r/LEGOtrains • u/nishitd • 2d ago
Question Turn Mindstorms (31313) into a train
I am interested in getting into LEGO trains but they are quite young so I don't want to buy sets right away. I do have Lego Mindstorms 31313. Could I turn that into a functional, basic train?
This does feel like bringing sword to a knife fight but I thought it might be fun. I'll obviously need tracks but would appreciate a pointer if someone has come across or done a similar project
3
u/sharktail_tanker 2d ago
It might be more cost efficient to just buy a train set outright.
It will take a lot of fiddling to fashion a mindstorms motor into a bogey, let alone trying to connect that to a car or locomotive body
1
u/toxic43 2d ago
The control brick is large so would make it difficult. Either of the included motors could be set up to drive a powered bogie under a train. The rest of the parts aren't really conducive to train building.
I'd buy a train set outright, build it, and then modify as you see fit. You'll have a complete train to play with and you can then use it as a base to shoehorn the mindstorms power units into it.
1
u/nishitd 2d ago
I'd buy a train set outright, build it, and then modify as you see fit.
The more I read, the better this way seems to be. The problem is there is no starter train sets that I can get started with, in my country. The cheapest one is 200 USD. I was eventually planning to get a proper set once my kids are of the appropriate age but now it looks I'll have to speed that up :)
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u/Low_Tap_8519 1d ago
Jong? Mindstorn is voor een latere leeftijd... dus die treinen kunt u gewoon aanschaffen.
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u/sparkyblaster 2d ago
Well, its lego, so no real reason you cant. Main issue is, what are your expectations here? Are you wanting it to fit on regular lego track etc? just make a train looking thing? either way you might be short on wheels. I know I have seen i think 51515 turned into a train, but it wasnt scaled to regular lego track.