The 1997 Holiday Shop-at-Home catalog doesn’t have any snow, but it more than makes up for this with the emphasis on trains. This one features set 4559, Cargo Railway. This is one that people tend to either love or hate. I have a soft spot for 4559 because it was my first official train set.
No Starch Press reached out to Brick Model Railroader recently and offered an advance copy of The Lego Trains Book by Holger Matthes. We graciously accepted the offer, and have decided to write and share some of our thoughts on it.
Before even opening the book, I’m reminded of the (former?) comprehensive resource book for those looking to get started in the hobby. Perhaps some of the older train builders are familiar with “Getting Started with Lego Trains” by Jake McKee, also published by No Starch Press, as far back as 2004. I remember buying that book online and reading it cover to cover more times than I can count. This book predates the end of the 9-volt era, so a new book for Lego trains has been long overdue, and there were certainly some big shoes to fill.
The Getting Stated book included a solid introduction and a great review of the current market for Lego trains. At that time, the Santa Fe, My Own Train line, and more was available. There was also plenty of information on effective use and operating tips for the old 9 volt system, as well as a comprehensive list of equipment needed to start running a 9 volt layout.
There were also some instructions for those looking for an instant way to jump into 6-wide 9 volt building. While I never actually built any of the models, I definitely wanted to. They were good models because they were appealing to look at, easy enough for a beginner but complex enough to learn real techniques.
As I’m writing the introduction and background information about Jake McKee’s book, I haven’t looked through the book, save for a relatively brief skim and a glance at the instructions included. So without much more delay, let’s dive right in.
First off, I have to say the photography quality is amazing, so big points to photographer Andy Bahler. Following acknowledgements, Michael Gale (of the PFx Brick team) offers a well-written foreword, briefly discussing his lifelong fascination with trains, and growing more and more into modeling them in Lego. The introduction is also very well-laid out, allowing the reader to become familiar with the official Lego website, as well as Bricklink and Brickset. Nomenclature (set numbers, part numbers according to Bricklink, etc.) is also discussed before moving into the real content.
Holger does an amazing job describing the history of Lego trains in vivid detail, from #182 to #10233 Horizon Express, and everything in between. Train operation, track availability, parts, wheels, and more are covered for each train system. I feel the Getting Started book did not do enough of this. Holger certainly has not missed a detail, even including a summary and a look at each system from a current perspective.
Moving into the Power Functions era (current), each component which may be used in train building is laid out and described, even shortly describing the possibilities of building your own drive trains. Monorail and even narrow gauge is covered. In all, awesome history.
Next is a section titled “Basic Principles.” I love this section, as it contains a lot of information I wish I had several years ago. Holger describes basic part naming and shows numerous examples of each type, and also describes the studs and anti-studs system (which gives Lego the clutch power, for those unaware). He also details technic connections, and legal vs. illegal connections. SNOT techniques are covered with convenient color-coded diagrams. All of this information gives the reader a great foundation for diving right into building their own MOCs. Other cool techniques demonstrated in this section include brick-built striping and using parts to simulate different textures.
The next section is titled “Designing Your Own Models,” and gives plenty of thoughtful content regarding various building scales, including the old 6 wide – 8 wide debate (as well as 7 wide, to make Andy Mollmann happy), and designing locomotives and cars to run on the track geometries on the current market.
This section also includes some hardcore Lego train engineering practices, such as trucks, couplings, pivot points, and more. There is also information regarding effective steam locomotive techniques! For those of you who have been pulling your hair out with failed steam locomotives, I recommend this section. I often describe building steam as a dark art, and it sure can be sometimes, but Holger has done a great job making a lot of potentially difficult information easy to read. Concepts like wheel quartering and basic steam locomotive components are covered here. One of the things I particularly like about the steam locomotive section is that Holger lists a few key design points to consider before or while building.
Power Functions drive train basics, along with use of train motors, is included here as well. From there, the Holger moves into modeling details and key features of a particular prototype, such as colors, doors, windows, roof design, and more. Further still, track and layout design is discussed, explaining the differences in curve radius, and BlueBrick (a Lego track software).
