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Dan-147

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  1. Dan-147

    [MOC] ICE 3

    Dan-147 replied to Gabor's topic in LEGO Train Tech

    Great render! Love the high-speed Europeen trains (TGV, ICE, etc.) even though there are none here (Canada). Large radius ME-Model curves would also be great to really show it off. Dan-147
  2. Dan-147
    I still have some 9-volt stuff lying around so I may just decide to use it for this train instead of the PF stuff. Plus the fact that curved 9-volt is easy to get and rather cheap (we always ended up with too much of it). Dan-147
  3. Dan-147
    Hello KevinMD and welcome to the trains forum. O gauge is 1:48 scale which works out to almost the same size as 8-stud wide locos and rolling stock. The problem with LEGO isn't so much the size of the train as much as the distance between the wheels. O gauge is 1,25'' between the rails (which is slightly over-sized, correct scale distance would be 1.177'') while LEGO track is spaced at about 1,5''. It is known and accepted that LEGO trck is too wide but it is one of the compromises that we accept. The proper size for LEGO train, if you want to respect the size of the track, is 10 studs wide but then the diameter of the wheels seems way too small. You could probably easily re gauge the bogies so that they fit on O gauge track by removing 1 stud. The structure of the bogie would then be 3 studs wide instead of 4 studs wide; which would not allow you to use the standard LEGO train motor. You might be able to use brick-built bogies that are powered by a body-mounted PF motor if the gears will fit in the bogie. However, LEGO train wheels have very prominent flanges that might not work on O gauge track (something to check into). Another alternative, probably the easiest, would be to use a regular O gauge powered bogie and adapt it to fit on the LEGO train. If you're interested in pursuing this project any further please keep us posted. I'm sure that the members on this forum (myself included) will happily give you any help we can!
  4. Dan-147
    The clip-on block car is a really nice start. Hopefully we'll have a clip-on block locomotive (or at least power bogie) some time soon. Dan-147
  5. Dan-147
    When the Santa Fe cars (set 1 & set 2) came out in 2002, there was an issue with the wheels rubbing against the top of the wheel carrier. It created lot of friction which limited the number of cars that could be run. The symptoms were quite simular to what you report. Initially, it was blamed on the heavy(er) weight of the cars compared to usual LEGO train cars but it was later determined to be a mold defect. If your Metroliner is from the reissued classics (10001) it could have these wheelsets. It could also be dirty or misaligned wheelsets. If you have other wheelsets, you might try substituting them on your cars to see if it makes any difference. Dan-147
  6. Dan-147
    Agreed. I intend to buy it for my winter village where it will fit right in but I will not mix it into my regular trains. But maybe this will be an occasion to finally recover the Toy Story train. My wife had decided that it would be the Holiday train at the time. We've been fans of the Winter Village since the beginning so I was very disappointed that last year's set was a reissue of a previous one. Needless to say, I am thrilled that this year it is a completely new set. Can't wait to get it! Dan-147
  7. Dan-147
    You could always use LDraw. If you go on the BBB Wheels website, you can download part files for all the wheels in LDraw format. Unfortunately, nothing for LDD... Dan-147
  8. Dan-147
    I don't know about anybody else but I would certainly be a multi-set buyer if they came up with an interior set. I have a few older modulars that have sparse interiors that I've been wanting to upgrade. Plus it would be a great parts pack. Dan-147
  9. Dan-147
    The Norfolk Southern 3329 is the one that the LEGO Maersk is based on. 2 axle trucks were substituted for the 3 axle trucks as a compromis since the LEGO train motor has only 2 axles. Other compromises in the design include a shortened “rear porch” (it is distinctively long on SD40-2s) and MAERSK SEALAND replaced with MAERSK on the side. I bought the Maersk since it was fairly accurate figuring that a few easy mods would make it even more accurate. While I was at it, I figured I'd make it 7-studs wide like my other locomotives and rolling stock. My “easy conversion” took a life of its own and after adding more than half as many parts into it as it had to start with I was done. It now has three axle trucks and the large rear porch of the SD40-2. Compared to starting from scratch, it wasn't really less work but I now have a piece of LEGO history adapted to my preferences. Dan-147
  10. Dan-147
    Actually, at 10 studs wide the rail is very close to scale size. Real trains are 10 feet wide (in North America) while the track gauge is 4 foot 8½ inches. LEGO track has a gauge of more or less 4½ studs. The real problem is with the wheels. The rim (not the flange) is 39 inches in diameter. That works out to about 3½ studs diameter. LEGO wheels are just a bit more than 2 studs diameter. Luckily, the flanges are way over-sized on LEGO wheels so it sort of balances it out visually, at least for 8 studs wide. Dan-147
  11. Dan-147
    Let us know if you could use some help in this adventure. It seems like something pretty big to tackle alone and it might seem more manageable if you can spread the load. Dan-147
  12. Dan-147
    I remember the uproar when Town Hall came out. Too big! Too expensive! It was retired prematurely because of (rumored) poor sales. It seems rather ironical now with so many people buying multiples of the newer sets to make expanded versions. I guess this sort of confirms that no bigger sets will be made since the smaller ones sell twice as well. It does appeal to the creative side of LEGO since each XL version is unique. It would seem that LEGO does indeed listen to its fans, particularly when they talk with their wallets. Dan-147
  13. Dan-147
    I am personally very fond of the older, smaller planes. It's just unfortunate that they all had flip-up roofs instead of proper doors. The fact that the newer planes have such large, specialized parts is a major turn-off for me. I would have been thrilled if LEGO had achieved the same shape with smaller pieces that could be more easily reused in different ways. That being said, I feel that the smaller size of the older planes is a better match for small regional airports that are easier to integrate in the “average” layout. The newer ones are great for a major airport. Dan-147
  14. Dan-147
    I agree that it would be best to reuse the original name. Brickjournal successfully went from free to paid magazine (it seemed to be their business model because they went from one to the other seamlessly). I would be willing to pay a reasonable price for the new RailBricks and I would seriously consider participating in it if I have anything meaningful to contribute. When I made my instructions freely available on the RailBrick site it was a way to give back to the community for all the great time I had going through the magazine. I even intended to premier my later instructions in the pages of RailBrick but it folded before I could get to it. After that, just like Elroy (and so many others), life got in the way. I've been pretty quiet lately; most likely a renewed RailBrick would give me a kick in the pants and get the creative juices flowing again. Dan-147
  15. Dan-147
    I use dry graphite powder for my brass on brass axles. It comes in a handy squeeze-tube (brand name "Greas-em"). Works very well and it isn't messy. It does seem to make a significant difference to the rolling resistance. Dan-147
  16. Dan-147
    Just curious as to how you attached the LEGO metal axles to the wheels. I know that they are a loose fit, which is why I substituted K & S Engineering 0.081 inch brass rod (product number 8168). It has a nice snug feel without glue and I haven't had any wheel pop off. I'd like to replicate your test to see how the brass axle measures up. Thanks for the info. It pretty much confirmed what I thought about using Technic axles on unpowered bogies. I was glad (and a little surprised) to see that the brass tubing outperformed the standard LEGO bogie. Dan-147
  17. Dan-147
    Alternatively, you could use standard G-gauge track and make your LEGO trains to G-gauge. Check out Tenderlok's extraordinary trains for inspiration. http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=118496#entry2412062 http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=117021#entry2378309 http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=116470#entry2367498 http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=116100#entry2361222 http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=115739#entry2354600 Dan-147
  18. Dan-147
    I've also used electric wiring instead of LEGO hose. I figure that if you put a wire in a LEGO hose, you might as well go all the way and use a real wire. Besides, unlike LEGO hose it doesn't kink when it bends and therefore looks better. Here in North America, black white and red are very common. Other colors are harder to come by. 14 gauge wire is a close match to 3,2mm hose and it is also the most common wiring in a house (15 amp. circuits make up at least half the circuits in a house and they're wired in 16 gauge). The color and exact size varies a bit between different manufacturers so I look around for the best match. Dan-147
  19. Dan-147
    When I'm stuck, I usually build upside down. If you build the top part of the wall studs down you'll be able to use all the regular slopes including the cheese slopes. Heck, you might want to build the whole wall studs down! Dan-147
  20. Dan-147
    I don't know... I have a fire-engine red VW Golf and I've never been bothered by the cops. And I'm not the slowest driver on the freeway!!
  21. Dan-147
    Nice model.I actually feel your cab is better than my original one. Those wide cabs are so hard to get right. You've made so may changes to it that you can now say that its your own. By the way, the 8 stands for Dash 8 meaning it was the 8th series of locomotives that GE produced (sort of like A4, A5 for Volkswagen Golfs). I'm glad you liked the bathtub gondola. They're used for coal in large unit trains (long string of identical cars) and are unloaded in a rotary dumper than rolls them on their side. I've been meaning to build a rotary dumper for ages but I couldn't find the right pieces. With this year's release of the Technic Bucket Excavator I'll finally have the perfect curved Technic beams. Dan-147
  22. Dan-147

