Hot answers tagged trains
13
Here is an approximation of the bridge that appears on the cover of the catalog pictured above. Unlike the version in the picture, this model uses bracket pieces to attach the arched section to the rail bed. All the pieces in this build were available prior to 1994.
The arches are decorative and do not really contribute to the strength of the bridge. This ...
11
If you opt for an older system which isn't produced anymore, it's going to be very hard for you to reach a decent collection an maintain it. Even 9v which was only recently been discontinued will be hard to find, especially straight tracks.
Also, 9V points were not automated, so if you really want automated points, you'll have to go back to 12v, which is ...
10
What could be considered a safe limit that motors can endure for an
extended period of time?
Their rated voltage.
Motors are designed to operate at their rated voltage indefinitely, or until they wear out, whichever comes first. Exceeding this voltage means you shorten the life of the motor.
Your big enemy is heat. At some point, the amount of ...
8
With the exception of evergreen themes like CITY and Duplo, it's not easy to predict when sets are released. Based on trends of the last 10 years, I've included the last 15 train sets that have been released in a table:
At least one train set has been released each year apart from the year 2008. The table marks an average of 1.875 train sets per year. ...
8
I'd say that an initial HO scale set was probably cheaper than a LEGO version, although a direct comparison isn't easy, and it can rapidly get out of hand once you start adding more elements in.
Initial Purchases
The closest I can find is probably comparing 7939 LEGO Cargo Train, which is currently selling in the LEGO shop for £130:
With something like ...
8
5300 and 10153 are from the former 9V train system and drew power from the metal tracks. They were controlled using a transformer attached to the tracks.
88002 runs on battery power from an onboard battery box. Trains with this kind of motor can run at a set speed, or can be controlled by adding IR remote controllers.
Regarding compatibility, the 5300 and ...
7
The answer is kind of.
I own the Emerald Night and a bunch of Thomas Duplo track. The wheelbase of the Emerald Night is wide enough that the "rails" fit inside the wheels. In fact, the passenger car fits perfectly on the track. Unfortunately, neither the engine nor the tender fit as well, due to the fact that both have pieces on the bottom that are too ...
7
I'm not sure about LEGO, but Märklin, a company that specialized in building train models used simple stainless steel since 1982, chances are that LEGO did the same:
Stainless steel is relatively cheap
It doesn't oxidize (as the name implies)
The electrical charateristics aren't good, but you don't need a very good (and expensive) material like copper for ...
6
It uses train wheels which means it should work on Lego track.
Sources:
Bricklink set inventory
LEGO Building Instructions lookup
6
There is a pure way of changing the points at a track. It requires as few pieces as you like: a motor and two technic beam/bricks. This video demonstrates the principles of point changing with a NXT motor and will work with PF and RCX.
You can use Mindstorms to program the events that trigger the points to change, it will cost you extra but there are ...
6
According to the product description on the LEGO® webn site, the LEGO® Power Functions Train Motor 88002, can be used to motorise the Western Train Chase.
The train wheels normally fit directly to this motor, so I'm sure that this train can be used on normal LEGO® tracks.
Looking at the instructions for both the Red Cargo Train and the Western Train Chase, ...
6
The strict minimum you need for PF motorization is:
Tracks. Sounds obvious, but don't forget these. Nope, there are none with the Maersk train.
A PF train motor
A PF battery box (plus 6 AAA batteries)
Now, as oezi says, it's a bit senseless to have a train which you can't control. Well, you can control it, but it's limited to switching it on and off (if ...
5
The transformer can be omitted, if you find a suitable, cheaper one. Take a look at this question for more information about the exact requirements.
I don't think the other parts can be omitted, as...
A motor clearly is required to motorize something (#88002)
A motor won't work without a battery (#8878)
Something motorized that can't be controlled is ...
5
I say this as having been a model railroader (http://zoorail.wordpress.com) for more than 10 years. You will never get the level of detail, scale or even perhaps value with Lego railroad sets as compared to normal model railroading but I just bought two Lego Train sets 7939 and 3677 and was blown away by the care that has not only gone into how they look but ...
5
LEGO trains are primarily toys, and the recent ones aren't even using metallic rails.
As such, they're usually considered ill-suited for automation purposes. That doesn't mean it's impossible, but it'll prove challenging. In any case, you'll definitely need some computing, so it's good that it's OK with you.
