We have a very special announcement for you today. BMR, in partnership with Brickforge, has been working on a replacement for the old LEGO 9v era magnetic train couplers. Today we are ready to officially reveal this project that we hope to have available for sale late this summer. We’ve put together a video to introduce you to these new couplers.
Now let us take a look at these couplers in greater detail.
If you’ve got some free time this Saturday, June 27, then there are some cool LEGO® train activities happening online for you to enjoy.
Continue reading Virtual LEGO Train Saturday
Today is the big day. Brick Model Railroader is launching our new and improved online store. And we have three band new Premium Instructions for sale along with an array of new decals for each.
Our old store served us well, but we we starting to out grow it. As we added new products, it was increasingly hard to navigate and find what you were looking for. Also the look was growing stale, and our products were not being show off to their fullest potential. So one the last few weeks we’ve been moving our store over to a new platform, one full of shiny new widgets, and hopefully a much better buying experience for you.
Click Here to Check Out the New BMR Online Store
After several weeks of (intended?) leaks and gossip all over the internet, Lego finally does what we all expected it to do a week before Fathers Day: It released the much anticipated Crocodile! As expected, it’s based on the Swiss Railways Class Ce 6/8 II. The model will be 7 wide, which is a first for TLC, and is meant both as a display model and combined with the Powered Up! Hub (88009) and a L-motor (88013), controlled by the Powered Up! app.
Here’s what Lego has to say about it:
Remember those happy childhood hours spent playing with toy train sets? Now you can escape your responsibilities and head back to those joyful days with this LEGO® Crocodile Locomotive Building Kit – but this time, it’s strictly for adults! Take your time with the build, then immerse yourself in the sublime engineering as you explore the features and functions packed into this impressive model.
Build and display a railway icon. Unwind with this rewarding building challenge as you create an authentic, displayable, LEGO® model version of the iconic Crocodile Locomotive.
Clear your mind and escape the daily grind with this fulfilling building project. If your passion for toy train sets has never really left you, you’ll love recreating the amazing details of the Crocodile Locomotive, a vintage classic from the golden age of rail travel. Impressive attention to detail Inspired by the Class Ce 6/8 II locomotive, first built for the Swiss Federal Railways between 1919 and 1927, this beautiful LEGO® model is packed with realistic details. With side rods that move as the wheels turn and posable pantographs that move up and down, there’s lots to explore. Lift the roof to access the crew compartment and use the 2 minifigures to bring the story of this iconic train to life. Add the Powered Up components (sold separately) to motorize your locomotive. Spark your passion for building The Crocodile Locomotive (10277) is part of a collection of LEGO® model building kits for adults who love beautiful design. This model also makes a great gift for anyone who loves model trains.
• This LEGO® Crocodile Locomotive (10277) model kit is perfect for adults looking to build a vintage locomotive model or for anyone who loves trains and is looking for their next hobby project.
• Enjoy a rewarding challenge as you bring this buildable model train to life. Then explore the features and functions packed into this set, which celebrates the classic Crocodile Locomotive train.
• Discover amazing details with authentic features true to the original Crocodile Locomotive. The 2 LEGO® minifigures with tools, display track and plaque provide lots to explore after building the classic train.
• Ideal for model train fans, railway enthusiasts and LEGO® lovers, this building kit for adults makes a creative gift or birthday present to transport building fans to a world of total relaxation.
• This train model measures over 6” (16cm) high, 20.5” (52cm) long and 3.5” (8cm) wide, making it a beautiful display piece to show off with pride.
• You can jump right into this immersive building project since no batteries are required. To motorize your locomotive, add 1 x 88009 and 1 x 88013 Powered Up components (sold separately).
• This building set for adults comes with coffee-table-style building instructions with design details to encourage and inspire you.
• Part of a series of inspiring LEGO® building model sets for adults, designed for LEGO building fans, and hobbyists who love elegant design, beautiful architecture and models packed with detail.
• LEGO® building bricks meet the highest industry standards, which ensures they are consistent, compatible and connect and pull apart easily every time – it’s been that way since 1958.
• LEGO® bricks and pieces are rigorously tested to ensure that every building set meets the highest safety and quality standards, so you can be sure that this set is designed to last.
If you want to read more about the design process of the Crocodile, we recommend you to have a look over at The Brothers Brick, where they have an interesting interview with Jamie Berard about the design!
Now, let’s just dive into the pictures, shall we?
The box art, with the new classy “Adults Only” design:
Lego also made some great photorealistic renders of the Croc:
This being a product meant for adults, TLC was so kind to also send some pictures of an actual adult playing with Lego trains.I can almost see myself pictured in it, hooray for that!
The model can be motorized with the Powered Up! Hub and a motor
And yes, it’s Lego, so you can break it apart!
I’m for one pretty sure I will get one of these, but what do you think? Is this a set that all of you want in your collections? And is the “adults only” label a good thing for the L-gauge community, or not? We look forward hearing from you!
