Building a Cat-Sized Lego Train 

Thank you so much for all the positive vibes in the comments! I've never seen so much support on one of my videos before, and it means a lot to me. Let me address some common questions: This project has been the most challenging and intense video I've ever tackled. It took a solid two months to bring this video to life, with the first month entirely devoted to designing and perfecting the train. The concept for the train tracks was actually brainstormed by my friend Thomas. The printing process itself took another two months, with my two Bambulab printers running all the time. These machines are incredible and were key to finishing the tracks on time, unlike most printers, which just can't keep up. You can support me and order a printer via this link: shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=2282157&u=4247393&m=138211&urllink=&afftrack= I considered using Lego tracks, but the cost would have been astronomical-nearly 10 times more than my 3D printed version. Plus, I wouldn't have been able to customize the tracks as I did. Lego is always making new parts, so I figured, why not do the same? I'd really like to share the STL files for the tracks and wheels with you all. However, I'm hesitant for two reasons: Firstly, there's the issue of people selling STL files they don't own, which I want to avoid. Secondly, these files aren't ready to use right off the printer; they require significant adjustments, especially the switch tracks, and unfortunately, I just don't have the time to make them user-friendly. As for the cost of this video, it's a bit tricky to calculate since I used a lot of parts from my existing Lego collection and already owned one of the printers. But to give you an idea: - additional Bambulab P1S Printer: 750 Euro - 3D Printing Filament (18Kg): Around 250 Euro - Electronics: 100 Euro - Lego Parts from Bricklink: 600 Euro Needless to say, I'm not looking forward to the electric bill. Overall, I invested about 1700 Euro into this project, without any guarantee that my cats would even be interested in the train. Getting my cats accustomed to the train was probably the toughest part. They're naturally curious and playful, but anything new and moving can spook them. We took it slow, introducing the train in the living room and making it a cozy spot for them by playing nearby and offering treats only around or inside the train. Filming the train scenes took a whole week. There were times when the cats weren't feeling it, and other times they loved it but the footage didn't turn out. It was definitely a challenge, but our top priority was making sure the cats were having fun. This would’t have been possible without my fiancee. Regarding inspiration, while I admire “Half-Asleep Chris” and his work, this video has been in the pipeline for nearly a year, with the initial track designs starting in May 2023, well before Chris's puppy train video. I'm a big fan of his, but our approaches to Lego builds are quite different. That said, a video by “Target86 Design” did spark the idea for this train project. Check it out: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-MZpVSKgGFVk.html A project like this is always a gamble, not knowing if the time and money invested will pay off. But fulfilling this childhood dream for myself and sharing it with others has been incredibly rewarding. I've never enjoyed making a video as much as this one. I love trains, I love lego and I love cats.

I am particularly impressed that you invested such an enormous amount of time, money, and engineering into something based almost entirely on whether or not a cat would like it.

i think we can all agree that the cats were just an excuse for him to build this mechanical masterpiece?

The pneumatic door mechanism.. The auto-coupling. Marvelous! Just marvelous!

Sometimes I wonder if I’m doing enough when I see extremely talented individuals like yourself

Building the things, 2 weeks. Convincing the cats inside, 2 years. Well done sir!

Combining 3D printing and lego has always been a genius idea. It can just bridge the gap of "there should be a part for this"

as an engineering student, this is literally the easiest time I have ever ha understanding how coupling works, and I've had a class on that before, big compliment!

Sometimes you have to build a modern marvel of Lego engineering so you can watch your cat riding around in a train. Your kitties deserve the experience, people.

Lmao the squared section for radius testings 😂

I am usually impressed by the amount of engineering that goes in your contraptions, but the patience needed to get cats to do anything is even more astonishing. You're an awesome cat parent.

The automated bribery machine was truly a work of art... everything about this is amazing!

You are an amazing cat-dad, and a fantastic railway engineer. And your socks with cats are the best! It's great to see that also men can love cats like you do. Cats rule! 🐈🐱🐈🐱

Quite simply one of the most intellectually and emotionally rewarding RU-vid videos ever made

As a train nerd, I am Extremely impressed of how accurate your train is to a real life railway system

What a masterpiece! Came for the cats, stayed for the engineering

My daughter is just about to go to college to study Mechanical Engineering at Purdue. She will love this! (we have 3 cats).

Everything about this is amazing The 3d printing ingenuity, the technical accuracy of how a train works, the fact it's built for a cat, the tram like looks... I am astonished.

Cats: if you want us in your video.. it will cost you! Best snack that you can find every 5 seconds. They are true business cats.

All of this was magic, but when you made the automatic treat dispenser i said “this person is a GENIUS”

The engineering behind this is next level. But the greatest part was how you looked after the animals by letting them get used to it over time. GG

Did i just watch railway engineering disguised as lego with cats? I am very much not complaining.

