Brick Model Railroader | Matthew Hocker | Activity https://brickmodelrailroader.com/members/buildinghistory/activity/ Activity feed for Matthew Hocker. Fri, 08 May 2026 09:56:50 -0400 https://buddypress.org/?v= en-US 30 hourly 2 7c74c564c6958573b1143a34fc562f67 Matthew Hocker wrote a new post http://brickmodelrailroader.com/?p=3379 Mon, 19 Feb 2018 02:43:06 -0500 This German idea leaflet is from 1965 and features a wonderful illustration of a construction site with a narrow gauge (known in German as Feldbahn) engine in view. The reverse side of the sheet features an […]

]]> 0 73a663d8c3ff4f01328300b71f0a58ea Matthew Hocker wrote a new post http://brickmodelrailroader.com/?p=3177 Tue, 30 Jan 2018 03:26:12 -0500 “Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday. LEGO, always a new toy.” OK, I don’t speak French, but that is a rough translation of the major parts of this 1975 French Canadian advertisement.

This […]

]]> 0 0eba7f08963b61930949b17b5ccf7bff Matthew Hocker wrote a new post http://brickmodelrailroader.com/?p=3143 Fri, 19 Jan 2018 02:35:10 -0500 Varda Elentári Furrer recently shared a fun video of their LEGO garden railway on Facebook. A camera was placed in front of the train to give us an incredible view from the engineer’s seat.

They layout is […]

]]> 0 86314acc8f6fca93d425e478677a04ed Matthew Hocker wrote a new post http://brickmodelrailroader.com/?p=3043 Wed, 27 Dec 2017 04:07:39 -0500 This 1984 U.S. Mail Order Service (Shop-at-Home) brochure isn’t necessarily a holiday brochure, but I do think it sums up the feelings of anticipation and wonder that are characteristic of this time of […]

]]> 0 fd71e045272ff4e0f6a5c7bd9f3e78a3 Matthew Hocker wrote a new post http://brickmodelrailroader.com/?p=3030 Mon, 25 Dec 2017 02:20:23 -0500 Since we are one day away from the big day, I wanted to share a very special piece from 1984. This one is from another Christmas card that the UK LEGO Club sent its members. It really captures the spirit of this […]

]]> 0 c63a9bca20f4af3ed4c3599088c8791c Matthew Hocker wrote a new post http://brickmodelrailroader.com/?p=3025 Sun, 24 Dec 2017 01:52:51 -0500 Here’s a unique piece of advertising from 1979. This Christmas card appeared in a 5 page LEGO advertistment, printed in the November 1979 issue of the UK magazine, Radio Times. I would have shown the ad in its […]

]]> 0 34baf96ad3943738e7102a6bb4978bc2 Matthew Hocker wrote a new post http://brickmodelrailroader.com/?p=3022 Sun, 24 Dec 2017 01:37:54 -0500 Day 22 has come a day late, so you will receive two advertising gifts today. It is a good thing I’m not Santa!

This piece is the cover of the Holiday 2004 Shop-at-Home catalog. This cover features the LEGO […]

]]> 0 886ec20a9952e8df53bb93ccc4b41462 Matthew Hocker wrote a new post http://brickmodelrailroader.com/?p=3015 Fri, 22 Dec 2017 01:19:45 -0500 Another holiday Shop-at-Home catalog without snow? You better believe it, and there is a lot to love here. Set 4552 (Cargo Crane) is in the middle of building a bridge, while the LEGOLAND California truck ignores […]

]]> 0 e08aa6fd9f5d8b0b95ab00bc0f9f08d9 Matthew Hocker wrote a new post http://brickmodelrailroader.com/?p=3012 Thu, 21 Dec 2017 03:21:49 -0500 Day 20, and we are getting closer to the end! This one comes to us from Germany in 1990 and is just in time for Weinachten. Santa stands by as LEGO figures parade out of his sack of toys. The Duplo train is the […]

