Making a LEGO Train Go Vertical!

[@marksapollo]

I never thought that fan would actually work! Colour me surprised, great job.

[@BuilditwithBricks]

Yes I’m surprised it permitted such a high angle myself! Thanks!

[@joshuahing-rowell7469]

Real

[@A_Random_Goose]

I pretty much said the exact same thing

[@neon_05]

@@BuilditwithBricks bit of a late response but it's probably bc you are not pulling anything with your locomotive. with more weight and friction on other carriages, you would have to add a rack or switch to a funicuar

[@Meloen83]

There was nothing stopping it from tipping backwards. Only a small force would suffice which the fan provided

[@oPlazmaMC]

90 degrees: Its an elevator with a bunch of useless parts stuck to it

[@BuilditwithBricks]

Thanks for the comment! A cable railway utilises a permanently attached cable to move trains and engines up a steep gradient. A funicular is also a type of cable railway but utilises two counterbalanced carriages! (This is similar to that but not quite!)

[@oPlazmaMC]

@@BuilditwithBricks at a 90 degree slope you dont need a rail anymore because gravity will hold your elevator in place anyways

[@maxjohnson403]

Yeah a rack and pinion isn't really a train at that point.

[@RaineyPeng]

@@oPlazmaMCexcept isn’t gravity literally not holding it in place because the railway is now perpendicular to gravity?

[@oPlazmaMC]

@@RaineyPeng gravity still holds it in its place because its the lowest point it can go on a cable

[@dallinhunter7385]

bro reinvented the elevator

[@akaHarvesteR]

Now this means there is a threshold angle at which elevator becomes train. We'll need another video to pin that down.

[@hugobartha6824]

but worse

[@jossdeiboss]

@@akaHarvesteR I know this is intended to be a joke but, there was an accident with a funicular (Kaprun disaster) in which a fan not designed for railway operation started burning. This led to many fatalities as people were trapped in a tunnel with fire. You know how the managers/engineers were able to escape punishment? Declaring that the system is not a train but an inclined elevator.

[@akaHarvesteR]

@@jossdeiboss wow, that turned dark quickly 😬 I think I heard of the disaster, but didn't know about that bit afterwards, that's horrible

[@jossdeiboss]

​@@akaHarvesteR Yeah, sorry for taking a dark turn. I couldn't resist LOL

[@Bards.98]

That fan was a really nice out of the box solution!

[@BuilditwithBricks]

Thanks! It took the train to a decent angle!!

[@wizarddjbaby7739]

...l:☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆★★☆☆☆☆☆★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆★★★★America

[@Baphomet-J.-Moon-Fetus]

The World needs more trains with giant lethal propellers on top!!! PS - I'd call 90 degrees a fail, unless you can somehow determine that the loco is providing more climbing force than the winch.

[@BuilditwithBricks]

Yeah I’m not sure what health and safety would say about the propellor! The cable railway (similar to a funicular) is a permanently attached cable / train combo used for steep gradients typically railways in mountainous regions. Thanks for the comment!

[@Baphomet-J.-Moon-Fetus]

@@BuilditwithBricks Yup, I've been on plenty of cable railways, funiculars, water lifts... My point is that traction and wheel drive was the point of the experiment. In theory you could have the railway over hanging and as long as magnets held the loco con the track, the winch would pull it up... but that isn't really the loco doing tractive drive work, is it? The same could be true of 90 degrees, unless it can be measured.

[@jakubpollak2067]

@@Baphomet-J.-Moon-Fetus Maybe shed unnecessary weight and use magnet - cog combo again? Less weight, means less magnetic attraction needed Also maybe add metal plate on the whole belly of locomotive, instead of magnet, as that would make it more smooth that having magnets on locomotive too

[@LegoAutoTech]

crazy and amazing, right???

[@Eddiee757]

There was a train with a propeller on once, it was called the Schienenzeppelin

[@dannyseville2543]

I don't know what I'm more impressed with, how far it got or the ideas you had to get it there.

[@BuilditwithBricks]

Thanks for the support!

[@Tommygunn776]

We were all surprised by how far the 1 wheel drive went

[@BuilditwithBricks]

Me too in all honesty! Thanks for watching !

[@Floofie_boi]

I didn't think it would have done even half as good as it did

[@theisraelilocomotive70414]

Quick note, as per real locomotives, the placement of the rods would be more effective if offset 90° from each other rather than having them be 180° as per your video. Also, the rack and pinion is something real railroads use, and the wheels below the tracks is just how roller coasters tend to work. Wonderful illustration of why each is used.

[@thedachor]

It's called a cogwheel train and there used to be one near where I live that ran in and out of the Ohio river valley!

