The Hark Express

The Hark Express
Participants	Eis-T
Skills	Public Transportation
Status	Work in progress
Niche	Infra
Purpose	Infra
Tool	No
Location	Ideally, everywhere
Cost	none?
Tool category

The Hark Express

de hArkend met een pintje.JPG {{#if:No | [[Tool Owner::{{{ProjectParticipants}}} | }} {{#if:No | [[Tool Cost::none? | }}

The discovery of a substantial set of LEGO rails changed everything. People started dreaming about how an intricate train system could be applied at NURDspace. Can we transport frikandellen, coffee and beer from one side of the space to the other side? Can we have semi-autonomous vehicles navigating a 2D space? What will happen if we connect it to IRC and configure a !train command? Let’s find out together how we can best utilize the LEGO train system at the space!

• 

  The bag of rails is currently a disorganized mess, but there's one thing it has enough of: potential!

• 

  some of the rail switches: we can use them to make shunting yard (rangeerterrein)

• 

  The Hark Express Prototype: a 2.5m traject on a plank. The train can be controlled with the turn of a knob.

The Hark Express according to Nurdbot

We asked Nurdbot to give us 5 reasons why the Hark Express is so important. These are the reasons:

1. It's named after a legendary figure (Harkema Rakemeniet, red.) in Dutch folklore, which adds a touch of local charm.
2. Its high-speed capabilities allow for efficient transportation across long distances.
3. The train's sleek design and modern technology make for a comfortable and enjoyable ride.
4. Hark Express connects various cities and towns, promoting economic growth and social interaction within the region.
5. As a symbol of innovation and progress, Hark Express reflects positively on the nation's image both domestically and internationally.

The plan

The network: start somewhere.

The best thing about LEGO is the modularity of it all. So instead of starting with a masterplan we will start with a piece of rails mounted to the wall of Zaal 1, and we'll expand the rail network from there to other areas of the space. We must remember that the Dutch rail network wasn’t built in a day either.

Another important factor is the digital management of the rail network. There are various open source / free model railway software sets under consideration:

• ROCrail, a dutch software standard that can be ran on an arduino
• a client/server application to control a model railroad

Step 2: Rolling stock

How good is a set of rails if we have no vehicles that use the network? These are the ideas for the engines and wagons of the Hark Express:

• A train that can be controlled from IRC. When you enter !train it moves from one station to another. Ideally it plays “authentic” trainsounds or the Tomas the Steam Engine intro song and has blinking lights while going from A to B.
• A cargo train that can hold various freshly baked Frikandellen + a “sauswagon”
• A sensor wagon with a (rotatable) camera, QR scanner and speed meter
• A party wagon with lego figures of every space member.
• A wagon with a small display that shows the speed of the train
• Whatever this is
• Or for that matter, this bluetooth speaker / rasberry pi abomination

3 ways to get involved with the project

1. Expand the network. The current network is still very small. At the moment we have plenty of rails to further expand the track. Have a look at the wall and see for yourself how and whereto you'd like to build the next bit of the network

2. Build rolling stock. Currently there's only one train on the network, the hArkend. And it is carrying an empty beer bottle from A to B. While I applaud this train's efforts to recycle empty beer cans, I believe we can do a lot better! You're invited to build your own train or wagon! You can use the 12V direct current from the middle track to power your vehicle. Building a vehicle can also be a perfect excuse to experiment with sensor technology, remote control and/or mechanical engineering. See Rolling stock for more ideas.

3. Decorate. For now the track its just a piece of wood attached to the wall, but it can be so much more than that with a bit of love. Got lego's? maybe build a station or add some LEGO passengers. Or maybe a tunnel? or a bridge? or lights, sounds, lasers and smoke? Let your creativity run wild and make the Hark Express stand out even more.

• 

  Big train moment: the first ever delivery of the Hark Express (an empty Radler beercan) took place on august 17, 2022.

• 

  The first piece of track has been mounted to the wall in Zaal 1.

• 

  Plug in the Travo to let the train go choochoo. You can find it in the cabinet beneath the rails.

• 

  This is the dream, one day the Hark Express will be able to bring you a cold beverage.

Inventory:

• Approx 3m of straight rails.
• 2 whole circles of round pieces
• 2 transformators to control the speed of the train
• … train switches (wissels) of which .. are electrified
• Various electric switches for manual control of switches, lights, etch
• Lego lights, both modular
• Rolling stock: one train engine with a receptor, one without.

Next steps

• Really inventorise what we have
• Attach the “first long stretch” to the wall.
• Reconsider if the rail network should go into the kitchen. It would be really nice!
• Figure out how to interface with the train controls
• Work some electronics magic and hook this thing up to IRC, home-assistant, whatever :) http://www.internetoflego.com/lego-train-automation-ir-power-functions-with-nodejs-and-lirc/