[Mac]

Hello all,
I am still active, though I dont post as much as I should. But I will look tonight and post the bluebrick file from last year. I will say that we ended up deviating from the digital design. I think that is to be expected though because you need to have the parts in one place to really know how they will fit together.

I also have a couple trains, and most of my LugBULK was to convert my track to MILS plates. I will also volunteer and come set up as well.

josh

[Mac]

Here is what it can look like put together as part of a desk. This is one that is 36 inches long though. So this is not the largest size.

mac

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[Mac]

@joshhall I am happy to lead the I Spy kit. I will create a new forum thread regarding it and get the ball rolling.

@rcgrier3406 I will work on updating the bluebrick layout as soon as my kids give me a break. This weekend at the latests. Just depends if I can get them to sit and calmly watch a movie or not before the weekend.

Mac

[Mac]

@rcgrier3406 I am happy to update the layout to match what we ended up with and document it.

I think a lessons learned activity would be great. Do you think we should continue that in this forum thread or would it make sense to try and organize a meetup somewhere? I think lessons learned is a great topic, but I think we should not let the name limit the discussion. I think this event probably got the creative juices flowing and it would be great to see what ideas we have for future.

One thing I saw on one of the other displays was an “I Spy” game. They had a sign which challenged visitors to try and find a list of things. I thought that would be a cool idea for the LUG to do. I was thinking we could have a “I Spy” kit that can be taken to any even. The kit would include a sign and perhaps 10 or so small items that can be hidden in any display. I think mini figs would be great for this. For example C3P0 and R2D2 would be great. I am sure others could suggest some small but unique items.

Mac

[Mac]

Hello all,

This was my first LUG event that I participated in and I am blown away. It was really fun and seeing what the other members have created is spectacular. I personally have never seen a larger lego train display up close. I am inspired to go back home and try and step up my own personal creations.

Thank you all for the allowing me to be part of the group.

Josh

[Mac]

@greg We definitely have room for a static train display. If you tell me about how long it is I will add it to the BlueBrick layout. Does anyone else have things they want to add?

I am getting very excited about this display. I can’t wait to see all the trains and get inspired on what to build next. The Polar Express is really cool, I would love to see the plans for that if anyone has them.

I was looking at Tony Sava’s site and it is a bit hard to follow as a beginner. I dont know what 2-4-0+0-4-2 means. I also suspect that I have some general train lingo that I need to learn. But his stuff looks super cool.

One idea I had was the Pittsburgher, an overnight service connecting the Steel City with New York. The attached image is what inspired me to look into this train.

Mac

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[Mac]

Thank you all for the feedback so far. Please keep it coming. Here is my latest revision. I think we are really getting somewhere now.

Updates
1. I added baseplates to the large corner radius which match the image Josh supplied. So this should be accurate.
2. I added a second 9v look to the inner left track.
3. I removed the double switchback to the lager outer tracks so that large trains could use both outer loops
4. I added a switch tower

With this current layout we have:
2-Large radius battery power tracks
3 9v tracks
1 Small radius batter power track
Train yard
Incline and Switch tower

There are about 25 MILS plate worth of space for MOCs. Does anyone in the group have some other buildings we want to add?

I do recognize that having to crawl under the table to get to the middle section sucks. Personally I don’t mind doing it, but I have toddlers and spend a lot of time on the ground already. I am not sure how many other members are okay with crawling under tables.

I did have an idea for this and it might be a bit crazy in the timeline we have. But What if we built a bridge. We could remove 1 more table and have the bride cover a straight section of the two large outer tracks. Then we are not crawling under a 6 foot table, just a 1 foot wide bridge. Or we could pause the trains on the outer tracks, remove the bridge, go inside and reinstall the bridge. With all the bridges in Pittsburgh it seems fitting. If you have not watched the first season of Lego masters, episode 6 has them building bridges and some held 1000 pounds.

I would have to rework the inside track on the right, but that could be done.

