Ashi Valkoinen

Now it is 100% sure that I will participate BSBT this year, too, and for normal gauge train I'll bring the Croatian electric motor units. This year my "main" contribution will be a narrow gauge layout.

Thank you guys all for nice comments! Some personal stuff - when I started the hobby back in 2009, I had a vision, what is ahead and what I want to achieve. A large station, with functional switches and lights, track ballast, acceptable radius and rolling stock I love to build. I did know that it will be a long story, a lifetime project. Metal rails of LEGO went off the market, no large radius custom track, neither plastic not 9V was available at that time. I waited with patience with my R40 system, trains adjusted to the limits of R40, that some day someone will make it, and we can have metal tracks again. And FX Bricks did it, was a long journey of them too, and as the succeeded, the way opened up for me to continue. The same thing was with this train, I have seen it in Zagreb in 2011, I returned to that city between 2014 and 2015 a lot, while I had a girlfriend there, and always bugged me to make it once. As in April of 2025 we got an invitation to the Alpen-Danuv-Jadran Railrod modell show for May, 2026, it was the final kick to start again with that Croatian beauty, and after the battery-electric one was completed I knew that the "old" 6112-101 electric train can be built as well. And changing the blue from simple blue to discontinued medium blue (it is a nice color with relatively low saturation compared to other colour) made the build challanging.

And NOW, 11 years later I am happy to show you the completed train! It was a while when I made the first attempt to create this train. The height, the shade of blue and the most important front design changed a lot, but this year, in February I finally made her. However it was ready 3,5 months ago, I kept her in secret and the first event for running was in Zagreb Railroad modelling show in May, I built the train especially for that event for the Croatian kids and adults to see some domestic train running around (no traditional railroad model company making these trains). The front design is heavily based on my previous physically built Končar-train, the 6211-001 battery-electric prototype, however, I was sad when I discovered that different series of these trains were build with slightly different front cones. The first of these trains were 6112-001, regional electric prototype and 6112-101, suburban electric prototype (this is the train I built, it has 8 doors each side), these trains had a little narrower white part under the windscreen and the third headlight is under the windscreen. The frist series (6112-0XX and 6112-1XX) had the same front, but with third headlight on the top, and later series (6112-2XX and 6112-3XX) had a differently shaped front as well, just like the battery and battery-electric versions. I hope you like it and you can forgive me raising such an old topic here!

Same issue, I cannot order anything to my Hungarian location. I tried to open a cart with none of the new products, but generates the same error. For me it seems the error occurs when you enter your Postal Code.

No, when a new item appears at the FX shop, but still not available for order, they used the sold out tag in the past. When they finish the first batches of production and packaging, they will be available in the shop.

Reading back the topic now I see why I missed it. Haven't seen your MOC at BSBT, at least this one. :( And overall nice design with lot of details, as usual. But tell me, what do the LEGO string with 1×1 round plate parts doing at the bottom of the train bogies?

I really like this work, especially because of the appearence of 5 studs covered narrow gauge track piece. We are used to use normal LEGO gauge as normal gauge (1435 mm), LEGO and TrixBrix narrow gauge as 600/690/760 mm narrow gauge, but the track inbetween representing 1000 mm gauge real life tracks are really missed!

Thank you guys! The layout was made by Nándor Mészáros, András Pécsi and me, but actually my part was just a quick improvising putting my houses, trees around the small two-track station. I just joined narrow gauge at our LTC, but I plan to make Sátorkő station of the Sand Railway network based on old aerial photos to figure out the track plan and it will include more details and will be better built. I really love the coal waggons, too, they are the smalled train MOCs I have ever made, the good quality (SKF) ball bearings under each waggon cost more than all the LEGO pieces, including the old and quite rare container lid I used upside down. There is more to come as I will make my own narrow gauge layout. On the long term I plan to make a hill where trains can go up - with total height of 51 plates (17 bricks) to climb! But I estimate the full project approx. 2-3 years!

No, not. But there is a small switch to turn the Cube ON (left), OFF (middle) or BLE (right). If you leave it ON, or BLE, you can charge it. When you connect the charger, the green light (turned ON) or the blue light (BLE) will turn off, red will turn on to indicate charging. After charging finished, red light turns to green, but still no output while the charger is attached. If you remove the charging cable, you get back your Cube charged and in the state you left (turned OFF, ON or BLE). So basically I don't need to reach the turn ON/OFF/BLE button during showtime, I turn the locs to BLE at the beginning of the day, I am charging if necessary and turning locs OFF at the end of the day. But I can confirm you can charge while BLE is on, I didn't try what happens when the Cube is turned ON (continuous outputs) and I start charging.

