The Brick Train Awards are back in 2023 this September. Now in its fourth year, this annual virtual event is for LEGO train fans worldwide!
The awards began in 2020 to promote what the LEGO train fan community has been building, from locos and wagons to scenery. With the collaboration between multiple LEGO train fan communities, including BMR, we have established the Brick Train Awards into a well known activity in this community.
There are 15 categories for the Brick Train Awards this year, from the prestigious best steam locomotive award to 3 categories for wagons, an award for group or individual display, and 3 categories aimed at TFOLs aged 13 – 18 years. As with 2022’s awards, there are three categories specifically for digital model builders too.
You can enter for free via the event website from 1st – 30th September 2023. Each model is judged within a region – Americas (including both North and South America), Europe and the Middle East, or Asia & Australasia – and winners of these regional categories are then in with a chance to win the category at a global level.
Each of the 45 winners will receive a Brick Train Awards 2023 winners brick, and 15 global winners will receive a $100 voucher from global sponsor Trixbrix.eu. The event is also supported by HA Bricks and Brick.is, and all of the sponsors help make the event possible.
NLGM means Noppenbahner L-Gauge Meeting and is organized by you guessed it, the Noppenbahner. It’s hosted in the town of Wörrstadt, Germany, where the Lego event is now almost a yearly tradition. And that brings something unique into the event, something I haven’t experienced before.
The Noppenbahner are a group of German Lego train builders that build their models, just like most European builders, in scale 1:45. They have been around for a few years now and have built some of the most recognizable German trains in Lego. Including some TRAXX locomotives, a lot of German steam locomotives and diesel locomotives like the Baureihe 218. The individual members build their own layouts as well, which are mostly based on the MILS standard. These layouts can connect to both layouts from other Noppenbahner, and layouts built my members from other groups. Their members are based all across Germany, so they don’t meet up on a regular basis. But they decided to turn one of their meetings into an event for similar minded builders and turn this into the NLGM event. 2022 was their first time hosting this event, 2023 was their second turn at it.
They decided to host their event at Wörrstadt, which used to be a small sleepy suburb of Mainz and other big cities in the area but is now internationally known for its Lego event.
Figure 1 Nick form the Noppenbahner has built the Wörrstadt railway station in Lego, visitors who lived in Wörrstadt spent hours looking and recognizing all the details.
Why Wörrstadt?
Ahh Wörrstadt, the name alone brings back memories of a lot of visitors, having friends around, German BBQ at Saturday night and crashing your trains on a huge group layout. The reason why the Noppenbahner decided to host their event in Wörrstadt is quite simple.
Nick lives in Wörrstadt since his forever basically, coming even to the point that he built the Wörrstadt train station out of Lego. As he knows the small town in and out, he was able to secure the towns venue, a beautifully restored town hall, for the event. Luckily for the Noppenbahner, the town of Wörrstadt really liked the idea of having a Lego train event there and supported them by giving them the keys to the location for affordable conditions. The major also gave a short speech to open the event both years. The even included the town symbol of Wörrstadt in their 1×6 sand red event brick at the 2023 event.
Figure 2 the mayor giving his speech during the 2022 event. As you might noticed the author of this article isn’t in this picture ;).
Like mentioned before, the 2023 version was the second time the Noppenbahner organized this event and it was again organized on the last weekend of April. Before we get to much into the event itself and all the cool Lego stuff, there is something else I would like to point out.
Visitors.
I have been to quite a lot of events/conventions in the last six years. As far as I can remember there aren’t any events that I have done where I wasn’t satisfied with at the end of the weekend. But one thing always stands outs to me at events, and that is the reaction and behavior of visitors. Don’t get me wrong I’m not a creep who likes to stalk all the visitors and observe them (maybe.).
Visitors always bring a certain atmosphere to an event. Your goal is always to impress them and give them their “money worths”. There is nothing cooler than having a group of visitors around that are interested in what you do as a hobby, ask in depth or interesting questions and most importantly enjoy your exhibit. There have been so many events around where I was able to meet other builders who like to learn from us or want to check out our stuff in real life. Their where times where I missed a large portion of an event because I was just talking with visitors for most of the time.
A good example of this was a model railway event I attended with the LLMTC early this year, so many of the “normal” model railway builders were asking in depth and interesting question and where really keen on learning what we do. And they just loved recognizing all the details we have built into our models.
However, an uninterested group of visitors can really turn an event down. I have been at events where the visitors where just not interested. I have been at a event where the number of stands where you were able to buy Lego outweigh the amount of MOCs that were on display. This made most of the audience/visitor’s keener on a bargain than seeing interesting MOCs. A “children” event like LegoWorld attracts more visitors which aren’t interested in MOCs but just want to play and built with Lego at the event itself, the consequences of this is that you have a audience of visitors which ask more questions like “” why isn’t that train running?” instead of being interested on how that train is made.
Luckily, I can say that the visitors at the NLGM in Wörrstadt belong to some of the most kind, interested and well-behaved visitors I have ever experienced. The amount of question and interest in us was overwhelming, it’s also turning in something well known in both the area of Wörrstadt and Germany itself. Some visitors travelled very far just to visit this event. The car park was so full that people decided to use the nearby basketball field to park their car. And visitors are now calling it a yearly tradition, where even the elders in the village asked if the event is really going to happen again next year.
Figure 3 one of the visitors’ favorite layouts was Holger Matthes his bridge.
Beside visitors travelling far, befriended builders from across Germany travel to see this event and hang out and talk to us. Something that I can say is very unique to see in a field of MOC building that isn’t that very big or well-known compared to others.
One of the things that stood out at the event was how well behaved and polite the visitors where (might have to do with the fact that they are German). There were some area’s that visitors weren’t allowed to walk through or enter. I have experienced at other events that we had to uses gates (sometimes even riot gates) to prevent people to enter these areas, with visitors still ignoring the gates. But in Wörrstadt, a simple sign on a piece of paper that said (in German of course) that visitors weren’t allowed to enter was more than enough.
Figure 4 normally I would be really scared having my models this close to the edge of the table
2022 event.
Back to some Lego stuff. The 2022 event was held on the 30th of April until the 1st of May. Back when covid was still a thing and it was mandatory to wear a coffee filter on your face in Germany, me and six other members from the LLMTC decided to travel to Wörrstadt. The principle of Wörrstadt is very similar to what other events like the event at Schkeuditz maintain, they create the possibility for builders to create a layout at home to a modular standard of their choice and bring it to the event. Where the organizers try to get as much different layouts possible connected to each other to form one huge group layout.
Figure 5 an overhead look of the 2022 set-up in the main room, a large section isn’t visible since it was underneath the platform where I took this picture from.
The running/layout style of this event is point to point. Which means your train is able to start at point A on the layout (most likely a storage yard), travel through the entire layout to point B, where it can use the return loop, or you can choose to park it inside of this yard. This makes running trains way more interesting compared to a tradition loop layout. The play factor in setting up layouts like these is way higher compared to having your trains running on the same circle at the entire event.
Figure 6 back in 2022 the second room had Thomas/TS_ his yard in it, here I was dropping of some coaches and picking up some others to take back into the main room.