Let me know any feedback you have.
Mac

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[Mac]

I tried to take the input so far and make a rev 2 of the layout. Again, this is just me trying to put some stuff on paper so we can visually see it.

the first picture is showing that I changed the table sizes to be 6ft and pushed them against the wall. I also left a middle table out because we will need to be able to reach stuff inside. A drawbridge might be a good idea for the club to invent. lol

I changed the large outside double loops to use the 104 and 120 curves. My understanding is these are already on MILS. I highlighted them in light blue. I was just guessing about how the MILS plates are. But if someone wants to take a photo of 1/4 of a circle I can update.

Next I made 22 MILS double straight tracks. Those are put in the front and sides and a little in the back. It is a bit hard to see, but they have the yellow box around them. So all of that track should be available and ready to go.

I kept the train yard in the back. This can be for storing trains that are not running, or just a place for people to be setting up and getting it ready to go.

I added 3 more loops around the middle. The two in magenta are just straight loops so a 9v trains can run on them. I tried to keep them from being too big because I remember having trouble keeping all the connections. But some copper tape helped a lot.

I also added one more track section that would work for the newer battery trains. I wanted to try and have one section that was not a normal loop. I just think having the train going back and forth changing direction would be cool.

Dark blue sections would be available for buildings and such. Though we can fit small stuff in between any tracks. And I put the incline in as well.

What does everyone think about something like this? If anyone knows they have something they want to bring, just let me know and tell me how many 32×32 stud square it would take up and I will add them in.

What MILS roads do we have already? I think it would be cool to mix those in between the tracks as well. Maybe put some cars out too.

Please give me your feedback.
Mac

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[Mac]

@rcgrier3406 I have to say that model is impressive. Getting it to all fit in 2 baseplates and look that good. Honestly, ever since I saw it my mind has been playing around with building a similar one, but having a tunnel connected to it for the train to go through.

I will add 2 baseplates for the incline to the BlueBrick tonight for a rev2 version. This event is going to be a lot of fun.

Mac

[Mac]

At the quarterly meeting I saw someone had a model of the incline. I am sorry I didnt catch who it was. But I also heard of a larger model too. Should we think about including these in the display since they are a different type of train? Just at thought.

Mac

[Mac]

We could leave the larger orange section open so people can sit in the middle. That would be about 4×8 foot. I will work on a revision tomorrow and adjust the tables too. Do we know we can use the whole 12×20, or do we need to reduce the 12×20 to allow people room to walk around. That make a huge difference on what I am doing in BlueBrick.

Josh, sent me a private message sometime and we can coordinate getting the broken stuff to me for repair.

Mac

[Mac]

@joshhall I am happy to try and fix any lego electronics or even work on some projects to potentially build cool new stuff. I have done a lot of soldering and circuit board repair / prototyping. I have a nice electronic work bench in my basement and have soldered 0603 components onto boards before. Which are .06 inches by .03 inches. And if I can’t do it at home, I will take it to work where we have an entire lab of equipment and a tech that solders under a microscope. Lets make arrangements to get me the broken stuff and I will get it repaired.

I started working on a layout in BlueBrick. I was just trying to get something more graphical to help the conversation and was working before Josh posted with details about what we have in MILS and the size of Glenn’s tracks. So I will update and add that.

One cool thing is if we identify what sections we need we can start to divide and conquer.

So am assuming the 20’x12′ section is the area we have to work with and left about 30″ around the outside for people to walk around. If that assumption is wrong let me know and I will adjust.

Then I put some tables down for a idea of what it would take. If the table sizes are different I can adjust.

I did a double loop with a train yard on the back and one extra loop on the corner to break it up. I tossed in some road and some orange areas which would be for some displays.

Again, this was just to get the conversation going more in a visual manner and perhaps start getting things defined a little better. Please offer suggestions and feedback and I will update. As I mentioned I did this before Josh gave the details, so I will put those in tomorrow after I get some other feedback.