I used their original application to control the cubes. Since they added the option to connect to two cubes at the same time via Bluetooth, for me it is quite viable to use it from this app, I never need to control more than two small locomotives at the same time. For the "Babycroc" locomotives, charging can be done just removing the roof with the pantograph, to turn on or off the cube must be lifted and rotated out. Basically, I don't turn it off while charging, so it needs no turning on after charging is finished. The small 9ton locomotive's 1×4×3 panels can be easily removed (they are not part of the structure), the charging port is behind one of the panels. The turning on/off bottom is underneath, and nothing covers it so really easy to access. And as I promised, here is the video of the running locomotives with their freight trains. A few notes, problems, I faced: TrixBrix switches are pain when it comes you go straight one them - the lack of second moving rail giving support for the wheels is really bad when you have a locomotive with such small weight and such small axle distance. TrixBrix track vary a lot in quality unfortunately - there were some tracks bended from the beginning, and wheels were is to start spinning at these sections. The smaller loco's weight distribution is really bad, having the battery in the cab, it required some small magnets put in the cavities of the front to balance it, but without careful driving it may leave the track when the small nose part is leading the train. The big "BabyCroc" locomotives worked well, but quite slow, I managed to put only one CC-motor inside, and due to the overall shape of the locomotive, there is not so much weight at the only driven axle. Both locomotives and freight trains were able to handle R36 - I wish no more. The minecart-train, with that small wheels, small axle distance, it is really pain when it comes to push such a train.

That's a long river, and the biggest river in Hungary. Last weekend we had a show, narrow gauge only layout and the small mining locomotives did really great. Circuit Cube components are small, very flexible items, I am glad that it allowed me to make my 4 studs wide and 4 studs+1 plate wide locomotives motorised, without adding a constantly couple freight car for batteries. Some really nice photos coming soon!

Wow, that's something. I am always feel good when I see people building some Hungarian or Hungary-related stuff, our country is so small and unknown, I am always wondering why people from a different country choose to build our locomotives. The steam is right on spot, and using two CADA-motors facing each other, giving enough traction power is really clever idea. Hiding them in such small locomotive, great work. I guees that orange and dark green train windows are clones, but what about other bricks in those models? Some years earlier I found a danish MOC passanger car with dark red windows - all the 1×4×3 train glasses where held by SNOT panels in place and the train itself gave the impression train window part was used there, but no, just SNOTting around, since no dark red train windows were produced.

After finishing the work at my normal gauge main station's signalling I turned back for narrow gauge, especially the "Sand Railway" network. The mainline locomotives were shown above, but there were some small locomotives doing the shunting at the sand mining site. These had rod pantographs as the overhead wires were offset from the centerline of the tracks. This locomotive had a really nice path of service - all started in 1922 where two identical, 2-axle electric locomotives, as twins, sharing one full pantograph were built to serve on the first version of the "Sand Railway" network, built using 580 mm as gauge. The network got its name of the sand transported on it - sand was mined from the sediments of river Danube to fill up the nearby coal mines' unused tunnels. In 1935 gauge was switched to the more reliable 760 mm, and three new locomotives arrived (TC series, number 1, 2 and 3). As the twin locomotive wasn't needed anymore for the mainline service, twins got separated, regauged to 760 mm and each half got a rod pantograph - so they were able to do the shunting at the sand mining site, where the overhead wire was offset from the centerline of the track. The "Sand Railway" worked until 1988, the nearby coal mines got depleted or victims of underground water, without the need of sand the entire network and all vehicles were scrapped. My LEGO MOC locomotive is number 5, I found a couple of coloured photos of the real train from the last decade of the service. Number 5 had an orange paint, number 4 was yellow, with some diagonal black stripes. However there is no photo proof that number 5 ever had stripes, I added them to improve the look - I used original LEGO stickers to do it. I powered the locomotive with Circuit Cubes HUB and small motor - these are really tiny electronics but still very hard to fit to the locomotive. The HUB is quite heavy compared to the overall weight of the locomotive, fits only the cab, while the motor has odd dimensions, and the bottom is lower than the top of rails. I hid the HUB in the cab, old (no side support) 1×4×3 panels are around it. I added 2× original traction rings to each wheel, it increased the height of the loc so the bottom of the motor is not touching the level of the top of the rails. Honestly, to make this locomotive run was maybe the hardest task I ever did with bricks, due to the inbalanced weight distribution, only one axle driven, it was really challanging to make it work on R36 geoemtry (trixbrix points and curves) and also pulling, pushing some heavy cars!