Is no one talking about the fact that he has his cats faces on his socks? Truly incredible

It is impressive that you made your cats ride Lego trains, but even more impressive that you made me enjoy a cat video!

This is honestly really cool. I love the use of air pneumatic systems, like on real trains, instead of just motors. My only suggestion would be to add a small air whistle!

5:00 i really freaking love your sense of humor.

Im impressed by the amount of research you did. Your solution to coupling, decoupling, and making sure drawbars are aligned was clever. As a freight conductor, I know all too well how important it is make sure drawbars are aligned and cars are coupled. It is very easy for things to go very wrong if you aren’t paying attention. Well done.

the kitty express brightened my day. adorable

This was fascinating to watch. The cats are adorable, but in the end, you had to have known the outcome to your laborious endeavor. Incredibly engaging to watch and you make complex engineering look easy, lol.

Never thought I would ever watch cats train their human to build them a train and feed them while riding it, what clever creatures they are !

Huge respect to this guy for putting marker lights on. Such an unknown but important feature of trains across the world.

Well done, I'm really impressed by this incredible engineering! In Germany we say "One doesn't need to reinvent the wheel every time", meaning that one can use the technologies that are already existing and there is no need to invent a new one every time. With, LEGO, however, you kind of have to and this is the fascinating thing about it. There is something I - as a German - have to criticise though: This technology is terribly unsafe, posing life-threatening danger to every living creature in a 100 meter radius, due to derailing and risk of explosion! (Just kidding, that's just how German laws are...)

These train cabs look so stylish, they look like being made in the late 1920s' to early '30s. Also love the close-ups of the rail waypoints and bogies. Excellent work!

The first minutes I was "OK, nice". Then I saw the coupling mechanism and was blown away (and continued to be so).

that right angle rail turn smash cut killed me xD

Those "streetcar" sets have everything of real rail machines ! The only systems that are lacking are door locks, and a way to shut down the lights on the coupled side of the two vehicles because it is not needed. Wether the cats love it or not is irrelevent, the experience of building it is enough. Those should be shown in schools !

I just… I can’t believe it. You invested 2000 bucks, so much time, energy and money. This was a joy ride from beginning to the end. Thank you so much!

5:08 - Hahaha Gotta say, I've always gotten a kick out of how much this channel does with so little. No music, no talking, not gimmicks...good stuff, man.

Given how chill those tail twitches were, this is not the first time your cats have been used to test your constructs

Can't wait for the sequel: Train Sized Lego Cat

Cute cats ✅ Cool train engineering ✅ 3D Printing✅ Legos✅

The fact 3D printing is now cheaper than Lego is amazing. Cat were so cute even if it took bribery to get them to ride.

0:35 Cat: "What is happening?" (The cats realizing that if they just sit in Lego train they can get free treats is so funny)

..This video made my day ! !...You're so gifted. .with enormous talent & patience...I was completely spell bound !!!...Really can't describe my feelings properly... . 💙💚🙏🏼

The fact that you made one of these trains is insanely impressive but the fact that you also made a second train is just completely Incredible

I think this has every chance of becoming an entirely new category of lego model trains. The engineering with the suspension and air systems is insane. And given its original purpose, I think it's only fitting it be known as C scale.

Well, the next step is obviously to build a fully functional motorized LEGO cat with hydraulically activated paws and claws 😂

Theres Something Funny About 7:40 How It's Just Quiet Sizzling And Suddenly It's BRRRRRRRRRRR-

The cut from simple railcar to incredibly complicated suspension at 2:20 is great

As a train mechanic who just finished their education on train components. Its very fun and interesting to see a lot of components and features we learn about in our education made from lego. Its so interesting to see how you tackled making the components and make them work just like a real train, like your couplings and bogies were nearly on point! The electrical and pneumatic systems were used for the correct components as well which I found very nice to see. All in all for someone who I assume did not take a 1,5 year cource on train mechanics, you did a fantastic job recreating one. For lego this is a technical masterpiece!

This movie is made as masterful as the engineering it shows.

Amazing,! He literally thought of everything. Knowledge became idea became project became work of art. Completely blown away at not just your filming and editing , but also your pure creative talent. I’m 56 years old and love Lego, but this is way beyond anything I’ve done. Excellent video! Immediate subscriber!

My first thought was "I want that for my cats" but then remembered that I don't have a 3D printer, and that my cats weigh at least double of yours (the smallest weighs around 7kg). I am impressed how willing your cats were to partake in your shenanigans

Love it. Makes learning about how trains function fun; well at least some parts of how they function anyways.

Maybe the key to getting kitties ready for train rides is a roomba or attaching several boxes by string and manually dragging the boxes with the kitties through the house.

5:08 that was damn unexpected and hilarious. Love how there’s always a bit of comedy in all of your videos, but this one really caught me off guard.