Also, since we already have a Josh and it can be confusing with two of us. I think I will start using my nickname from a long time ago, Mac. Hopefully there isn’t another Mac already.

Mac

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[Mac]

I just wanted to add my thoughts to the recent conversation.

1. I also think a switch yard is a good idea. It sounds like most of the groups trains are 9v. I have the latest powered up version. I am curious if anyone other members are playing to bring trains that don’t require the powered track.

2. I think it is a good idea to at least have some non-train area for members to display. It doesnt need to be a huge area, but if we dont have any space for this we are essentially excluding members who dont have trains from participating. So I think a minumum of a small area is needed.

3. If there are broken controllers, or ones that need power suppliers to get working, I am happy to repair them or find the right power supplies to get them working.

Josh

[Mac]

Hello,

I joined the discord channel but it says that I dont have permission to post in any of the channels. Has anyone else had this problem? Am I missing a step somewhere?

[Mac]

@timf That is very possible to do. Just let me know how big you want the design to be. I will look around and see if I can find some material. But honestly this seems like a super easy project.

[Mac]

@timf A .svg is just a scalable vector graphic. So it just means a image file that you can scale up without it looking all pixelated or grainy. You can think of it as just another image file format similar to .jpeg or something like that.

Honestly, if you can just share any image file with me of what you want I can probably convert it in a matter of minutes and show you what it would look like. Then we could try using the laser cutter.

I was also thinking it might be cool to take the club logo and make some leather keychains with it on them. If I have time before this weekend maybe I will test the idea out.

@joshhall Yeah it is odd having more than one Josh, maybe I need to pick a nickname. lol

Josh

[Mac]

@bengood921 Thanks for the information. I was just looking online and saw several examples using the 4×4 plates on top. Here is one example from brick train depot.
https://www.bricktraindepot.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Cams-Brick-MILS-BTM-Green.pdf

I was just curious is there was an advantage of using lots of smaller plates on top, rather than fewer larger plates. I could see it giving you more control over your design perhaps, or maybe there was a cost savings. I was also thinking it might help with the plates being flatter since it would allow a little more movement between plates.

But it is good to know I can use whatever I want.

@pnbrenem and @willmcdine Thanks for pointing me to the instruction 5 on L-gauge’s site. I had seen the site, but not dug into their instructions yet. I like your idea of just using the baseplate without MILS. I might start there and then slowly upgrade to MILS. I have some baseplates and could get my tracks set up on that. Maybe I will wait until the LUGBULK parts to start converting to MILS.

Sadly I dont think I can make Brickfest Live. But perhaps you can post a couple photos.

Thank you all,
josh

[Mac]

@timf That is good to know that the LUG has a battery charger. My first Lego train was the 9v version and I really enjoyed it. There is something about the control box that is very satisfying to use. Turning that big yellow knob just feels great.

My newest train is the powered up version which runs on batteries. Personally I like this version better though. I always had trouble with keeping the powered tracks connected in larger displays. All it took was one section to not make electrical connection and the train stops. I know people use copper tape to help with this. But I like the train actually being the power source. The downside is you have to swap out batteries, but honestly they seem to last a pretty long time.

What I was originally questioning was the fact that the Power Function trains use IR for remote control and have 4 channels I believe. So I think that is the practical limit for running those types of trains in close proximity.

The Powered Up version uses Bluetooth communication to connect to a smart phone. I think it also uses the same method to connect to the controller. But personally I have never tried the controller since the smart phone app is great. Quick google searching shows the Powered up controller has 5 channels and can control 2 hubs at a time. So in theory 10 Powered Up trains could be controlled at the same time.

When you were saying run as many trains as possible, I was just thinking if we will start to run into communication issues.

Josh

[Mac]

@timf That sounds awesome. I guess the first main step is to figure out how much space will be available.

In the mean time I am going to work on slowly converting my tracks to MILS plates. It is something I want to do anyway, so it isn’t a big deal. I am looking forward to being part of the next LUGBulk to be able to order more parts for MILs plates and ballasting the track. But in the mean time I will probably see what the local lego store has and maybe place an order on online.