So, the 2022 event, what was so special? Well, the number of layouts was so immense that they used a second smaller room to display some extra layouts. Your trains literally had to go through a walkway from the main room to the second room, a concept that adds a lot to the point-to-point driving experience. What was also very unique is that the main yard was on stage in the main room. This meant that trains which were not in use, where parked on a higher level, perfect height for visitors to look at the models.
Figure 7 Inside the yard from Thomas/TS_ was also a turntable which was perfect for turning locos to send them back into the main room.
There was a large number of interesting layouts, too much to list up in this article, therefore I highly recommend checking out Ties’ video of the event which has 20+ minutes of amazing video shots of our models running around.
2023 event.
The 2023 version was similar to the 2022 version however the number of layouts was less compared to the 2022, most of this had to do with the fact that there was another semi-big Lego show in Germany at the same weekend. Nevertheless, the event was still a heck of a lot of fun. Here is a quick list of what changed compared to the 2022 version.
Figure 8 overhead shot of the 2023 layout set-up in the main room.
Well first of all we didn’t have to wear any coffee filters on our faces anymore, which was a big plus. Second, the point-to-point driving experience was expanded compared to last year. This year the second room had a small narrow-gauge layout that was able to work together with the normal gauge layout, in short, this means that trains on normal gauge where able to deliver wagons to the narrow gauge, and narrow gauge where able to transport those wagons on their layout. This was perfect for playing around with freight wagons.
Figure 9 one of the narrow-gauge loco’s shunting beside the mainline connecting. Photo credits: Thomas/TS_.
The storage yard on the stage was heavily expanded with a lot more extra space. The yard was in fact so large that a team of dedicated shunters where always ready to help out with storing trains and rearranging them. This yard solved some of the storage problems that happened previous year. Shunting in this yard was a heck of a lot of fun. Where you were able to team up with one builder on the left side operating all the switches on that side, and a builder on the right side doing the same thing. This was one heck of a team effort to shunt and store all the trains, but it was immense fun to experience.
Figure 10 the 2023 storage yard on the stage where Tamás is shunting in the back. Photo credit: Ervvin
To add even more storage space, Nicolas Tbx made a storage yard which was placed in the middle of the layout. This meant that it was the perfect space to pick up some extra freight wagons while you’re driving from point A to B. Having this extra yard plus some stations where there where storage tracks available, made it really fun to shunt trains from one yard to another. I personally spent a lot of time picking up freight wagons at the different stations and yards and driving those to the main yard.
Figure 11 my NS2454 pulling a small mixed freight train which I picked up in the main yard, and which I’m going to drop off at the yard Nicolas Tbx has built. Location of this picture is Ties’ layout.
Branch line.
One of the more unique things from both the 2022 and 2023 version that both group layouts had their own dedicated branch line. A branch line with no overhead wires, wooden sleepers and instead of double track it had a signal track. This branch line was a warm welcome to the busy and crowded mainline and was the perfect piece of the layout to take your time while driving through and take pictures at every spot. It’s very unique to see events where the number of layouts is so vast, that there is even the possibility to set up a branch line where your able to drive for a significant distance.
Figure 12 Ervvin his Mat64 driving on the branch line and just passing Wörrstadt Hbf.
If you want to see more of the 2023 layout, check out Ties his 1-hour documentary:
So, what makes this event so great?
Well, it’s a combination of the factors mentioned above. First of all, the set-up of the layout, where you’re driving from point A to point B makes driving trains 10x more interesting than a conventional layout where trains just run around the same loop over and over again. With a point-to-point layout you’re really playing with your trains, combine that with the ability to shunt wagons in different yards and station, and the ability to travel with freight wagons from point A to point B and you have a weekend where you just can’t get enough of playing around. Plus add to this equation the fact that you have a dedicated branch line and multiple interesting and unique layouts and then you find yourself with one of the best group layouts to play with your trains on.
Add to this the fact that the visitors are interested, kind and really want too more about us. And genuinely enjoy watching us play with our trains for hours.
And to add this all up, you have a group of warm, friendly Lego trains builders, who want to provide you with an amazing weekend and the opportunity to enjoy it to the fullest. Attending Wörrstadt feels like you’re hanging out with your mates while you’re playing with your Lego trains. And in the evenings, you can sit back, relax and share stories and ideas for new Lego projects. NLGM is what all Lego events should be about, and the Noppenbahner did a bloody damn good job of it!!
Figure 13 the 2023 crew together in one picture.
I want to really thank the Noppenbahner for organizing and having us, I’m grateful for the friendship and the collaboration the Noppenbahner and the LLMTC have. It’s very unique to see that builders from different countries can be so close and so collaborative, I told the story about the LLMTC and Noppenbahner friendship at a model railway event earlier this year, and the other builders just couldn’t believe that we are daily working together and have such a close friendship that has been around for so many years. Thank you so much for everything!
If you’re interested in seeing more of the event, I highly recommend watching the following video’s:
I hope you enjoyed this look into this unique event, thank you so much for reading! And thank you Nick for giving this article a quick read trough to spot any spelling mistakes.
We’re back with the final installment of our look at the cars from the Secret Santa Rail Car Exchange I participated with in 2020. If you are just joining us, take a look at part one, two, and three of this series to catch up on the what, how, who, and why and see the cars you missed. We have some time.
We’re back with part of our look at the cars from the Secret Santa Rail Car Exchange I participated with in 2020. If you are just joining us, take a look at part one and two of this series to catch up on the what, how, who, and why and see the cars you missed. We won’t start without you
We’re back to look at a few more of the cars from the Secret Santa Rail Car Exchange I participated with in 2020. If you are just joining us, take a look at part one of this series to catch up on the what, how, who, and why. We’ll wait for you.
Trevor drew Monty’s name, and the car he built to gift was perfect for Monty’s fleet. Trevor choose to model one of the more interesting pieces of intermodal equipment to come out of the 1980s, the Roadrailer.
The complete Roadrailer kit. The truck sitting beside the trailer is used when connecting one roadrailer trailer to another roadrailer trailer.
RoadRailers were specialty trailers that could easily be moved from the highway to the rails without having to be loaded onto a flatcar. The technology dates back to the 1950s. The trailers were built with integrated railroad wheelsets that could be lowered into position when the trailer was pulled behind a train. However it was not until the 1980s that the idea finally gained traction.
Modern roadrailers do not include integrated railroad wheels, but ride on regular trucks that do double-duty, serving as articulation points between multiple trailers in a train. Each regular truck is equipped with one fifth wheel at one end and a connector plate at the other end. The connector plate slides into a female receptacle on the rear of the trailer in front and is secured with a steel pin. At the head of a Road Railer train there is an adaptor truck equipped with one fifth wheel and one regular AAR Type “E” or Type “F” automatic coupler. Each semi-trailer has one king pin at each end. Because the truck (bogie) is significantly lighter than a rail flatcar or well-car, roadrailer freight trains are much lighter and therefore are more energy efficient than traditional intermodal trains.
Triple Crown roadrailers.
Though the use of road railers has waned in recent years, Triple Crown still uses them. The “TCSZ” on the trailer is the AAR reporting mark for Triple Crown Service. The trailer number beginning with 464 indicates that the trailer was built approximately 1999–2002, and weighs only 1,000 lb (454 kg) more than a regular highway-only trailer.
