LEGO train scale?

@jhz563 posted:

LEGO trains are every close to the O gauge.  In fact I have built some lego cars and mounted them on O gauge trucks, they are a bit hit at shows.  The gauge is a metric number, ( i don't remember it of the top of my head), and the people are unique.

I'm quite sorry to nerf this thread, but could you please explain as to how you mounted the O-gauge trucks?  I'm quite new to all of this.
Thank you!

@Eilif posted:

Originally Posted by Garrett76:

I'm part of a LEGO train club ( NILTC.org ) . Maybe I can help. As folks have already said, LEGO is not a true scale, but is very close to 0 scale, with most of their products being similarly sized to 0-27 trains.  However, some folks make their custom engines very close to scale models.  The average LEGO figure is close in height to 1/48, but if it's measurements are taken, it is remarkably obese.

LEGO discontinued the "9V" powered rail system almost a decade ago.  Our club has stuck with 9V components for their ease of use in public displays. However, the move to IR remote controlled trains (running on all plastic tracks) has not been entirely bad for the user.  

The new system is called "Power Functions".  As well has having a truck-mounted motor unit that is very similar to the old (9V) set, the power functions also allows LEGO users to use the gears and pieces from the LEGO "Technic" system to gear their own engines for increased torque and other specs.  Also the advent of Lithium Ion  Battery packs has given these battery powered trains much more staying power.
...
Another option is to purchase the Freight Train set for $200 or the Passenger Train kit for $150.  Each will come with all the necessary motor and control elements as well as track  and other stuff.

A final option would be to not buy the 88002 train motor and get the 8882 power functions XL motor. This will save a few bucks, but you'll have to purchase additional gearing elements to get the power to the wheels. You'll also have to modify the Hogwarts express ALOT to make it work.

I'm sorry for the late reply.

My memory is very hazy, as they moved away 2 decades ago, but some friends of ours had a lego train (it was grey, as I recall), but if you asked me yesterday, I could have sworn that it used powered rails, and not a battery.  Am I totally wrong in this memory?

Thank you!

@Micro posted:

I'm quite sorry to nerf this thread, but could you please explain as to how you mounted the O-gauge trucks?  I'm quite new to all of this.
Thank you!

It's all good.   I am actually resurrecting some lego/o projects right now anyway.

As discussed,  the big issue is that L gauge is roughly 1/4" wider than o gauge. (And the Lego wheel tread is very narrow compared to O gauge toy trains.)

Here is a gondola I built years ago from lego plans I got online.   The trucks are lower quality plastic trucks from lionel's mpc era. I drilled out the original hole (I think I opened it up to 3/16" but don't take that to the bank).

Then I just popped in a technic pin and inserted into the bottom of the car.  You do have to make sure that the shoulder in the middle of the pin has a place to be.  In the case of the gondola there is a 1 plate void that works out nicely.

If you like lego trains, be sure to check out brick model railroader website.   They are really stepping up the lego trains game,  including offering high end Kadee couplers mounted in lego brick compatible housings.  They are doing this to improve on the magnetic couplers used in lego trains.   I am trying to adapt their products to make lego based O gauge cars with all lego parts.

I also built this caboose a while back.

The trucks on this one are higher quality metal assemblies,  but the mounting solution was brute force.

I drilled a hole in the plate - I guarentee you this would drive lego purists bonkers!  Just like the technic pin, you have to allow for the screw head.  I hope this helps 🙂👍

@Micro posted:

I'm sorry for the late reply.

My memory is very hazy, as they moved away 2 decades ago, but some friends of ours had a lego train (it was grey, as I recall), but if you asked me yesterday, I could have sworn that it used powered rails, and not a battery.  Am I totally wrong in this memory?

Thank you!

You're not wrong. 2 decades ago would have been smack in the "9V" system. Wall powered transformer and plastic tracks with metal tops.

@AMCDave posted:

LEGO Gen 1 trains were rail powered. The rails had thin metal strips that were applied over the plastic rails.

My son has a HUGE LEGO layout with many buildings and 3 trains and a monorail. Current LEGO trains are battery powered and run by a nice wireless remote control.

Very cool that he has the monorail. That's a rare system. I have space monorails but always dreamed of the airport monorail.

Actually the first Lego trains were battery powered on plastic rails. Then there was a 3 rail system and another battery system.

Interesting history of LEGO train systems here.

https://www.holgermatthes.de/b...en/train-systems.php

My knowledge of LEGO trains is pretty limited, but my son is into them.  We bought a couple of engines for him when he was young.  We never picked up any track or power for them.  He still has them.  One is a Santa Fe F unit and the other is a BNSF GP-38.  

Years later as a teenager, decided he wanted a powered set and picked up a cargo train set.  It runs with a remote.  He set that up around his Christmas tree this year.

