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CUUSOO: LEGO Train Turntable & Roundhouse

If you are a LEGO train fan, there is a project on LEGO CUUSOO you might really like. It is a fully functional turntable for LEGO trains, motorized with LEGO Power Function elements, as well as a roundhouse. CUUSOO project creator Rasmus Fachman requested that we feature his model here as he would really like to get your feedback and support. 🙂

LEGO Train Turntable & Roundhouse by Fachmann

Turntables are used for trains to be able to fully turn around or sent into different directions. In locations where the trains also had a maintenance facility, the turntable is often surrounded by a building called a roundhouse where the trains can be repaired.

Train Turntable & Roundhouse at Union Station

As you can imagine creating a fully functional turntable out of LEGO is not an easy task. Especially if you also want to make it look realistic. You need to find the right parts to use, and the right radius for the turntable to work properly and align smoothly with the tracks. And making the whole thing motorized is just adding perfection!

Rasmus was able to accomplish all of this after a lot of testing and tweaking, designing a beautiful turntable for LEGO trains, using only currently available LEGO parts and Power Function elements (no need for LEGO to make special parts for this project, which is definitely a plus).

LEGO Train Turntable by Fachmann

The other part of this LEGO train project is the roundhouse. I particularly like this design! Rasmus made the roundhouse modular style; designing a mid-section and an end-section that can be combined to create any size roundhouse for your LEGO trains. Very impressive! 😛

LEGO Train Roundhouse Module 1 by Fachman LEGO Train Roundhouse Module 2 by Fachman

The LEGO Train Turntable & Roundhouse is really a dream-come-true for LEGO train fans, especially those with a large LEGO train layout. It is impressive, functional, and does what real turntables do; get those trains sent out in the right direction.

LEGO Train Roundhouse with Train by Fachman

The weakness I see in this CUUSOO project is that it doesn’t address cost or a business model that LEGO might be comfortable with. However even if it doesn’t get selected as an official LEGO project I really hope that Rasmus will provide instructions and a list of parts needed to build it. I think this LEGO train project would be perfect for a LEGO book on trains!

LEGO Train Turntable Side View by Fachman

And if the LEGO Train Turntable & Roundhouse does get 10,000 votes on CUUSOO and LEGO gives it the green-light, this would be a perfect set for LEGO train fans! If you would like to give your support and vote for the LEGO Train & Roundhouse project and to see more details go to: Vote for LEGO Train & Roundhouse on CUUSOO

CUUSOO LEGO Train Turntable & Roundhouse by Fachmann

So what do you think of this LEGO train project? How do you like the design? Would you like it to be made into an actual LEGO set? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below! Rasmus would love to hear your feedback! 😉

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{ 32 comments… add one }
  • Strider January 21, 2013, 10:49 AM

    I am not a Lego train fan but this looks really nice. I think he did an excellent job. Congratulations Rasmus 🙂

  • Håkan January 21, 2013, 11:21 AM

    Looks awesome, but I fear the limited appeal outside of hardcore well-off AFOL train enthusiasts might be a detrimental factor…

  • Matt Sailors January 21, 2013, 12:06 PM

    Nicely done and vertically compact enough to easily fit on tables with baseplate-only landscapes. Kudos for the wing and baseplate aligned radial tracks.
    Nice clean/simple roundhouse design that’s still very prototypical.

    Areas for improvement would be
    1. Scale it up to support 8-wide locomotives and tenders
    2. Make the control house more prototypical in size (hard to do without burying the motor or battery under the bridge and increasing the pit depth, which ruins one of the best parts of the turntable)

  • percy jackson January 21, 2013, 1:11 PM

    i think it would be awesome! but there is one problem, its so big!. and you have seen lego sets. there small, like the batman cave. but it might be a hard to find. i don’t think it would work. 🙁 and i liked it too.

  • Ninjoey (the lego blockhead) January 21, 2013, 2:38 PM

    cool!!!

  • ninjanut January 21, 2013, 2:52 PM

    Awsome i’m glad he let you do it cause it needs more support!!!!!

  • ninjanut January 21, 2013, 2:56 PM

    They could sell each roundhouse section at a 75-100 USD Price point and the turn table at 100-125 USD 😀

  • ninjanut January 21, 2013, 2:56 PM

    They could sell each roundhouse section at a 75-100 USD Price point and the turn table at 100-125 USD

  • ninjanut January 21, 2013, 2:56 PM

    Whoops Double post HeHe

  • The Yellow Ninja January 21, 2013, 6:58 PM

    WOW! I literally just saw this the other day on cuusoo

    • lego chronicler January 21, 2013, 7:35 PM

      Although VERY cool looking and authentic, any large LEGO set that is relatively complex usually never makes it past the lego cuusoo because they want people to be able to follow the instructions as well as to be able to afford the set!

      • Håkan January 21, 2013, 9:35 PM

        Also this set would have little play value in itself, but basically require a whole system of tracks and trains to be really useful. I think the Cuusoo team would prefer a set working better as a standalone… =/

        • admin January 22, 2013, 9:16 AM

          Hakan, that’s actually a really good point – we do have a precedent though; the Modular Buildlings are not really stand-alone sets either, but part of a continual line. But it is a fact that LEGO is not putting a while lot of effort into trains, so they may find this set having a too narrow audience. But we shall see… if it makes it to 10,000 votes that is a sign already there is a demand. 🙂

          • lego chronicler January 23, 2013, 7:41 AM

            admin, your point is slightly invalid, why? Well, a modular CAN be a standalone set, you can put it in the middle of a city and it would be part of the city, but a roundhouse CANNOT be a standalone, there is a slight difference, although there are sets to go with the roundhouse if it were to get into the LEGO website, it would take a lot more money than a lot of people have to purchase enough track and trains!

