mrblue

you are right! unfortunately it's not the same green, and the reason, as you pointed out, it's because pick a brick doesn't have the right color on the available palette (that's bad! and the same is for many other colors!) I thought about that and the good thing is that, since a caboose will stay at the end of the train, maybe you can "accept" the color difference. anyway, it will be easy to keep the green line on the bottom part and change the roof to a dark gray or black tone, this way it will "match" better. thank you for your suggestion mrBlue

here you are another caboose car, this time with bay windows and as usual, with full interior. I'm not much sure about the color, I will look for another lighter solution soon. LDD file can be downloaded HERE thank you for viewing have a nice lego day mrBlue

I'm going to build most of them. All of my creations are made using the pick a brick palette. This choice is because I would like to make all the models available to a wide range of people... ok... let's don't think too much about the pick a brick price, and don't even consider the built by me price which is even 30% higher, but just think that all the bricks used are easy to get, and not special parts made available only in one set available only in some country and in limited quantity and so on. If you want, you can order all the parts and build your own with no need to spend time digging in bricklink looking for that special part! I already placed a pick a brick order and I should get the needed pieces soon, then I'll build and take some photos to show. thank you for your comment and for viewing my models mrBlue

does anyone ever tried to use a standard motor put inside the tender with some modification? (i think if you cut the top peg/connector part you should have space for the battery pack as well) in theory it should work, because in this case the motor would push the engine and there should not be any trouble of wheel without grip because of the rigid structure, except in the case the incline has a curve and maybe the wheel would get off tracks. should give a try. have a nice lego day mrBlue

here you are my latest creation (can you guess that during these days I have nothing to do?): a working hopper car LDD download link HERE thank you for viewing have a nice lego day mrBlue

hat off to your MOC! impressive! just wondering how can handle curved tracks, cars looks really long! have a nice lego day mrBlue

yes! right, impressive! they charge for the special designed box and instructions. from LDD i checked the price of three cars I made and the total was in the range of 300.00€. I placed the pick a brick order and spent about 200.00€ including shipment! pick a brick is about 35% less than design by me! to make a list of needed bricks, just download the program "WantedBricks": you can find a link to the download page in THIS topic. from the LDD file, it creates a list of needed parts, and then with that list in your hand you can place the order in pick a brick.

here I'm back again to present you a caboose for the BNSF (still in LDD). complete with interior: bed, small table, kitchen, chair, stairs to go up where you find a seat and some control. EDIT: updated + interior photo + checked the price in pab = about 45.00€ + shipment EDIT: updated version that can open!!! EDIT: built a small kitchen and a chair. stairs are on the exploded wall. EDIT: with side that can be open to access the interior and different selection of parts to lower the price a bit link to LDD file normal version HERE link to LDD file open version HERE thank you for viewing have a nice lego day mrBlue

I just checked the price for the tan car with interior, and through "pick a brick" it's at 50.32€ + shipment: not so cheap anyway. I cannot believe in USA you have to pay more than 110.00 USD, that's crazy. If you consider that it is not even 440 pieces! For sure the LDD integrated check price function is "useless"! it says it's 86.58€, but I think they also include a special box and so on. I never checked through bricklink, but I'm sure you can save a lot more! I'm wondering how much can you save if you go to a LEGO store and you take all the pieces with the wall pick a brick cup system... don't have any close to me, but if I have chance to go to a town where there is a LEGO store, for sure I'll bring a list of needed parts with me, at least to try. have a nice lego day mrBlue

here it is the final version! it has full interior, one stair going up (instead of two in the previous version) allowing one more seat and it should be one stud lower than before. still have to check the price. as usual link for LDD file is HERE thank you for viewing and for your comments. have a nice lego day mrBlue EDIT: updated photo links

here you are a new car. two version available, but still not sure about something: still have to realize what there are seats also in the lower part, and minifigs can sit in all the available places. LDD files available HERE and HERE thank you for viewing have a nice lego day mrBlue EDIT: updated photo links. for the final version scroll down.

WHAT? that's crazy! I never thought in USA the price would be so high! I checked in the Italian PAB store and (the first version) is about 45.00€! considering that the full set is at 90.00€, I cannot say it's cheap at all if you think that it would mean that the engine only + minifigs would be 45.00€ as well. anyway, I'll check the price again, it was too late that night. have a nice lego day. mrBlue

thank you for your opinion. I didn't like that much the "too much black" part too, but I could not think of any solution to the small windows on the door... until this morning! here it is a more suitable color version. LDD file direct link HERE have a nice lego day

Following my temporary addiction to LDD, I offer you today the Emerald Night basic car to add to your steam engine: this car has no interior, but can be personally arranged in many ways. the price (in europe) is around 45.00€ through lego shop@home pick a brick for 359 pieces, and for the interior should be about 5.00€ more. as usual, it can be made only using the pab offered bricks. LDD file direct link HERE my other LDD files HERE EDIT: added a different version with more suitable color, scroll down to see LDD file direct link HERE thank you for viewing have a nice lego day mrBlue

you are a lucky one! not only one, but even 4! during that time I was in my dark ages. I checked on bricklink and ebay, but prices are too high in my opinion (even if it's a set that deserve all the money you may spend). The "cheapest" I could buy are in Hong Kong and Macau, but in Italy, custom would charge me about 30,00€ for import tax (not including the fact that the package would stay in the customs for some weeks! The other options are from Germany and USA and both would be in the range of 200,00+€ with shipment and or import tax... far too much for 650something pieces! That's why I planned a "pick a brick" one. have a nice lego day

I think that if TLG doesn't want to make available a set with an extra car (maybe with two or three options to build it like the santa fe ones), they should at least make train windows in tan color with their glass (!!!), and of course other bricks and other colors available through "pick a brick". This way they would make some more people happy. Anyway, can just modify the available car to a special car, like restaurant car, and made some more in other color, like the one someone suggested some posts before mine.