Frisco Express Reefer: Jeffry’s model for Bradley
Those of us who know Bradley, know he has a bit of a love for the St. Louis–San Francisco Railway, or as it’s more commonly known, the Frisco. Love may be an understatement, I swear he eats sleeps and breaths nothing but Frisco. So when Jeff pulled Bradley’s name, the road choice was obvious.
With the road choice nailed down, the choice of car type came next. Bradley has already modeled a very nice Frisco train depot, so Jeff played into that and built a piece of head end equipment to compliment Brad’s depot. And what head end car is cooler than an express reefer. Pun fully intended.
Jeff’s Frisco Express Reefer in front of Bradleys awesome train depot.
Express refrigerator cars were used to carry perishable crops like berries and melons to distant markets at passenger train speeds before spoilage could occur. Normally, they were operated at the head end of passenger trains, which required that the cars meet the same design standards as steel postal cars in terms of high speed trucks, passenger car brake systems, air, steam and signal lines, passenger car buffers as well as passenger paint and lettering schemes.
This car was built by American Car & Foundry, AC&F. The car is 50ft in length and featured passenger style trucks and of course is lettered for Bradley’s favorite road, the Frisco.
Matt’s Northern Pacific Wood Chip Gondola for Jeffry
Matt drew Jeff, and the resulting car is a really nice wood chip gondola. Here is some more info from Matt on his car.
My build was for Jeff Fonda. His railroads and era of choice were Northern Pacific (NP) or Great Northern (GN), and mid to late steam (40’s to 50’s). The first step was to find a prototype, one that hadn’t been modeled already by Brick Model Railroader (BMR) or Brick Train Depot (BTD) – meeting all three of these criteria would prove to be tough!
In the beginning I quickly realized that both these roads had woodchip gondolas, which was a type of car I personally hadn’t seen done in Lego before (which meant BMR and BTD certainly hadn’t done it). The problem was that the majority of the cars I was seeing were later than Jeff’s chosen build era. I briefly started looking at other types of cars, but since a woodchip hopper had been something I’d wanted to build for a while I came back and searched a bit harder. Eventually I found the NP 52000-52749 series of cars, which were drop-bottom gondolas built in 1937.
Northern Pacific wood chip car in Pasco, Washington. Photo by Ron Hawkins.
By now you’ve probably seen the photos of the car, and may be thinking, “Matt, don’t you know anything about math? 118837 is not between 52000 and 52749!” You would be correct. These types of wood chip cars, like wood chip cars on many other railroads, were in-house conversions from existing cars. The few 52000 series cars that were converted for wood chip service were renumbered to NP 118500-118540. Now you might think, “OK, but you’re still 297 cars off…” I also found the NP 118800 series of cars, which were very similar 40’ drop-bottom gondolas converted to wood chip service. In my research I learned that these wood chip cars were used in captive service to specific mills and the extensions were to increase capacity were designed by the mills, thus the design varied between each class.
The resources I found for the 118500 series were very scarce, and the few photos I found showed the cars in 1980 being prepped for retirement and wearing much different livery than they would’ve in the 40’s or 50’s. I also found very few photos of model cars, and these were low quality and only from the side. The source I had found for the 118800 series cars had a number of very large photos of a very well-detailed model. There were some features of these cars that I knew I wouldn’t be able to get right, so I decided to merge the two designs. The fact that each mill had different designs for the cars that it was served by in my mind lent credibility to my design.
Once the prototype was settled upon, it was time to design the car! Some of the prominent details that I tried to capture included the corrugated ends and ribs of the gondola, the flat, smooth sides of the extensions, the rods to operate the door mechanisms, and the gap between the floor and the trucks, due to the need for the entire length of the car to be able to dump, which also puts the underbody details on display.
Studio render of my final design, missing a few pieces and with large gaps between SNOT assemblies.
The widest part of the car ended up being 9-wide since the corrugated ends needed to be an even width (8-wide) and the ribs and upper lip of the gondola extended beyond this. The design is almost entirely SNOTed, with lots of internal structure to hold everything in place securely. (It may have been a bit overbuilt, but that probably helped it get to Illinois in a minimal number of pieces!)
Some of the internal assembly and SNOT holding the car together.
Once the design was done, it was time to order parts and decals. Lately, my preferred method for ordering parts is to make a wanted list on Bricklink, use the auto-select function to automatically generate carts, then order two or three of these carts at a time. This way I don’t have to make a special order for the one or two missing parts if there’s any parts missing from orders, last-minute changes to the design, or if I simply forget a piece. (I ordered all the parts at once for a boxcar I recently built and was missing a single 2×2 tile in the end…) The downside to this method is that I can’t start building it when the parts start arriving (though I still did that anyways).
Partially assembled bits of freight car.
Partially assembled bits of freight car.
The last step before shipping it was to photograph the car for my records and to share on social media. Without a dedicated photo area or workspace, this involves dragging furniture around…
My makeshift photo area using a not-so-handy dresser.
My makeshift photo area using a not-so-handy dresser.
Then the last step was to pack it up and ship it out! I’ve heard the motto “if it shakes, it breaks” from the ceramics industry, so I took that advice and packed the box with bubble wrap and paper so that when I shook the box I couldn’t hear movement. As far as I know it didn’t break in transit, so I think it worked!
Lots of paper… and some bubble wrap!
Lots of paper… and some bubble wrap!
Lastly, here are some more shots of the completed car.
Part 3 Coming Friday
That’s three more cars down, and we still have 5 more models to go. Come back tomorrow to see the next group of cars.
The Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft’s BR(Baureihe) 01 steam locomotives were the first standardized (Einheitsdampflokomotive) steam express passenger locomotives built by the German railway. The BR 01 10 was also a part of the standardized locomotives, but it was a 3-cylinder version of the BR 01. Both the BR 01 and BR 01 10 where used right up to the end of steam service in both West-Germany and East-Germany. In this article both Enrico and Simon Jakobi (Dr Snotson on Flickr) will take a look through the history and use of the BR 01 and BR 01 10 and show their models which represent these iconic locomotives.
DRG Class 01
The Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft’s BR 01 steam locomotives were the first standardized (Einheitsdampflokomotive) steam express passenger locomotives. A total of 231 locomotives where built by German company’s across Germany. They were of 4-6-2 “Pacific” wheel arrangement in the Whyte notation, or 2′C1′ h2 in the UIC classification. The idea behind standardization is to reduce cost and make repairs easier and quicker.
Neuenmarkt-Wirsberg, 3 September 1972. Loc 001 180 with a sister locomotive at the Schiefe Ebene, photo credits to Nico Spilt.
The BR 01 is a 2-cylinder locomotive. As a test 10 locomotives where built with a 4-cylinder configuration, these where renumbered in BR 02. The 2-cylinder version was favored after long testing because it was easier to maintain running compared to the 4-cilinder version. The main batch of the BR 01 were delayed in the 1920’s. The reason behind this was that the infrastructure of the DB wasn’t ready for these locomotives. Turntables needed to be lengthened and railway lines needed to be strength to be able to support the 20-ton locomotives.
Since 1938 there were 231 BR 01 locomotives available for the prestigious express train duties across Germany. The 10 four-cylinder BR 02 locomotive version (01 111, 01 233–241) were converted to two-cylinder BR 01 models between 1937 and 1942. Since there were so many routes that still had axle load restrictions, which were too low for Class 01 service, in the early 1930s, a third variant was produced: the BR 03 designed with a two-cylinder engine and axle load of 18 ton. A total of 298 BR 03 locomotives where built. Launched in 1939, the three-cylinder DRG Class 01.10 was a further development of the 01.