For March of 2020, LEGO® has released gift with purchase set, the 40370 Steam Engine. The set is available until the end of the month at LEGO.com and through LEGO brand retail stores for via qualifying purchase. The set is a replica of 7810 a push-along steam locomotive that was released in 1980, and commemorates the 40th anniversary of the 12v train line being launched worldwide.
I recently picked up a copy through an order to LEGO.com. Let’s take a look at this set now.
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.
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 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.
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:
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.
Reader be warned: unconventional techniques lie ahead. The main reason I call these techniques “illegal” is that there is possibility to damage your LEGO.
For more information, I redirect you to the following websites:
PFx Brick: https://fxbricks.com/pfxbrick/
SBrick: https://www.sbrick.com/sbrick
Batteries Tips: https://brickmodelrailroader.com/index.php/2019/08/21/alternatives-to-the-lipo-battery-box/
LEGO Train Project: https://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?/forums/topic/169318-control-all-your-powered-up-power-function-sbrick-devices-with-a-single-software/
It’s that time of year again. The air is turning colder, strings of lights are going up, and Christmas music is playing somewhere in the distance. We here at Brick Model Railroader are getting into the Holiday spirit, and to kick things off, we’re having a Black Friday Weekend Sale!
Use code “BMRBLACK19” on your order to save 15% on all our Premium Instructions freight car and caboose kits, decals, and Printed Bearing Tiles starting at Midnight, Thursday November 28th and ending at 11:59 Monday December 2nd (EST times).
There’s more!
Every order will receive a free printed BMR 2×2 Logo Tile, and every order over $50.00 will receive a Brick Model Railroader Catalog, while supplies last.
The 15% off discount does not apply to pre-orders for our Reading T-1 Kit, Reading Passenger Car Premium Instruction Kits, or our Ball Bearing Wheel Sets.
Pre-orders for our first locomotive kit, the Reading T-1 4-8-4, will close at 11:59 on Friday, December 6th, 2019 (EST). If you have not reserved your kit yet, get those orders in. We do not plan to offer this locomotive kit again in the future.
We’ve been busy with preparing the kits. Parts have been flowing in, our instructions are in the final editing stage, final details have been worked out with our graphics printer, and our new 3D printer is here and we’ll be working to get everything set up and fine tuned for making rods, valve gear, and drivers.
If you celebrate, have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday, and a wonderful weekend.
Our friends across the hobby have been working hard to deliver new parts for the rest of us. Here is a small update on a couple of them, and a small announcement on BMR’s next show appearance.
Any steam locomotive builder is familiar with Big Ben at this point. Ben Fleskes was one of the first people to pioneer realistic steam locomotive driving wheels made specifically for LEGO models, even going back before the Emerald Night. The hobby certainly wouldn’t be where we are now without Ben’s efforts.
Ben has been working to add some new products to his lineup, and they are now ready and available for purchase on his website:
XXL wheels are available in black, dark grey, light grey, red and dark red.
These wheels are available in red and black and include traction bands of the same color.
Ben has also added a dark red color option to all wheels on his site.
This is exciting to see, I personally would love to try out some injection molded XXL wheels. So far, I’ve only had experience with Nate Brill’s wheels from Shapeways for XXL wheels. This is a great solution due to the higher level of customization and cost (it costs a lot to create molds), but injection molding always has a better quality, especially for moving parts.
Now I just need to find a suitable locomotive to use M size wheels and give those a shot too…
BrickTracks is another known name in the community. Scott Hoffemeyer has been working to bring new track geometries in high quality molded parts to the LEGO train third party market. Recently, Scott has shared with us a video showing some testing of his molded R104 turnouts.
Scott tells me that there is still some work yet to go with the molds, a few minor fixes here and there, but very good overall.
I’m sure I’m not alone in eagerly waiting for these turnouts to become available.
Brick Model Railroader will be displaying at the 2019 Brass Expo & Custom Craftsman Models convention this coming weekend, November 23-24.
This year’s convention is at the Wyndham Lancaster Resort & Convention Center on Route 30 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. We have the honor of having a booth right next to the American Steam Railroad, with whom we have been working with to produce our model of a Reading T-1 4-8-4.
After several months of hard work, challenges, and setbacks, our first steam locomotive and first full kit is now available for pre-order. It’s been quite a journey to get here. We’ve learned a lot in getting the kit ready and we’re excited to move this project into the next phase.
Our instructions are currently being finalized, prices and costs have been taken into account, and we’re ready to start taking orders.
On Saturday, September 21st, 2019, American Steam Railroad Preservation Association, Inc hosted an event, An Evening with a Legend of Steam: Ross Rowland, to benefit the ASR’s “Fire Up 2100” campaign for the restoration of Reading T-1 class steam locomotive 2100. Brick Model Railroader attended the event to display our soon to be released custom LEGO® model of 2100 and support the restoration.
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