zephyr1934

Now that's a thing of beauty... well, from the backstory, perhaps an accurate depiction of the prototype. The MOC looks really sharp (when on straight track). You mentioned new trucks, please post photos.

Oh wow! That is a beauty. I bet it does a good job keeping the brush down along the right of way (grin). You did a great job with the fine details over the long boiler, really captures the feel of the prototype (but like Tenderlok said, I'd love to see the streamlined version too (grin some more... you've spoiled us here in the audience))

How do you come up with this stuff? That prototype is insane. The engineering to then get it all to work in lego is equally crazy. Great job on what one would think would be an impossible model.

That is a great little engine, looks like it would be right at home on a branch line or switching an industrial site.

Cale, you've outdone yourself and I did not think that was possible. That looks better than any lionel model and you are starting to encroach on the turf of the top end O gauge models too. Excellent work with all sorts of clever new angles (the cab roof and tender coal bunker are just two examples) and all of the detail on the side of the boiler is top notch. The cars look fantastic too (just like the AHM HO heavyweight cars I had as a kid)

Putting my hand over the top of the picture (so as not to be distracted by the skyline) I now notice a very simple, very clever, and very effective yellow pinstripe across the bottom of the car. Excellent detailing.

I'd agree with the others, the car is very sharp, but in this case the display stand might actually be overshadowing the car. Really neat with the buildings at night, the moon and clouds, and all.

What a great MOD, that is starting to look like the CP Huntington. You might want to try this piece (22961) plus a half bushing instead of the pin connector that has friction (15100). Those friction ridges could be enough to keep the wheels from turning.

Correct. Those rods you were asking about are not my designs. You can get a feel for my work by perusing my gallery here. As you can see from the gallery, there are all sorts of custom possibilities. If you are looking for an unusual geometry that is not listed in my store just drop me a PM either here or on BL. That is a brilliant solution (though the link seems to have disappeared from your post). You can find the details of the 10254 MOD here.

That is a brilliant mechanism (I'm still pondering the original post), looking sharp.

Those display stands are fantastic (but the trains on top of them are still better, grin)

What a great first MOC into steam!

Hi daoudbazaar, First of all wow, those are some nice looking track parts. Lots of great new options there. Probably best in separate thread rather than here (and I would suggest that you do post a more in depth presentation of your new track components). However, your post does raise some relevant points worth mentioning here. Generally, there is no reason whatsoever why you should ever ask permission of anyone on this form to build something. In fact, that is part of the role of this forum is to share ideas and use ideas that were shared with you. If anyone has something top secret, well, they shouldn't be posting here. Everyone on this forum knows just how much effort goes in to creating something so no need to worry about that either. Similarly, if someone posts a design on thingverse or anywhere else, the are posting it subject to whatever specified terms. Presumably they expect people will use the information or designs for their own personal use. Probably one of the best ways to piss off the community is when one person takes someone's design and then tries to resell it as their own work (e.g., on ebay). This misappropriation is most commonly seen with instructions, but sometimes simply reverse engineering of designs. I think that was what @Younge was implying, but I don't know for sure, hence, my qualifying my previous notes with the fact that I was not aware of any evidence but that does not mean there is no evidence (and for that matter, I am no judge, I was simply justifying why I posted in case there is something big that I did/do not know of). It sounds like 4D announced a Kickstarter for a modular crossover, and then a few months later Trix announced the release of a modular crossover. If that is all one saw, it certainly would appear that Trix jumped in trying to undercut 4D's effort. It is only with extensive digging that it turns out that Trix did have a double crossover long before. It is certainly possible that Trix decided to add more ties to their own design inspired by 4D, but it is equally possible that they decided to do so based on the standard Lego track design (e.g., the official double crossover). Certainly in Trix's thread there was talk about difficulty getting the studs the right size so that they would both fit bricks on top and have clutch (a very fine tolerance). See my closing paragraph in my last post of this thread for my sentiment. Again, please do post a more in depth presentation of your new track components in a new thread, and it would be neat if you could show them in context too in a layout and with rollingstock

That is a very sharp looking tram, really captures the look and feel of that generation and good color choices. At first glance the signs on the roof looked clunky/sloppy. Without the advantage of a 3D perspective the tiles without any printing jumped out at me as if random colors before my eyes focused. I realize that this is a render, but it would look even sharper with printed bricks or stickers on the signs.