The 03 098, a version of the 01 with a lower axle load. The 03 098 is preserved in the Technic-museum Speyer.
In 12 years, a total of five series or batches were delivered, each with minor variations:
01 001–010 (1926)
01 112–076 (1927–28)
01 077–101 (1930–31)
01 102–190 (1934–1936)
01 191–232 (1937–1938).
Stats
Originally, the BR 01’s top speed was restricted to 120 km/h(75mph). In order to raise this to 130 km/h(81mph), the diameter of the leading wheels was increased from its original 850 mm to 1,000 mm on locomotives from operating number 01 102 onwards and brake effort was increased by installing double-sided working of the brake shoes on the coupled wheels and by braking the trailing wheels. Each locomotive was able to produce a respectably 1,648 kW. The driving wheels where 2000mm (78.74 inch).
Tenders
The BR 01s were equipped with 2’2 T 30, 2’2′ T 32 or 2’2′ T 34 tenders. Their coal capacity was 10 tons of coal, and the water tank held either 30, 32 or 34 cubic meters of water. The prototype locomotives, 01 001 to 01 010, were supplied with the smaller 2’2 T 30 tenders, because there were not enough large turntables around. Later these tenders were only used if they were absolutely necessary, e.g. in cross-border services with the Netherlands. From the second series (01 012 et seq.) on, the Class 01 was furnished with rivetted 2’2′ T 32 tenders. The welded tenders, class 2’2′ T 34, appeared only by way of exchange (mainly from brand new Class 44) locomotives. Thereafter they were almost the only ones used during the war years and after the Second World War, because they had a larger water capacity.
Rebuilds:
Multiple locomotives where converted in their life spent. From a complete overhaul to a small parts change. Here 3 categories that stent out the most:
Henschel mixer preheater rebuilds
In 1950 and 1951, the Deutsche Bundesbahn converted locomotives 01 042, 01 046, 01 112, 01 154 and 01 192. They were enhanced with a Heinl mixer preheater by Henschel and a turbo feed pump. In addition, combustion chambers were installed in the boilers. This increased the power to 1,802 kW. Finally, the conversion was rounded off with the replacement of the original smoke deflectors by Witte deflectors, which in spite of their considerably smaller size were just as effective as their larger predecessors. Four of these five modified locomotives remained in service until 1968.
New DB boiler design rebuild
From 1957 until 1961 the Deutsche Bundesbahn rebuilt a further 50 vehicles. These engines were given welded, high-performance, steam boilers, which had already been used on the BR 01.10’s. In addition, a new mixer preheater system was installed in the smokebox and numerous friction bearings were replaced by roller bearings. Changes to the cylinder block, running board, a shorter chimney, front apron (Frontschürze) and locomotive frame, as well as the missing feedwater dome, all gave the locomotives a different external appearance. The power of these rebuilds where increased to 1,714 kW.
Koblenz, 12 Augustus 1970. Loc 001 150, with a new boiler, ready for departure to Trier, credits Nico Spilt.
DR Reko locomotive 01.5
The Deutsche Reichsbahn (the East-Germany railway’s) rebuilt 35 BR 01 locomotives which were on their part of Germany after the split between East and West. All these locos were fitted with new Witte smoke deflectors with tapered edges, a new driver’s cab and a new boiler, positioned higher on the frame. The boiler had a combustion chamber, a mixer preheater and a continuous cover for the dome. All this gave these locomotives an entirely different look compared to there West-German versions.
The 01-514 in Technic museum Speyer. This locomotive was rebuilt in West-Germany, and currently preserved in the Technic museum.
The end of the legends
Class 01 locomotives remained in service with the Deutsche Bundesbahn until 1973. In West-Germany, they were still working up to the early 1980s, largely in their original state with large smoke deflectors. They were legendary in their last years for hauling the D-Zug services on the Berlin-Dresden route up to autumn 1977. Only when the large Soviet DR Class 132 diesel locomotives arrived, the Class 01 express train locomotives were finally forced out of scheduled services in East-Germany after almost 50 years.
Survivors:
The list of preserved BR 01 is quite impressive. All the locomotives mentioned bellow very in state and condition. Some are still in there rebuild version, how ever there a few preserved in the state they came out of the factory.
01 118
01 066
01 202
01 116
01 150
01 005
01 008
01 111
01 137
01 164
01 173
01 204
01 220
01 509 (ex 01 143)
01 514 (ex 01 208)
01 519 (ex 01 186)
01 531 (ex 01 158)
DB BR 01 „Blue Lady“ – SIMON JAKOBI
Inspiration
In late 2017 I met Julius Theißen a.k.a. “Dampfstein” on a meeting of LEGO Fans at our local LEGO-Store “Steinchenbrüder” in Hannover, Germany. Like me Julius was totally into 8 w LEGO train MOCs. On this evening he brought his excellent model of a German Baureihe 03 to the store. His solution concerning the golden boiler rings is outstanding. On both hands they are slim and round with a diameter close to the boiler, but brick built. On our first exhibition in early 2018 we decided to plan a team layout with turntable and roundhouse to showcase our MOCs. Up to then I had only designed electric and diesel engines.
But now I was wondering which DB steam prototype would reveal an interesting contrast to Julius` 03 on our future “Bahnbetriebswerk”. Deep down in my stuff in the basement of my parent`s house I found the first part of the answer – a 20 years old MINITRIX model (12617) of the German Baureihe 03 in a special dark blue livery with silver boiler rings. A few days later deep down in the dungeons of the WWW with the pictures of a KM1 model of the 01 1087 I found the second part of the answer: It seems that not only a few of the 03 were painted in steal blue, but also one Baureihe 01 received this elegant color scheme which gave these so called “blue ladies” a perfect match to the blue coaches of the “F-Zug-Netz” in those early days of the young DB.
The award winning Bahnbetriebswerk Julius and Simon built together.
Challenge
First of all, I don`t scale. That`s not my kind of approach to a locomotive. In the end all of my MOCs reflect a balance between form and functionality. Usually, I start to design several characteristic details of a prototype to get a first idea if I achieve a satisfying recognition factor in LEGO. In case of the Baureihe 01 I began with smaller sections like the boiler sections, cab or rear and top of the tender and checked if I could carry out my drafts in the desired color. Some items are rare or not available in dark blue, so I decided to stick to regular bricks and plates whenever possible.
Again, and again, I checked if the required bricks were available in dark blue for a reasonable prize. But as mentioned before, the BR 01 was my first steam locomotive and what is even more important my first articulated steam locomotive. At a certain point of my fast and enthusiastic progress on both details and arrangement I had to look the devil in the eye and face the bitter truth: Moving further on doesn`t make any sense without solving the critical issues concerning articulation of such a type of locomotive (pacific, 4–6–2 or 2`C1`) when it comes to negotiation of R40 curves and TLC switches. Because I don`t own any curves bigger than that, the ability to take such small radii was one of my prior goals. On the other hand, I wanted to keep the gap between engine and tender as narrow as possible.
The front profile of the amazing Blue Lady.
