Duq

I like the cars but I love your engine!

I'd love one in Dublin but I know why that's unlikely in the near future. I'd settle for a store in Newry or Belfast for now. A two hour drive is do-able for a visit. A two hour drive plus a four hour ferry is not...

LOL! I had no idea what this was about from the title. I hadn't noticed yet but indeed some of my new sets have minifigs instead of this kid. Phew.

Best tip I can give you is to just get started. Chances are your first attempt will look rubbish so take it apart and try again. Then once you've tried a few things post some pictures with a more specific question than 'how do I model this train'.

I visited the park in Billund in 2012 and again last week (I also visited in 1981, 1994 and 2005). In miniland I didn't notice any new models apart from a wind-turbine factory-ship in the Scottish section. Models are meant to last a long time so it's not all that surprising that they don't change every year. Some areas were looking well-worn (like the Danish fishing village) while others had clearly been cleaned up over winter (like the Scottish village). It was early season and the park needed a bit of work; the water levels were too low (despite enough rain!) so ships were hovering above the water and Amsterdam didn't seem to have any moving cars. Overall it looked much better than what I remember from Windsor. I agree with the complaint about prices. €4 for a soft-icecream cone and €7 for a proper icecream is madness. It's no surprise so many families enter the park with large picnic baskets... There's been a major change in the park; the mine/timber rollercoaster has made way for the new Haunted House. I think that little ride had been there almost since the opening of the park. Along with the ride the buffalo hunt relief has gone and the Mount Rushmore sculpture has been redone. All these changes were not an improvement in my opinion. The haunted house is okay but not great and the new Mount Rushmore doesn't look half as good as the old one. Judge for yourself: Mount Rushmore 2012 by Duq, on Flickr Mount Rushmore 2014 by Duq, on Flickr

We eventually made it home at ten to one. The alarm was set for half six so no building time... :-( Thanks to CopMike, Bonaparte and their lieutenants for all the hard work and to Kim for doing the easy jobs ;-) Thursday afternoon was definitely a highlight for me (even if it was over all too soon) but there were many cherries on the cake. Now what am I going to build first tonight?

Have you come across the Lego train ideas group on Flickr?

You've got the axles 12 studs apart. That's on the limit of what will work through points. See the comments here: Using the regular train motor with large drivers will make your train very fast and not very powerful. You'll be better off using a Power Functions motor. See for example here: BR55 Drive train by Duq, on Flickr

Just backed for a reasonable amount but it's not looking good; after half the time only a fifth of the amount has been received... I hope this isn't going to prove Big Bens point that there just isn't a market for an injection moulding solution. There aren't that many train builders and among those builders there won't be a high demand. I can think of 3 people in Ireland who might invest in this and each would buy a few loops at most. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see the project succeed. I'm just not very confident it will... I'm with Cale on the support for the ABS option. I think existing 9V gear can be maintained for some time to come but PF is the future.

I really like this! It's been a while since I've seen one in real life but it's very recognisable. And some great detailing on the front! At 60 long you're gonna need some wide curves to make it look good on track...

I can appreciate it's all about running trains for you. For me it's about modelling though. Each to their own.

I remember seeing these in a railway magazine, they're very impressive machines. You've done a pretty good job on the body. Shame the wheel arrangement isn't as accurate though... Would be nice to do one with power functions and all the large drivers.

I don't think it's going to look right with the cheese slopes. Richies idea sounds good; make the the window section with curved slopes and then put the whole thing at an angle.

I haven't got my second set yet but that should be sorted soon. I do plan to keep all six carriages or maybe even build a seventh if I can find the parts. I'm looking for a house with a bigger 'office' though ;-) Your five car version looks good. You've got the proper bogies and like you said, it just wouldn't look right without the second motor unit.

How about Electric, Wire with Brick 2 x 2 x 2/3 Pair, 162 Studs Long? The track solution will work, but the carousel will speed up, slow down and reverse along with your train.

Why would you use a piece of track? Just get the train regulator and a PF extension wire, then use any PF motor.

She's a beauty! But.... err.... Italian livery? Isn't ÖBB? Österreichische Bundesbahnen?

Since the wheels are almost entirely hidden behind your side covers maybe you can simply take out the third axle?

Very interesting post Carl. I think few people go to the lengths you do to get models to scale... Still, when you build with Lego you'll always have to compromise somewhere. I wouldn't mind comparing my BR 55 to an O-scale model but i wouldn't know where to borrow one.

What do you mean 'can it work in 9V system'? You can put 9V track instead of 12V track. The motors will probably run on 9V but the connectors won't fit. If you have the 12V train controller then you can use that to supply power to the level crossing motors and use the 9V controller for your trains.

Not sure how you feel about couples but I think this is a bit much... ;-)

Even the youngest in that lineup is from 1969. I don't think that 7939 is based on a real-life prototype and definitely not a Dutch one.

The church was built as a temporary structure for a festival but locals are now trying to keep it because they like something colourful in their neighbourhood. You know what happened to the Eiffel tower...

Is there a minimum or maximum scale for Architecture sets? Can't find the actual scale of the existing sets anywhere. Tempting as this church in Enschede may be, I've picked something else. Instead I've started on the iconic Rietveld Schroder house:

Are the My Own Train sets that old? Wow... If you include Hogwarts (which looks more like one of those cars from an amusement park, dressed up like a train) then the Ghost train should be there too. Now let me think about the possibilities of 7722 re-imagined as a Power Functions set. Oh wait, Homa has already done just that! Freight Train (full view) by holgermatthes, on Flickr