In addition to MOC Builder interviews, BMR has recently reached out to the worldwide LEGO train community to learn a little more about some of the people and groups that make up our great hobby.  Recently I interviewed Paolo Sbrascini, a train builder from the Italian fan group Marchebrick.

Paolo is the main train builder for their group, and enjoys building automation into his MOCs and layouts, including such things as automatic doors that open and close on passenger trains as they stop at the train platform.

BMR: Can you tell us about Marchebrick?

Paolo: Marchebrick group…RLUG from January 2017, now with more than 40 members and 25 active AFOLs, proud to be their Ambassador and co-founder of this group.

It was December 2014, AFOL from 2010 and ITlug member, (still I am), I was participating as exhibitor to an event in our Region (Marche, Central Italy, 300 kms north/east from Rome) organized by our friends of Romabrick group. In that occasion I met some guys who lived not far from me and all great AFOLs. We discussed about the possibility to found a group to enjoy together and run own events. After some months talking about it (usually in Pubs and restaurants), maybe a little drunk, in the 2015 spring we officially founded “Marchebrick”.

In origin we were 5 main AFOLs, different theme lovers (city/trains, fantasy/castle, Technic, pirates and Friends (a member wife).

This 1st event arrived quickly, in April 2015 we organized an expo area in a fair near us. Event gone okay and we decided to raise the level, organize a specific exhibition in the Center of the main Cities of the Region, and we did it! December 2017, two events in Ancona (Region’s Capital) and Macerata (Province chief town) gave us an extreme visibility and all the “hidden” AFOLs and brick lovers of a large area contacted us to know more, to take part to our activities, to enjoy…

2016 a Year of big changes, more people to manage, more activities to do (an example, we bought a lot of bricks to make children play for free at our events), a founder gone, some new “big” AFOLs arrived…continuing growing and making bigger and enjoying events. August and October Central Italy Earthquakes (one during an event…incredible) impacted strongly in our Region…but even with some difficulties we continued to play!

2017, January…Welcome aboard new RLUG! Doors or a new world open to us, we start to make official events and cooperate more with all the “neighbours” and the other Italian groups. The Main event comes on January 2018, Brick And Build Porto San Giorgio, a whole sports hall, 55 exhibitors from all over Italy, big play area, fantastic reply from public.

Now we are trying to add new activities to play with public…and among our members, like internal brick contests or community Ideas to develop…soon enjoying news!

BMR: Do you find it difficult to be the only member who enjoys building trains?

Paolo: No relevant difficulties, even If I am the only train MOC builder of my group, when I do something I like I never find problems. I am a Train lover since I abandoned my dark age in 2010. Participating to events through Italy I met a good part of the most “famous” Italian and European Lego trains builders and I had the possibility to compare with them. I also searched if in our group there were someone interested, but all the other City lovers only consider trains like “the movement” in the city…without approaching to MOC models like me. For these reasons in my group I am usually the one who manages city and trains Layouts and in occasion of bigger events I usually call other “foreign” train lovers to help me with their creations. I also usually go outside when called to run my trains in some large city layouts built by other groups. And I enjoy very much to do this!

BMR: Tell us about the automations that you build.  Do you have a process for
testing as you create?

Paolo: Making my trains as accurate as possible, I started to search for some new “wow” effects to add…for example smoke from exhausts, sounds, but these are all existing tricks, which can be made adapting a normal kit from railroad models. For this reason, I started to think about what could be unusual or enjoying to see and I found some good stuffs to improve, like: working automatic railroad crossings, automatic train doors, automatic start/stop trains on station’s platform in according to light signals…

Usually I build my trains before by LDD, but for these moving stuffs (especially crossing and working doors) I had to invent completely all the functions by using real mock-ups. Testing these models I optimized their work and then I putted them into my models/layouts, in this case empiric approach works very well for me.

Regarding automations, I use an old RCX 1.0 and sensors which can be programmed by NQC language, I know it’s quite complicate but I usually can obtain good results.

BMR: Do you use 3rd party parts (batteries, lights, motors, etc.) in any of
your builds?  If so, why?

Paolo: I consider myself quite “purist” using Lego parts, so if possible I try only to use only original pieces. This “rule” is fundamental regarding bricks and normal pieces, but regarding electronic Everybody knows that there are some limits in standard parts. Building my models in the Years I used no standard rechargeable batteries, but with big problems (heat) so I started to use official rechargeable batteries. (expensive but efficient). Same for controllers, I tried S-Brick receiver, but not totally satisfied applying it to trains. Now I’m thinking about buying a Buwizz battery (I know Roni one of the founders) and it could be interesting to have a small “all in one” device.

Another real problem is represented by old 9v train motors “burnt” or very “tired”…I’m now trying to run my trains with PF motors collecting energy by a cable connected with a 9v motor (but in small models it’s more difficult).

Regarding controlling functions I will try to remain with RCX system till it will be working, but I also know some friends implementing programmable (and quite cheap) systems like Arduino with increasing success…so let’s see in the next future…also considering that TLG will launch soon the new PF2 system.

Photos from Marchebrick Porto San Giorgio “Brick ‘n Build” show some very
detailed and realistic train layouts.  Were these collaborations between
you and other builders?

Paolo: In small events I usually manage train layouts with my forces, but as I said before regarding my activities, in big layouts I usually contact before 4 or 5 “serious” train builders asking them to give me a hand to display great dioramas and realistic trains. We know each other and we usually keep in contact among us, so we know exactly what we have to display and what could be useful for this or for another event. The only thing which has not been implemented yet among us Is the direct collaboration for realizing a unique layout…cause we are far from each other (2/300 kilometers each) and we cannot often meet physically, But we are talking about it, let’s develop this idea in the future.