The next section dives into case studies with very specific techniques and features. Those of you interested in reverse-engineering Holger’s Vectron electric locomotive, this section is for you. The BR10 model is also discussed in detail, and there is a link to Holger’s website for instructions.
Speaking of instructions, that’s the final section! There are instructions for five of Holger’s AWESOME models, with links to his website for his BR80 locomotive. Sorry North American builders, nothing on our side of the pond in this book. (Maybe Cale and I can fill the void sometime…?)
In all, I have to give this book a 10/10 score. There was not a detail that was skipped over. This is certainly the new Getting Started With LGEO Trains, without any doubt. The instructions may be for foreign (to me) models, but they offer a lot, not to mention the countless other photos and well-written paragraphs full of useful stuff. I would recommend this book to anyone, even myself. There’s plenty in here I haven’t even thought of.
Well done, Holger. Thank you for your amazing new contribution to the amazing LEGO train hobby. I’m confident this will be the go-to book for a long time.
Introduction – The Golden Era of LEGO Advertising:
The period of the 1980s-1990s was arguably the golden age of LEGO advertising. With handmade scenery and practical effects, advertising photographers were able to do wonders. Back then, flipping through the catalogs and brochures that accompanied each set was always a treat.
Outside of loose brochures, LEGO frequently placed colorful advertisements within the pages of popular comic books. In Europe, Donald Duck comics were quite popular. In fact, the ad featured in this article came straight out of a German Donald Duck comic book.
Enter Jim Blond:
Different regions often produced different types of advertisements, and this one was certainly unique. This 1995 ad was designed to promote LEGO’s 9-Volt trains by sponsoring a special contest in which kids could win a t-shirt, roller skates or a mountain bike (the grand prize).
LEGO gave special attention to this ad, going so far as to paste a special brochure which featured comic-book style illustrations. The artists blended together hand-drawn artwork with photographs of actual LEGO sets. The end results were often bright, colorful and fun to look at.
The story in this ad follows the exploits of action-adventure detective, Jim Blond. Who is Jim Blond, you might ask? Mix together James Bond’s name with TinTin’s hair, and add a splash of Johnny Quest…That’s the recipe for a perfect Jim Blond.
In the “comic,” Jim Blond is tasked with safely delivering a special microchip to Cape Canaveral. Those spaceships don’t fly themselves, you know! After being handed the chip, he boards the iconic Metroliner (set #4558). Little does he know, he is not alone…
Turns out, some dude named Karl Kralle has been following him the entire time. Having caught wind of his persuer, Blond attempts to escape by jumping on a passing Freight Rail Runner (set #4564). Kralle manages to catch up with him, but Blond is always one step ahead.
Sets 4555 (Cargo Station) and 4552 (Cargo Crane) also make brief appearances. In fact, Kralle’s cronies use the Cargo Crane to blow out a bridge. However, the missing section of track proves to be no match for the mighty Freight Rail Runner, which makes like E.T. by flying over the gap. The final panel consists of Blond watching a successful shuttle launch on TV. THE END
International Man of Mystery:
When I attempted to research this piece of advertising, I found surprisingly very little information on Jim Blond or if he appeared in any other LEGO advertising. It is possible this may have been his first and last appearance. If any of our German readers have any information on the elusive Mr. Blond, we’d love to hear from you!
This past week, I watched an episode of James May: The Reassembler. In the opening episode of season two, May walks through the reassembly of his first ever toy train set, a Hornby Flying Scotsman with realistic chuffing sound, which he received one year as a Christmas gift. Quite ironically, a week before, I had begun exactly the same endeavor, rebuilding my first ever LEGO train set.
The 9-volt era had several diamond sets: the Metroliner and Santa Fe Super Chief among them. There were also several oddball sets, with no real prototype counterpart. Set 4561 Railway Express, which I received on Christmas morning around the year 2001, was one such set. But this didn’t stop me from enjoying the set. I built it with the aid of my father and we watched it run around the simple oval track for hours, loading and unloading the wagons countless times. Then, after I got bored of the set, I tore it apart and begun making my first rudimentary train MOCs.
Continue reading Glenn Holland: The Rebuilder
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