Freddie

Yeah, I agree. It's nice, "happy" and easy on the eyes. Just like a skin should be. And also very, uh, summerly. Yeah. Summerly. And also very classic, when it comes to the selection of figs, mocs and sets in the banner. Uncluttered and very nice.

Not as it stands there, no, I agree. But rebuilding the base to hold a motor will make it possible. The parts the tower is built of has a cutout at the base and top that allows a technic axle to go though, and the turbine itself is large enough to house bevel gears, which would make it possible to motorise the set without ruining its appearance.

It can. There are two reason why they are avoiding it: spare parts, in this case the chassis with integrated battery-box and receiver, and the remote control, which is unique to these trains and isn't compatible with the Power Functions receivers. Replacing batteries in the old RC-trains is also a prohibitive factor. And the controller not capable of providing enough amps to the motor, causing lackluster performance - these trains are weak compared to the classic 9V trains, which again are expected to be far weaker than the PF-trains using the M and XL-motors for propulsion. I think Steve Witt already mentioned that the motorised Emerald Night has outrageous pulling power, and that thing is geared for speed. Other than that I see no reason why to avoid it completely. All of LEGO's battery trains are omni-compatible, which means even the old 4,5V trains will happily travel on the new rails, and the new 7.4V Power Functions will travel on the old rails. And getting the outgoing batterytrains now also secures you a unique piece of LEGO train history. Trains are divided into eras (blue, grey, 9V etc.), and the RC-trains stand out as being the only era so far, with a single generation of trains. All the other have multple generations, with 9V having the most.

The holes are also big enough to fit a technic axle through them, with no problems, same goes for the newer turn-tables. If there's any chance of motorisation here, it's having the motor at the base of the tower, powering the rotor by an axle going through the tower. The turntable will let the top rotate to face the wind.

I think they can be used for narrow gauge trains. The set is yet to be released (even if some have them), so very few have gotten round to actually experiment with it. But, I think motorisation is possible, if you're willing to compromise, that is. First of all, you'd have to build a compact drivetrain, and motorise it similar to how it's done in Emerald Night. The wheels would have to tucked inside a 5- or 6-wide frame, covering the wheels, but then again this is how it's usually done. The receiver and battery box would have to be onboard a trailing car, to prevent the locomotive from becoming too large. To keep size down, one might also have to use micromotors instead of the regular motors. It'll keep size down at the cost of both speed and power, but then again these trains usually drive at very low speeds. Judging by how sharp the curves seem to be, I'd say the cars also have to be pretty short before using bogies, and also possibly too sharp to use the normal train buffers as well. Might have to use technic-towballs to connect the cars, then. Other than that, we can only guess.

The standard distance between two tracks is eight studs - meaning there's room for one track between two tracks. This standard is set by the switches that LEGO produces, and also fits when making parallel loops, in that the two tracks will always be eight studs apart before and after corners. The problem is that all corners have the same radius, regardless if its the inner or outer curve. But that's only if you want it to go through corners assembled as a ship. This year's new flex-tracks will solve the corner problem though. But then you'll have to stick to on-board power supply for getting it moving through the corners. That, or giving it a "transport-mode" where it splits up and forms a train. Not sure if this is what you want, though.

Aww. I wanted to use the "its pronounciation isn't remotely similar to how its spelled"-joke. Anyway, straight out: "Freh-di".

It's absolutely possible. One of my fellow LUG'ers had a small tram-layout last year, that he brought to LEGOWorld Norway. Here the tram runs through the street, sharing its space with pedestrians, cars and trucks. It's something train-builders do when they want a challenge in building layouts. The thing to remember with rails, is that they are one brick tall. That means the entire road has to sit one brick higher up, so if you want the rails at the same level as the road, then roadplates are pretty much out of the question. If you're going for a "light-rail system", which is characterised by having the rails separate from the road, it's pretty much like building and ordinary railroad, which I suggest you start with, because those would be far less brick intensive, and thus cheaper.

100!

Beautiful. Just beautiful. There's lots of little details that I like here - the arch-decorations, the vines, the wall decoration on the wall opposite the flower shop and the solution for the entrance to the flat, with the tunnel and that. Very nice indeed. Lots and lots of eyecandy, just the way I like 'em*. * - Statement not limited to buildings!