References
I was wondering if I could realize both of these wishes or if I would have to abandon one of these desires. Long story short: once again I had to dig deep in the common digital archives. Sooner or later, I stumbled upon another excellent executed Baureihe 01 on Flickr. On his account the creator Johan van den Heuvel [Johan van den Heuvel | Flickr] shows us smart solutions for the articulation of the front truck and both the rear truck and the coupling of the tender to the engine.
Based on his concept I connected the center pivot of the first boogie of the tender with a long towing bar as close as possible to the last main axle of the engine. The rear axle of the engine is swimming underneath the towing bar. The tender is not connected to his first boogie as one would expect but to the middle of the towing bar as close to the cabin as possible. The result is some kind of virtual pivot point pulling the tender close to the engine to a minimal gap on a straight track and providing enough clearance for turnout of the cab on curved and even S-curved track like switches.
The distance between the tender and locomotive, is impressively short.
Result
Apart from the close coupling of engine and tender and the ability to negotiate R40 curves and TLC switches on the same time I was able turn a lot of other ideas or major goals from my list into reality: The special livery in dark blue with flat silver boiler rings gives my creation a very unique look. There is a real gap between the round boiler and the frame carrying the main axles enabling you to look through the spokes of the huge XXL-wheels from Shupp`s.
To eliminate the LEGO specific raster of plain brick-built sidewalls most of the tender is done in snotwork with regular 1 x 1, 1 x 2 and 1 x 4 bricks laying on their side and betraying our LEGO brains. Only when it comes to motorization, I have to admit one big sacrifice. I really would like to see the drivers of the engine be powered. But unfortunately, the 6 wagon wheels split up the boiler in 7 short sections and there is not enough space left for one (or even better two) PF-motors and a reliable drivetrain.
Due to the fit of extreme snotism space in the tender is also very limited. Keep in mind: snotism and other extravagant design techniques are nothing but cruel and relentless space killers! The only solution left is the use of PF-train-motors underneath the tender. Luckily, I managed to store and hide a PF-battery-box (6 x AAA) and a SBRICK in the coal bunker of the tender above. Recently I have equipped my V60 and my Baureihe 81 with 3D-printed rods from bricks-on-rails.de to put these new items to a test. I am very pleased with the quality and will definitely upgrade my Baureihe 01 and my upcoming Baureihe 50. Last but not least I have to mention the custom decals from modellbahndecals.de. Please note: the number my locomotive is fiction. It is the birthday of my beloved wife.
BR 01 10
Launched in 1939, the three-cylinder DRG Class 01.10 was a further development of the 01. They were 2’C1’h3 2’3′ locomotives, there was a need for faster locomotives for express trains between mayor cities in Germany. To achieve this speed, the 01.10 was designed with a three-cylinder layout. Furthermore, they were equipped with a streamlined casing to reduce air resistance. Frictional losses were minimized by the use roller bearings on the driving and coupling rods. Originally 400 locomotives where ordered. Because of the Second World War only 55 where delivered, all made by Schwarzkopf.
Emden West, 12 July 1971. Loc 012 063 ready to depart to Rheine, credits Nico Spilt.
After the war al the BR 01 10’s where left in West-Germany. All these locomotives where in a bad shape, a lot of parts of the streamlining was removed to be used in the war machine. Secondly and the major problem of the BR 01 10 was that their boilers where made from bad quality metal. Which resulted in them ageing much faster compared to other locomotives. Due to a locomotive shortage a number of BR 01 10 got a quick refurbishment after the war to get them back in action.
In 1949 all the locomotives (accept the 01 1067), got a major refurbished, in this refurbishment what was left of there streamlining was removed. The boiler problem was later fixed in 1953-1956 which also saw a number of locomotives converted to oil-firing instead of coal. On 31 May 1975 the last BR 01 10 where decommissioned in Bahnbetriebswerk Rheine, one of the last strong holds for steam locomotives in Germany.
Stats:
Because the BR 01 10 has 3-cilinders it’s able to reach a much higher top speed compared to the standard BR 01. The top speed of the BR 01 10 was 140 km/h (87 mph) for coal powered and 150 km/h (93 mph) for oil powered. There driving wheels where the same diameter as the standard BR 01, 2000mm (78.74 in), which resulted in the top power of the locomotives being around 1,728 kW for coal powered and 1,817 kW oil powered. All the locomotives where equipped with a 2’3 T 38 tender which was able to carry 38.0 m3 of water and, 10.0-ton coal or 13,500 L oil.
Survivors:
Of the 55 locomotives, 10 survived. Just like the BR 01 there in a range of states.
01 1056
01 1061
01 1081
01 1082
01 1063
01 1066
01 1075
01 1100
01 1102
01 1104
The 01 1102 got it’s streamlining back which represented the streamlining which the locomotives came out the factory with. The 01 1102 in Hilversum, credits Nico Spilt.
BR 01 1075
A side profile of the SSN 01 1075 in LEGO
History of the 01 1075
To better explain why the 01 1075 is my favorite locomotive, we need to go trough a quick history lesson.
The 01 1075 was decommissioned, like many BR 01 10, in 1975 in Bahnbetriebswerk Rheine. Around that time a number of steam enthusiast in the Netherlands where looking in the possibility to buy steam locomotives in Germany, and to bring these to the Netherlands to preserved and restore them. 4 of these enthusiasts decided to join forces and create a steam heritage organization, this would from then on, be known as SSN, Stoom Stichting Nederland (Steam Organization Netherlands). There goal was to preserve and restore steam powered machines.
The first 2 locomotives that the SSN bought were the 23-023 and 01-1075. The 23-023 was a locomotive from the BR 23 class, this was still operation when the SSN bought it. It was therefore used to collect the 01 1075 from Bahnbetriebswerk Rheine an get both locomotives to the Netherlands.
The SSN 01 1075 beside their small platform, a perfect place to take pictures.
The 01 1075 wasn’t operation until 1991, then the SSN decided to restore the locomotive at the Reichsbahn Ausbesserungswerk Meiningen, which was located in West-Germany. Besides getting the locomotive operation again, the locomotive was converted back into coal power. Therefore, it’s the only preserved 01 10 which is coal powered, and operation. The 01 1075 is equipped with both the Dutch and German safety systems, and it’s therefore able to operate in both the Netherlands and Germany. It is currently the fastest steam locomotive in the Netherlands.
The SSN is located in Rotterdam, near where I live (about a 15 min drive). I literally grow up with the SSN, my first visit was back when I was just 1 year old, and I have been a regular since then. The 01 1075 has been my favorite as long as I can remember. It’s speed, profile and looks just speak to me!
The SSN 01 1075 on the turntable of the SSN during one of my visits. The locomotive just barely fits on the turntable.
From 2016-2020 I had another version of the SSN 01 1075 in LEGO, this was 95% HaBricks 01 202 model, whit some changes to colours/parts. Back at the end of 2019 I equipped the model with a Pfx brick with a XL speaker. Since the tender was to small, and the model wasn’t really scale acquired, I decided to complete redesign the locomotive from scratch.
The tender has increased in size compared to my old model; therefore, all the electronics are easier to fit in.