Is there any limitation with running many trains at once? Since the new ones are bluetooth it probably isnt a problem to talk to many trains at once. I just was curious if there is any challenges.

The other thought I had was the batteries and charging them. I was doing some research to find a nice set of rechargeable batteries. Does anyone have a recommendation? Should we think about having a charging station to keep all the trains powered up.

Josh

[Mac]

@timf I do have a cnc mill that could engrave on legos. I have never tried that but I have engraved on aluminum and it worked fine. So I would assume we can do it.

The laser can cut foam. I have only tried cutting EVA foam but I dont see why it would not work on other foams too. I would just google Glowforge Laser Cutter and see if someone else has done it and what settings they recommend.

I work in the strip district so if you could drop off the materials we could easily give it a shot. I would just need a .svg file of the design you want cut out. There is a good free program called inkscape that lets you created .svg files easily.

Let me know if you want to give either of the ideas a shot.

Josh

[Mac]

Since I am new to LUG I am not sure how these events are typically organized. I know there will be a quarterly meeting Dec 10th. But since the event is mid January I would assume some planning would happen before the Dec 10th meeting.

It sounds like we have 5 people for sure and possible a 6th depending on schedule. Has the LUG participated in this event in the past? If so what did we do then?

Do we have any idea of the size space we have to work within?
Maybe we can get a list of what trains people are willing to bring to the event and set up?
What about a theme or buildings that people already have or are willing to build before Jan?

Does the group have any standardization on MILS plates?

This is all new to me, so I am just curious how this all works. I have 2 trains I can bring, one is the Express Passenger Train (60337) and the other is the MOTORISED HOGWARTS EXPRESS 2004 (10132), which I am converting to run on the Powered Up system. I am happy to bring those and set them up.

I also am working building a small mountain / tunnel design. I just started that but I should have that done in time. I am planning that to be on a MILs plate.

I also saw a really cool thing that people have done. I am not sure if it would be frowned upon on not since it is not fully lego. But Adafruit has a blog post showing a OLED train display that shows the actual train schedule and updates.
https://blog.adafruit.com/2012/06/25/oled-lego-train-schedule/

I was thinking about building something like this for my home display just because it would be cool. I am not sure if others would be interested in something like that. If I was going to build 1, I might as well build multiples if other people want them.

I am not trying to step on anyone’s toes, I am just excited to be part of this. So if I am overstepping or completely off topic please let me know.

Thanks,
josh

[Mac]

@greg Happy to help on anything I can. I manage a prototyping shop at work so we have lots of fun toys. It is a little unrelated to lego but might have some opportunities for cross over too.

We have some really nice measurement tools and 3d printers, cnc milling machines, laser cutter and even 3d scanners. I also have an injection molding machine in my garage I need to fix one day.

A few random ideas I had were the following:

Using our pull testing machine to actually push and pull Legos and measure the forces. Perhaps compare to megablocks and tyco blocks.

Use the 3d printer to make some custom parts. Name tags, or some swag for the group. I donno.

We have a laser cutter that can engrave on things too. So wood plaques or leather keychains for the club.

I saw someone do a oled display for the their trains that actually read the real train arrival / departure data and updated the little display on their train display. Might be cool for a train display to show the Pittsburgh T-Shedule

Josh

[Mac]

@greg Thanks for letting me know about the Trolley Museum. I will look into it further. This weekend was already pretty full but perhaps I can take the boys out to see it next weekend.

I have been involved with Lego Robotics a little over the years. I coached a team while I was in high school and also another team while in college. Since I moved to Pittsburgh I have not done anything with lego robotics but have helped the high school teams with BotsIQ which is similar but not using legos.

If anyone knows of programs that need support let me know.

[Mac]

I have a small train collection, but would be happy to help. I just joined the LUG so I have never been part of a group build, but I would love to be part of it. Just let me know what I can do to help.

[Author]

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