for those who would like to build them, here I give the links to the LDD files main engine F7B unit car 01 car 02 car 03 car 05 car 06 car 07 my other LDD files HERE thank you and have a nice lego day mrBlue

unfortunately those slopes are not available in dark color, and also the windows and the door are not available in the same color :( this is a big issue in pab. also the half arch which is in red color in the real set, is available only in dark brown, and guess what? there are almost no other bricks available in that color... this is weird. anyway regarding the price, I still have to check exactly for this one. it counts about 800 pieces and it should be in the range of 100/110.00 € buying at lego shop@home pick a brick. I can easy guess that through bricklink is going to be MUCH cheaper. the LDD file is available here: train shed my other LDD files HERE thank you mrBlue

Following my PAB addiction of these days, and after reading a topic about the original one, I propose you a "Pick a Brick" replica of the set 10027 Train engine Shed (LDD file available on request). The doors are brick made, so it can be possible to make them larger to allow 7 and 8 wide trains to get inside. thank you for watching mrBlue

my main use for the excel export thing has been solved by chance during the last days. I just used a new version of excel, and with just a drag and drop, the prgram converted the file xml to a readable list. why do I need that? have you tried to place a pick a brick order with that list? for bricklink is wonderful, but for me in Italy who would have some trouble to place multiple orders for new bricks through many stores it would be a pain with the shipping cost and sometimes with the import tax! with pick a brick, it would be one order with one shipping cost and no import tax, at a bit higher price, but in the end would be easier to manage. anyway, even with that list it is still a bit hard to look for all the bricks because you have to convert the color number (ie 11 stands for black if I'm not wrong and so on...) and then you have to look for the design number and then choose the correct color brick. If I could export also the lego ID code (which includes the color, every brick a single code) it would be much easier. Or maybe a print button to get a paper copy to place the pick a brick order faster. If you use the LDD "built my me" function, you gest scared by the price... ie a moc of 1500 parts in "built by me" price was about 300.00 €, while in pick a brick it was under 200.00 € (i'm sure that in one single order in bricklink would be even 20% less), but few days ago, before I found out this program, it took me about 4 hours to check every needed brick and then place the order! with a resulting bad headache and my eyes screaming for help! anyway, your wanted bricks program is wonderful !!! thank you again mrBlue

thank you very much!!! your program saved me a lot of troubles! some questions are needed though... - is it possible to export the list with the lego pab "element ID" and not only with the "design ID"? - after exporting that xml file, I'm still having some problems to import it in programs excel-like, is it just me? anyway. thank you again! mrBlue

here it is the new creation: the F7B unit. just have to imagine the chassis in red. anyway, can be bought in that color through bricklink or black in pick a brick and then painted (which is what I'll do). stay tuned for more cars. mrBlue

thank you for your comments! those parts 30043 are available in black color, but since they are hidden, it doesn't matter. anyway, those two parts, will fit for sure, since the carriage part is exactly the same as the original sets 10022 and 10025, I just could not manage to make LDD make them fit... I think because they have no classic stud connection, but they are just hold there by other bricks. Anyway I'm already working on other cars... stay tuned! mrBlue

I am almost putting my hands on a Santa Fe super Chief engine, but the prices of the cars sets seems more expensive than the engine itself, also counting that you have to buy 3 sets + 2 sets to make all the available cars, plus it would be nice to have a second engine and that nice car to put in the middle. So... since I had nothing better to do, i tried the lego LDD software, and after few hours (actually, not so few) I made my first three cars. Yes, i know they are very similar to the original sets, but this was my purpose: make them as close as possible using the pick a brick available selection of parts. Now they still are an LDD files, with a file for the part list (it took me sooo long to do it), but the order of the bricks is already placed, so it's just a matter of time to see them in real life. Doors are borrowed from the emerald night while some other parts from the real santa fe cars sets. Thanks for viewing and for the comments. (I could not manage to join those two separate parts, but be sure they match) UPDATE: now I uploaded all the 7 cars I made and the main engine with updated pics (LDD) with corrected colors all the LDD files are available on request. mrBlue replica of the main engine made with PAB parts - set 10020 F7B unit replica with PAB parts of the set 10022-1 replica with PAB parts of the set 10022-3 replica with PAB parts of the set 10022-2 I still don't like that much the back part, but this brick cannot be found in medium stone gray through PAB store. this brick would allow to have a larger window space on the back, 4 studs against 2. you can buy them on bricklink, but it would not be anymore a PAB car. second version with larger window in the back, but with two black rounded parts (not available in gray) replica with PAB parts of the set 10025-1 standard passenger car replica of one car I found a pic on the net thank you for viewing mrBlue

I already found this topic, but since it's quite old, I thought that maybe some of you have a better solution for this problem. After making a new build using lego digital designer, I cannot find any option to see the part list. Since I checked the price of three train car I made using the integrated option and it says something in the range of 100,00€ each (!!!) I got a bit scared and I made a fast count of all the pieces, followed by an accurate count (3 hours in total... sigh). After resulting a total of less than 1500 bricks for less than 200,00€, I realized that pick a brick is much cheaper than LDD integrated buy system. and this can be the answer to my question: lego doesn't want me to have the part list, otherwise they could not get those 100,00€ more! But there must be a way for lego employees to have that part list, otherwise how could they send me those packaged sets I made? i am sure that they don't explode the sets and count one by one all the bricks. Any of you have a better way to make that part list? Like opening the file with other programs or sort of that? thank you all for sharing your solutions! mrBlue ADMIN NOTE, March 22nd 2011 Please observe that this is an old topic that was bumped.