Most of the time, pictures say more than a thousand words. Today’s model proves this point, even though they are renders. Anyways, John O’Shea, known for his amazing US and EU style trucks, build a small Komatsu Road/Rail Digger for an upcoming bigger build. Don’t try to build this beast at home without at least painting several parts, but hey, that’s one of the premiums of Digital Builds.
Picking up a piece of Concrete
According to John, these renders are done with Blender, a piece of open source render software and the Mecabricks plugin. I know both and I have definitely never used them before, but if you guys want to give it a try, you now know what kind of amazing photo-realistic pictures you can make with it!
In the world of LEGO Trains, there are many fantastic models in a wide range of scales. Everything between 1/45-1/55 are common, and the amount of detail to be found in the best of these really can make you wonder if there would be any point, from a detailing perspective, of going to a larger scale than those.
Building scale models with LEGO certainly is a challenge, but as you move up to larger and larger scales it can bring along extra problems, and potentially exacerbate existing issues. I personally tend to look at larger models with a more critical eye than I do smaller ones, as all too often you find that once you get past the spectacle-inspired reaction of “Wow, that model is so big!” you find that there’s not enough detail to really make that model really satiating, or that the shape of the thing feels underdeveloped and doesn’t make good use of the large scale.
The biggest question in my mind when I see a LEGO train (Or anything else, really) built to a larger scale is “Does this model actually need to be this big?”. That is to say, does it make good use of the size? Imagine if you took the design of a stock 6-wide LEGO train and simply built it 50% bigger. The scale has gone up, sure, but if nothing about the quality or depth of detail goes up, it would not be satisfying.
This is where I’d like to bring your attention to a new model by Sven Jansen, also known as Tenderlok, a very talented LEGO train builder who just so happens to build for LGB track instead of the usual LEGO track. This new model is of an old Italian shunting engine, the R.202, in 1/22.5 scale. As with his previous builds, this model truly does make excellent use of the scale it’s built in.
Underneath the fantastic detail work, even just the basic shapes and silhouette of the build feel just right, and especially impressive is the half-plate drop in radius for the smokebox. Another feature that stands out, once you notice it, is the cowling around the front cab windows.
Sven’s model also brings with it many other very interesting features, including independent light control and a working smoke unit. Smoke units in model trains aren’t everybody’s thing, of course, but they are always fun to watch and I really enjoy seeing it here.
This model, like Sven’s other locomotives, really does make excellent use of the scale it’s built in. Yes, this engine could conceivably be modeled in a smaller scale, and perhaps in the right hands even have a comparable number of details included. However, Sven has used the larger size to increase the depth of detail. The mechanisms are, where appropriate, more intricate, better proportioned, and overall more accurate than could be achieved if built smaller.
To me, the most satisfying aspects of this build are in the valve gear and the cab detailing. Both of these are things that are hard to get right in a 1/48 LEGO train – the intricacy of the mechanisms and the fine granularity of the parts involved on the ‘real’ locomotives mean that in 1/48 LEGO, even the best attempts to model these are close approximations and often out of scale. It would be easy to take the level of detail found in a 1/48, 8-wide LEGO train and just make it larger, but Sven’s model has gone a step above that and used the larger scale to achieve a more nicely detailed engine.
The parts of the valve gear near the piston are very similar to what can be done in 1/48 models, but what caught my eye was the detail surrounding the rocker bar and the reversing gear. These parts are very difficult to do as anything more than a loose approximation in a smaller scale, especially once you start dealing with things like Technic axles, pins, and the 3mm rigid hose eating up much more real estate than would be ideal. What a good sight it is to see these features modeled more accurately on Sven’s R.202!
I would highly recommend checking out more of Sven’s work. Each model has been very well detailed and engineered, and I always look forward to seeing them. For me the only problem I have with them is that they always make me think that perhaps I, too, should try to start building locomotives for G-scale track; and I hope that others end up having this same problem as well.
I subscribe to some model railroading channels on YouTube. A personal favorite of mine uploads more than just layout progress, locomotive modeling, and such; he sometimes posts videos where he discusses some thoughts he’s had or other areas of the greater modeling hobby. He models in OO, P4, and N scales, so the parts of this article regarding his video will come from a background in traditional scale modeling (i.e., not LEGO). Today I’ll expand on a point I find to be particularly interesting.
Perpetual Woes of an Improving Modeler
To summarize the four minute video, the creator, Gavin, presents the viewer with a theoretical timeline that goes like this:
A beginner modeler builds their first kit, like a goods wagon, or model plane, etc. and is satisfied with the finished product, and earns a sense of gratification from it.
The modeler begins work on another kit, and finishes it to the same or slightly better quality than the first.
Over time, the modeler’s skill improves greatly, and he no longer can accept the standards at which he began at.