A rough and strange 9 months later, and the locomotive is done. It still has the Pfx Brick with XL spear, with a led board for LED’s which are programmed. The Pfx Brick has original sound files that I got from the ESU lokprogrammer system. All these sounds are from the real BR 01 10, programming the sound alone took me at least a week. The LED’s which are used on the locomotive have been provided by UrbanErwin, which was kind enough to spend his free Saturday afternoon helping me out. For power the locomotive has 2 XL-motor’s inside the boiler which power both driving wheels. The driving wheels are XXL wheels from Big Ben Bricks. The costum prints are provided by BrickPrint, and the costum driving rods are provided by bricks-on-rails.
Lights, let there be lights!
Since most German locomotives look so much alike I tried to capture the real look of the locomotive as much as possible while still building in the right scale(1:45). For this I printed scaled dwarings ,where Raised was kind enough the rescale them for me, and massure the lengt/with of all the little nots and pieces. I also highly recommend serials scale program!
The SSN has their own wagons to use when organizing events trough, the Netherlands and Germany. The bulk of there fleet are Bm 238 wagons. I have built 2 of these with great help from UrbanErwin (and with great help I mean he made most of the design). One of their most recognizable wagons is the Mitropa wagon, a WRm 130.1 wagon from West-Germany. This wagon is painted in the recognizable dark red paint scheme with yellow logos on the side. I made both these wagons in scale 1:45 for my SSN 01 1075. I’m planning to add more including the blue water wagon, dark blue Bm238, and the Bm 232 in dark green and white. These are all somewhere on my “to build” list. Both the Bm 238 wagons and the Mitropa model have lights, one of the Bm 238 has red lights at the end of wagon, these are made by UrbanErwin as well.
The locomotive in action:
Since there aren’t any shows currently to visit, I haven’t been able to make a proper video of the SSN 01 1075 in action. However, I do have a video of it running with all 3 wagons inside my house. The quality isn’t perfect, and I hope to be able to properly film the train soon!
if you’re interested in seeing the real locomotives in action there a few great video’s down below. Some are in German and Dutch, but hey, steam locomotives speak a universal langue.
The Brick Train Awards is a global virtual competition to showcase LEGO train builders around the world. The Awards where founded in 2020 and with a surprising 732 entries last year, the organization decided to run it again this year. Like previous year, the Brick Train Awards is a collaboration between LNUR, Bricks McGee and BMR. The awards are free to enter and judged by members of the LEGO® train fan community worldwide. The entries are op from 1st – 28th February 2021. The winners of this year’s awards will be announced on March the 5th.
Categories
Each category of the Brick Train Awards is judged at a regional level: Africa, Americas, Asia, Australasia, Europe & the Middle East. The winners of each category on a regional level, are then pitted against each other to declare global winners in each category. The winner from each category is then entered into the global Brick Train Awards. You can enter each category up to three times with different models. The 13 categories in total:
Best LEGO® Steam Locomotive Award
Best LEGO® Diesel Locomotive Award
Best LEGO® Electric Locomotive Award
Best Other LEGO® Locomotive Award
Best LEGO® Passenger Wagon Award
Best LEGO® Freight Wagon Award
Best LEGO® Other Wagon Award
Best LEGO® Building or Infrastructure Award
Best LEGO® Individual Display Award
Best group LEGO® display
Best TFOL LEGO® Locomotive Model
Best TFOL LEGO® Wagon Model
Best TFOL LEGO® Display / Structure
For more information about each category check out the category page on the BrickTrainAwards website. There is a long list, and compared to last year, this year there more TFOL categories. The reason behind this is that last year the TFOL category was one of the categories with the most entries, which made it difficult to decide a winner since there were so many different entries.
One of my favorite winners last year. Best Group Display – Europe, 2020, DB Bahnbetriebswerk by Julius Theissen & Simon Jakobi from Germany, Europe.
Enter a category.
Entering a category is really simple. Email your entry, including photographs – to bricktrainawards@gmail.com. You must include:
Your name (or alias, handle or pseudonym)
Your country and region
Which category you are entering. Please submit one model per email only.
And that’s it! We’ll announce the winners for each category once judges have made their decisions. You can follow a selection of entries on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts. We try to upload as many entries as possible. You can enter models per category. And best of all, it’s all free to enter!!!
Rules
We tried to keep the rules a clear and simple, if you still have questions about the awards you can check out the FAQ page , or contact us trough e-mail or Facebook messenger. Due to time zone differences, it may take several days for us to respond.
Entries for all categories are open 1st – 28th February 2021. Entering the awards is free of charge.
Models must be built with LEGO® bricks, either physically or in digital format (eg, using LDD, Bricklink’s Studio LDraw, or other software). Customized bricks and third-party elements (e.g., custom track, rods, wheels, bearings, power systems) are permitted, but clone bricks are not permitted; please read the FAQs on this page
Models must have been completed in the last 24 months / 2 years (i.e., since February 1st, 2019).
You can enter up to three models per category.
You can enter more than one award category so long as you submit a different model for each category you enter.
You cannot enter the same model in more than one category in the awards.
All award categories accept digital renders, except the Group Display and Individual Display categories. We permit the use of colours for elements that are not made in production in digital models.
You cannot enter a model which won any category in a previous Brick Train Awards event.
Each entry must contain a maximum of 6 photographs, renders or images, and a maximum of 1 video (see “how do I submit video” below)
Builders must be aged 18 years or older at the time of entry. Those aged 13 years – 18 years may enter the TFOL (Teenage Fan of LEGO®) award categories with permission from a parent or guardian. By entering the awards, you agree that you have consent from your parents or guardians.
TrixBrix designs, 3d print and sell LEGO® compatible replacement and custom parts for LEGO® train fans. The also design and print parts on order. TrixBrix has sponsored prizes for each winner in each category, for both regional and Global winners:
Every regional winner will receive:
1x double straight tracks Box 10pcs
1x R56 curved tracks Box 8pcs (half circle)
1x half straight tracks 10pcs
50EUR gift code for trixbrix.eu
Every global prize winner will also receive:
2x double straight tracks Box 10pcs
2x R56 curved tracks Box 8pcs (half circle)
1x half straight tracks 10pcs
60EUR gift code for trixbrix.eu
We would really like to thank TrixBrix for this amazing amount of prices!!
Silver Sponers:
BrickTracks™ is dedicated to manufacturing high quality custom track pieces for use with LEGO® trains and bricks. Whether you’re building a detailed layout or just laying tracks on the floor, BrickTracks™ tracks expand beyond the standard LEGO® offering to help you get the most enjoyment out of your creations.
BrickTracks have sponsored prizes for all Americas category winners:
2x BrickTracks r104 left and right points / turnouts
Bronze Sponsors:
TrainedBricks provides custom LEGO®-compatible rods and valve gears for LEGO® train fans.
TrainedBricks have sponsored prizes for all Steam Locomotive category winners:
$50 USD store credit; this can be used on products and shipping costs.
A word from Bricks McGee.
BMR spoke to the brainchild and co-founder of the awards, Richard, aka Bricks McGee.
“The idea to hold the awards started after Covid meant all of the LEGO shows my LEGO train club, LNUR, had planned to attend were cancelled. We usually attend an event or two a month, so this left us with quite a gap on the calendar.
From that, the idea of the Brick Train Awards started to form. We talked to Cale and Glenn at BMR about adding their support from America and started to approach judges in the LEGO train community, adding Ryan Evans in Australia, and Masao Hidaka in Japan.