All the best, Ben!

For the signal Ties used the new track element introduced with the Arctic Train set, which triggers the rocks falling off from the top of the tunnel.

This is a video taken not by me, but since the AFOL used a camera on his head to record how he turned back with his train on my layout with full signalling and protection, I am happy to share it. His train arrives on the mainline, facing a red block signal, since the Railjet KISS is at the next block section. When Railjet KISS enters the station at platform 5, the block section gets free and the czech train progresses forward and then to platform 6. As he enters the station, a black locomotive from platform 3 is shunting back to the short loco storage track. While the czech train's locomotives shunt around on track 7, my girlfriend's own built M44 diesel engine shunts the orange freight train to track 3, while the Railjet KISS already left the station to the mainline (three paralel train movements). The czech locos complete the shunting, returning to the other end of their train, M44 deattached from freight on track 3 and leaving to the shunting yard, and the Westbahn KISS arriving and departing back on track 5. As the block section after Westbahn KISS is cleared, the czech train gets the free signal aspect, while the block locomotive is shunting back for its train. And lastly, I arrive on the mainline with my GySEV InterCity consisting of all my five GySEV coaches. I am really happy with the station by now, worked really nice during BSBT2025, with no major problems. Operating the station is a great teamwork, our TFOL member Donát Szüts operated the control system of the station, while my girlfriend operated the shunting locomotive for those trains which didn't arrive to track 6 or 7 and needed their waggons pulled of before reversing.

Yes, FX presented some of their prototype motors and speed regulators at the show. However I didn't have too much time talking to Michael and Max, I had a short 5 minutes brake from driving and played a little with their prototype 9V motor. The motors are geared differently, than the usual LEGO train motors we know (9V, RC, PF, PU), they are slower but having more torque. The speed regulator is easy to handle, the slidebar instead of the rotating switch of the old 9V speed regulators is a nice feature. The FX speed regulator also consumes less space, and multiple units can be attached next to each other, the neighbouring units feeding power to each other. So you plug one FX speed regulator with USB-C type connector, and it can power other speed regulators, too. I have driven an old 12V set with the FX 9V motor underneath, the maximum speed was okay, but as I mentioned, not the speed we got used to with LEGO train motors, on the other hand the FX version give a really, really nice low-speed operation - perfect for shunting and other train station movements, the train kept the really low speed I set for it on the curves, too. Wheels are full metal and they have a really nice, realistic look by colour.

It was made by Miles McFadden on request, using four original FX switches. The switches which didn't make to the market. :)

Then the only thing to do is keep going and get that dragon called Phd final exams. :) I'll be here next year for sure, so if you need the LEGO train and layout inspiration one year later, you will get it. Also, if you have the time and the change to travel, this year I'll participate BSBT2025 in Schkeuditz again (from 8th to 10th August). ;)

The P40s which didn't make to the market: Yeah, sure. You simply missed it. The switches were never recalled, replacement tiebars were sent based on your orders, the replace process took less then 1 minute for each point, but basically they were working with the wrong tiebars, too. I own currently 30 P40 switches, so they are quite real and made it to the market.

It is never too late to start or restart with a train layout. I don't how did you feel about your when you were playing around but for me it is quite satisfying to build up a system and let is work. Not only on the scale of my MOC trains, but the cooperation with other LUG members brings to ultimate pleasure of this hobby. Also, I am happy to show you my next train MOC, the passanger car with UIC number 51 43 20-33 100-2 of GySEV Austrian-Hungarian railwa operator. This passanger car has a quite unique and experimental design - it is supposed to to replace the old fashioned green-yellow design of GySEV passanger cars. The passanger car has lot of trapezoids with many colours - in this case the different shades of gray are a little too many (5 shades). The trapezoids also continue above the windows, including the lower part of the roof, it required the special slopes of the 45° family to keep the diagonal patterns on the sloping part. The sidewall is built SNOT completely, this allowed me to use the differently coloured wedge tile 1×2 part. Funny, because when I started this passanger car back in March, the wedge tile 1×2 didn't exist in the LBG colour, it appeared only at the end of May/start of June with the Balrog Book Nook LotR set. I wanted to keep the 6 wide interior with lights and full details inside, so keeping the sidewalls 1 wide was quite hard. The SNOT tiles have colourful line of SOT tiles below and above to get the right height of the colourful pattern - the bottom was easy as tile are placed on the dark green bottom, but the row of tiles under the windows was quite tricky. The SNOT part of the sidewall has the small roller skate element, which can hold the SNOT and the SOT tiles, too. The 5 shades of gray were simplified for obvious reasons to 3, and however using DBG, LBG and very light gray would have been the best, very light gray is and old and retired colour, no new parts like wedge tiles or special slopes were made in this colour. I found that colour "sand blue" with relative low saturation of blue is quite a good "gray" colour and sits nicely between DBG and LBG. The only problem was tile 1×4 in sand blue - the SOT tiles on the side needed to be 1×5 by the sand blue pattern, but the roller skate elements' halved studs can't hold a tile 1×2, because tile 1×2 has open bottom, so it would fall out easily. There is only two possible division of 1×5 in two parts - 1×2 + 1×3 and 1×1 + 1×4. 1×2 didn't work because of the part design of the bottom, so 1×1 + 1×4 remained, but 1×4 sand blue tiles are really pain to find. :) The passanger car has also interior lights - the usual solution with old 9V battery box + PF conversion cable + 2 pairs of PF ledlights was used. After I figured out the building techniques and overcome the problem of hard to access parts (thank you, Dennis!), now the passanger car is completed and ready for service.