After this, Gavin states that it can be difficult to move on from old models. It takes forever to “push it off your desk”, move on to a different model, or quickly finish the model, forget about it, and move on to a new one. At some point, you return to a simple kit, which quickly becomes complicated because your new modeling standard has far surpassed the old standard.
How does this apply to LEGO train modeling?
I find that Gavin’s ideas apply to our hobby in a slightly different way. Instead of taking forever to finish models (which does happen sometimes, I’m guilty of this for sure) old models begin to look more and more dated. This really hits home for me with two cases in point.
In 2015 I built a model of the Reading Crusader streamlined 4-6-2 and installed a sound system in it. This model probably has the most mileage on it out of anything in my collection, and has proven to be reliable and fun to use. However, that model turns 5 later this year, and to me, there is a lot of room for improvement that I can’t help but notice when I look at the locomotive. The same is true for my Cotton Belt 4-4-2, which I finished almost a year after the Crusader.
My Reading G1sas 4-6-2, built early 2015, and unchanged since then.My Cotton Belt E-1 class 4-4-2, built late 2015/early 2016, and also practically unmodified since then.
Four and five years later, I have greatly improved as a modeler since I built those two locomotives, and I have started, scrapped, and completed several other projects in that time. I still have my Crusader and Cotton Belt, but they just don’t look as good when I compare them to, say, my Buffalo Creek & Gauley #13. For this reason, I haven’t brought them to as many shows or ran them as frequently.
Moving on to other projects has been great, because new challenges are always nice and I enjoy being able to have a variety of models in my collection. However, there’s always a voice in the back of my head that suggests that I return to the old models and build new versions.
Tying it all together, I guess I could say my perpetual woe ad an improving modeler is wanting to build new versions of my old models using the new skills and techniques I’ve learned since the originals were built, but often times the lure of new ideas and models is far greater. I have yet to find a good balance between the two, since there are so many new projects to work on but an increasing number of old models to improve.
Can anyone relate to these “woes”? What are your thoughts, and what are some woes you may relate more to?
Being a Model Railroader and AFOL in one, it’s always difficult to make sure a model looks like it’s prototype. As AFOL, you are always trying to use exactly that one piece of Lego that corresponds with a certain greeble, angle or form of the prototype, even though it might not fit 100%. As a Model Railroader, you always want to make sure something fits 100%, meaning that not always you can use a piece of Lego, but for example using stickers, 3d printed rods, or custom track. This difficult trade-off is what makes our little niche hobby (at least for me!) so great. On the other hand, it does mean a lot of extra hassle. Even more, because most of the time both solutions tend to be possible.
Therefore, we thought it might be interesting to look at two amazing renditions of the same prototype, which are build in exactly those two styles: The Model Railroader and the AFOL. The prototype that we chose is the MÁV M40, a Hungarian Diesel Locomotive build in the sixties with a lot of strange lines and greebles. It looks like this:
So, how does this look like when two Hungarian Lego builders, lantlant and Rob, both try to re-build this beast in Lego, the one with emphasis on Model Railroad Realism, and the other with emphasis on Lego Railroad Realism?
First of, let us look at the Lego Railroad Realism:
side 1
side 2
As you can see, Rob has tried to solve all difficult corners and angles that the M40 has with brick built solutions. He has even done some very effective weathering by using dark red, dark grey and even black pieces to illustrate the grease and dirt that these Diesels most probably will be covered in during most of their active duty. However, no stickers means no stickers, so there are no identification numbers, no logos and nothing that explains which exact locomotive this is. For a true Model Railroader, this is of course not done. For an AFOL, this is – with good reason! – perfectly fine, because it’s not about that identification of the one loco, but the rendition in Lego of a whole class of locomotives.
Now, let’s look at the Model Railroad Realism:
side 1
side 2
As you can see, lantlant actually tried to solve quite a lot of parts by using brick-build solutions, but for example the cab and smokestack, plus the diamond pattern warning ‘stripes’ on the front of the loco are all done with high-quality stickers. It gives this loco a bit less of a Lego, and a bit more of a Model Train experience. Also, by some subtle stickering, lantlant has been able to give the shrouding of the wheelsets a bit of extra depth. On the other hand, it does, mostly with the windscreen, feel a bit ‘lazy’ that he didn’t go the Lego way. It does give you a stunning rendition of that windscreen though!
So, what do you, our readers, think about this? What do you think is more important when building, Model Railroaders Realism or Lego Railroaders Realism?
BMR: Tell us a little bit about yourself and your MOCs.
My name is Isaac, I live in the UK and have been back-and-fourth with Lego for as long as I can remember! Back when I was 13 I started exploring Stop-Motion Animation, and what better resource could I hope for than the mountain of Lego I’d accumulated as a kid! I must have caught the Lego bug without knowing it, because once out and started University, I realized I was still very much hooked on building Lego.