[@theisraelilocomotive70414]

As I understand it, it's mainly called a rack railway, and there's plenty around the world in the US, Switzerland, and other countries as well.

[@thedachor]

@@theisraelilocomotive70414 you really had to try to correct me on both points didn't you? You must be fun at parties

[@JojoCat2008]

Thomas had never seen such physics before.

[@thatawkwardfeeling9076]

It's really impressive for a real train to climb even 7 degrees, much less 40

[@stuchly1]

My main takeaway from this video, how surprisingly steep fifteen degrees is.

[@larkshadow5317]

Congratulations on creating the most complicated elevator.

[@LEGOExploration]

😁

[@Stecus2704]

Bird

[@JohnDoe-ni9zm]

@@Stecus2704 Word

[@spikeboi195]

Endless creativity there is no limit to imagination with lego i just love this hobby, expensive but so fun

[@Rdoodler17]

This some Bad Piggies type shenanigans and I love it

[@AyanBiswas_]

Bro helped the human kind to merge Elevator, train and a helicopter. 😂👍 Next stop :- Moon

[@roskelld]

I look forward to part two, which starts with 100 degrees and goes up from there.

[@debrasmith9069]

Wheels at the start: carrying. Wheel by 70 degrees: “yeah we’re just here for moral support😂”

[@MotyA_Tuber]

3:10 That fall😂

[@Terry-traingirl2025]

4:04 This makes me want to make my own railway that goes on steep hills

[@augustusallan3619]

Best one is the propeller fan. How ingenious!

[@BuilditwithBricks]

Thanks for the comment!!

[@CarterRich-k3w]

5:16 I laughed so much when I saw this 😂😂😂

[@pierre-b4o]

me too

[@Mr_Sage]

Love ur videos so much. you are genius 🙃love from INDIA😊

[@BuilditwithBricks]

Ah thanks! I appreciate your support! Thanks for watching!

[@arghjayem]

Instead of adding more weight initially you should have been moving the battery box lower and further forward. IMHO. 🤷

[@BuilditwithBricks]

Thanks for the comment! Yep there are lots of ways to move the centre of gravity! I suppose that’s what makes each designer different!

[@ShrimplyAquascaping]

Thanks so much for adding those piston rods ( I think they are called that) it makes things looks so much cooler

[@joeleboeuf]

They are called that. But most refer to them as coupling rods.

[@StrangeGameA_]

i kept screaming: USE FWD!!!

[@minor_2nd]

100%, would've made such a difference

[@BuilditwithBricks]

Hi thanks for the comments! I tested front wheel drive on the early models - it worked until the gradient increased, then the slightest lifting of the front wheel meant it had no traction (less compared to the rear wheel drive) and by adding weight forward of that front wheel to get it to stay in the ground effectively made it RWD! Thanks for watching!

[@Maxaker]

RWD >>>> FWD always ​@@BuilditwithBricks

[@BennoRob95]

I only wish that you had given the magnets another go at the end as that would have been as cool as the Treasure Island fan assisted train that you had there. Great vid’!

[@SmartLegoTBN]

Congratulations on creating the best train

[@DaniilYUMA]

3:44 This moment made me laugh😂😂 It's like a steam locomotive running on a thermonuclear engine!😅😂 5:32 Steam locomotive + propeller = Locomotive helicopter😊😂 8:00 Locomotive, hold on!! 😥😥

[@BuilditwithBricks]

Ah! I’m glad you enjoyed the video! Thanks!

[@LegoAutoTech]

8:55, I can't trust in my eye, it's work at 90 degree, OMG

[@Ljfarmer28-ie1fr]

Now make it 100 degrees

[@LegoAutoTech]

@@Ljfarmer28-ie1fr hit me 1 sub, i gotta try to do it at 100 degree, tks for your challenge so much

[@its_captain_aardvark]

That fan actually impressed me.

[@darthgbc363]

Great idea with the fan.

[@BuilditwithBricks]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@LEGOExploration]

*"Your videos always bring great value! I'm looking forward to seeing more content from you in the future."*

[@edutaimentcartoys]

amazing experiment

[@guard13007]

Weird elevator at the end. :P

[@Davesoft]

The rack and pinion changed it from train into roller coaster, then the rest was just exotic spaceship design with a train randomly included :P

[@Jonah-h6]

This is cool keep up the good videos 👌

[@BuilditwithBricks]

Thanks a lot!!

[@TanksAllot]

I agree

[@리틀엔젤-v9s]

You are so crazy, man! Good job!

[@arthilas_]

You should have tried a rack'n'pinion system where the rack is double-sided and mounted sideways, with pinions clamping into it from both sides - thus the pinions can no longer jump teeth.

