MaineBrickFan

I like the general appearance, the color scheme, and the theme. I really like the return of 1x2x2 windows in dark green, which had become ridiculously expensive on Bricklink with the retirement of Grand Emporium. The price bump is less than ideal, especially given the general piece count. And I found the interior detailing to be less than satisfactory, given the pieces they are saving with the inset corner. I would like to see more of the garage interior, though, as that might change my mind. Definitely will buy it--and glad to see LEGO resisting the urge to re-issue an old modular a la the Winter Village. Was sincerely worried about that possibility, not because I feel the need to protect resellers but because I prefer they keep issuing new products.

For those interested, BMR is taking orders for all of their premium instructions, which were out of stock. I built the flat car last week and loved it.

Yeah, the biggest issue is stackability. Even sets require more than one light set. Hope they have a solution—more inputs or an expansion connector. Backward compatability also important. This is almost certainly not right — there is no separate receiver in WeDo and using one is completely unnecessary. I suspect the reference was that the new combined battery box and receiver fit the profile of the old battery box.

This would be the strongest indicator yet of a new control/power functions system.

Can somebody point me to the Batmobile rumors? New controls/functionality are very very interesting.

I would probably be interested in the extended arm versions.

Looks great -- is the idea that your sensors will be able to be connected for automatic train detection and lowering/raising the crossings?

I'm very enthusiastic about this!

Thanks for that tip -- great deal!

I would vote for PF with switches. The switches are in demand, and everything else is catching up to ME. I understand the frustration with the delays and communication issues with ME, but if they are able to come to market with with 9V models by the end of the year it's hard to see where this kickstarter will fit in. I know there are 9V diehards out there but the system as a whole will only grow less viable, not more, as time moves on. Just my 2 cents.

I understand others' frustration and disappointment, especially with the lack of communication. Speaking for myself, I had a very positive experience with my kickstarter pledge and an additional order being filled on the ABS rails. And the product really is worth it. I hope they are addressing their backlog and have filled outstanding ABS kickstarter pledges,, and that they can get over the hump of the 9V engineering and production hurdle.

I also would vote for 60052. It's got a lot of play features, more rolling stock variety, and has what you need to get started right in the box. I also agree that ME Models track is probably overkill at this point - start with some Lego standard track and see if the passion takes hold. It's a great hobby - good luck!

This is such a great MOD, I may well buy my first set of instructions! It really kicks the train up a notch or ten! I'd like mouseketeer to confirm, however, that those are his instructions for sale, as there have been a lot of problems with people stealing designs and selling them on ebay.

Great collection. I love all of your MOCS - beautiful details and clean builds. Great job!

On the last problem, I found that some of the bearings seemed to accept the axle better than others -- the diameter of the opening appears not to be uniform. (I suspect the fact that these are so small and come from China means the quality control is not perfect). I used an axle to test the bearings first, and then only used the ones which the axle easily pushed through. This left me with a truck with significantly reduced friction on wheels. The price of these bearings is minimal enough that I felt like it was ok to be selective as to which ones I used. I also used a small amount of superglue on the end of the axle to glue the wheelsets together, allowing me to use newer wheels.

I placed an order of 50 from the original ebay seller on September 20. The bearings arrived today. Never received the PCB. Just a data point for others.

I think it's very nicely done.

I visited the Rockefeller Center store on Thursday (was in town for business) and got one large cup with mostly sand green pieces (1x4 plates, 1x1 tiles, modified tile with clips, 1x1 brick with stud on one side, bow slopes, etc.). All pieces still appeared to be there, and nobody interfered with me packing one cup full of them.

The GE U18B was a smaller version of GE's Universal series locomotive. Fans who nicknamed the larger engines "U-Boats" took to calling the U18B the "Baby Boat." The Engine was almost exclusively manufactured for Seaboard Coast Line Rilroad, but the Maine Central picked up 10 of these on the cheap in the late 1970s. Delivered during the United States' bicentennial year of 1976, the Maine Central christened these the "Independence Class" and gave them historic names reflecting the region's patriotic history. The U18B was a perfect fit for the Maine Central: small, versatile, and reliable. The engines were a fixture on the railroad for the rest of the MEC's run, and on its successors after the Maine Central was sold in the early 1990s. I built this engine over the winter. It is motorized with two M-motors (mounted vertically), and has front and rear lights. (Again, apologies for those who have seen this on flickr, but I like to share it in this forum as well, because I've always found it to be such a helpufl resource) MEC 400 by Patrick Strawbridge, on Flickr MEC 400 by Patrick Strawbridge, on Flickr MEC 400 by Patrick Strawbridge, on Flickr MEC 400 by Patrick Strawbridge, on Flickr MEC 400 by Patrick Strawbridge, on Flickr In fact, I Loved this engine so much that I built a second one! Married Pair by Patrick Strawbridge, on Flickr Married pair by Patrick Strawbridge, on Flickr Thanks for looking!

