edsmith0075

Thank you for the great advice. Its a starting point for this project and I will keep everyone posted as progress or failure is made haha. Ed

In an effort to convert my fleet over to 8 wide, does anyone have advice on how to build the front of this train in an 8 wide form. Thanks in advance, Im asking as this seems to be a challenge that no one in the community has taken on yet. Ed

I would like tO| see some evolution and development in the battery department! The major hurdle and challenge for most PF MOC builders is being restricted to the 4 wide battery holder! This creates alot of design challenges. RC battery packs and other hobbies have been able to compress and utilize smaller more compact designs. If lego could compress the overall size of the PF devices this would change the game for alot of MOCers. I personally have decided to give up on six wide trains as the power sources needed to power longer trains is simply not feasible. 8 wide here I come, I will be able to utilize BT, 9 volt RC quick charge battery packs, and create more detailed locomotives ( diesel and steam ). Has anyone else shared my frustration with the battery packs and power supply options that PF is limited too?

Thank you for the feedback. I will keep folks posted as I go along. If anyone happens to fall upon some 8 wide instructions or pics feel free to post or share the links. Thanks Again

Greetings crew, I am in the process of transforming my 6 wide fleet into 8 wide. The problem right now for me is that I have lots of 6 wide bases. Is there a way I can use the 6 wide base in my 8 wide builds. I don't know if anyone has ever done this, I just trying to make use of some pieces that may be obsolete for my building needs now. Thanks for the advice in advance, Ed

Looking for guidance on this. I have been using Duracell and energizer AAA chargeable. I have been using a standard AAA Duracell wall charger. My triple batteries are mounted in 2 3 pack AAA battery holders that are hot glued together in a straight line so that it will fit right down the middle of my locomotives, in the hollow space in the train chassis. I would like to use Ni-Cad so that they can be charger like RC power packs are charged. I am getting tired of picking the batteries from the holder every time I need to charge them. It would be nice to just make it one battery pack like you see in RC cars that I can plug into a charger and have charged. I was told that you can not charge the Energizer and Duracell rechargeable the same way your recharge the ni cad enelopes. Looking for advice or a work around if any is available from the community. Ed

inspiring

Thank you guys so much I have been afraid of moving up to 8 wide because I did not understand proper portions and ratios. I also have a large rolling stock that is already 6 wide so you could say I'm invested. I would like to upgrade everything as I have started to really enjoy working with the XL and L PF motors. I also have been building my own battery setups. Right now I'm limited to 6 AAA but would like to be able to use an RC 9 volt power supply with a quick charge and utilize BT communication as a receiver. I started trying out the blue print scaler but I had trouble understanding the width and height. I wanted an 8 wide train but all the images were from the side.

Greetings crew, I have been building trains in standard six wide. The more I see 8 wides the more intrested I get in converting my fleet to 8 wide. What Im looking for however is advice. Are their any building guides or 8 wide instructions for american locomotives and rolling stock. If I convert my 6 wide trains to 8 wide does anyone know how many brick in height and also in length would be required for proper scaling. Thanks in advance Ed

Thats a good suggestion. I am trying to minimize the distance between the gear connections as this has been an issue and can create stress that steals power from the source.

SO I went with the L Motors. I am grateful for the gearing picture posted in this thread. I will give that a try with the L motor. Does anyone have any other suggestions. I want to make sure the motor mounts to the body of the train solid with as little flexing as possible. I'm not concerned so much about speed as torque becuase I want this locomotive to be able to pull a large number of cars. Here are some pics of what I have so far. Motorizing this beast by Edsmith0075, on Flickr Motorizing this beast by Edsmith0075, on Flickr Motorizing this beast by Edsmith0075, on Flickr Motorizing this beast by Edsmith0075, on Flickr Motorizing this beast by Edsmith0075, on Flickr Motorizing this beast by Edsmith0075, on Flickr Motorizing this beast by Edsmith0075, on Flickr Motorizing this beast by Edsmith0075, on Flickr Motorizing this beast by Edsmith0075, on Flickr Motorizing this beast by Edsmith0075, on Flickr Motorizing this beast by Edsmith0075, on Flickr Motorizing this beast by Edsmith0075, on Flickr Motorizing this beast by Edsmith0075, on Flickr

I use to be able to get enlighten track through ebay. Recently though it has not been on there and has been very difficult to find.

