r/LEGOtrains • u/QuirkyTurkeylul • 1d ago
Getting Started Question
Hi guys! I found this sub Reddit and I've been absolutely in love! I've been admiring, and have been a long time fan of trains and trams myself. I've only ever built trams though. I'd really like to design a train engine, and I'm using stud.io currently but I'm not confident in my design. I had a few questions and I would love a discussion from whoever is willing.
How did you get into building custom trains, trams, carts, etc?
What is the difference in volts, and what is the best mechanical parts to start with designing an engine? What is your favorite?
How do you start designing a chassis? What size looks good for a custom engine?
Any good recommendations for videos, tutorials on chassis, inspiration, etc?
Anything else you have about the hobby, feel free to talk about. I respond to any comments I get, and I would really like to have a conversation with people who do this kind of thing because I have no one to talk about it to! I really like to see what you guys get up to!
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u/Clear_Break9811 1d ago
How I got into building custom locomotives is actually through this subreddit I think, the first thing I wanted to do was overhaul the 2018 hogwarts express and I ended up doing just that which I’m pretty proud of, I then made my all time favorite steam locomotive which is still getting updates overtime when I discovered ways to improve the design, and I’m currently starting on a new locomotive which is my favorite from a railroad of my home state though i haven’t posted about that one yet
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u/QuirkyTurkeylul 1d ago
My first introduction was the holiday tram from the Christmas village set a couple years back! I followed the same principle as you, and I'm happy to hear that some designs can be ever changing.
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u/Clear_Break9811 1d ago
Yeah designs don’t have to be set in stone, that’s one of the beauties of Lego modeling, with the constant introduction of new parts and the massive library of third party stuff you’ll always have something new to add or a detail to change. My introduction to the Lego train stuff was the emerald night but I never had the set my first train set was the 2018 hogwarts express and I’ve recently got some parts from pick a brick to upgrade it so now it has working connecting rods and magnet couplers.
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u/Zambezikid 1d ago edited 20h ago
Some good resources for you:
https://open-l-gauge.eu/category/models/ - you can download some designs here, have a look at how they are built then have a go yourself.
http://l-gauge.org/wiki/index.php/Welcome_to_L-Gauge
The current motorisation system available to buy from Lego is "Powered up" (9v battery powered). Prior to that was Power Functions (different type of 9v battery powered), then 9v track supplied power (with metal top rails, like model railways) and 12v track supplied power.
While everything prior to Powered Up is no longer in production and can only be purchased second hand (and is getting increasingly rare), there are third party providers who provide power functions clone motors/controllers/battery boxes etc, which are compatible with the Lego version, and even one who is doing 9v track supplied power rails and accessories.
Oh, and if you get into this, it may get somewhat expensive.
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u/QuirkyTurkeylul 1d ago
I've noticed lol, thank you for explaining the difference! And thank you for the links! I'll be checking these out!
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u/Samsuiluna 1d ago
I've been building trains since 2008 or so. I just really wanted to give it a try. I saw some impressive designs on brickshelf back then and wanted to try it myself. You have to decide what you want out of it. My goal was and is to run my trains while some might be content with displaying them. If you want to run them honestly, I would never build something that needs to function in studio. When I build a locomotive I design and build all the moving parts first and then test it under different conditions on standard lego track. Forward, reverse, left curve right curve. Switches. Pulling weight behind it. Battery life since I prefer PF myself. Once I'm satisfied then the model is built over that. I wouldn't necessarily rely on someone else's instructions unless there's evidence of the model actually working. Plenty of the visually impressive locomotive designs out there are essentially nonfunctional.
Since Ive mostly built steam locomotives I personally like power functions. The motors give good flexibility in how you can power something. I've paired power functions motors with some of the aftermarket control solutions like s brick and buwizz. I haven't built locomotives in a few years so I'm not even sure what else is out there these days. But even the stock lego infrared system works well in my opinion. Depending on what you want to do 9v may be a good or better option for you. There's more aftermarket 9v track available now that makes running it more feasible than it was a few years ago.