    10251 Brick Bank

    Dan-147 replied to Rick's topic in LEGO Town

    I replaced all the square pillars on my Brick Bank with round ones because I felt that the square ones were just not right. It was quite easy, requiring only a few part changes (replaced 2 x 2 corner bricks with relocated 1 x 2 bricks, replaced relocated 1 x 2 bricks with 1 x 1 bricks, rotated 1 x 2 x 5 brick near office 90 degrees, secured additional 2 x 2 light gray corner tile, replaced a few plates with different lengths) besides the obvious round bricks. I also built it mirror, partly for the challenge but mostly because it will fit better that way in my shelves (IKEA Billy). I will try to take a few pictures when I get home tonight. Dan-147
  23. Dan-147
    Any chance that you post a picture of your jig and Dremel setup? I'd be very interested in replicating your efforts. Thanks. Dan-147
  24. Dan-147
    The head moving too much was an early problem only affecting North American kits. The click hinge parts did not have enough clutch so the neck would flop down. That would cause the head to turn around and the whole head assembly to violently hit the back of the body. So much that some bricks on the top back of my Wall E cracked. I called LEGO and got the replacement hinges. When I mentioned the cracked bricks, they sent me replacements. A few days ago I received an email from LEGO that they were sending me the rework kit. I had not contacted them yet about this, figuring I'd take care of it after the holidays. So the part about putting the parts in my collection if I didn't want to change my Wall E applied perfectly to me. I used them though so now my Wall E is top shape. Here in Quebec, Canada I received an english/french letter with it mais la partie en français ne me semblait pas mal composée. Dan-147
  25. Dan-147
    I got the same email too! Can't wait. Dan-147
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