peterab

I agree 100%. TLG have as much as addmitted the US price is being subsidised by the rest of the world. My last purchase was two modular fire stations, some PF parts and some train track, all shipped to a remailer (shipito.com) and then here for cheaper than the RRP in Aussie dollars. Next time I'll get the remailer to get rid of the oversized lego boxes and use standard size ones to lower the shipping even further.

I was more worried about the chaffing

They are recommended to pull about four cars, according to Lego, so you are correct about them being a bit weak. However they are also cheap, so buying an extra one and a wire for it would be an easy way to double your pulling power. If you do decide to use a brick built version, consider the XL motor rather than the medium one if you have the room, it's much more powerfull.

Mine is currently 3x6 32x32 stud baseplates, or approximately 75 by 150 cm.

Yeah I hope this is correct too.

Most of the 9V controllers have a low current output, and will overheat and trip the thermal cutout eventually, the more motors and the harder they are working the sooner this will happen. Many Lego train clubs use other controllers for this reason, or use multiple lego controllers. My club uses a custom built high current supply. Once you've jumped that hurdle you'll fint the 9V motors will also overheat after continuous use. Limiting the load on them by using more motors on shorter trains can avoid this. Welcome to Eurobricks Cpl Yu

Hi Frank, Thats a great start, I've often mused about adding some electronics to my Lego trains but never gotten around to doing it. I'm not sure IR is the best choice though as it requires line of sight, is there similar RF remotes available? How much does the uP board cost? How many points could it potentially control? The model railroad gear I've seen all use solenoids rather than servos to throw points, depending on which is cheaper this may be worth investigating. If I were to automate a freight car I'd do either grain or coal, as both these are often emptied into/onto coveyor or elevator systems, and are loaded through chutes. It would allow a completely hands off operation. Thanks for sharing your efforts, its very interesting so far.

Get off my lawn kid ... I'm forty three and am just starting to practice for grumpy old manhood. Yay, I'm a spring chicken ... I ripped the cartilage in my knee over twenty years ago ... it still locks up on me sometime. Both my ankles have had ligaments torn, and one has been completely dislocated. It's a wonder I can still walk. No wonder kids make me grumpy Damn, I wasn't even finished selecting my power tools

A similar light is in the City Corner from this year, the new yellow repair truck coming next year, and I think one other that I can't remember at the moment. I'd be guessing this is a new set we haven't seen yet. Perhaps its the top of the overpass on the new station. It's hard to tell from the blurry image, but the red could be the hand rails of the overpass, ans the light could be attached to it also. I really dont think it looks like an elevated railway.

It really depends what you mean by shortage. I see it as a failure of the 'just in time' production model myself. What appears to be happening is that retailers are not predicting the huge rush in sales just before christmas, and are not ordering enough to avoid empty shelves. Once the shelves start to empty, they all order at the last minute and TLG is having difficulty filling all the orders in time for christmas. This seems to happen every year in Australia, at least to some extent. I guess the retailers dont want to avoid it if it means risking stocking up early on unpopular sets. I don't understand why people are surprised by it. Also it's not like we haven't had six months of rolling sales in the lead up to christmas, so it wasn't hard to avoid.

The designs look good from this distance (now I really want better pics :-). I'm a bit saddened by the colours though. We've had plenty of grey, blue, red, white, black and tan train windows lately. What we really need is yellow and green. I would have been extra pleased to see the passanger train in either of those colours. The cargo train looks very good though, it appears to have a container gantry and a red truck. There also appears to be a container flat car. It looks like the new six wide round panels (seen in the airport control tower) may have found a use as a tanker car. I think this is a step forward as I feel the eight wide tanker was oversized. Looks like I will be buying a cargo train at least. I hope the price is good value given the roumored inclusion of the rechargable battery.

I love your choice of architechture and colours. The level of realism in the details is great.

Hi Grunneger, I too plan to build a German layout, but I'm some way behind you. I'm currently building a BR50, and have used your pictures (and Ben's) as a reference. Mine has BBB wheels so I cant use Ben's LDraw file as is. Welcome to Train Tech. Peter

Hi Scruffulous, I'm pretty sure you're in Australia, so are you planning to come to Brickvention? Will I get to see this awesome Moc in the brick? I've been following this on flickr, not only because of the challenge but I've been most interested in your bogie design. Peter

Be sure and say hello. I should be hanging around the train layouts.

I'd something like that, but I doubt it. The silberling coaches probably wouldn't be recognisable to kids since they're obsolete now. I'd guess the passenger train would look a bit like a recognisable current european prototype (like the current one looks a bit like the german ICE). The freight train could be almost anything but I'd bet it will have some playability feature like the current crane and sports car.

They were not on the shelves till the morning of the sale in Melbourne. They didnt allow me to put any on hold beforehand either.

I'm pretty sure the pirate impulses didnt show up in last years January catalogue either but were available before the rest of the pirate line so hopefulyy you are mistaken there. I've seen a Toyworld being restocked with the old Fire line a few weeks back so perhaps Australia will once again be used to run out remaining sets at low prices, and hence the delay. BTW I also noticed that the Wind Turbine Transport is in the catalogue again so it doesn't look like its being killed off just yet. Could it be it didnt appear to your souces because its a Big W exclusive?

Because all the people who organise it live in Melbourne. As ISC (or Pooky at the moment ) suggested you could get together with other local AFOLs and have your own convention. If the rest of Australia is anything like Melbourne they sold out the first day of the sale. Most stores in Melbourne got one box of six. The CBD store got two boxes. At my local store there were 5 on the shelf at 10:00am, I bought two. By 5:00pm there was a waiting list with about 20 names on it. No one I know on that list has been contacted.

Good Idea. Will do shortly.

Yes, that's correct a level crossing is where the train line crosses a road at the same level. I haven't bought one since the 4.5V blue track era, so I'm also interested to see what its like.

I did notice the BW in your From field. I hope you have lots of fun in Chicago. I can understand having to priorotise for an overseas trip.

In Cpt. Zuloo's interview with Jamie Berard (I hope I got that somewhere right working from memory) the designer of Emerald Night, he ruled out any more cars for it. He also said it was unlikely single cars would be sold in the forseeable future because their sales have been poor in the past.

Perhaps posting in the middle of the night is not my greatest skill Mod's feel free to delete the duplicate.

Nott that a little sceptisism isn't healthy, but this is at least consistant with the info we have from the reliable european sources. Also the fact that this set lineup closely mimic the current ones may just suggest that TLG think this is the most profitable way to market trains. Besides it's not like AllanSmith is known for his talkativeness. In fact three posts in three years seems like he's saving them to use only on important occasions.