The MOCs I’ve built are all British locomotives & rolling stock, 6-wide. This is quite an off proportion for a lot of people, but I’ve found it to have become a unique (and slightly cheaper) style that I’m extremely happy with!
BMR: What got you started with LEGO trains?
I went to University in York, where I worked at the National Railway Museum for the best part of a year. Legends such as Mallard and Flying Scotsman were regularly visiting or on display, so it didn’t take long for the railway bug from my childhood to take hold again. By that point I already had a lot of the Lego, so the rest was a no-brainer!
Isaac’s 4468 Mallard speeding on the track.
BMR: What is your build process for making a new MOC?
It can depend on the build. For a lot of my bigger projects, like
Mallard or the Gresley P2, I designed the model on LDraw before printing a
parts list for Bricklink. In other cases I will attempt to engineer a
locomotive with my existing pieces. This is how the LSWR O2, Midland ‘Spinner’
4-2-2 and Class 48 Diesel all came about.
BMR: What is your go-to place for inspiration?
There are many – the museum was certainly a great place – but If I had to name one other, there’s a chap on Youtube called Chris Eden-Green who creates mini-documentary profiles on classes of Steam Locomotive. They’re accessible, well-shot and delight informative, and I’ve got many ideas for locomotives to build from them. I hope you don’t mind the shout-out!
BMR: What are your latest projects?
My builds are on hiatus at the moment as I take on a full-time job and work on several animation projects. By no means am I leaving the hobby, but I do think a break from the same thing can be healty once in a while! That said, I’ve been working on some rather interesting stop-motion puppets using Lego pieces as the base for the skeleton. Purists might not like it though as it involves a lot of snipping and drilling!
Purist might want to close there eyes.
BMR: What is your dream project?
Some kind of representation of Dawlish, but in Lego. A mainline running along a sea-wall beneath dramatic cliffs, then entering a small seaside town with a station before disappearing into a tunnel. Maybe throw in a castle on the clifftop for good measure. Probably impractical and definitely heavy on the wallet, but… What a sight it would be!
BMR: You have a lot of cool and interesting YouTube video’s about your MOCs. What inspired you to make these?
Thank you very much! I’ve been making YouTube videos for about 10 years now, so when the Lego Trains came along it was by far the best way for me to share them with people. Film/video making has always been in competition with Lego for my greatest passion, so combining the two was always going to be inevitable.
BMR: What is your favorite show that you have attended with your MOCs so far?
Shildon Brick Show (At NRM Locomotion, Shildon) was where I met the
wonderful fellas at the LNUR. I’ve been to many shows with them since and it’s
always been a wonderful time, but it doesn’t beat where it all began.
A few of Isaac builds at the Yorkshire Brick Show 2018.
If you want to see more of Isaac builds check out the following links:
De Nederlandse Modelspoordagen (Dutch Model Railway Days) is one of the biggest model railway events in The Netherlands. It has more than 150 participants, ranging from small sellers to huge model displays. The event attracts thousands of visitors each year. I have been a regular at this show since 2018. Around August every year I tend to get get a few phone calls from the organizers of the event asking me if I’m able to participate again, which I of course do! The organizers of this event feel, like us, that LEGO is also a real model railway scale (and we all know that they’re right!) and a hot topic to attract youngsters into the hobby of scale railroading.
The Setup:
This year Raised and a few other builders tagged along for the ride, which was very convenient because we were given a quiet big space in the venue. The setup this year contained 2 layouts and a TrixBrix stand. The two layouts consisted of a 6-wide LEGO scale layout, and a 8 wide 1:45 scaled layout. The 6-wide layout consisted of Gerard Salden his LWR (Locomotive Workshop Rotterdam) and Station Zwolle by Victor and Fred Beijert. Both showed that you can build incredible and very large models in ‘official’ LEGO scale. The 8-wide layout consisted of Bahnbetriebswerk Neukirche (its final convention before being torn down) and Raised’s Dutch landscape layout.
Raised his layout from above.
The TrixBrix stand had a demonstration layout for there new automation project and a couple of TV screens showing videos of Bananenbuurman. He was also responsible for handing out flyers and giving more information to the visitors. Lastly, during the entire weekend Tamas de Groot was there to help out with our trains and to run around a couple of his 6-wide MOCs.
TrixBrix stand. One of Tamas de Groot his models, a BR 44.
The tables were inconveniently deep, but that was mostly because they are normally used as market tables for the sales people (none of us have any modular tables as of yet… we should really do something about that). So we had to had climb on the tables to get to a train, which of course always stopped somewhere which you just can’t reach from the front of the layout. If you’re just as flexible as me, it’s a really fun thing to do every two hours.