When I switched to the terminus design, as the 10th main variation of my train station, I motorised all the switches for smooth and easy control, but didn't connect the ledlights and distance sensors - with the 9th design I had a lot of connection issues with bluetooth devices - okay, maybe going up for 6 SBrick Lights, 4 SBrick Plus and 6 SBrick hubs was way too much to handle at once. I found also that SBrick Light hubs are harder to connect and lose easier the connection, so I tried to figure out how to reduce their number. The terminus doesn't require train detection and signals on both sides, only by the entry part, so I spared 4 hubs and only two remain. Less sensors resulted in less SBrick Plus hubs (from 4 to 3), but the switches still require 6 SBrick units. But this setup fits and works nicely - I would like to show you a video showing movements at the train station synchronised with the screen capture of the program I created in SBrick Pro to handle switches, lights, train detection - and building up a realistic instrument to control and keep trains safe. It is me sitting in front of the computer - and for departure it is not only enough to see a signal letting you go but proper signing from the traffic controller is also required to depart. It adds a lot to playing experience.

Actually, this is my second MOC using the old nylon hinge coupling. The first one is under the front bogie of my GySEV Inlandswagen control car. This nylon hinge is thinner than half plate, extremely useful when it comes to connect everything in the train bogie design. The 2×2 parts holds firm, they fit between the lowest brick of the bogie and the top of rails, while the hinge part can still hold things above it without stud connection. Usage is limited because of the dimensions, but fits quite okay for any bogie which need support/reeinforcement from below.

Does this qualify for the topic? :) Four wide mining train with Hungarian Ganz 9t electric locomotive and five mine carts - the locomotive is powered with Circuit Cubes.

Hello all! Seems I stopped building trains - honestly, I have slowed down with new creations since my storage and transport capacity is really on the edge. However it doesn't mean no more new trains - but I give at least two times to think before start building. Today's MOC is not new, a couple of months old, but haven't been presented here yet, so there she comes, an odd-looking, narrow gauge, crocodile-style electric locomotive from the Hungarian "Sand Railway" network. The purpose of the network was to carry the sand mined from river Danube's sediments to the coal mines, where unused and depleted tunnels were filled with the sand. Trains carried sand uphill, and sometimes coal waggons downhill. Only three of this locomotives were made by Ganz, all scrapped around the time when I was born. "Sand Railway" was the only electrified narrow gauge surface network in Hungary, powered with 550V DC. Railway gauge was 580 mm (1922-1935) and 760 mm (1935-1988). TC locomotives were built freshly for 760 mm gauge network. The brick-built model has been made using LEGO-bricks with various (and quite so called "illegal") building techniques, and it is powered with Circuit Cubes BLE battery hub and Circuit Cubes small motor. Although the locomotive herself is 29 studs long, there is not so much space to do the motorisation - the long, but flat noses and and the bogies with the odd 3,5 studs wheel axle spacing have no room for a tiny motor. CC small motor is placed SNOT in the bottom of the middle compartment, and the hub is sitting (SNOT again) on the top of it. Building in 5 wide and fitting everything inside was a real challange! Fortunately it runs nicely, working on R36 narrow gauge track geometry of TrixBrix, and also climbing a 2 plates/16 studs incline. I built the first version using Dark Bluish Gray colour, but later I found some coloured images of the locomotives which indicated some yellow-based colour - TLC's bright light orange colour fitted the best. The freight trains always ran the same configuration - a TC locomotive + three freight cars, two of them had braking so called cabins. They where thin and uncomfortable.