Beej

I doubt it. Every time Lego has tried this, the sets have performed badly. Just create your own.

Oh wow, that's a beauty! I have the two previous Lego Crocodile locos, but I'd grab that one in an instant.

I saw your videos on YouTube! It's good to now have the background story. I love how you've done the doors! The vertical tile on either side is very effective. For the nose, me personally I'd try to minimise the number of different curved bricks in use. You have a section where there's a new brick profile every stud, it can make it look a bit jagged. But yes great work, it would be awesome to see a beautiful 800 series out there.

Every train MOC I've built in the last 4 years has been controlled by Arduino via Bluetooth. Of all the onboard electronics, only the motors are Lego. It's all rather hackish since my electronics and Android knowledge (for the controller app) only go so far, but I've been happy with what I've been able to achieve. This approach definitely opens up the possibilities, considering sensors and other components are cheap (often only $1 - $2 each) and you've got the flexibility of programming the Arduino however you like. eg. Recently I reversed the roles taken in automatic level crossing activation - the train tells the crossing to activate as it approaches, instead of the crossing waiting to detect the approaching train. It worked flawlessly over a 2 day exhibition and wasn't impacted by lighting conditions or any of the other issues that can play havoc with train detection. I'm working on a system where each train on a large loop will know where it is on the track, and announces its position to other trains on the layout. Those trains can then continue at their set speed or slow if they're getting too close. It's only in early development at the moment but I've managed to recruit a few people to the cause and am determined to get it up and running!

Don't get me wrong, I love your work coaster, but I'd be cautious about making sweeping statements like that. I bought some bearings from eBay for this project, and after hours of work and tens of dollars spent, I ended up with bogies noticeably worse than the stock offering from Lego.

Wow Patrick, this is a massive plan that you're implementing, the idea looks fantastic! It's sad to see your old layout taken apart, but I'm sure the new one will be bigger and better. It looks like there's a lot of custom stuff you're using for the signalling, can you give us any details on the electronics, interface to the computer, and software in use? I love the picture of the train yard at night, but then you've always been great with LEDs and electronics. Good luck with the new project!

Hi David, Welcome to Train Tech! It's actually very easy to do the conversion you have mentioned. Any of the 9V and RC sets can be converted by simply removing the 9V or RC motor and replacing it with a 12V motor. PF trains other than the Emerald Night can also be converted in the same manner as they use a very similar motor to the 12V motor as well. The Emerald Night is slightly harder, and that was the original topic of this thread. As you can see it's certainly not impossible though, it just needs some imagination!

That has come up absolutely brilliantly Tearloch, well done!

I find if I lift the rails straight up off the sleepers then I can completely avoid breaking the clips. If the rail doesn't want to come up I move the other end of the rail up and down and this usually frees it. Occasionally even this doesn't free the rail, so I'll pull all other parts of the assembled rail apart and leave the hardest one until the end. By then it normally comes straight off. The only time I break clips is if I'm tired or rushing.

Yep, current livery. I might go work on it again if there are people out there eager to see it.

Nice Candy XPT there mred! I've got a Countrylink Blue XPT on the way, it's just taking a break while I work on a set of V/Line N carriages.

So the light didn't come on? It's starting to sound like it's your transformer that is faulty. Don't go opening up your motor for no reason! Have you got a 9V battery you can connect to the contacts on the motor? That will tell you for certain if it is still working. The blocked off port is wired directly to the output of the transformer inside, so outputs about 14V AC. If you have a multimeter this might be a good way to test your transformer out. Don't bother trying to fix the transformer if it is broken, they constantly show up on ebay and wouldn't set you back more than $10US / 10 Euro.

Exactly what it was worth yesterday. There are about 1,000 people out there that stocked up on ENs, so you aren't alone, and with lots of independent retailers still with stock, there's no reason for the price to go up overnight.

I think Daedalus has it. The magnets don't always line up properly, and sometimes the connection can be quite weak. You have to rotate one carriage relative to the other, almost like unscrewing the lid on a bottle. This gives the magnets a chance to line up and you'll notice the link is much stronger after you've done this. Regarding the noise, the larger of the two bogies on the last car does make a fair bit of noise. I'm planning on rebuilding it using the regular RC/PF train wheels.

Sounds like the 162?

That's a brilliant idea LT12V, 4 signals in such a compact device, and probably about 100 times cheaper than using 7860 sets as well! Just thinking out loud, it would be very easy to design a brick built dwarf signal for sidings (blind tracks) and run them from a circuit like yours, and leave the expensive 7860 signals for the mainline. It's beautiful...

Do not use sandpaper to clean the motor contacts or the track! The system was not designed to have such a harsh abrasive run over it every time the electrical contact between the two drops slightly. There are many other options that work just as well and are far less abrasive - cotton wool and methylated spirits is my personal choice.

The circuit is based on this design but has had the features I don't use removed and modified to use reed switches instead of light sensors. You place the reed sensors in the middle of the tracks and the magnets on the trains activate them. You need an isolated section of track, but this is possible on both 12V and 9V systems. Unfortunately RC and PF need something more complex, but I have design ideas there too, along the lines of RFID sensors and microcontrollers.

Welcome to the forum Retro! I use some electronics to ensure the number of trains I can run on my layouts isn't limited to the number of loops they have. You can see it at work in the video below... Any trains not on the layout are wrapped in cloth or newspaper and stored in boxes. I hope this helps!

Be careful you don't go too far in the quest for more amps because too much current across a 12V motor's contacts when it inevitably jumps the tracks and causes a short circuit can melt the copper springs inside the motor and render it useless. I have found this out through experience.

I love the pedestrian overpass, it's a nice width and looks smooth and flowing, especially the way it dips down in the middle. The only thing I'd watch out for is having the points so close to the station - you might get some contact between longer carriages and the platform. I'd like to build a nice big station one day but I don't have much space either at the moment. Certain people might not be happy if I take over the loungeroom. But yours is looking great so far, nice work!

It's not so much the right RGB code you need, but the right RGB for your specific printer. You'll need to tweak the colour yourself to get the desired results - if the colour is too light, then you need to bring the values down. If it is too blue, then you need to reduce the blue, etc. Nice mods to the BNSF so far.

Nice work grogall! I put my order in but it will be about 2 weeks before it gets here. Let us know how it goes!

I love love love the one of the 7740, with the Metroliner a close second. Great work Catty!