Backdrop:
Just like we discussed in our LegoWorld 2019 report we used a backdrop for our layout again. We normally use white foamboards. However at this event our layout was positioned in such a way that a few black curtains gave a nice clean black background. We of course took advantage of this by organizing a few photoshoots. Everything went well until Enrico pulled a little to hard on the curtains and almost killed Raised. But hey, that could happen to everyone, right?
One of the many photoshoots we organised during that event.Those large inconveniently deep tables did gave you the ability to have a birds-eye view of the layout.
Running trains?
Tradition stipulates there has to be one or two accidents at the show. My TEE showed a couple of design problems which have been fixed by now. One was that the streamlining of the motor unit would fall off and land right underneath the train, which resulted in several derailments. UrbanErwin’s mat 64 liked to lose at least 1 part for every lap that it ran. Oh, and we have to mention Raised his amazing magic trick with his NS 6400. 1 second it was on a siding, the next second it was just gone. At the exact same time, at the floor next to the layout a big pile of red and white bricks did appear. I’m still figuring out how it managed to do that.
UrbanErwin his Mat 64 resting after a long day at the event.
And, gone was Raised his NS 6400
And there was the pile of red-white bricks
Recognizability
We did learn a very important lesson this event. During this 2 day long event we handed out hundreds of business cards and flyers. We had to restock our BMR business cards once every hour. The reason behind this is quit simple: model railroad fans want to look up more information at home, they want to find more information about layouts, products etc. Besides the fact that we had LEGO and a few flyers and business cards, they didn’t really have a clue what we do in the hobby. The amount of questions we had to answer for visitors was just staggering, but a lot of fun to do.
We feel the solution for this problem is adding more information about ourselves to the overall layout, like most of the old-school model railroaders already do, we found out. We do always have some information boards at our LegoWorld layout but those are always provided by the organization. Adding those on a regular base to the layout and maybe even a BMR banner gives visitors a lot more information and, hopefully turn more people towards the dark side, which is also known as LEGO trains!
More trains!
But the wait is over, here are some pictures and a
video of our trains in action.
I would like to thank UrbanErwin for trusting us with his mat 64, which is still being held hostage at Raised’s house. It does seem to enjoy itself quite a lot there. Oh, and a thanks to the amazing organization for having us, we can’t wait until next year!
In the LegoWorld 2018 Report Raised promised that somewhere in March 2020 the 2019 article would be published. Since Enrico considered that to be a bit late, he volunteered to write the 2019 article, but in 2019. However, since Raised was supposed to edit, it only goes online now. So you guys know who to blame now!
Choochoos and modern Electrics, everything is possible in Legos!
The Event
LegoWorld is an 8-day event (9 if you include the pre-show set-up day) and is held annually during the Dutch autumn break. The event is the biggest Lego event here in The Netherlands and attracts around 100.000 visitors every year. The event is held in Utrecht and is thereby located in the center of the Netherlands.
Those 8 days ask a lot of our trains, and since the layout is a rather big one and the trains run for multiple hours straight, it asks a lot of our models. They tend to break down every now and then, but also batteries need to be charged. Due to the huge amount of young visitors, we want to have at least 2 trains running at any point, so this event not only ask a lot our trains but also a lot of us.
One of the casualties we had. Raised his NS 6400 derailed in the corner located in the old section of Tijn his city.
The Team and the Layout they built
The team this year was made up by 6 people: Raised, UrbanErwin, Tijn, Gijs, Esran and Enrico. We each contributed a different part of the layout.
The Heroes of Legoworld 2019: Erwin, Raised, BigDeady, Tijn, Enrico and Esran. Gijs isn’t in it because he took the picture, right Gijs?
Unfortunately, we don’t have our own tables (yet), so we are always depending on the tables provided by the venue. Most of the time these aren’t properly aligned at all, but luckily we got more than enough beer coasters to get this fixed. Hooray for beer coasters!
How many Minifigs do you need to fix a bit of plastic shaped like a Utilities Box?
The plan for the layout was different compared to last year, as we decided to not re-use the diorama style. Instead, we went for the oldschool circle layout, just like most other LTC’s do. This solved two problems: Less track necessary for the staging yard, and all track would be on MILS level instead of having to build a ramp to go down to table level. That system didn’t work out properly last year, because even the smallest incline meant a lot of stalling of our engines, partly due to the way they are build, partly due to flawed powertrains *cough Raised cough* . We christened this our “Christmas tree set up” from a joke Tijn made when we came up with the layout design, because it looks an awefull lot like something that runs around a Christmas tree. Or, in our case, a concrete pillar…
An overhead view provided by BlueBrick, the track planning software we use for LegoWorld.
Let’s
divide the layout for this article into 4 sections: North, East, South and
West.
