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&… 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: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZpVSKgGFVk 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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

Lmao the squared section for radius testings 😂

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

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

Quite simply one of the most intellectually and emotionally rewarding YouTube videos ever made

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.

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! 🐈🐱🐈🐱

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

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

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.

This train looks quite simular to the EN57 EMU. Also, the motors' imitation of the sound of an inverter really adds to the depth of this build. Well done! :D