Models

Union Pacific SD70ACe Heritage Fleet – 6 Locomotives!

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One of the things I dislike about modeling real locomotives and rolling stock is how dull and monochromatic the colors tend to be. I’m always on the lookout for bright and colorful things to build and when I came across these Union Pacific heritage units last year, I knew what I had to build next. Union Pacific had these SD70ACe’s painted special to commemorate 6 different rail lines that they acquired throughout the years. Missouri Pacific in 1982, Missouri-Kansas-Texas in 1988, Denver and Rio Grande in 1989, Southern Pacific in 1986, Western Pacific in 1983, and Chicago & North Western in 1995. I built the Missouri Pacific right away and held off on building the remaining 5 pending the construction of some other projects.

I never actually planned on making all 6 but had several people ask me when I was going to complete the set. I mentally scoffed at the idea of making 5 more of the same locomotive. Well, here we are today and all 6 are now complete. I think it was my friends Cale and Nick that finally convinced me to do it. Nick was also very generous with sharing brick in rare colors to help me. I did all the vinyl stickers myself on my vinyl printer/cutter Roland BN-20. I take custom orders and enjoy doing stickers for other Lego train fans. I can print full CMYK + white ink and cut on any color vinyl including metallic colors and clear. Just shoot me an email to legoman666@gmail.com.

Anyway, here’s the first one I did, the Missouri Pacific aka MoPac.

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LEGO® News

BrickFair Virginia 2017

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BrickFair Virginia 2017 was the last of the big AFOL convention I was planing to attend this year. Taking place last weekend, August 2nd to 6th, it was an awesome event filled with trains and fun. Though BrickFair may sometimes seem a little less prestigious compared to Brickworld when it comes to LEGO trains, BrickFair can no doubt draw a wonderful and diverse train presence with no less than seven clubs displaying train and monorail layouts, as well as  numerous models from individual builders. BrickFair was also host to a Train Olympics competition, run by Adny Mollmann and Nick O’Donell from OKILUG. And there were a few fan voted trains awards given out too. So let’s recap the fun.

Doug Forman’s, Vincent Hills Medical Center on the WamaLTC train layout.

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About BMR, Events

BMR at Brickfair and a Pullman Boxcar Instructions Update

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We’re coming to BrickFair Virginia!

Brick Model Railroader will be at BrickFair in Chantilly, Virginia, August 2nd to 6th. I’ll be there with my club PennLUG and our train layout for the weekend. I will also have 10 of our Pullman PS-1 Premium Instructions for sale at the yard sale Thursday and Saturday nights, as well as decal sets, and stickers. So stop by, talk trains, buy some stuff to support BMR and enjoy the event.

Come see me with my club PennLUG.
Pullman PS-1 Premium Instructions Update

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Building Techniques, Model Design

Magnets and Electricity.. That’s a Power Couple

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Today I’m bringing you some sweet new prototype technology from our good friends at 4DBrix. Tom Lowa was at Brickworld recently to show off something he’s been cooking up, and I have to say, it’s a pretty sweet idea. I’ve been emailing Tom about the concept and here is the information they gave me.

4DBrix has engineered a way to transmit power via the magnetic couplings on train cars. A short video is posted below:

It’s a pretty ingenious idea. For those that enjoy building passenger trains with detailed interiors (and lights) this is a great way to eliminate those ugly wires between the ends of cars. It also eliminates the need for bulky connectors between cars, which can be difficult to plug in and are also unsightly.

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History, Inspiration, Models, People

Throwback: RAILBRICKS Kits

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We posted these few photos on the BMR Facebook and Instagram pages on Sunday, and I felt they’d be fitting to throw in this article.

For those that don’t already know, Brick Model Railroader came into existence after the previous Lego train community hub, the online publication RAILBRICKS, fell apart. Many of the contributors and staff members got busy with other aspects of their lives, and so could not channel energy into RAILBRICKS.

The creator and original editor of RAILBRICKS is a gentleman by the name of Jeramy Spurgeon. Before stepping down from the Editor position, he managed to sell a couple limited edition kits. Both of these kits are 6 stud wide models but are still packed with detail.

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About BMR, LEGO® News

Trains in BrickJournal Magazine

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Brick Model Railroader is in issue 46 of BrickJournal magazine.

Issue 46 cover of BrickJournal. Cover photo by Cale Leiphart.

For those of you not familiar with BrickJournal, BrickJournal magazine is the ultimate resource for LEGO® enthusiasts of all ages. It spotlights all aspects of the building community, showcasing events, people, and models in every issue, with contributions and how-to articles by top builders worldwide, new product intros, and more!