This fall they released a Crocodile engine and he grabbed one of those.  It required you to purchase a different power unit that used a phone app.  While I love the engine, the app has some issues.  If you just want it to run for awhile, the app will time out and the engine will stop.  You have to cycle the power unit in the engine and reboot the app to get it going again.  Not sure if it’s a common issue or just an issue with his older phone.

You can still easily find the Crocodile engine in stores.  The three part articulation looks real nice going around the track.

@jhz563 posted:

It's all good.   I am actually resurrecting some lego/o projects right now anyway.

As discussed,  the big issue is that L gauge is roughly 1/4" wider than o gauge. (And the Lego wheel tread is very narrow compared to O gauge toy trains.)

Here is a gondola I built years ago from lego plans I got online.   The trucks are lower quality plastic trucks from lionel's mpc era. I drilled out the original hole (I think I opened it up to 3/16" but don't take that to the bank).

Then I just popped in a technic pin and inserted into the bottom of the car.  You do have to make sure that the shoulder in the middle of the pin has a place to be.  In the case of the gondola there is a 1 plate void that works out nicely.

If you like lego trains, be sure to check out brick model railroader website.   They are really stepping up the lego trains game,  including offering high end Kadee couplers mounted in lego brick compatible housings.  They are doing this to improve on the magnetic couplers used in lego trains.   I am trying to adapt their products to make lego based O gauge cars with all lego parts.

I also built this caboose a while back.

The trucks on this one are higher quality metal assemblies,  but the mounting solution was brute force.

I drilled a hole in the plate - I guarentee you this would drive lego purists bonkers!  Just like the technic pin, you have to allow for the screw head.  I hope this helps 🙂👍

Can confirm - you probably used 3/16" to drill out the hole in the MPC truck for technic pins. I saw your first post from like 5 years ago I think, and I decided to give it a shot - 3/16" is what worked for me also. Your post was what made me finally join the forum. My wife and I were thinking about it - why buy plastic buildings and stuff when we can build our own? and we have plenty of ready-made people that we can reconfigure at will. The scale is pretty close in terms of modelling, and we're more likely to get the kids involved with either hobby if we involve multiple hobbies/toys together. I built a crude boxcar and pulled it around a big run of track both alone and mixed in with other cars and it worked great.  Now to play around with some designs for rolling stock...

I also picked up some cheap flatcar bodies without trucks so I can try either sticking Lego plates to them to build on or hauling Lego cargo/loads/containers (or both?). I checked out the Kadee couplers on Brick model railroader; seems like it might work especially if you have trucks with shorter height like the plastic Weaver 2-rail trucks. I'm not sure those are easy to find. I have to have a set from a bargain find I got, so I may try them for giggles. I think in terms of easiest to find and most affordable in the short term, MPC plastic trucks may be the way to go, even if some of the couplers are fixed. I have some from a starter set and each car had a fixed coupler and an operating one. I also have some from cars I upgraded that had working couplers on both ends.

@Helomedic posted:

Can confirm - you probably used 3/16" to drill out the hole in the MPC truck for technic pins. I saw your first post from like 5 years ago I think, and I decided to give it a shot - 3/16" is what worked for me also. Your post was what made me finally join the forum. My wife and I were thinking about it - why buy plastic buildings and stuff when we can build our own? and we have plenty of ready-made people that we can reconfigure at will. The scale is pretty close in terms of modelling, and we're more likely to get the kids involved with either hobby if we involve multiple hobbies/toys together. I built a crude boxcar and pulled it around a big run of track both alone and mixed in with other cars and it worked great.  Now to play around with some designs for rolling stock...

I also picked up some cheap flatcar bodies without trucks so I can try either sticking Lego plates to them to build on or hauling Lego cargo/loads/containers (or both?). I checked out the Kadee couplers on Brick model railroader; seems like it might work especially if you have trucks with shorter height like the plastic Weaver 2-rail trucks. I'm not sure those are easy to find. I have to have a set from a bargain find I got, so I may try them for giggles. I think in terms of easiest to find and most affordable in the short term, MPC plastic trucks may be the way to go, even if some of the couplers are fixed. I have some from a starter set and each car had a fixed coupler and an operating one. I also have some from cars I upgraded that had working couplers on both ends.

Well welcome to the forum!  I am glad something I posted helped you out!

There is another Lego thread going on right now too. "O" gauge trains and Lego

I have seen folks that glued plates (6 wide is what I think I saw) right to regular o gauge flat cars. This would be a great way to get kids more involved. Maybe I will do that for my youngsters.

As far as running full lego based rolling stock I think you and I agree that the fastest/cheapest way to go is to modify mpc plastic truck assemblies, and then mount an existing lego train car right to the modified trucks.  When the world was actually having train shows sometimes I would buy a really inexpensive mpc era cars for 5 or 8 dollars because it was cheaper to harvest the trucks of an undesirable car than it was to buy them separately!

Right now I am doing things the hard way, but only because I want to see what can be done.

Please feel free to share a picture of the boxcar you made.