Okay, I've done more digging and remembered one more thing. There was a third player in the BBB, ME wide radius curve round a few years back, Steve B was also working on a design of his own but never came to market. I think he wound up giving his idea for 9v rails to ME. Digging through archives, it looks like the current round new track geometry on EB started in Sept 2016 with BrickTracks (BT) proposing a massive PF & 9v system on kickstarter, that ultimately was not funded. About the same time 4D bricks appeared on EB with new Monorail tracks. Following the link, it looks like 4D started with automation for standard switches on youtube in summer 2016, then monorail in Aug, layout and automation software in Nov, and the double crossover in Mar 2017. But that wasn't the first custom track from 4D, Dec 2016 4D posted about the availability of new narrow gauge track. That thread had coaster from BT sharing tips and ideas with 4D. When designers work together like that, we all win. Trix first shows up on the radar in Nov 2016 sharing an array of 3D printed track components he (she?) had been working on and cited the interest in the BT kickstarter campaign as the inspiration for sharing. The collection includes a double crossover, stub switches, short track, etc. So I would say my suspicions were correct here, that Trix was working on these for some time. The examples shown had very few cross ties and so looked more like blue era rails than PF. Trix does not appear to introduce a modular double crossover until July 2017, after 4D, but the necessary stub switches were already in the Trix line up and Trix already had a "few tie" two piece double crossover (watch the youtube video in Trix's EB thread). So it is certainly possible that Trix did lift some ideas from 4D, including making the double crossover modular and adding ties for aesthetic appeal... but I'm not sure a modular double crossover is that much help compared to a two piece double crossover beyond keeping production costs down. The 4D system benefits from modularity because you can choose where to put the switch throws, the Trix design puts them on the inside but shortens the throw to only 4 studs rather than the 6 of normal lego design that is preserved in 4D (which, presumably they need for the automation components). On the flip side, the above thread has Trix producing narrow gauge components before 4D was. To me all of these ideas seem like obvious extensions so having several independent inventions seems feasible. Again, it is my hope that the various producers collaborate or at least keep it to friendly competition. I certainly don't want anyone with a good idea for the community get a bad reputation. And I especially don't like it when someone actually earns a bad reputation.

Oh, I could tell you about my ignorance, but I don't know how... (grin) Looking at the two lines of products, I wouldn't be surprised if TrixBrix were working on their tracks independently and then perhaps rushed to market. This sort of thing happened before, BBB was about to release his aborted track system the same time ME came out with their wide radius curves. Trix's modular switches look to essentially be Ondrew's design. There are definitely some major design differences between the two systems, in particular the throws. The single crossovers are also different in design, Trix being 5 part to 4D's 4 part. That suggests that Trix was at least working on their own switches. Again, there may be more going on than I can pick up, but there is at least a shadow of a doubt. I see 4D's line as really shining in the automation department. They have a lot of unique items for remote control that look to be a modern take on the 12v system (good luck with the decoupler, grin, even Lego couldn't get it to work well). Regardless, I can't imagine anyone going in to the custom lego part business to get rich.

Probably the first person to sell custom and modular lego switches was doing so ca 2004. Ondrew's brickshelf gallery shows modular switches, modular single crossovers, a double crossover that predates the lego design, three way switches, and switch stands moved to the opposite side of the track. Of course all of this was hand cut 9v pieces, but those were the days before 3D printing. Looking through the selections from both 4D and Trix, I see no pure duplicates. While there are a lot of functionally equivalent parts on the two sites, both have some interesting unique offerings not found on the other. Like Ondrew's work 15 yrs ago, most of the offerings strike me as obvious extensions of the limitations inherent with the 4-6 different track elements available from lego. Where there is duplication I suspect 4D and Trix will each have a slight advantage in their respective home postal system, and that is probably good for customers all around. Given the variety of unique elements that each one is producing, it is also good for customers to have two different hubs of innovation. @Toastie, I have not been keeping up on all of the new track designs coming from so many new producers, and when I did a quick google on 4D + Trix I only found reviews. So if there is strong evidence of copying one from the other, I am not aware of it and apologies for my ignorance.

Great idea to photo the models with their prototypes, and what an adventure it turned into. Excellent story.

An excellent build, thanks for sharing and all the back story. Congrats on the article in the paper too.

Looking sharp (well... as sharp as such a blunt prototype can look, grin)

Oh wow, the green passenger car is amazing, one of the better interiors I've seen (it is amazing what a good builder can do in 10 wide). That is also the first MOC I've seen with accurate trap doors for the end stairs on the car (they were common on US passenger cars from 1930-1980).

Those models look great! If you have a link to a larger gallery that would be interesting too.

You have 3 1x2 trans black for the windshield, then on top it looks like you have two 1x6 plates and then a row of tiles and jumper plates. I was thinking replace that top row with cheese bricks (1x2 ideally) with the tall side toward the front of the locomotive. Or maybe you need one more plate below the cheese bricks [I can't help but think of "blue cheese" in this discussion]. I had not noticed that 1x1 gap at the top front of the side, could you extend the 1xN tile one more stud further? You would still have about a 1 plate high hole below the extension. For that, you might be able to use a 1x8 tile (what would be) studs down, and then some structure 6 wide or less above to hold it in place.

WOW! That is an amazing build, so rich in detail and many great ideas. The greenhouse is brilliant, but then lingering there is so much more that comes out (and the load on the flatcar is equally clever).

Good job, easily recognizable. I would agree with Beck about the gaps on the front, but if you used blue cheese bricks on top of the panel with the windshield that would help fill that gap and then if you can replace the plates that are studs forward with tiles (and if you need 1.5 plate thickness in that spot, perhaps a couple of brackets behind the tiles). Still, most of your transitions couldn't be beat, e.g., the gentle slope at the top of the sides.