Duq

Lots of nice details in there! I wonder though: it looks like your side walls aren't connected to the roof along most of the length. How fragile will that be when built?

It's probably that tyre - I use the same on my BR 94. I don't know about LDD, but in LDraw it's u9131 - Tyre 7.2/ 45 x 8.8.

Thanks @LEGO Train 12 Volts! I have of course seen your model, nothing to be ashamed of. Your building abilities improve over time ;-) I think mine is only the third BR94 in Lego, the other one was built by someone in 1000steine.

I never said you threatened anyone or broke any rules. Like you say, it's a forum, so I can give my opinion, and I think you are asking the wrong question, getting yourself all worked up over something unrealistic.

Thanks for all the compliments guys! Some flex tubes and hoses were cut and I had to modify a PF connector (see below), no other parts were modified. I haven't soldered anything. I opened the PF plug (causing some damage in the process) and replaced the wires with the wires on the button connector. Inside the PF connectors (and same applies to the old 9V connectors) wires are 'skewered' onto contacts, not soldered. I still has a magnet at the back for pulling a train - the little hook wouldn't be able to pull much ;-) Only the wheels on the second and fifth axles have flanges, the others are 'blind'. So yes, it can take turns, even the tight Lego ones.

I've finally finished my BR 94! BR94 - Front 3-4 by Duq, on Flickr My first plan for this engine was many years ago and was going to use medium wheels. That was never built and more than a year ago I started building the 94 with Large wheels. It has no tender so all the electrical components need to fit inside a not very big body. As I had decided it should have a full interior I couldn't put the battery box in there. In the end I decided to go with PFx brick (no need for visible IR-receiver) and rechargeable 9V battery. A tight fit, but it worked: BR94 - Battery and motor by Duq, on Flickr Like my previous steamers this is running TrainedBricks rods, running very smoothly. Hundreds of BR 94 engines were built and later modified in various workshops and railway companies. Of the surviving engines no two are the same. The greebling around the boiler is based on a mix of photos I've found and is meant to look 'convincing' rather than be a correct representation of all those little components. BR94 - Greebles by Duq, on Flickr Finally a picture of the cab with the roof removed: BR94 - Cab from above by Duq, on Flickr

Dude... you need a chill pill. Let's start with the basics. Lego is a toy. The Lego Company may not have shareholders but they aim to make a profit. As others have said, Lego Trains as a hobby is a niche within a niche. Model trains as a hobby is a dead end. Whatever the reason, kids just don't get into the hobby anymore. Go to a local model train event: the average age will be 65+. Lego do make some sets aimed at adults, but they need to sell volume. And you sell a lot more Porsches than steam trains. Simple as that. Why did you get into this hobby? If you want to build highly realistic train models then you should look at a different material. Buy a kit from the likes of Revell or build from scratch from metal or plastic. For me the challenge is to make something as realistic as possible with the available parts. Yes, I cheat a little. I buy different sized wheels from Big Ben and rods from the other Benn. Those are parts you can not improvise from other parts. So my boiler may be a little too fat because I need to hide a motor in it. It may not be perfectly round. The hand rails are too fat and not close enough to the body. So what? I enjoy the process, the tinkering and if I come out with a model that people recognise that's a bonus. Lego track is not dumb. It's well designed and fit for purpose: children's toy trains run reliably on it and you can fit a loop of track on the dinner table or on the floor in a child's bedroom. As more people join the Lego train hobby they start producing extra parts to extend the possibilities, in production runs that would never be viable for Lego. So take a breather and decide for yourself what you want. The challenge of modelling trains with the parts and colour palette offered by Lego, or create more detailed and more realistic train models from other materials/ sources. There's no shame in deciding that this hobby is not for you. Complaining that Lego won't produce exactly the parts you want won't get you anywhere and won't make you any happier.

My first one was a 1'D2' / 2-8-4, the German BR 65. That had flanges on the first and last axle. With the axles 4 studs apart this the limit of what you'll get through standard Lego points. BR65 Drivetrain by Duq, on Flickr The next one was a D / 0-8-0, the BR 55. On this loco the axles are 4 1/2 studs apart so I put the flanges on the 2nd and 4th axle. That choice was because it has a tender so I wanted to minimise overhang at the back. BR55 Drive train by Duq, on Flickr Currently working on an E / 0-10-0 and it'll have flanges on the 2nd and 5th with axle spacing back to 4 studs. No pictures yet...

Have a look at L-Gauge.org: http://l-gauge.org/wiki/index.php?title=Welcome_to_L-Gauge

That's a very nice train. I've been to Borkum (back in the '80s) but have never seen the train...

The Forth bridge is architecture, nothing to do with support for trains. The bookends are cute and decorative but also don't really show support for trains. Still, there's more support for trains now than there was in the early days of Ideas. Here's a nice tram idea that could use a few more votes (I'm not involved, I just like it): https://ideas.lego.com/projects/c8f8e90a-e827-4ebc-912f-c99e8ff8a3f2 It probably gets more 'Portugal' votes than 'tram' votes but that doesn't matter.