Yes, it is. It's connected by the top end of the old 9V connectors, which effectively hinder using the PF-cables directly, but can be bypassed by using an old conductor plate or a short cable between the motor and the PF-connector. I see no reason why it shouldn't work. Keep in mind its slow and weak, and has its own purpose-built slip-clutch to connect to technic axles. Keep in mind though that it only does 16rpm@9V (PF operates at roughly 7.2-7.4V), which combined with the linear actuators' 26 needed revolutions for full extension/compression, means you'll have to be patient when using it.

That's another "no" from me as well. The modular buildings have a style and presence that sets them leagues apart from the classic city sets. But they're not stopping me from collecting both classic city and modular buildings!

Wow. That does look fantastic. The hood is, as others pointed out, brilliant, and I love the exhaust ports as well.

Happy birthday, CopMike. Hope you have a wonderful day, altough it looks like you're in for a busy one arresting identity thieves.

That's a very nice locomotive. Dare I say even cute? The string is indeed well hidden. Nice trick! How'd you do it?

Ah! So that's how it works. I figured the receiver used the constant supply only for itself and whatever else needed constant supply after it, while it would tap into C1 and C2 pins to supply power for the motors, which it would regulate. Apparently not so. So the correction would be that the receiver "overrules" the speed dial on the battery box. Right?

I was torn between number two and three. So I voted for both. At best, I figure we'll get a tram with the public transportation set, along with a bus. Trams are PITA to build nicely, and the infrastructure especially so. And if we get the truck stop I'm crossing my fingers that we'll get a small fleet of trucks with it. But honestly, I'm hoping that we'll get all three. I just didn't vote for number one, because I want the other two more.

For remote control, you simply set the speed dial on the battery to full speed. Anything less would mean less power for the motors when you regulate the speed from the remote. The speed dial is there for uses where the user wants to regulate speed, but doesn't need to do it by remote control. As for having different motors, aren't options nice?

We have (front-page worthy, IMO) news! Looks like membership in KIC isn't going to be necessary. Interresting options, too! Edit: Cleaned up the quote.

8866's purpose is to convert older train to Power Functions, and will probably also be used in the normal train sets that retailers will sell. Also, in most cases there simply won't be enough room inside a locomotive to set up a driving gear as intricate as the one on Emerald Night, that's where this motor also has its strength.

Unfortunately, the receiver is powered on its own circuit, separate from the motors (and therefore not powered by old 9V-connectors), to secure a stable and level power-supply. That means you'll need some sort of converter to make it work. That converter would either be the older PF-battery box, or it could just be the switch-portion of it.

You're not stopping entirely with castles, are you!? Like all MOCs, buildings need life around it to not look like some prop (plus, the pic is of a rather low quality*). It seems a bit lifeless in the picture you've posted, but I saw Quarryman's pictures of it at last weekend's exhibition and it looks far better there, when it is in its right enviroment. This is always the key to a good MOC, IMO: Life. You were good at it with your castles, and its understandable that it can be hard to incorporate when you're not used to City MOCs. But it'll come to you. You're off to a good start, my friend. * - Just found out why, and you're not to blame. ;) Still, the all-white background effect is recommended if possible.

Yes, but in most cases you would need an extra car on the train to serve as a tender for the locomotive. You can still use the old 9V-motors, since they can be connected to the PF-system via the extension cable, which has 9V-female connector at one end. The only problem I imagine would be 4563, where the problem would be getting the cable to the motor. Same goes for R/C locomotives, since these already have a (unremovable) battery case taking up space. Locomotives, such as the 4558 Euro Express/Metroliner, are big enough to carry onboard battery and receiver, and the latter is pretty tolerant about placement, so it can be hidden inside the cabin, as long as it can "see" out through the windows. So basically, it'll look identical, and can run on 9V-tracks if you switch off the battery.

It won't last forever, and it does have a memory effect. But if Wikipedia can be trusted, it is one of the (if not the) best rechargeable battery technologies available today.

You're thinking of a poste restante solution. I can confirm that this works, and have on multiple occasions banded together with someone else and bought from S@H and had it shipped to a post-office near the border. Once the package is back home, it's split up into smaller ones and mailed to their respective receivers. Works perfectly.