The awards allow us to see some brilliant railway / railroad related models from builders around the world and proved much more popular than we suspected they would. This year, we’ve also invited LEGO User Groups and LEGO fans in Africa and the Middle East to participate, expanding the reach of the awards to new builders.
We had some amazingly generous sponsors last year in TrixBrix, BrickTracks, BrickTrainDepot, and BMR. TrixBrix have stepped up again to sponsor prizes globally, with BrickTracks supplying their track packs to winners in the Americas region, and TrainedBricks adding prizes for winners in the steam locomotive category. The awards would still work without the prizes, but I think they add a nice incentive for builders to enter.
This year, we added more categories for Teenage Fans of LEGO (TFOLs), as I think it’s important to involve younger builders in the community: they become older members of the fandom at some point!
The awards were a lot of fun (and hard work) last year, and I’m sure they will be this year. I love seeing LEGO fans from around the world entering, and the huge range of talent from builders everywhere.”
Bricks McGee favorite winner of last year: Best LEGO® Steam Locomotive 2020, P2 “Prince of Wales” by Samuel Sims from Australia, Australasia.
Announcement video:
A couple of days ago members of both BMR and LNUR recorded a video about the BrickTrainAwards, where we discussed this year awards, check out the video on our BMR YouTube Channel here:
You can find out more about the awards – and enter for free from 1st – 28th February 2021 – at bricktrainawards.com. Were really looking forward to all the entries this year!! Keep on building!
Since announcing OcTRAINber 2020: Dioramas, dioramas everywhere, we have seen a lot of enthousiast reactions, which we are very glad about. This post is the first follow-up post, and several more will most probably follow in the coming weeks, to keep the well-known Hype Train going.
Podcast
As part of this years Challenge we will host a BMR Podcast this Sunday over at Youtube, be sure to check it out!
The Fourth Judge
As has become tradition, OcTRAINber is judged by a panel of three BMR Judges, combined with one Guest Judge. Just like last year the BMR Judges will be Cale Leiphart, Glenn Holland and yours truely.
We also however received some requests for clarification on the rules, which we would like to give.
First of all, let us say one thing: For the last three years OcTRAINber has been a building challenge that both challenges and brings out the creativity. For this reason we on purpose stay vague on the rules, because we like to see exactly that creativity.
1. Diorama?
The first question was about what a diorama actually is. It’s always a bit shady difference between the two, but with layout it at least implies that some form of operations is possible, whereas a diorama can be totally static. However, as is the case with most layouts; if you just take a part of it, it becomes a diorama quite fast.
Google has the following definition: “a model representing a scene with three-dimensional figures, either in miniature or as a large-scale museum exhibit.”
The emphasis here lays on the scene part. Other than a layout, a diorama is a scene that tells some form of story. That story can something big like a train robbery, but can also just be a field of green with cows. Just as long it’s a scene, it’s fine.
2. Train & track?
In the rules it is stipulated that every diorama needs to have some form of train and track. This being a Brick Model Railroader hosted Building Challenge this is kind of a must-have. However, different than the last three installments of OcTRAINber, the train & track don’t have to take center stage this time around.
That means that for the first time in the history of OcTRAINber, you are allowed to enter a Lego train set, a MOD or any other Instructions-based third party design. However, the choice to do so has to be an integral part of the diorama. This means that instead of judging the trains for their build, taking a look at them and how/if they fit or enhance the scene will be how they are viewed.
Just for an example, take this motorized diorama by bogieman that has a minifig loading crates into a boxcar designed by Jeffrey Fonda over at BTD. That’s a build where one would say having the train there is essential to the story of the scene, and that level of integration will be scored higher for tying it all together.
3. Movement?
Last year OcTRAINber had the “Technic Challenge” theme, where it was all about movement. Even though this year is about dioramas, the whole ‘scene’ thing that is part of a diorama does mean that if some movement is ‘necessary’ for the scene, it is for sure allowed.
4. Procedural Building?
As we found out in last years survey, a lot of builders were not able send in their Entries because for the first time we lacked a Digital Builds-category. Here at BMR we are very much in favour of IRL builds, because that’s in the end the best way to grow our hobby: To show those trains and let them run! However, we understand that not everybody is able to have huge piles of Legos laying around, let alone have the space for a full Diorama. Therefore, we have decided to allow Digital Builds this year again.
We know there are some things happening in the Digital World with Procedural Builds, which means you could technically build amazing pieces of nature with just one click. However, because a diorama is so much more than some pieces of rock, we don’t see a bit problem in this. We will however keep an eye out on this, so that it won’t take over the creativity (and fun) of this building challenge.
5. Size?
Some clarifications on size, which we also kind of discussed in the OcTRAINber BMR Podcast and on the BMR Flickr:
1) Builders are not restricted to 32×32 baseplates but can create any form of base that they like in any size or shape using any LEGO parts they see fit.
2) Size will be determined by the number of studs and how it equates to a 32×32 baseplate.
3) The minimum size for a diorama is 1024 studs, equivalent to a single 32×32 baseplate.
4) The cut-off point for each category is 1 stud less than the start of the next category. So, for example, Small is 1024 to 3071 studs (the equivalent of three 32×32 baseplates minus 1 stud), Large is 3072 to 6141 studs and Huge is 6142 studs and over.
LNUR was founded by three members – myself (aka Bricks McGee), Jack and James. We felt there was room for a LEGO train club in our area of the UK, and LEGO Northern UK Railway (LNUR) was born. The name and logo of the LNUR group are pastiches of LEGO Northern Eastern Railway, a historic and also current operating name for a major railway route in the UK between London and Edinburgh.
We were fairly local to each other, based in North East England and Yorkshire, and had talked before at LEGO shows we had been exhibiting at. Every LEGO train club seems to have plenty of loco builders, so our aim was to build a large main railway display for members to run their locomotive and rolling stock models on.
There are quite a few LEGO User Groups in the UK already, so our aim was not to replicate the functions of those, but to create a group in which LEGO train fans could collaborate more closely.We now have members from every LEGO User Group in the UK – something we hadn’t envisaged when we first started!
OUR FIRST LEGO RAILWAY DISPLAY
The first official LNUR display was at Hull Block Con in August 2017, though a handful of British LEGO railway modellers had displayed together at Bricktastic LEGO show in Manchester earlier that year. The layout was based on Richard’s Felpersham railway station model, and James’ 9ft long Intercity 225 was incredibly popular with visitors to the show.
A model of Stephenson’s Rocket locomotive on our display at Hull Block Con 2017.
As a group, we average around 12 – 15 LEGO shows a year, which gives us plenty of chance to run locos and wagons on longer layouts than we could probably set up in our living rooms. As a LEGO train club, our flagship show for displays is Shildon Brick Show.
This has become our major show for displays for a few reasons: firstly, Shildon Brick Show is in a railway museum, which is the perfect backdrop for our LEGO railway. Secondly, the show is held in November each year so it gives us 11 months to prepare a new display to tour.
Last year, our display was “Darrington”, centred around a railway station based on Loughborough Central, now part of the Great Central Railway heritage line. The layout also features a traditional steam locomotive shed and a traction maintenance department.
A view from the road bridge over the railway station.Felpersham Traction Maintenance Depot (TMD) on our Darrington LEGO railway display.