North
The North
section was a typical Dutch piece of landscape, flat, green and some cows, a typical
Dutch Polder in fact. This piece was mostly built by Raised, who built a beautiful
curve into the track, so it gave a smooth and “prototypical” presentation of
our landscape. The last piece of the North side, all the way into the North
West part was built by Gijs and the r104 curves in the North East side were
built by Enrico, with Tijn providing the small siding with the baseplates surrounding
that. The North West side had a small factory with a siding, which led into the
Shadow Station, from where we could easy do the many repairs that were
necessary for this event.
The East section was Bahnbetriebswerk Neukirche by Enrico, which turned out a bit bigger than expected: 1/3rd bigger than it was, in fact. The Bahnbetriebswerk was connected in the North east by a triple switch made by TrixBrix and the amazing R104 curves by Brick Tracks. The mainline continued on the back side of the Bahnbetriebswerk to the South East part of the layout. In the middle was a turntable with engine shed and a couple of platforms where “passengers” could get on and off. The Bhw had everything to keep a steam engine running, except for batteries… Continuing into the South East part the Bahnbetriebswerk transformed into a museum line which split up into 2 parts.
Both going into a forest bit where one stopped, the other going into the Esran’s amazing Steam Pump and small Railway station.
South:
Esran’s Steam Pump connected into Tijn his beautiful city and Railway Station in French Style, all in beautiful MDF masonry bricks. His city starts at the old Railway station Esran made in the South East part. From there some amazing winding streets and old buildings went down onto the main street where his station is located. Due to the difference in height between his city and the rest of the layout it has got a cool and realistic feel to it.
Passing the
station is the grand warehouse where the parking is located for the station.
Because the parking and a road disappear into the background it looked like the
layout had a lot of dept to it. From there the mainlined continued pass the
last couple of buildings onto the bridge made by UrbanErwin. The bridge might
be simple in its design but it’s 100% made from Lego and didn’t break down for
the entire week!
OK, it did break down, but only after Erwin threw it onto his own layout (and Raised his eanos…)!
West
The West
part of the layout is where our Shunting Yard was located. Here visitors could
see most of our rolling stock which wasn’t running (or which fell apart) and
children where able to ask: “why isn’t that train running?”. Almost all of the
switches were motorized in this part. Your were able to control the switches by
using an IR remote (only bad thing was that some off our trains where set to
the same IR channel). Next year we are just going to use Polarity Switches
instead, but it did give a cool vibe to it, and felt very realistic. The South
West side had some big trees which created a great photo location. The North
West side had a small harbor scene made by Gijs and my ICM “koploper” was set
there with the scaled drawings in front, showing the public that our trains are
built in scale.
The West Side of the layout, Enrico was just fixing/breaking the yellow NS 1600
A typical day in the Yard
“No Kids, nothing is running”
Special Guest:
This year
we invited a special guest, BigDaedy and his MOC’s. He joined us from Friday
afternoon onto the end of the Sunday. It was great having him around and
comparing his MOC’s with ours. He also had some great advice for Enrico’s
Bahnbetriebswerk, apparently all of the signals weren’t placed correctly. That
can happen to everyone, right?
Here is
small piece about LegoWorld from his point of view:
Greetings
fellow train heads and readers of BMR. My name is Raimund, but I’m usually
known as “BigDaedy” on the internet. Thanks to a special invitation
by the Dutch Lego train community I was able to participate at this year’s LegoWorld
in Utrecht. They asked me to write a brief summary of my experiences during my
trip or let’s just say about my adventure going to Utrecht.
Now what
was so special about LegoWorld Utrecht 2019 for me?
First,
this would be the first time for me to meet the masters of Dutch train building
and their mocs in real life. Then it would’ve been the second time ever for me
to be part of an event like this, the first time being at an event in a different
country (since it’s still within the EU it’s not really a big deal) and the
very first time to actually see how my MOCs would perform on a larger scale
layout, other than a circle of R120 lying on my bedroom floor. So, there is
room for lots of things to go wrong, but fortunately in the end everything
turned out perfectly. As a matter of fact, this weekend has been one of my most
pleasant experiences so far in my life. I’m still baffled and overwhelmed by all
the hospitality, generosity and overall cheerfulness I’ve received by all the
people and amazing builders I’ve met during my stay. Please let me take this
opportunity to express my deepest thanks to the whole Dutch community – You
guys rock and make this such a wonderful hobby!
That
being said, let’s get back on the road again. LegoWorld in Utrecht is actually
really easy to reach. You stumble out of the central station and all you’ve got
to do is to literally walk across the street and you’re already inside. Raised
picked me up at the entrance of the show and guided me directly towards the
layout, giving me lots of info and advice on what to expect during the next 48
hours. I guess it’s safe to say, that I must’ve experienced some sort of
sensory overload during my first few minutes at LegoWorld. Strolling through
countless amazing builds felt like walking in a wonderland and left me stunned.