[@IceMan-wj4wg]

Like i predicted, its when u start to go over ~40 degrees angle it gets really difficult. Fun experiment.

[@CmmdrKitty]

Regardless of how the trains are made to climb. Awesome video m8

[@BuilditwithBricks]

Thanks for the support! Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@jakubpollak2067]

I have only one issue Connecting rods on sides are supposed to be 90° offset between right/left side, not 180° (that would be same as of they were 0° offset) In your setup, if you turn wheels 90° both rods will align and won't provide torque, as they only push/pull forward/backwards Be separating them 90° you will make sure that at least one side can push/pull the wheels

[@weldeddaydreams]

I was amazed that the fan worked as well as it did, and impressed that the magnets got it to 80 degrees. But the winch makes it not a train, IMHO.

[@Joseph-y6x8l]

You should make a video seeing how fast you can make a Lego train go

[@Nabilzto]

Especially the rail lines are serrated like the Ambarawa and Bedono serrated lines and also in Solok, Sumatra.

[@heavenlyplace1]

It's so cool

[@LegoBoomSG]

cool, its on point

[@laszloperneky8417]

With the last solution, you may have been able to go beyond 90 degrees :) Next time a train loop de loop :D

[@BuilditwithBricks]

Funny you should say that…. Check out my LEGO Rollercoaster loop the loop video! There you will find an answer to your question…

[@laszloperneky8417]

@@BuilditwithBricks Indeed. Nice :)

[@oPlazmaMC]

His process of thought: If I take an elevator, add a bunch of useless bits to it and call it a train, some ppl might even believe it

[@venchikdok]

Get a life man, touch grass idk​@@oPlazmaMC

[@samschellhase8831]

How often do you get pieces that break when vehicles fall down? I imagine that fan piece was more fragile than most other pieces

[@BuilditwithBricks]

From all my builds I’ve got a growing bin full of broken bits - I’ll probably do a video showcasing them all at some stage!!

[@AlienXtream1]

just as a point of technicality, this isn't a "train" going vertical but a locomotive going vertical. do follow up of this with the required carriages to be a proper train :P

[@FerrybigGaming]

With 3 traction wheels,. the connection rods should be offset 90 degrees from each other, not 180. This transfers power more evently. (and mirrors a steam locomotive)

[@sages7783]

Once you add the gears to the track it kinda stops being a train as the drive wheels are entirely unnecessary at that point but any track would require a gear underneath it.

[@moofymoo]

make tiny vertical trains to replace stairs in buildings!

[@youraveragepen-7481]

i tried using the bendable tracks to make ramps more easily but the trains keep getting stuck

[@TabiG82]

On Pilatusbahn (over 45 degrees) you can see side cogwheels on both side. The name of technology is "Locher rack system".

[@tomekkadziela9410]

I would say the winch system is kinda missing a point, you could put anything with a magnet on a winch and it would go vertically

[@9dvds]

In bridgnorth there is a steep railway, it is winch powered

[@WorasLT]

Im going to try this in Satisfactory :D

[@Meloen83]

Front wheel drive instead of adding weight to the front would have made a world of difference. The fan was also a ridiculous solution instead of simply lowering the centre of gravity

[@KirkHermary]

Very cool!

[@TheCustomFHD]

I would suggest a lighter design with all the electronics, especially the battery, infront. The driving wheel for the rack and pinion could either be in the back, or perhaps also in the front, but i think the back is gonna be better as it should prevent slipping. And instead of the winch pulling the train up, you could use it like a spanner, squezeing the train against the wall. Might work without the magnets even, and wont need powered wheels (but extra points if you leave them in and properly drive all of em directly, so in the case of no rack and pinion it could still move

[@MincecraftSoundeffects-ii4db]

cool vids i subscribed

[@FailRaceFan]

2:36 Would've loved to see the front axle to be powered instead of four wheel drive. Instead of pushing all this weight, a smaller weight could be pulled. Eventually, this wouldn't be enough anymore and 6 wheels need to be driven for higher traction. It would be a tangent to well stretch the video a bit more.

[@qwertyjeffMC]

Nice job on 80K subs:DDDDD

[@BuilditwithBricks]

Thanks! 😁

[@MitchOLego]

OK so .. this is about halfway to an insane idea I had , but I'm not even close to knowing enough to modify your work ... How about having a train go all the way around a vertical facing round track? Basically, the 88 stud train track circle is standing up, and i want to be able to have a small train going around that circle. I suspect part of the problem, even beyond solving it the way this video does, would be making any sort of speed consistency between chugging up the one side of the circle vs avoiding free fall down the other side ...