For trains themselves, sticking to available ...
5
I've wanted to do something similar since I took part in a public event last year and we had trains running continuously on separate little ovals. My ambition was to have two stations, each with some switches, and run one train at a time between them and switch it to an empty track where it would stop.
Since I already had two RCXs, my solution was to place ...
4
Well, obviously one way to measure that would be empirically - you have the tracks, you have the baseplates...
As for the maths, let's see... a full circle of these tracks has a diameter of 5 straight tracks as measured from the centre of the sleepers, that translates to 80 studs. The radius is 40 studs, or 800 ldu.
The outer, ridged track, is 2 to 3 studs ...
4
If the motors are far apart, you could simply connect them both to the same receiver using some extension cables. To the best of my knowledge, there is no problem connecting two motors on the same input of one IR receiver.
If you're using Technic motors instead of train motors, as Zhaph said, you'll probably want to have them coupled through a differential ...
4
I went to Brickcon 2012. I asked Joe Meno about his red Monorail and he was most helpful. He flipped it over to expose the undercarridge and he was able to show me LEGO tires with fifteen hours of running time. The tread does indeed wear off and the tires actualy begin to split. The rubber doesn't cling to the rails themselves, but residue does begin to ...
4
One elegant solution is to use pneumatic elements, as a small pneumatic pump is enough to move the lever. If you're lazy to figure out how, you can buy a kit from a fan which will allow you to control 2 points (you'll need one more pump to generate the pressure). With the included instructions, you can build more controls if you have the parts, or simply buy ...
4
The "My Own Train" series only lasted from 2001 - 2004, so it had a relatively short life span. For the most part, they were very nice sets with rich details.
It most likely didn't resonate with collectors since the trains were available in various different colors, with or without a tender — this made it prohibitively expensive to own the collection since ...
4
I used a grey 4 stud technic brick with 4 holes because didn't have two grey 1 stud 1hole technic bricks. The LED are about 1.33 units high so I had to raise the black platform height to accomodate the width of the LEDs. When I added lights to the Train Engine Operator cabin - I had to create more room inside so the train engine became a bit less sturdy. You ...
4
These light fit in a regular Technic hole, and thus have the same diameter as a stud.
I would recommend fitting them in the so-called "Erling" brick; after all, one of its regular (aka "boring") names is "Brick, 1 x 1 with headlight":
.
The only problem you'll have is that the light extends quite a bit at the back, but you can easily solve that by using a ...
3
The PF train motor has the same size and shape as the previous 9V Motors, and a lot of people are happily substituting one for the other.
The Emerald Night, however, doesn't use that motor, so there your job will be much more tricky. Usually people change the tender to add two 9V motors there, but the wheel train of the engine tends to derail fairly easily ...
3
We tried motorizing our Western Train Chase with the Power Function box as suggested on the LEGO site. It doesn't work. Their isn't even enough power for it to pull the engine by itself. The battery box itself is really heavy. I wrote my complaint to Lego. On top of this problem, we also don't have enough curved track (despite the purchase of 3 boxes of ...
3
You don't need the rechargeable battery box and that's the most expensive part. Get the AAA battery box and use your own rechargeable batteries.
$13 88000 AAA Battery box
$14 88002 Train Motor
$13 8879 IR Speed Remote
$15 8884 IR Receiver
That's about $55. Not cheap but not over the top. You'll also need tracks but even on a set you're going to need to ...
3
It is designed to handle curves that are found on CITY track. Here is the detail from middle car. There is tongue and groove that allows the middle wheels to slide left and right to enable curves. I will post a video of a powered train pushing it, if needed.
3
Maybe nickel silver, which would be a suitable material. But I only found a somewhat indirect claim on the german site 1000steine.
3
I think RC devices are not compatible with PF devices due using different IR protocols.
For instance, see this forum thread for more explanation. Also this cool site.
Summarizing,
RC and PF can use the same rails
RC and PF cannot use the same remote controllers
RC and PF uses different engines:
RC places it in bogie (as 9v do)
PF places it in body
3
Well the power cable is the main difference, as one motor was made for the short-lived 9V RC system while the other is the current PF one.
However, that doesn't mean the internals are the same. From Philo 's motor comparison page, you'll see that the PF motor is better, and that fortunately the performances are much improved [over the RC one], with an ...
Only top voted, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible
