Subject:
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Re: The Future of Trains
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.lego
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Date:
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Tue, 2 Oct 2007 17:40:41 GMT
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Viewed:
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21425 times
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In lugnet.lego, Tommy Armstrong wrote:
> Am I missing something? I might be. Now I do not want to criticize anyone--
> and this is not meant to be critical--but how difficult would it be to get a
> group to come together, create a specification, and then get it
> manufactured? If y'all really have the numbers that you think you have, it
> has to be worth the effort for some small nimble company to fill the niche.
Writing programs or operating systems requires only three things. Knowledge,
creativity, and time. The creativity clearly isn't an issue for the AFOL
community, and any true hobbyist will find time when and where possible.
Knowledge is the only major catching point, which is why not _every_ NXT user is
crafting operating systems and not every digital builder is writing their own
modeling programs. Now, a handful of people have also proven that designing
custom parts and getting them manufactured is also not impossible, but generally
only for small stuff (I think the largest I've seen so far are the new cows that
BrickForge recently posted for sale). Unfortunately, the larger and more
complex the part is, the more expensive the moldmaking process will be, and many
of the track geometries that people would be really interested in seeing
produced are much more complex than anything that's been released so far for the
9v system (such as the double-crossover from the RC Train line).
Rapid prototyping works for one-off designs, though every RP I've ever seen has
visible terracing on curved surfaces. Getting clean curvy parts requires
labor-intensive cleanup, though since all the existing train track pieces are
flat, that shouldn't be nearly as much of a problem as it would for parts with
complex curves. They would still probably show evidence of the RP process, but
not as much. On the plus side, RP parts would be cheaper for small runs, since
there would be no physical molds required. However, if demand is high enough,
molded parts will soak the cost of the molds. Unless you can get people to pony
up cash in advance (not likely after a certain magazine fiasco), you'll never
for sure which route will be most cost effective.
Now, add to this the fact that most current custom part manufacturers are making
parts that are small enough that they can save production costs by setting up
multi-part molds, whereas the only track geometries that I can see being able to
take advantage of that capability are stubbies (center of one tie to the next,
either curved or straight). And of course you have people who wouldn't buy them
no matter how well they're made for the simple reason that they aren't
_official_ LEGO, or because they wouldn't even be aware that custom track
designs were even being made (essentially, anyone who isn't aware of ILTCO).
It's definitely possible, but the costs would be prohibitively high for most
people to even consider, and that's just for all-plastic track, not even getting
into the application of sheet metal rail coverings (which require both custom
cutting dies and machines to attach them to the plastic bases). Fans will
probably love the idea of being able to buy new 9v track geometries, but many
will balk at the idea of paying even twice what The LEGO Company would have
likely charged for the same part, and that's assuming a custom manufacturer
could even keep costs that low (I doubt it's possible without intentionally
taking a loss on the project).
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Message has 3 Replies:
 | | Re: The Future of Trains
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| Snip (...) So, what about taking another route and simply approach one of the many model railroad companies to see their interest in making something more like what THEY already make that *could* suit our needs? I'd love to see some unofficial brass (...) (17 years ago, 2-Oct-07, to lugnet.lego)
| | | Re: The Future of Trains
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| (...) Funny how we as AFOLs have a hard time thinking "outside the box". We automatically assume that new track geometry necessarily requires large sectional track pieces. The old 4.5-volt/12-volt system had separate ties (sleepers in Europe), track (...) (17 years ago, 2-Oct-07, to lugnet.lego, FTX)
| | | Re: The Future of Trains
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| (...) If this were to be done, and the target market was AFOLs, then it would make far more sense to not bother at all with the curved and straight track sections of different sizes, but just produce flextrack. Then you have a single small gang-able (...) (17 years ago, 2-Oct-07, to lugnet.lego)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Re: The Future of Trains
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| I have probably said this before but here goes again. I can think of few other sub-cultures that are as educated, creative (in an engineering way), and passionate as the LEGO sub-culture. I have constantly been amazed at the incredibly creative (...) (17 years ago, 2-Oct-07, to lugnet.lego)
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