For issue 46 myself and BMR contributors Glenn Holland, and Matt Hocker team up to write several articles for this LEGO train themed issue. Inside you’ll find articles on the creation of BMR, PennLUG’s train layouts, the story behind my building of Norfolk & Western steam locomotives, adding sound to your trains, and a history of LEGO train advertising. Also you’ll find instructions for building a small RR hand car. You can purchase the issue, in print or digital download, through TwoMorrows Publishing or better yet, subscribe and get all the great LEGO fan content that BrickJournal provides, delivered to your door bimonthly.

Buy BrickJournal issue 46 here

BrickJournal issue 24. Cover photo by Cale Leiphart.

While your buying BrickJournal issue 46, you can also still pick up issue 24. BrickJournal 24 is also a LEGO train themed issue. And though it predates the birth of Brick Model Railroader, a few us here at BMR, including myself, can be found within either authoring articles, or the subject of them.

Buy BrickJournal issue 24 here.

Models

It’s 1976 All Over Again

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Every year on July 4th, we here in the United States celebrate the birth of our nation. But in 1976, upon the 200th Anniversary, we threw one heck of big a party. For the US Bicentennial every one in the nation was getting into the spirit. Everything, and we do mean everything, was getting a patriotic Red, White, and Blue treatment. The US railroads were no exception. Railroads across the US were painting locomotives and other equipment in celebration of our country’s 200th birthday. Our Canadian railroad neighbors even got into the spirit. The result of all this stars and stripes hoopla was some of the most interesting and colorful railroad equipment ever seen in North America.

As we all know, model railroad hobbyists, even us LEGO® variety, gravitate toward modeling the interesting and rare. The Bicentennial RR locomotives and rolling stock has been a popular modeling subject ever since that great celebration in 1976. So today, on this July 4th, we’re going to take a look at some Bicentennial models created in LEGO

Bicentennial locomotives from several railroads on display.

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About BMR, Events, Models

Brickworld 2017 Event Report

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Brickworld 2017 has come and gone, and I’m almost caught up on all my sleep from the event. If you’ve never been to it, Brickworld is one of the largest, and one of the premier LEGO® fan events in North America. It draws some of the best builders in the country, and even a few from over seas. It is also the largest gathering of LEGO train fans, and train clubs in the US. If you love LEGO trains, you’ll be in good company at Brickworld.

Michael Gale’s excellent model of the A1 “Tornado”.

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Models

Railfanning, June 2017

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Hello dear readers. Yes, I know our regular train content has dropped in recent weeks. Preparing for a major convention, Brickworld, and launching our new store has monopolized much of our time. But we’re back from Brickworld, we’ll have a full report later this weekend once all our photos and video are sorted through, and the store is now going. So lets get back to LEGO® trains.

Nothing too serious today. But I wanted to take the opportunity to spot light some nice LEGO train models that have appeared on line lately. So let’s do some LEGO Railfanning.

Ludborough Signal box with a 455. Models and photo by Gareth Ellis.

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About BMR

We’re Rolling Out!

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It’s Friday, June 16 at 3 PM EST, and that means that the Brick Model Railroader Store is open for business!

Please read the following post for some important information.

Shipping (for premium instructions ONLY)

Shipping inside the United States will be $13.60 via flat rate box. This price was determined by the USPS website, and is comparable to a Brickmania kit of similar size.

Orders with multiple copies of premium instructions will be sent via larger box. Email glenn@brickmodelrailroader.com for more information.

Shipping for other items

Decals and stickers will be mailed via envelope  with $1.50.

Components such as wheel assemblies will be mailed via padded envelope for $2.50.

For international shipping inquires, please email glenn@brickmodelrailroader.com for assistance.

Shipping for combined orders will be determined by the largest item ordered. For example, if you order the premium instructions and the decals, we’ll only charge you shipping for the boxcar. If you order wheelsets and decals, we’ll only charge for the wheelsets.

I would like to make everyone aware of the following disclaimer about our premium instructions:

By purchasing these instructions, you agree not to sell,  reproduce, or distribute these instructions. You also agree not to sell or distribute the model made from these instructions.

My partner in crime Cale is at Brickworld as I write, and I know that several people there have expressed interest in buying premium instructions, so I expect them to go fast. Grab one while you can!

If not, no worries! We’ll be accepting back-orders for our next run. Once we run out, the store should automatically go into “back-order mode,” and you should receive a notification of some sort stating that the product you have requested is on back order. We’ll work on fulfilling those sometime after Brickworld is over.

Pen-ultimately, I would like to ask the community and fans to bear with us – we’re really figuring this out as we go along. Please keep in mind that the premium instructions and store are facilitated by two people who have little experience with running a store, but are trying their best. We’re really grateful to be a part of such an understanding an awesome community.

We’re finally moving with these instructions, and Cale and I are both extremely happy to be able to do this. It represents a long period of thought and effort on both our parts, and we think you’ll be really happy with the result.

Glenn