ST100 Planetary Express

Tom Frost gives us a sneak peek at his latest MOC, a futuristic LEGO Space train that illuminates using Power Functions, before he unveils it at Brick Fest Live

I’m a big fan of LEGO trains and, of course, LEGO Space themes, so it is only natural that I would try my hand at a Space Train. I was inspired by sci-fi trains that I have seen from other builders. When I saw Stephan Niehoff’s Blacktron Armoured ‘Rhino’ Train build, it really motivated me to create my own.

The colour scheme and overall aesthetic of my Space Train is borrowed from a MOC that I built last year, an update of the classic set 6952 Solar Power Transporter. My original vision was a for a sci-fi passenger train with a cab at both ends and one more car in the middle, reminiscent of the LEGO monorail designs. I wanted the model to be wide, low, and sleek and I wanted to incorporate LED lighting. When I began building the chassis, I realized that fitting all of the Power Functions components, plus the LED wiring, in only three cars was not realistic. I decided to make the train five cars long to keep the symmetry while giving me more room for all of the hardware. I also wanted to keep the batteries accessible so they can be switched out when the train is running as part of a display.

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Once I had the basic layout of the train completed with all of the electronic components, the rest was just fun building. I had a basic idea of what I wanted the train to look like, but I mostly just built and revised until I had the look I wanted. It was important to balance good shaping with greebly details and completely cover the wheels to give it a maglev look.

I’m really pleased with the result. The finished model is a little over 100 studs long, 10 studs wide, and less than 7 bricks tall above the rails (a typical City train is about 11 bricks tall).  The train runs well, looks great under a black light, and features 16 individual LEDs in the head and tail lights and the dishes on the sides of the cars. Eventually this will be part of a large Space MOC that I am slowly developing. Next up will be a freight train with a completely different design and colour scheme.

If you are in the Pittsburgh, PA area July 15-16, you can see this Space train in person in the Steel City LUG display at Brick Fest Live.

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