Thanks for all the comments -- it's rewarding to get positive feedback from so many great builders! You all have been the source of inspiration for me in the three years I've been modeling Lego trains. I am experimenting with Future acrylic polymer (or the Pledge=branded successor) as a sealing/clear coat agent with these cars. See an informative (if awkwardly formatted) article here. I have not used Micro-Sol but I would suspect that it would help, especially in uneven areas. Wheels are the standard PF train wheels, although I use the brass tube method. Not really. I did not notice the bend until I posted the photos, and I think tightening up the stud connections solved most of it. I've pondered adding a center support beam underneath but honestly not sure it's really necessary -- I doubt I will run more than one "loaded" car on a layout, as a derailment or even too fast a turn might leave quite the mess to clean up!

Apologies to those who already have seen these on flickr, but I thought I'd pull together in one post some photos of some recent cars I've built. The PS-1 boxcars borrow heavily from Cale Leiphart's design (which feels like a de facto standard for Lego 8-wide boxcars), with O-scale waterslide decals. Maine Central 40-foot Boxcar MEC 40-Foot Boxcar by Patrick Strawbridge, on Flickr These PS-1 cars were ubiquitous on the Maine Central Railroad (MEC), in a variety of different colors and signage; a number of them have been preserved on the region's various heritage railroads. This particular unit was modeled off of a restored boxcar on display in Essex, Conn. MEC 40-Foot Boxcar by Patrick Strawbridge, on Flickr MEC 40-Foot Boxcar by Patrick Strawbridge, on Flickr Boston & Maine 50-foot Boxcar 50-foot B&M Boxcar by Patrick Strawbridge, on Flickr This longer version of the PS-1 represents the Boston & Maine Railroad (which basically handled rail traffic between Massachusetts and Portland, Maine, where it interchanged with the MEC. The large logo reflects the rebranding of the railroad during the McGinnis era (after he had left a similar mark on the New Haven Railroad, but before he went to prison for mismanagement of the B&M, which led to its bankruptcy). The shades of blue used by the B&M varies over the years; I chose to model this in medium blue, rather than sand blue, for economic reasons. 50-foot B&M Boxcar by Patrick Strawbridge, on Flickr 50-foot Boston & Maine boxcar by Patrick Strawbridge, on Flickr Maine Central Pulpwood Car Major Pulpwood Car by Patrick Strawbridge, on Flickr Traffic of timber to paper mills for processing was a staple of the Maine economy, and the MEC, for the twentieth century. The MEC used a variety of cars to do the job, starting with modified boxcars before shifting to increasingly long "woodracks." This build represents the peak form of trail transportation--the cars were specially built by Magor and measured 64-feet between the ends. The Maine Central had an amazing 200 of these cars in the 1960s, several remained in use as maintenance-of-way vehicles for the MEC's successor company as recently as a few years ago. Magor Pulpwood Car by Patrick Strawbridge, on Flickr Magor Pulpwood Car by Patrick Strawbridge, on Flickr One feature of these cars was the inclined floors. Four-foot logs were stacked from each side of the car, with gravity keeping them sloped inward and the wood not otherwise secured. I ultimately settled on using the "cheese grater" slope -- nearly 200 of them on one car -- to replicate this feature. Here's what the car looks like loaded: Magor Pulpwood Car by Patrick Strawbridge, on Flickr As you can see, there is a bit of a "bow" in these, which appears more prominent in these photos then real life. I may try to add a support beam underneath to take some of the bend out, although it's not really necessary. Anyway, links to prototypes can be found on flickr. Thanks for looking, and feedback is welcome.. although I won't be redoing those decals!

A little surprised there is not more info on the new PAMs (and their component pieces). Aren't they supposed to be in stores today?

Do you clearcoat the whole model, or only those bricks/sections with decals? I assume you use a spray can?

I know others on here use waterslide decals for their trains. If you do, do you apply any kind of clearcoat to protect the decals during shows, handling, etc.? I know custom minifig makers use Krylon, and some train model makers use Future, but was just curious if anyone on here has experimented with protective coats on their trains -- and the techniques used to apply it.

From experience, it's a lot easier to separate large plates packed for PAB if you stack them with one-stud offsets on each layer.