[@acomingextinction]

i need that downforce fan train in a zombie film, and i need it yesterday

[@MarilynMananquil]

3:17 HE FINALLY ADDED THE CRANKSHAFT

[@Patogerdude]

FRrR

[@atiniahidayah9841]

What's a crankshaft?

[@MarilynMananquil]

@@atiniahidayah9841 .

[@Patogerdude]

@@atiniahidayah9841 the little bar on the wheels

[@TTMAX8]

Side rods. That’s all you need.

[@CsQ_RandomRepository]

Kind of disappointed that you didn't try the motor spinning the *front* wheels instead of the rear; doing so, aside from naturally creating front-biased weight, would also not suffer from traction slipping quite as severely as the rear wheels spinning.

[@Arnav_Tyagi11]

8:27 The useless Elevator 😂

[@jaysdood]

Yeah, I came here to say the same thing. He invented the elevator 😂. Great video though.

[@Eljeirobloxgames]

FR🔥🔥🔥🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️‼️‼️‼️‼️

[@josephs3973]

This is how tech bros "disrupt" 😂

[@SandBox86]

if the track is arching the middle wheel pair is in no good contact at anytime.

[@MikeD.7]

Putting the battery in the front would help

[@cinimatics]

I can't believe that fan one worked.

[@grahamspragg7494]

This was ridiculously entertaining to watch! But at the 7.5 degree part, I didn’t understand what was happening. Even before you added the band, I thought the train was driven by a pair of wheels so if it wasn’t 2 wheels driving, how many drove it? And what significance did the band play?

[@BuilditwithBricks]

The band adds friction between the wheels and the track, thus increasing the ability to climb steeper inclines. Thanks for watching!

[@dannynaylor5485]

Wouldn't putting the drive wheels/gears at the front work,, as it would pull the train and be less likely to wheelie and fall off?

[@legitscoper3259]

And there you go, you've created the Class 08 shunter

[@Fusion8_YT]

Does the winch system actually count as the train moving uphill or a train being towed uphill?

[@TimmyGC]

Hold on, that's a rollercoaster, not a train. That's like saying that the Orlando Harry Potter ride is a train just because it is shaped like one.

[@evelynkinson5524]

Instead of adding weight further forward, why not move the existing weight further forward. The battery box is the heaviest part of that so it makes more sense to make the locomotive as light as possible then position all the weight as far forwards as possible

[@JamiePoling007]

Move the power to the front. FWD has a better chance of gripping power and doesn’t make the train flip backwards as much

[@nigelgresley87546]

4:30 for those of you who don’t know, this is how mountain engines work! 8:26 this is also how funicular railways work!

[@title4891]

4:05 0-10-0 locomotive

[@Lexi_is_good]

Side rods will make it way easier

[@pepethefrog7193]

Your lateral connection rod between wheels should be 90 deg phase and not 180 deg. Every real loco has 90 deg.

[@youngxenon911]

When you put on that downforce fan, I immediately saw some Bad Piggies flashbacks

[@mrllamaton1873]

new reason for a third rail on trains!

[@kadebrown6162]

I think your center of gravity was way too high making it want to roll backwards. the middle wheel basically did nothing because of the curve of the track. so the front wheel kept it from fully touching the rails. in some of the early tests just running it backwards could have worked due to the heavy battery pack towards the rear making it lift up it reminds me a bit of the MT. Washington cog railway with the engines tipped forwards to be level on the grade.

[@askeen333]

What hub are you using?

[@BuilditwithBricks]

Thanks for the comment! BuWizz 3.0

[@sickopower3444]

At what angle is it no longer a train but an elevator?🤣🧐

[@mr.357mag4]

Tbh i think he couldve gotten away from the elevator comparison if there wasnt a pulley system included but i figure the rack and pinion system couldnt get enough traction, which would also explain why nothing was ever mentioned on adding it (only the guide rails and rollers)

[@Aron697]

its like The Peak Tram

[@kiko_meeko]

Lol, turning a train into an overcomplicated elevator. That was super interesting to watch!

[@WindsorYeh]

Bro called a frikin’ elevator a vertical train. War crime for the least efficient energy usage.

[@coreygibson15]

connecting rods on the wheels should go on a 90 degree offset to the wheels on the other side, not 180

[@ElieGouverneur]

Next video: can a Lego train go upside down?

[@huhsahdude]

Is the last one even a train?

[@MincecraftSoundeffects-ii4db]

where do you get the legos from

[@andrewslovak1]

Anyone else going crazy over the fact that if the driven wheels were at the front he wouldn't have to keep adding weight

[@PATRICKDRATONTHOMAS]

Make the train all wheel drive

[@DangerAngelous]

The pain that this poor engine is trying to do all of this without coupling rods

[@Alex_skittles1]

I feel like as soon as we added the teeth to the track everything after that was a fail.