I think that’s what an unsupervised child must feel like in an “all you
can eat” candy store. Anyhow the rest of the herd gave me a wonderful
welcome and showed me around the layout, pointing out all the little details
scattered around. Now it was time for me to unwrap all of the nice things I’ve
brought with me. Luckily my rolling stock didn’t take any major damage, so I
was quickly set up and ready to go. The first trial run of my consist was
indeed very successful. As a matter of fact, my Traxx was so reliable and fast
that it blew over some of the foam boards at the side of the track due to its
airstream. Partly cause of this incident a speed limit was imposed for it, as
the other guys were quite “scared” of the speed of my train and
worried that it might derail in the curves. Luckily for me, my design proved to
be quite sturdy, I’ve lost less than ten parts during the two days and my
trains seemed to handle the inevitable accidents quite well. Most derailments
actually happened cause someone’s *cough Raised cough* mocs lost vital parts
during their laps on the layout. I really enjoyed discussing all the different
designs and techniques used on both the rolling stock and the layout, so I’ve spent
most of the time taking mental notes on what designs to steal and incorporate
in possible future builds or collabs.
Raised and BigDaedy discussing the different designs they have.
At the
end of the day there was an official part by TLC. Two Lego Star Wars designers,
Jan Neergaard Olesen & Kurt Kristiansen, held a presentation about the
creative process and how a set is designed what changes it has to go through in
order to be released to the public. Very interesting behind the scenes
information and we’ve even got a sneak peek on what’s coming up next. Once the
presentation was over, the attention shifted to the more community related part
of the evening. There were speed building challenges and of course every
participant received a large Lego gift. Sadly, I didn’t get one, as I was only
a guest, but this will surely change next year!
I was also able to get an autograph of the two Lego designers on my engine. How awesome is that? Looks a little bit like graffiti but a lot cooler!
Thumbs up for the Traxx!
Saturday
turned out even better than the day before. A seemingly never-ending crowd of
people, especially children gathered around the layout fascinated by the moving
trains, the huge engine shed, Tijns city, Esrans factory and all the tasty
little details on the countryside. Since I don’t speak any Dutch, it was kind
of difficult to answer the questions of the visitors, but there was always one
of the guys around who patiently translated everything into English for me.
Being a little know-it-all, I also used the chance to point out a few mistakes
on Enrico’s Bahnbetriebswerk, mostly regarding the signaling. Sorry mate
couldn’t help myself!
The overall performance of the rolling stock was quite good. Only a few crashes happened and none of them were really disastrous (for me). We also had lots of room for trying different compositions of the trains and comparing the individual performances of the locos. Of course, this led to debates on what traction system is superior, like geared L-motors or ordinary train motors and the consent that ball bearings should become mandatory. UrbanErwins automated train operation was also very fascinating for me. Looks like there is indeed some potential within the new PU system.
Once the
show was over for the day Tijn invited us over to his place, where he and his
wife cooked us a delicious dinner (compliments to the cooks once again!). More
stories were told, we drank some apple cider, which I’ve brought from home,
together and we laughed and laughed and laughed. A perfect ending to an awesome
day, if I might say so.
As the
sun rose on this beautiful Sunday morning, I was hesitant to wake up. Being in
Utrecht amongst all these wonderful people was so enjoyable that I’ve really
wanted to stay until the end of the show. Sadly, I had to be back at work on
Monday, so I spent the morning filling up with my mind with more pleasurable
memories, until I had to catch my train back home on the afternoon.
And
that’s how my adventure at Utrecht went by. Thanks for sticking through until
the end and I wish happy building to everyone out there.
Cheers,
Raimund
Line-up’s:
On Saturday
night we decided to stay a bit longer and before we noticed, we started from
lining-up all the TRAXX locomotives at the show, into sorting all of our trains
by their colors. This resulted up to 2 line-ups: the red and the yellow one.
On the
inside corner there was from front to back: A Snngs made by Urban Erwin, 2 double-decker
coaches made by BigDaedy, a Eanos made by Raised and the red 1600 made by
Raised.
On the
outside corner there was a 0-6-0 Tank Engine made by Esran, a Vectron and TRAXX
in 6 wide made by Gerard Salden, BigDaedy his 2 TRAXX locomotives and as last
again Raised his “FYRA” TRAXX.
On the
Siding going into the Shadow Station were Raised’s NS 6400 and Enrico’s V100.
Lets start at the front and work our way into the back. On the front siding: Enrico’s ICM “koploper” (because it needed a lot of repairs, he wasn’t confident enough to place the entire train at this line-up).
On the
second siding: Tijn his Sik, Raised his yellow 1600 and a ICR coach in 6 wide
made by Gerard Salden.
