stellar perfect.

Well, I do agree that's a difficult question, one I found an answer for but that does not mean somebody else is not allowed to think differently, I totally respect that. Especially in the trains section it's a very big grey area, but I would not go as far as to call double standards on that one - I do own a bit of track from Trixbrix and intend to buy more, from other suppliers of third party track as well, I use BigBenBricks wheels and an SBrick. Lego does not offer what I get from them, or did not offer it at the time I bought the product (although I don't think the SBrick and PoweredUp can really be compared, but let's stick to the Bluetooth aspect of that). i just think that we should somewhat differentiate - I can totally understand someone buying a product that Lego offers, but for horrendous prices from a different manufacturer, I just would not do it. Maybe, not yet. I'm certainly not a purist, but I can't bring myself to thinking about chinese companies (especially the ones ripping AFOLs off) and companies working with them, like BlueBrixx does in the same way I think about most of the companies you mentioned. Somehow, there's quite a difference to me, maybe it's in regards of profit versus the will to make the hobby better, but I'm totally open for discussion. Maybe my mindset is just to narrow? No problem admitting that, should it be the case.

I think parts and products from brands and companies such as Bluebrixx should be something one should consider for himself instead of being offered as the outright alternative to the real deal. Not sure how to put what I think into the right words, but I hope you know what I mean.

Ah, I see - thanks alot! Now it's working.

Well, it's not that much - yet, since the idea of not building a desk as I originally planned to for around a year came just last week, but here's a drawing of what the piece might look like. The idea is to build a sideboard or lowboard, although I'm not sure if these terms mean in English what they do in German, as funny as that might sound our language has the habit to use English-sounding words that don't make sense. So basically, it's a long half open cabinet, rather small in height and depth since I want to emphasize it's length which should come in at around 240 cm or so - since I'm building in 8 wide, I want to have enough space to showcase more than just one or two locos at the same time, although my models aren't that huge yet. I think about four flap dours in the front, three of which include removable drawers with storage for curves, straights and switches, the last one being a place to store everything else that does not fall into one of the prior categories - I'll plan the drawers around the sizes of the individual parts, so they won't be much wider than a few pieces of tracks next to each other. The piece is supposed to be situated almost at ground level, since I doubt that I'll have a stationary layout I plan to use the piece as storage for the track, and every time I want to, I can take out the individual drawers and place the track on the ground. One detail I came up with after drawing this one was to include three or four massive feet made out of oak or beech in roughly the same size as sleepers of real rails, unfortunately german law makes it impossible to use real ones due to them being contaminated with pollutants (is that how you call that? Sounds wrong to me.), so I'll have to figure out a way of making the pieces look like the real deal. The final thing I thought of so far would be a lighting system inside the open space, located inside the top parts bottom side, so it's hidden from sight. I looked up some systems that are used for model railroads that emulate day-night-cycles, and found one that can be programmed and controlled by using an Arduino - I have no experience with that kinda stuff, so I might stick to a different system, but I think it would be a nice touch that pays hommage to model railroads instead of being simple lighting that highlights the trains. That's pretty much it so far, still thinking about color and surface materials although it will most likely be black with a clear coat, with the panels that have the milled in radii (located in the open space in the middle, above the flap doors and on top of the piece) in white to reflect the lighting.

Alright, seems I do not have a choice, thank you guys! But it will be a while until then, at least half a year - the final plans aren't due until mid of April, and construction begins some time after that. I'll keep you updated once I get going!

That's helping quite a bit - thanks alot!

Hello everyone, right now and in the next few months I will finish my apprenticeship to become a joiner, cabinetmaker, carpenter, or what ever the correct term is - I build furniture out of wood and other materials. To finish my apprenticeship I have to design and build a more or less complex piece, and since I grew rather fond of the train hobby in the last few months (and always have been a fan), I'd like to create a piece that displays and showcases my locomotives in style. For the centerpiece, I'm thinking about a panel made of glass or acrylic glass with the 37,5 mm gauge milled in, or rather, two milled in lines the trains can sit on or in just as they would do on real track. I'm thinking about designing these two lines as one big convex curve that uses the same radius or diameter as third party train track, but here's my question - what are the actual diameters or radii of bigger curves? I already measured my R104s and got roughly about 170 cm in diameter, but I'd really like to know the measurements of curves with even bigger radii. Second question, but not as pressing, would it be allowed by eurobricks rules to post about my piece once it's finished? Thanks ahead!