On the 27-28th of February, the annual FreeLUG meeting (more than 60 attendees) took place at Veneux-les-sablons, France.

Among other activities, we had a contest - or should I say two contests.

The first contest had to be prepared as it consisted in presenting a LEGO train creations on the theme of shunters.

You can see below a sample of entries.

It appeared to us that this kind of contest is highly enjoyable and addictive when you set up a symmetric yard and play directly against an opponent, face to face, rather than under the pressure of a timer.

You can find more photos and a video at FreeLUG gallery.

Usually the RAILBRICKS staff have advice for our readers on LEGO trains.  This time, it's the other way around. I could use some advice on how to make my latest project work as well as possible!

I'm working on converting my 6-wide GG1 locomotive to 8-wide.You can see the 6-wide model in the picture below.

The GG1 was a massive locomotive, nearly 80 feet long with 10 axles in a 2-C-C-2 configuration. That notation means that it had leading and trailing unpowered trucks with two axles and two central trucks, each with three powered axles.

For my model, I took some design cues from the spectacular GG1 designed by Bob Hayes. My 6-wide model used 9V motors in the leading and trailing trucks, just like Bob's:

http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=296786

I want the new 8-wide model to be about 50 studs long, powered by two PF XL motors (with associated gear), and using BBB medium wheels for the two center trucks. I want the articulation to look as good as possible, and I need to direct power to at least a portion of the axles. How would you approach this design dilemma?  Feel free to post comments with your suggestions!

Thanks!

Jordan

Flickr user Jayhurst is dealing with a case of the uglies.....His entry into the Flickr Ugly Train contest blends train with beast.

From the description at Flickr:

It is a Camelback Atlantic 4-4-2, and it is modeled after the #592 steam engine that resides in the B&O museum.

This moc is powered by a medium PF motor that is mounted in the firebox. The rechargeable battery and the IR receiver are mounted in the tender.

LUGPOL member Robson recently posted a nice little Electric Shunter, an E69.

The wheel cowlings are a particularly interesting solution, using the armor pieces from the Knights Kingdom action figures.