On the
Third siding: The IC Direct TRAXX made by Gerard Salden, the NS 1100 provided
by a member of our crew from the layout last year (Christiaan), the NS 1200 by
UrbanErwin, and the Plan W coach by Christiaan again.
On the
Forth siding: Mat 64 (“Apenkop”) by UrbanErwin.
On the outer
corner: Enrico’s NS 2454 locomotive and Raised his ICR 8 wide coaches.
Traxx line up
The third of the special line-ups held at the event was the Traxx line up. 2 from BigDaedy and 1 from Raised.
That’s how you make pictures!
The Backdrop:
Last year we learned a very important lesson. To get the best view of the layout itself, it a good thing to not be able to see the chaos behind the layout, aka the repairing of broken trains and us eating lunch. Last year we fixed this problem by using a blue linen backdrop with wooden rods to keep it all as straight as possible. It looked fine, but just didn’t work as planned: It was too instable due to its own weight, not so easy to set up, and mostly a bit too high. So, if you were standing in the front of the layout you couldn’t see what happened at the back of the layout, which isn’t that handy if you know 50% of our track was behind the layout last year…
White Foamboard backdrops. Fixing pictures since 2019!
Luckily, we
fixed that problem this year by using foam plates as a backdrop. These were held
together by using Lego pieces on the top and the bottom. The provided a great
backdrop so that visitors were able to see the train running on the layout but
not our lunch. However the organization managed to placed us in a way that we
had 2 concrete polls right in the middle of our layout, obstructing our view,
so trains were still able to stop running for 5 minutes before we found them.
This picture made from above truly shows how busy LegoWorld can get, this day we sold out with 15000 visitors
Impression of the layout.
Here are
some more pictures/videos of the layout for you to enjoy!
The Denver & Rio Grande Western, while perhaps more remembered for it’s famous narrow gauge operations, is also famous for it’s extensive passenger service through the Rocky Mountains. One such train was the Royal Gorge, which was operated from 1946 to 1967. During the final year of operation, the train was operated between Denver, Colorado and Salida, Colorado and was run daily. The train was typically run with two or three cars.
“Royal Gorge” near Cotopaxi, Colorado. Photo by Steve Patterson
Wil Hata has chosen to model the 1967 train, consisting of an F7A and F7B unit with a baggage car and Pullman passenger car. Bright light orange was used as the DRGW’s signature orange-yellow color combined with light bluish grey. The results are, there’s no other word for it, awesome.
The Trans Europ Express, or TEE, is a magical name when it comes to railroading and pioneer in high speed, and international and luxury travel. Today we dive into the history around this concept and the train which made this concept a reality. We’ll look at not one but two LEGO versions of the TEE, in this collaboration article between Holger Matthes and myself.
VT 11.5 – A star is born.
In the
mid-1950s, the European economy picked up speed again, and the western European
countries began to establish new relationships after the devastation of the
Second World War. In this context, eight European rail companies decided to
introduce a joint train offer: the Trans-Europ-Express, TEE for short. The
modern express train network was intended to connect the European metropolises
with one another and, in particular, offer the wealthy business travelers of
the economic miracle an alternative to car and air transport. For this new type
of traffic system, the Deutsche Bundesbahn procured several multiple units with
type VT 11.5 railcars, which were put into operation in June 1957, later also
locomotive-covered trains were used. With this decision, DB made history. For
15 years the German diesel multiple units were used as TEE and shaped the image
of international express train traffic like no other train set.
601 001 in Friedrichshafen Stadt, 24.04.1983 . Foto credits go to ( Thomas Reincke )
Symbol of a Europe without borders
Close
cooperation with its European neighbors was of great importance to the Deutsche
Bundesbahn right from the start. An example of this is the European freight
wagon community “EUROP”, which was initially founded in 1951 with the
French State Railways, creating an extensive, freely available European freight
wagon pool. Three years later, the DB agreed with most of the European railway
companies that in future only two wagon classes would be used, which would be
comfortably adjusted.
Another
result of the growing (western) European cooperation was the establishment of
the European express train network TEE. Development began in 1954 with the
founding of the Trans-Europ-Express Commission based in The Hague. The founding
members were the State Railways of Belgium (NMBS / SNCB), the Netherlands (NS),
the Federal Republic of Germany (DB), France (SNCF), Italy (FS), Luxembourg
(CFL) and Switzerland (SBB); later the Spanish State Railways (RENFE) also
joined.
Since the
railway administrations were unable to agree on the introduction of a standard
vehicle, they were limited to introducing the trains under the common name and
logo TEE and defining several binding criteria:
Due
to the low degree of electrification in the individual countries, the TEE
trains should initially run as diesel multiple units.
They
should reach a top speed of 140 km/h.