We use standard LEGO track where possible, though larger radius curves from both Brick Tracks and Trixbrix enable us to run at higher speeds for shows, and their custom crossovers, points and slip points are really helpful for allowing more interesting running for the public.
ROLLING STOCK AND LOCOMOTIVES
The majority of our members build British locos and wagons, though we do have a token railroader in Matt, who is building a modular US-style railroad display. Between our members, we have LEGO models of many of the more famous locomotives to run on British railways, including Jack’s Intercity 125:
James’ Intercity 225 on our layout at Bricktastic 2018 in Manchester:
We seem to like building the more quirky rolling stock, too. This is Pete’s FNA nuclear flask wagon:
MEMBER LAYOUTS
Now we’re a little more mature as a LEGO train club, we’re seeing members building their own LEGO railway layouts ready to display at shows and exhibitions, too. We displayed our Ambridge & Paxley layout earlier this year at a show, which is a new end-to-end display. It made for a fun few days of operation as it required more coordination between drivers to use the single line between the stations.
A LEGO 02 locomotive on passenger service above the cricket pitch. A LEGO dinosaur (bottom left) always seems to be present on LNUR layouts! Photo: Isaac Smith.
We also have two narrow gauge railway displays in progress, and our long-running “playout” – a drive-your-own LEGO train display – is hugely popular at LEGO shows. Part of our remit as a LEGO train club is to encourage interest in the LEGO train hobby, so the younger we can inspire LEGO fans the better!
LNUR TODAY
3 years since starting LNUR, we now have a steady membership of around 20 members, spread throughout Scotland and England. We even have a member in the US who builds British locomotives!
If you love LEGO trains and building displays, we would highly recommend getting together and building your own LEGO train club.
This week at Brick Model Railroader we are taking a pause from our usual LEGO train blog. BMR endeavors to cover LEGO trains from around the world, but as many of you know, most of us who contribute are from the United States. And well, the US has been going through a lot this past week. In the midst of this health pandemic that the whole world is dealing with, our nation has seen long buried issues of racism brought to light once more. Our country is divided, and it’s led to unrest, protests, and riots.
This is just a simple blog about LEGO trains. We’re not here to advance a political agenda. Our purpose is to promote the LEGO train hobby. However, this week, we didn’t feel it was right to just carry on as usual. Ignoring the elephant in the room is what got us here, and it’s something we as a society cannot do any longer. I don’t have any easy answers to our problems, no one does. But I know we need to talk about what’s going on. And we need to keep talking about it. Talk will hopefully lead to understanding, and understanding will lead to change.
I’m writing today to tell you a story. A story which I hope will be a positive tale, and hope will help us understand that if we just stop and listen, we may find we have more in common than we know.
It was May of 2015, and I was traveling to BrickMagic, a LEGO fan convention held that year in Charlotte, North Carolina. I was driving down to the event and had decided to make a detour during my trip. I wanted to stop and see the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke, Virginia. I have never been to this museum, but it was high on my list of places to visit. Housed in an old freight depot, VMT sits in the heart of Norfolk & Western Railroad, now Norfolk Southern, territory. VMT is home to legendary locomotives such as the “Spirit of Roanoke” N&W 611, the “Mercedes of Steam” N&W 1218, and many other awesome pieces of railroad rolling stock. The museum also has a nice car collection on display, and even some aeronautical and space artifacts tucked away inside. For me, this place was golden.
I timed my drive so that I got there not long after the museum opened. I spent most of the day walking around by myself, just taking in all the exhibits and shooting as many photos with my camera as I could. Got to document those future modeling projects you know. As I was nearing the end of my tour through the museum, I stopped to rest for a minute on one of the park benches in the museum’s outdoor display yard. The museum sits right on the Norfolk Southern’s very busy mainline through Roanoke, and the outdoor display yard is perfect spot to watch trains roll by.
While sitting on that park bench, one of the museum volunteers came out from inside the museum and spotted me. He was a black gentleman, probably in his late 60’s or early 70’s. He was about my stature, so not especially tall, with short curly gray hair poking out from under his Norfolk Southern Retiree hat. I really didn’t think anything of him until he came over and sat down beside me on the bench, and then it was mostly just my fear of being socially awkward. I’m very uncomfortable with small talk, and with meeting new people. He said hello, and I replied hello in return. I made mention of how nice the day was, and he asked me how I was enjoying the museum. I said I loved it of course, and he asked me where I was from. I said I was from Pennsylvania, and he then asked what brought me down here to Roanoke. I told him I was on a trip to a LEGO fan convention, and that I was a big train fan and model railroader and wanted to see the museum on my trip. He was immediately fascinated by my LEGO train hobby and began asking more questions about what I build, how I make my models, where I display my creations and such. I answered, and even took out my phone to bring up my Flickr gallery and show him some photos of my models. He had never seen LEGO train models before and thought they were pretty neat.
As we talked more, our conversation turned to his railroading career. He was a retired railroad employee, and had spent his entire working life involved with the railroad working multiple jobs for the Norfolk & Western, and later Norfolk Southern. He worked as a trainman, conductor, engineer, and several other positions over the years. He had some great stories to tell about working on the railroad, and I sat there intently listening to each one. His knowledge of the railroad ran deep, and as trains passed by he would identify each one. He knew what it was hauling, where it came from and where it was going. He even called out one intermodal train passing by saying “now in about a minute you’ll see him start slowing down, they’ll be stopping up ahead to make a crew change.” And like clockwork, a few moments later we heard the brakes being applied and the train started slowing before passing out of sight. It was clear to me that trains were his love, and a hugge part of who he was.
The two of us must have spent a half hour on that bench just talking about trains. We were from very different walks of life. Me, an awkward white guy from rural Pennsylvania in his late 30’s and obsessed with a children’s toy, and him, a retired black railroad worker from Virginia spending his days volunteering at a museum. But we connected over a love of trains. In that moment, race, age, and where we were from didn’t matter. We found we had a common interest, and all the superficial differences between us faded away.
I wish I could have spent more time talking to this gentleman. It was the highlight of my visit to the museum. I would love to return for another visit and would like to think we could meet again and talk more about trains. But if nothing else, that day stays with me. I love trains and have had some awesome experiences with them over the years. I often find though, the most memorable train experiences are not with the machines, but with the people who share that love of trains. In those moments, we all share a connection, and we’re all one.
I don’t pretend to be a perfect human being. I know I have flaws, I know I can make unfair judgments of people, and I know I can be better. I recognize that I have work to do to be better. Every day I need to strive to be a kinder, more understanding, and more tolerant human. I need to look past skin color, ethnicity, culture, gender and other differences in people because when I do, I may find someone I have more in common with than not. Maybe that’s where solving our problems should start, with each one of us working to be better each and every day. We need to lead by example because just saying something is not the same as doing something. When we all work to make ourselves better, the good will propagate.
I love this hobby most for the people I’ve met, and the friends I’ve made. I have friends now from all over the world, from different backgrounds, different cultures and languages and lifestyles. But for all the differences we may have, we all share a love of LEGO, a love of trains, and a love for each other. We are one family here. I hope that someday we can learn to treat everyone the same.
If you’ve read through this, thank you. I hope it’s brought some positive light to a troubling time in our history. I hope you too will work to be a better person. This hobby, and this world, becomes a brighter place when we welcome all.
Thank you.
Cale Leiphart BMR
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