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Articulated light rail vehicle

Posted December 2, 2002 23:47 | Category: Trains | #

This is my second LEGO train model, a modern light rail vehicle (LRV). It is inspired loosely by the new vehicles that have recently entered service for the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) in Santa Clara County, CA. Like the VTA LRV's, it has three sections, with the middle one having a wheelset fixed to it, and has a "low floor" design, so that there are no steps to climb from the platform. This gives easy access to those in wheelchairs, with strollers, or with other limited mobility.

The LEGO train motor is in the center section, so the floor is elevated there, unlike the prototype. Also, it only has one set of doors in each section, rather than two. And of course, being 6-wide, it has room for very limited seating.

The articulation is done by having wall and ceiling sections that bridge the different parts of the body. The wall sections are held in place with rubber bands on both ends. The ceiling section is held with a swivel hinge at one end and a rubber band at the other. The body parts are connected together using ball and socket hitches.

It navigates just fine around the sharpest LEGO turns but it does slow down a bit on a tight curve due to friction. It has no problem with switches, since it uses standard LEGO wheels.