cgarison

As far as preventing the issues of the torque pushing the bevel gears apart, I use a slower 1 to 1 gear ratio in my trucks to keep the speed of the train down and to reduce the stress on the plastic gears when trying to move heavy mass with light weight plastic running gear. By not trying to "speed" up the train using the gearing in the trucks, I get much longer running time and much less stress on the train. The bogeys that I run are a clone of those that are under Peter Morris's Space Train with some additional plates on the bottom to provide support and prevent issues from parts losing their clutch too quickly. I can't solve the override issue on the bogeys twisting and jumping the rails as I have had that problem on a layout earlier this year and I have to place the majority of the blame for that set of incidents on the uneven surface of the tables that out layout was built. It was just something that could not be avoided. We had to watch the train running on that layout very carefully the whole weekend. I did receive some of the best advice around our weekend of issues from Robin at GFLUG. He told me to make sure you have plenty of support for the axle (motor shaft) coming out of you motor and going into your trucks to provide stability for the running gear. In my latest creation, I have 3 technic plates plus the round 4X4 plate setting on the turntable between the bottom of the L-motor and the end of the shaft at the plates. This design proved extremely robust and I ran my Ghost Train MOC for 3 days a couple of weeks ago without a single issue from the running gear and without the over run issues that plagued our layout in VA. Not sure if the extra plates helped with the over runs, but I am certain that I ran that train with much less wear and tear on my locomotive than I have experienced in the past two years. One thing that I have learned is that I would rather make a train MOC that is robust and not quite as pretty if I intend to run it for a weekend than skimp on the plates to provide structural support and then have to deal with a train that periodically disassembles itself as it runs around the track. If needed, I can make it pretty for pictures on my Flickr page and then build it mechanically solid to run on the layout at an event.

Near DC you have WamaLUG and WamaLTC with the LUG being for builders of all types and LTC being the Lego Train Club. I know a handful of the members of each and they are fun to hang around at events. If you are joining a lug just for the LUGBulk option on track and other parts please remember that each club may have specific rules around this Lego opportunity that exceed the limits that are setup by Lego. Please be sure to contact your LUG to verify your eligibility to participate in the program being offered by Lego. Also note that not all LUGs participate in the LUG Bulk program which is the case with the LUGs in the Delaware Valley.

This is a really nice build with great detail! Very nice work.

Those big sweeping turns on PennLUG's layout really make this train shine! Excellent work and what an amazing investment in sand green parts. My question is how long will this train run with all of those cars with 2 motors and one battery pack?

As Xyver said, a great place to start are the modular buildings to learn how to build architectural designs as a part of structures. The Lego Neighborhood Book also has some great instructions and tutorials on how tho build structures from a typical town or neighborhood. As far as building a "skyscraper" from Lego bricks and other tall buildings, I would look at photos of layouts that have larger, multistory structures. GFLUG/GFLTC has a very nice tall building layout that can be seen on their Flickr pool (https://www.flickr.com/groups/gflug/pool/). I have also seen several skyscrapers from I LUG NY, but I did not see any on their Flickr. Best of luck with your building.

You really need to see LA County Fire Station 127 where they filmed the show Emergency. I forced my wife to stop by on our way to the Long Beach from downtown last year.

My first Lego set was the 135 Universal Building Set that my father got for me while he was in Chicago in 1975. And the majority of those bricks still serve as infrastructure in many of my creations today.

Does the new micro ball joint create the same issue of being a half plate off like the old hinges? I know when making a 90 degree SNOT connection the old finger hinges could be quite frustrating to line up, but I have been able to line up the parts more easily (with the 90 degree angle) using that ball joint. I thought it was funny that after I made this discovery in March that TLG also made the same discovery and had these micro ball joints as the hinges in the Ultra Agents 2 Mission HQ set released late spring.

Despite owning portable studio equipment and some amazing lenses, I don't have the room in my condo (where I build the majority of my Lego creations) to actually setup an environment to get these kind of pictures. So I usually end up with a sheet on the side of a bed or the sofa to capture my work to post or wait until it is displayed in the wild. My GhostTrain 1.0 model is a perfect example of a model that I have completed but have not photographed because I am waiting until I am at a show in NJ to capture the MOC.

I love the level of detail that you are building into your MOC. I cannot wait to your build when complete!

Personally, I think Lego has a serious issues in their U.S. distribution center that need to be solved. Boxes are packed incorrectly which leads to crushed/damaged contents. Pick sheets are not double checked to see if the right contents are in the boxes. And FedEx Ground as the logistics service provider simply does not help the situation as the courier has a reputation for horrible reliability that dates back to their days when they operated as RPS. Until these problems are solved, Lego customer service are going to be dealing with calls from customers who are not satisfied with the products they receive. If all five of my last five shop at home orders (spanning a period of 1 year) fall into the categories that I listed above, statistically speaking, these issues are very broad and wide spread.

I will have to say that I have had really good luck with Lego parts for the last year without having to order any replacements for any sets. The last time I had issues with parts was in late 2012 when the majority of sets that I purchased (as well as those purchased by a friend) all had 4-5 pieces missing. The worst example was the Robie House which was missing close to 14 pieces and could not be finished until they came in. The ones that made me the most sad was the the Creator Christmas Post Office and the Winter Village Cottage which were both missing about 4 pieces each but at least I had the parts to continue the build and finish the display while waiting for the pieces to come from Lego. But in the last year, Lego has been spot on with quality. The only issues that I have had with Lego is their service with Shop@Home where I have had shipments arrive with over half the order missing or orders where the boxes are crushed beyond recognition. But customer service in Enfield has helped me through those issues with a pleasing attitude.

It is taking shape nicely!

What a nice build. The look and feel of the ship is wonderful and maybe this is the push I need to leave my dank/dark world of building scary black and white trains and move back into town building.

One of these days, I am going to break down and build a hardware store modular building. I like the detail you put inside the store. Nice MOC.

Very nice highly detailed build.

Very nice design. I like the style of the two tone columns on the front.

Great work. And it is very fast. Nice buid.

Awesome. It is a ringer for the real thing!

Spectacular detail. Good job fitting that AA battery box into the MOC because that takes a lot of time. The cantilevers are also well detail. Great Work.

I will ask around tomorrow at our LUG meeting if any of the PA Lego builders have gone to the 5th Ave Store. I did not go to the 5th Avenue store last weekend because I had a 40 minute window to get from the Hilton at 53rd Street and Ave. of the Americas to Rockefeller Plaza and back before the next session at a conference I was attending. My wife and I had another short window later in the evening that we used to walk up to Central Park and then stare at the lines of people still waiting to get the iPhone6 at the Apple store.

The part that is pretty amazing is they got that thing to run with 5 motors.

I have to say you did a great job at capturing the look of the Flying Scottsman with the given constraints of time. The locomotive is recognizable and has a feel that makes it unique among the models that have been created by traditional Lego train builders. Great job! As far as criticism received in this corner of Eurobricks, the train builders are very constructive in giving pointers that will help in making your model more accurate. It is not a bad thing and take the advice as a way to improve the model. At least you do not have to deal with arbitrary rules put in place by other groups because it fits a style of a Lego model made years ago and has no direct relavance to any kind historical or scientific accuracy.

Huh.... I was just at the Rockefeller Plaza store this past weekend and I did not notice any prices higher than retail, but I did not look at any of the licensed sets. With that said, New York City and state sales tax are nearly 9% so 2 pick-a-brick cups were almost $35.00.

I have no issues cutting technic axles and half bushings to make quarter bushings. I do this to make stronger gear connections, but my MOCs can be made with common parts.