            • admin January 23, 2013, 9:31 AM

              Yes, they are not relly comparable, but that is the closest example that I could think of. I know train fans would love this CUUSOO project, but since LEGO tends to neglect trains, only coming out with a set once in a while, I’m not sure if this would make it into an actual set. That is why I thought it would be nice if at least instructions would be published for the LEGO train fan community. I really don’t know how many LEGO train fans are out there, but I do know they are into large displays and are not afraid to spend a lot of money. I think the votes will speak for themselves and will give a direction for this project. 🙂

              • lego chronicler January 30, 2013, 8:52 PM

                sad D:

  • awesome January 21, 2013, 8:20 PM

    admin,i know this is a stupid question,but what does CUUSOO stand for?

    • admin January 22, 2013, 9:09 AM

      That is actually a good question. CUUSOO is a platform where LEGO fans can share their models, and other people can vote on them. If the project reaches 10,000 votes LEGO will review the model and may make it into an actual LEGO set. The creator of the set gets 1% of all the sales. You can read more on the concept on their website, but that’s pretty much it in a nutshell. 😉

      • Håkan January 22, 2013, 9:33 AM

        I interpreted the question as the meaning of the abbreviation? I believe Cuusoo started in Japan, so it’s possible it’s a phonetic spelling of a Japanese word…

        • admin January 23, 2013, 7:05 PM

          Oh, yeah, sorry, I may have misread the question. CUUSOO means “wish” in Japanese. There is actually a main CUUSOO website in Japan where people can submit all kinds of ideas for products they would like. The LEGO CUUSOO program is based on the same concept. 🙂

  • awesome January 22, 2013, 2:40 PM

    thank you both.they both make sense.

  • Strider January 22, 2013, 3:56 PM

    Cusoo could mean Creators Universally Sharing Onominous Objects. I know it doesn’ t make much sense.

    • lego chronicler January 23, 2013, 7:41 AM

      that is only one U

      • Håkan January 23, 2013, 7:56 AM

        U rascal, U…

  • John January 8, 2014, 8:42 PM

    So I’ve been trying to “order” the required lego’s for the Turntable from lego. The idea of hunting down via Pick a Brick is daunting. Lego has truly done the Lego Digital Designer groups a disservice of late. It would seem they intend to discontinue LDD. Because really what’s the point of LDD if one cannot actually order the bricks! I called the lego 1-800 number tonight and was met with a lego brick wall of excuses and the answer of “sorry we can’t”. As a customer waving cash in my hand to buy something and being met with “sorry we don’t want it” I am at a total loss. I’ve been building lego’s for 40 years. I have 2 sons who love legos and use LDD. I’m not suddenly confronted with Corporate must profit BS from Lego crap so we must maximize our portfolio. Truly sad… I work for Harvard Univ and both my sons go to the MIT lego lab. Must I remind Lego that the MIT lego lab invented Mindstorms? What is this BS. At the MIT Lego lab we use LDD A LOT and now we can’t order with it. Is Lego becoming full of themselves? Or is it share holder profit now..

    • admin January 8, 2014, 11:41 PM

      John, I understand your frustration. I also use LDD myself and love the software. Please note that you can get all the LEGO elements you ever wanted and dreamed of at the Online LEGO Marketplace called BrickLink. It is kind of like eBay with sellers and buyers from all over the world, but only for LEGO. You can find every LEGO piece ever made and buy as many as you need for your project. You can upload the parts you need for the turntable to your BrickLink Wanted List, check which sellers have all or most of the parts and buy them. 😉

      BrickLink is easy to use, but if you run into any questions feel free to ask at the BrickLink Forum. There are many very long-time LEGO fans there who can help out with any project you have. You can also ask me if you have any questions. I have been buying and selling on BrickLink myself since 2008 and had around 800 tranactions. BrickLink is truly a LEGO fan’s dream. I’m surprized that the LEGO rep didn’t tell you about it. They regularly send LEGO fans there who are looking for discontinued pieces, and even LEGO employees and designers use the marketplace.

      Wishing you the best with your project! 🙂

  • law January 13, 2015, 11:55 PM

    I would love to see this offered through lego this is great.

  • Thomas February 17, 2015, 10:59 AM

    I like the idea of the new railroad w/round house and turntable. However when will it be ready to purchase and where are the prices.
    Thanks.

    • admin February 17, 2015, 11:11 AM

      Thomas, this project has not yet made it to 10,000 votes. If you would like it to become a reality I would suggest you vote for it, and also encourage others to do so. There are only 70 days left for this project to make it to the minimum required 10,000 votes. You can vote for it here: https://ideas.lego.com/projects/33485

  • Jacek Jackowski November 13, 2016, 4:28 AM

    At the moment some parts are not avaible thorugh the official lego pick a brick stroe 🙁

    • admin November 13, 2016, 12:49 PM

      The PAB selection depends on what LEGO currently produces and what extra pieces they have. However you can buy all the parts LEGO ever made on BrickLink. 🙂

  • Nicholas October 18, 2021, 6:55 PM

    I very very love it

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