I will post pics of curved pieces they too turned out excellent with no over spray! The tracks have been sprayed with a enamel based spray paint and then clear coated. This will ensure that the paint will take a long, long, long time to begin to show signs of wear. Curves are easy to paint and I can post pics. Painting Switches will be my challenge. Speaking of switches I have found that the Enlighten Switches are really cheap. My are slightly warped ( they arrived that way ) and at the switch point there is no spring action like with the Lego brand. In other words if a train rides over the Lego brand switch and the switch is not pointed in the correct direction it will still allow for the train to pass without derailing. The Enlighten tracks do not offer this and will derail a train. I reserve the Enlighten switches for yard track and non primary routes. Using these tracks outdoors is possible and will hold up in the weather and sun! The track needs to be clear coated with a UV Protectant Clear Coat paint. I live in Maryland and left the track in the sun all summer and then in the winter through multiple snow events and ice. Track showed no signs of damage and the clear coating did not chip, fade or yellow. In order for the track to function well outdoors you will need to clear coat as described and nail or glue the track to a solid surface. I have found that using the plastic boards found in modern decking works amazing as it flexes with the track and is solid enough to screw into! The biggest problem I have found with outdoor Lego railroading has been IR communications. In the sun IR remotes are practically useless. I heard there is a Bluetooth receiver available and would be interested in experimenting with that. The Enlighten track has been a great option for both indoors and outdoors as I was afraid of buy the Lego brand track putting it outdoors and it deteriorating. The Lego brand track can be used outdoors as well as long as it is clear coated with UV Protectant paint. OH and a side note with the enamel and clear coat on the rails the traction for my trains has improved exponentially. My Lego brand tracks really struggle making traction with a long train. The Enlightened painted tracks resolve this issue, no extra weight to the train other then now being able to add more cars!

Its similar to the double crossing switch that lego makes. Lego wants 150 bucks on ebay for said switch. The custom one can be configured the same and also other ways too.

Greetings gang, I am interested in trying to build this switch setup... http://www.ebay.com/itm/Custom-Lego-Train-Intersection-Crossover-Switch-Track-Kit-Many-Configurations-/251689193844?pt=Building_Toys_US&hash=item3a99d85174 I am confident that I can build this but am wondering where I should make the cuts. I also am wonder if I use adhesive, and what type; or do I melt the l plastic to add the end piece that allows it to snap onto another piece of track. I would prefer to have all my switches cut short on the side as this allows for many more configurations then the stock switch does. Ed

The brown rails are made by a lego clone company called enlighten. They were significantly cheaper and are exact replicas of the lego track. The enlighten tracks however are all brown, This was cosmetically disappointing to me so I found some paint that was the same color as the lego dark grey blocks and painted the rails to match lego track. I left the ties brown to simulate wooden ties.

Mods by Edsmith0075, on Flickr Mods by Edsmith0075, on Flickr Mods by Edsmith0075, on Flickr Mods by Edsmith0075, on Flickr Mods by Edsmith0075, on Flickr Mods by Edsmith0075, on Flickr

Is it possible to get better results in pulling power with the PF M motors? Maybe I had mine geared wrong, in the past as I was very dissappointed.

sorry about that... I just made the pics public so you should be able to access them

I have a ton of the enlighten track but hate that it is all brown. I bought dark grey lego matching spray paint and am in the process of painting all the enlighten track to look more appealing. Check it out... Mods by Edsmith0075, on Flickr Mods by Edsmith0075, on Flickr Mods by Edsmith0075, on Flickr Mods by Edsmith0075, on Flickr Mods by Edsmith0075, on Flickr I'm planning to run my freight trains on the modified enlighten track and the passenger high speed trains on the all grey lego track. Any thoughts on this project?

Just wanted to share with everyone my recent project. I have been frustrated with the 4 wide box for battery holders and have built one that fits 2 wide in the middle of the train chassis. The power button will be on the bottom of the fuel tank and the battery holder is removable as it is clip -in like a radio control car. Feedback is always appreciated Mods by Edsmith0075, on Flickr Mods by Edsmith0075, on Flickr Mods by Edsmith0075, on Flickr Here are the original construction ideas and initial battery disassembly Mods by Edsmith0075, on Flickr Mods by Edsmith0075, on Flickr Mods by Edsmith0075, on Flickr Mods by Edsmith0075, on Flickr Mods by Edsmith0075, on Flickr

Thank you for the advice. I have the maersk train with two pf bogies and it has been the workhorse but it's wheels slide them more cars I add. I am familiar with how they hid the battery and reciever in the maersk and that is what i'm trying to avoid. I would rather use tiles on the side of the train to replicate the appearance of doors. Heres the battery pack and power switch I made for my 6 wide trains... Mods by Edsmith0075, on Flickr Mods by Edsmith0075, on Flickr Mods by Edsmith0075, on Flickr

I love the diagram with gearing! Thank you. So I will dump the xl motor idea. I am going to push for L motors and just ordered two. The receiver I would like to incorporate into the cab or cab area. The battery box I have modified and will post pics. I would not have a problem utilizing the PF train motors but this train is a 3 axle train, on top of that I already have locomotives with two PF train motors running. I want something stronger. The PF bogies also slide to much don't have enough traction for longer trains.

No gears yet. Im in the planning stages of trying to incorporate the receiver, battery pack and of course motors. I have seen some examples with the M Motors being incorporated into this model but my experience with them is that they are very under powered. I would like to make this train my work horse hence the xl motors.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/edsmith0075/sets/72157638606562524/ Here are photos of the model I built... IMG_1357[1] by Edsmith0075, on Flickr IMG_1358[1] by Edsmith0075, on Flickr