Only
the 1st car class should be offered (at least 120 seats and no more than three
seats per row).
The
trains should have exclusive on-board catering.
There
should be spaces for passport and customs control while driving.
The
trains should be painted uniformly in a wine red / beige color dress (in
Germany RAL 3005 / RAL 1001).
Some countries did not have their own vehicles built for TEE traffic. In DB’s opinion, the requirements set by the TEE Commission could only be met with a new development. That was the birth of one of the most striking rail vehicles of its time, the VT 11.5.
Everybody who exhibits at a convention or show with their LEGO models is probably asked this question multiple times: “How do you get your trains running so good?” There are multiple answers to this question, and it’s difficult and annoying to summarize them all. At conventions, I probably answered this question 10 times an hour, so I decided to compile it into an article: a small list with tips and tricks to make your trains run better.
Control Systems
There multiple control systems in for LEGO trains. For the sake of this article I will skip the old 12V system. The 9V system is one of the most reliable in the LEGO world. Plug them in, turn the dial, and it goes. The biggest problem with the system is that it’s been decommissioned around 15 years ago. So, the prices are getting quite high and parts are difficult to come by. Beside that, it’s one of the most reliable and easiest to use.
The Power Function system was introduced back around 2007. Let’s not get into the complicated history, but in short, the system used a receiver and a remote. The first version of the receiver had a very complicated fail system intended to make sure no child (or adult) was able to overload the train. By having that fail system, the older PF receivers aren’t that useful for powering trains. Newer versions of the PF receiver’s including the V2 version could handle more power. The biggest problem of PF is that it uses infra-red, which has only got a range of around 3-4 meters.
Using a different receiver isn’t the only option you have when using the PF system. There are multiple third-party options. Including Sbrick and PFx brick. These third-party options give the option to drive your train by using Bluetooth instead of infra-red (with PFx offering both). Therefore, you have more range than the 3-4 meters infrared has. Secondly, there are more options for setting up the drive abilities to achieve greater realism for your trains. It’s difficult to describe that in one article, so I’ll leave a couple of links down below to websites that provide more information.
Powered Up is the newest option for powering your models. I don’t have a lot of specific tips and tricks for this system but I highly recommend using the “The Lego Train Project” control software.
Ball Bearings
Ball bearings are small metal rings that make your trains wheels roll with almost negligible friction. Because of this, the wagons ride smoother and don’t put up as much resistance behind your locomotive. Therefore, your locomotive can pull more wagons at a higher speed.
I personally use the MR52ZZ ball bearing. There easy to come by ad specialize stores and online website. If you want to safe time and energy. BMR provides fully assembled sets.
Weight
One of the biggest problems that train builders face is that trains have problems with friction. A good example is the official Lego Christmas Train (10254), the trains looks beautiful but the train can’t run at high speed. The reason for this is quite simple, the engine itself is light so it’s not able to grip the rails and get enough traction.
A simple solution for this is making your locomotive heavier. For this there are multiple solutions. Here are some that I know off and have used in the past:
Battery box: One of the easiest options is placing the battery box on top of the motor. This provides enough weight for the motor to get enough traction, biggest problem is that most of the locomotives don’t have enough room for the battery box to be on top of the motor. This usually works best with a PF train motor or similar setup.
Boat weights: LEGO has made a couple of weights in the past for their boats, one of the best to use for trains is part 73843.
Spare change: Tape some rolls of spare change together and place them on top of the motor.
Weights for fishing rods: These are small and easy to come by.
Gerard Salden rebuilding his “FLying Dutchman” Vectron. This model is a great example that even in small moc’s you can use weights.
The finished model, the model uses multiple weights for fishing rods and it’s thereby able to pull rater large trains compared to it size.
Rubber Bands
The second method for gaining traction is using small rubber bands. By placing small and thin rubber band around BBB (Big Ben Brick) wheels, for example, give the wheels more grip with the track. There are different rubber bands you can use. I personally use old bicycle tires (since I live in The Netherlands they’re are easy to come by here). I cut them in small pieces which can be easily placed around a BBB wheel.
The inside of old bicycle tires create more traction for your models who use BBB wheels.
Illegal Tricks
Reader be warned: unconventional techniques lie ahead. The main reason I call these techniques “illegal” is that there is possibility to damage your LEGO.
Glue: Yes, glue might be one of the most hated things to use with LEGO. It has pros and cons, but sometimes LEGO itself does not have enough clutch power. So, glue may be a good option.
Silicone spray: silicone spray is corrosive to Lego so it’s dangerous to use with Lego. But if you use caution you can use it as lubricated with Technic gears and make them run smoother.
Editor recommendation: I prefer Labelle 107 lubricating oil, which is safe for plastic. – Glenn
For more information, I redirect you to the following websites:
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