[jgrahamc]

Well that makes my "how many ways can I arrange an Ikea train set" look pretty lame.

http://blog.jgc.org/2010/01/more-fun-with-toys-ikea-lillabo-...

[unoti]

Nonsense! Your post was great fun. The code was fun, too. I particularly enjoyed your comment about to how Pi was referenced in the bible, along with the ensuing rabbit trail of research that took me down.[1]

[1] http://www.tektonics.org/lp/piwrong.php

[ggus]

and how many combinations if I buy two sets?

[fogleman]

The Ikea one seems more practical.

[OneOneOneOne]

Thanks for your post. You've inspired me to write some code for similar problems!

[dublinben]

You can create more arrangements if you treat the bridge like two pieces, which it is.

[pavel_lishin]

How so? If your goal is to create a loop, the two pieces must be joined together.

[lfowles]

You could lengthen the bridge (theoretically, the pieces might not fit that snug) with any combination of the pieces all the way down to the case of a reverse bridge connected at the bottom.

[JoshTriplett]

Unless they fit very snugly, I don't think anything would hold up the extra pieces in the middle, especially not well enough to support a train.

[dublinben]

The original creator of this type of train track offers just such a support piece.[0] You can also 3D print your own supports![1]

[0] http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTIwMFgxNjAw/z/DAUAAOSwGvhT3ny3/$_...

[1] http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:110221

[pavel_lishin]

Oh no, we're not combining Lego bricks with this, that's how we got here in the first place!