Cuusoo of the Week: Train Turntable and Modular Roundhouse by Fachmann

 

  • Cuusoo of the Week: Train Turntable and Modular Roundhouse by Fachmann

    Posted by glenbricker, 05 Mar 2013 13:45. Filed under Cuusoo.

    Trains are very popular in Texas (my current state of residence).  We have many Train shows and LEGO is a very popular part of them.  I am nowhere near as skilled with trains as most of my compatriots in TexLUG but it has given me a lot of respect for them. 

    There are many fantastic trains on Cuusoo but the most creative train project is not a train at all, but a functioning Roundhouse. 

    For those of you uninformed, Roundhouses are where train engines are kept and serviced when not on the tracks.  These houses have large rotating platforms which allow trains to be slotted into various garages for maintenance.  

    I have seen a few of these constructed out of LEGO before, but Fachmann's is the closest build to a production model I have yet encountered.  The basic function is that there is a rotating platform with a ring of track around it.  Simple in principle but very complex in execution. 

    Even if you do not absolutely love trains... or don't have enough room to display a roundhouse, this project has immense value to the LEGO fan. 

    At its most basic, it is a rotating platform.  I would very much like to display some of my MOCs on something like this.  Not to mention, it seems everyone wants to make the "Ultimate" Bat Cave.... well, what Bat Cave could consider itself truly complete without a rotating platform for the Batmobile! 

    With all the LEGO Train groups out there, I am surprised that this Train Roundhouse is not doing a bit better.   Lets see if this helps get the word out. 

    A week of Cuusoo

    My favorite new project this week is the Starship Enterprise.  It is quite impressive and yes, I know it has no shot at production, but that is why I want people to support it (check the review for clarification on that point).  There is also a very attractive new Ghostbusters project and a minifig scale Minas Tirith worthy of attention.

    My review of these projects and a showcase of all the projects that came out in the last week can be found here.


    20 comments, latest one posted 2 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)
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Comments

Posted by darthdc in United Kingdom, 05 Mar 2013 14:37

Fantastic. Just needs to provide the sheds for the engines to go in. FYI, the rotating platforms were simply called Turntables. I'd love to see the instructions for this.

Posted by DwarfSleepy in United Kingdom, 05 Mar 2013 15:11

Fachmann provided LDD files on cussoo, also for the sheds. Wonderful model.

Posted by Starwarsgeek500 in United States, 05 Mar 2013 15:13

Why doesn't it have a shot? After all, LEGO did make Star Wars.
Anyway, I would like you to direct your attention to this project:
lego.cuusoo.com/ideas/view/31711
Good models, interesting plot, and a release schedule for cool new models! What could be better?

Posted by glenbricker in United States, 05 Mar 2013 15:24

@Starwarsgeek500,

I think I make it pretty clear in the review as to why it does not have a shot:

If you didn't click the link to the review, here it is again: http://blog.brick-hero.com/2013/03/cuusoo-of-week.html

Posted by lippidp in United States, 05 Mar 2013 15:32

The roundhouse looks cool. I would've been more impressed if the turntable was 9v compatible.

Posted by lippidp in United States, 05 Mar 2013 15:35

Then again, I guess there would be no point in putting a 9v train on Cuusoo as it would have zero chance of passing.

Posted by f-man in United States, 05 Mar 2013 17:32

glenbricker, I hate to be "that guy" but did you mean uniformed, or uninformed? If the former, it adds a totally new dimension to the sentence.
Beyond that, great Cuusoo projects to choose, as per usual.

Posted by Lordmoral in United States, 05 Mar 2013 19:22

The people have a lot of inspiration.

Posted by Starwarsgeek500 in United States, 05 Mar 2013 20:51

@glenbricker:
Alright, thanks.

Posted by glenbricker in United States, 06 Mar 2013 00:04

@ f-man,

Thanks for not being shy about corrections. I did mean uninformed.

Posted by CCC in United Kingdom, 06 Mar 2013 05:32

The turn-table is nice but it doesn't look lego-legal to me as it stands. Watch what happens when the train comes off, the track bounces. So track would need extra plates underneath to stop this. But does that stop it from functioning properly, or does it need a bit of "give" to cope with the level change?

Posted by Markey in Belgium, 06 Mar 2013 08:10

^ If it gets 10K votes and approved, its up to LEGO to make it lego-legal, right?

I think it looks great, and am supporting it.

Posted by CCC in United Kingdom, 06 Mar 2013 08:28

^ Yes, it would be up to lego to get it lego-legal. The question was does it inherently need the bounce / some give in level to be able to get on and off the turn-table.

From a cost point of view, this would be huge. I'd imagine lego would reduce it to maybe 4 or 6 spurs. Just count up how much straight tracks it takes, without even considering where they lead and how many more track pieces you'd need to fill them in. And without cheap track, people won't buy a large version.

Posted by Thomson & Thompson in Canada, 06 Mar 2013 08:34

Looks great.

Posted by Si_Dorking_Surrey in United Kingdom, 06 Mar 2013 08:44

Beautiful.

Posted by bmwlego in United States, 06 Mar 2013 12:46

My friend and fellow I LUG NY'er Cody designed the Enterprise and Ghostbusters HQ models featured here. Cody is an amazing builder and his models are worthy of checking out and voting for. He specializes in builds of licensed themes that LEGO hasn't produced yet that speak to many AFOLs.

Posted by Navy Trooper Fenson in Germany, 06 Mar 2013 18:19

Hasbro and their KRE-O line already make Star Trek sets based on the new movie. Seems like instant death for the Enterprise.

Posted by xboxtravis7992 in United States, 06 Mar 2013 18:32

Well Lego Purists/Star Trek fans will have to do the same thing Halo fans, Transformers fans, GI Joe fans and fans of all the other licences snagged up by M*** B*** and K*** do; build awesome MOC's which remind people why the clone brands are crap!

Besides, Marvel and DC were once associated with clone brands and look at where they are now!

Also, the roundhouse is a great model. Although I supported the roundhouse before this article was published, it is exciting to see the wave of new supporters for the roundhouse.

Posted by MrMonsieurGreen in United States, 06 Mar 2013 20:45

I wonder if Cuusoo will ever make a big model.

Posted by darthdc in United Kingdom, 07 Mar 2013 11:17

I've seen a video on youtube from Japan. Apart from loads of custom trains, the layout is all 9v track, including the turntable. It uses an over head assembly to power the track on the turntable itself.

http://youtu.be/Hz6tQIZioTA

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