Dude, you can't have the most wholesome video on the planet for 12 minutes and THEN drop the cat feeder on me... I'm in tears, laughing 🤣🤣🤣🤣

I'd love to see this be converted into a large passenger train for lego figurines.

The trickiest part of train engineering is actually getting the costumer’s to use it.

Train enthusiasts 🤝 cat enthusiasts

Engineering, cats, trains and lego all in video? you win. That's all I've ever wanted from youtube.

I expect the big, fluffy cat will "make the trains run on time."

This is the best thing ive seen on youtube in YEARS

The right angle jumpscare at 5:08 was very good

As a real train engineer working in Spain, I must say, this is co close to how train systems work in real life. And the cats are adorable. Well done

i was already blown away with one tram... BUT TWO?!?!?

I'd take the train far more often if they lured me with snacks.

thats the dream of everyone, who had a lego train set! building your own train with your own mechanism, in a way bigger scale and as large as possible

Lol, I appreciate them not forcing the cats onto the train and instead giving them an incentive to get in.

these cats have a better transit network in your house than I do in my town

These two cats managed to convince their owner to build a working tram. Cats never cease to amaze.

I could only dream to have this guys intelligence level and depth of engineering 😂

As someone who works on the railway for a living. I got to say I am truly impressed how accurate you got to the real thing using lego and 3d printing. The coupling in its basic functionality is spot on how the real one works!

This right here ticks all the box for a RU-vid video. From the creative perspective, knowledge perspective, technical and mechnical perspective, it just has everything. This person is so fortunate to have these 2 feline creatures inspire him to make them a lego train

12:00 WOW I live it , great project,😂😂😂😂👏👏👏

best part of the video was the cats. literally own a cat yet I'm still in awe of these 2 furry fellas

These train staff are notorious for being demanding: more rest breaks, higher pay, more treats...

This is a tremendous achievement of Lego engineering, 3D printing, programming, pneumatics and electronics. However, my main reaction is OH MY GOD YOUR CATS ARE SO BEAUTIFUL. They are obviously very much loved and well cared for! My own cat used to enjoy going for rides on the kitchen trolley so it's possible he would have been readier to use your train. When my niece visited I sat him on the trolley and she pushed him respectfully up and down the hall.

Such dedication and meticulous attention to details is impressive and inspiring but the big takeaway for me is how much you love those cats. What a great life you all share. ❤

Well made would be understatement Beautifully well engineered suits it better

Hahaha. Cookie is all like "I have no idea why I'm getting constantly fed snacks right now, but I approve!" At the end 😂. Such cuties both of them.

13:26 Derailed, passenger escapes through the roof.

The socks at the end, with YOUR cats on them, priceless.

I want to see the 174 hours of B roll footage of trying to build something like this with 2 cats around

I love how adding the box made the trains significantly more attractive to them 😂 Also love the cat socks and how your cats are on them!

As a Train fan, someone who is a volunteer trolley/tram operator irl, as well as a lego aficionado and cat person, this is truly amazing!!! This is the most realistic functioning lego train (or trolley or tram) I've ever seen! From the couplers, to the suspensions on the trucks, to the pneumatics, this is truly an amazing lego model! Well done!!!

Video title: silly train for kitty! Video content: engineering masterpiece

Пятнадцать минут восторга! Потрясающе!🤩

I'm a railway engineer, and this was incredible to see. You nailed it. It's amazing I love everything about it.

German engineering at its best😻 Will cats ever enjoy train rides? Only if there is a hand coming down from the sky feeding them treats 3x/meter😹

Man im super impressed by your knowledge and commitment. I would probably quit half way through with "yah i need to fix how to make the coupling bend but also rigid to able to couple and bend in curves. Oh well there is a new series in Netflix i want to watch".

I thought this was a lego channel. All I see is baking some loaves of kitty.

I have never done this, but this video made me laugh and smile! Thank you Brick for always making great content😊

Ah, I love it. The dedication you put into this is truly commendable. When you asked "will cats ever enjoy train rides", my first though was "well, with constant bribery..."

Cats were always great inspiration for scientific inventions, almost all the great scientists own cats 😅

I think your cats are the most beautiful I've ever seen!

No animals were harmed in the making of this film. And also, everything about it is just brilliant!

What you could do (especially considering these look and function like trams) is install a small bell that rings when cat treats are dispensed. That way the cats would recognise the bell as giving out treats in the tram and then board.

Was watching this thinking “I can probably try this” until I saw him bust out the 3d printer

The coupling design was incredible to see working and the design. The right-angle track made me snort so loud I think my neighbor heard me. Such a cool concept to include the wheel design and suspension in a method and way that allows for the system to still keep a balanced load while going around turns and coming up to or coming down from speed. A great design all around, and the cats got extra treats!