Agree with all comments sofar, especially: Very nice build, proving that things don't need to be big or complex to be (visually) interesting. I won't copy it but will certainly take inspiration ;-)

Not just that, it will fit on all regular Lego train track produced since 1966. Just make sure you don't accidentally order the narrow track: https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=85976#T=C

Not sure why but most of the pictures in this thread won't load for me... Do you know if there's any electronics in that adapter? I've made a similar one recently. I bought a pack of rechargeable 9V batteries and they came with the button connectors with a wire attached. So I took a PF cable, opened a connector and put it on the wire from the button connector. Initial tests look ok but I haven't tested it with a heavy train or a long run.

Not the question I expected from the topic title 'When do you order a MOC'... It depends on what you want to do. Some people enjoy building something from parts they have, some people design in the likes of studio and then order all the parts they need. To answer your questions: Is it really finished? > It's never finished but at some point you just have to stop and build it. You can always revisit your MOC at a later date. Is this design worth the cost? > That's a question only you can answer. When did you decide to order the parts for your first MOC? > Err... I think that was before BrickBay had started, can't quite remember... In Bricklink, create a wanted list. Then let Bricklink figure out the best combination of shops to order from. You can put in restrictions like only ordering from the EU. I have many wanted lists; one for each model I work on, one for general train parts, one for missing parts in sets I bought used etc. Over time those lists change of course. When I'm going to place an order for a specific model I let BL figure out the stores, then I go into each of them and see what else they have from my other wanted lists. That may change my selection of stores. When placing the actual order I often round up amounts and have a look through some categories like minifig accessories and printed tiles. Sometimes you find interesting parts you weren't aware of. Adding those parts means the shipping costs are a smaller portion of the cost.

Would love to take part but probably wouldn't be able to bring any landscape sections. You can only fit so much in a check-in suitcase...

^ What Andy said ;-) If we get this covid thing under control we should have our second Brick Feile event in 2022. Would be great if you could join us for that.

That's the best way to do it. An unmodified 9V train regulator won't like powering more than 2 train motors.

Made a few changes to my Jeep. First of all I raised the roof and filled in the gap under the doors. LEGO 42122 MOD 1 by Duq, on Flickr Also changed the bumper ends from dbg to black. At the back the black frames had to change because of the roof so they are much cleaner now. Again changed the bumper ends. LEGO 42122 MOD 2 by Duq, on Flickr A bit more subtle, there are two bits of yellow axle visible in the bumper, I've covered them with a 1x2 beam. I move the HoG steering knob on top of the roof. It's vertical now and I find that easier to use. My full review of the set is now on Brickset: https://brickset.com/reviews/59424 Question: does anyone know why there are two half-pins inside at the back? You can just see them in the photo, in the double-angled yellow beams. Step 126 & 139 if you have the instructions handy.

And be careful doing all this. In the first one I opened the ribbon cables were very stiff and while taking the joystick apart the soldering broke... have yet to solder it back together.

Back in the day as a proof of concept I built a speed controller for my dad's model train, using the Vic's user port. With a joystick from the Atari I could increase and decrease the speed. Fire button was an emergency stop.

I really don't think the licensing adds anything here. They could have just done a generic jeep, get rid of the stickers, and make it a chunk cheaper. What annoys me more though are the limitations of the few functions it has. The steering as mentioned barely turns, giving it a huge turning circle. Even with that limited steering the wheel arches are tight and there's a lot of play in the whole front suspension, which is why the rear suspension is also limited (the two yellow crankshaft pieces you see in the photo of the rear suspension). Without that limit the front wheels jam when you play with it. (A month later and that poll is still broken)

I'm in Ireland, not the UK, but we're also affected as we get our sets by DPD from Belgium. DPD seems to have now figured out that the landbridge through the UK is no longer a smart option and are now using ferries direct from Rotterdam to Ireland. Unfortunately a good few of us have been caught out with orders that were shipped last week in December and first week in January. One of my parcels shipped from Belgium on new year's eve and has been in DPD's Hinckley depot since new year's day. It's been marked as 'Return to Sender' for 5 days now (because of customs issues) but is still in Hinckley... @Toastie Had my iron out the other day to redo the wires in a Technic battery box that needed cleaning after leaking batteries. Next project: Dirt Crusher remote control :-(

[off-topic] Yes, it's still in the attic, together with my Atari 2600. You must be older than me. I was 15 when I bought the Vic ;-) And yes, the Commodores used the 6502. I did write a bit of assembly but was never fluent. Try to explain that to my colleagues now who think linking java libraries is programming... [/off-topic]

I know it's a bit cheeky and off-topic but I got your attention ;-) For a lifetime supply of PFx Bricks maybe I should refresh my coding skills. I don't think I can bribe one of my colleagues with that. We use Xamarin in work, similar concept to Flutter: single code-base, cross-platform delivery. My idea would be a single app that can connect to multiple Bricks. Have a page/ screen per brick that you can customise; add buttons for lights, a slider for motor speed etc. Then let the user swipe between screens. I think for running multiple trains at a show that would work nicely.