I haven’t figured that out yet…monorail track might be the most authentic.
Monorail would be perfect. I saw one train LUG (probably Southern Cal) mounted a video camera on the front of a train and you could see what the train saw as it was rolling around the track.
Yeah, the inverted 16×16 clear baseplate was my first thought too. I’ve got one, so I’ll probably try it. My second thought was a few of the new huge tiles, 8×16 I think they are? We’ll see.
I would think you would need to keep the bottom magnet from sticking against the bottom creating more friction. Since you are using a windmill, wheels might provide the perfect clearance. Of course then you would need to cover the underside with tiles so the wheels could roll.
I’m not sure what other magnetic parts there might be, or how strong they are.
The round train coupler magnets are probably the best for this application. I think they came with a lot of other sets too.
I tried to get the magnets out of the pseudo 2×4 fridge brick once because a strong magnet that fits inside a stud would be so cool to use. I bought a Torx just to get the specialized hex head screw out. The brick was glued together tightly anyway. The only thing I could use to get the magnets out was a sledge hammer. It smashed the brick and shattered the little magnets too. 🙁
But I have read about people using a certain solvent and temperature to get glued minifigs off their magnet bases. That trick might be what you’d need to get the fridge magnet apart successfully.
Keep those good ideas flowing and let me know what progress you make. In case you hadn’t guessed, I also wanted to move the little Hogwart’s train using a magnet. Maybe using a hidden 9V train motor underneath. 🙂