]]> 0 c85a1867a13838864eede96beaf0bf18 Matthew Hocker wrote a new post http://brickmodelrailroader.com/?p=3004 Wed, 20 Dec 2017 04:17:38 -0500 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 […]

]]> 0 99bf8ae90e5762355b00200095c316ec Matthew Hocker wrote a new post http://brickmodelrailroader.com/?p=2998 Mon, 18 Dec 2017 23:38:46 -0500 Another wonderful piece of “trainvertising” from Niels Thomsen (aka: brickalick). This unique piece is actually a Christmas card from 1970 and features a slender Santa piloting a present-filled train from the […]

]]> 0 a08e74c42cbde7604ca9e11b00cc434f Matthew Hocker wrote a new post http://brickmodelrailroader.com/?p=2992 Mon, 18 Dec 2017 03:09:28 -0500 Today’s piece of trainvertising comes to us from the cover of a 2002 Holiday Shop-at-Home catalog. There are several classics here, including the UCS Naboo Starfighter, Fort LEGOredo, and Red Baron triplane. We […]

]]> 0 937a3362e99fdf76f3f6eba84425d671 Matthew Hocker wrote a new post http://brickmodelrailroader.com/?p=2986 Sun, 17 Dec 2017 22:44:05 -0500 I have a soft spot for trolleys, and so does LEGO Ideas user, kevinszeto. He has posted a few of these vehicles to LEGO’s crowdsourcing platform, including one which hit 10,000 supporters but failed to pass the […]

]]> 0 91259379891bae9b2263e9be19e2fb5e Matthew Hocker wrote a new post http://brickmodelrailroader.com/?p=2978 Sun, 17 Dec 2017 00:29:52 -0500 Flickr user Johnny N. has been kind enough to indulge our childhood fantasies by decorating classic “Thomas the Tank Engine” characters for Christmas! Disclaimer: These are renders, so there are certain parts […]

]]> 0 8c15ffef41fe0819ca61c913676a363e Matthew Hocker wrote a new post http://brickmodelrailroader.com/?p=2974 Sat, 16 Dec 2017 23:51:19 -0500 Released in 2006, set 10173 was the first official LEGO Holiday Train. Because of this, it’s appearance on the cover of the Holiday 2006 Shop-at-Home catalog was pretty much set in stone. Has it really been 11 […]

]]> 0 a7796614cec4f9cb61147c64a440522d Matthew Hocker wrote a new post http://brickmodelrailroader.com/?p=2959 Sat, 16 Dec 2017 04:04:44 -0500 Flickr user de-marco has created an amazing little railroad maintenance vehicle.  In particular, the detail of the cab is stunning and uses an interesting offsetting technique.

Want to build this for yourself? […]

]]> 0 d05422dd30ce593c8265f3e06d993b59 Matthew Hocker wrote a new post http://brickmodelrailroader.com/?p=2951 Sat, 16 Dec 2017 03:36:59 -0500 Niels Thomsen saw we shared his 1960s Christmas card the other day and, in response, posted pictures from his collection of LEGO wooden trains! LEGO made wooden toys from 1932 through 1960, the year in which a […]

]]> 0 1f5290cf1b3539dd20fe465214ee95d8 Matthew Hocker wrote a new post http://brickmodelrailroader.com/?p=2946 Sat, 16 Dec 2017 03:09:13 -0500 Today’s images come from a booklet advertising Christmas at LEGOLAND Windsor in 1999. How did the UK LEGO park celebrate Christmas that year, you might ask? There was a Peter Pan live show, Santa & his toy […]

]]> 0 d10d4ef4383f2d724dc931032da7ba81 Matthew Hocker wrote a new post http://brickmodelrailroader.com/?p=2933 Thu, 14 Dec 2017 23:25:23 -0500 Flickr user Niels Thomsen (aka bricklick) has a wonderful vintage LEGO collection, filled with many unique and unusual items. Thanks to him, we are able to enjoy this circa 1966 LEGO Christmas card.

The […]

]]> 0 0e4ff29519655d8ac9ac8e87e63001f5 Matthew Hocker wrote a new post http://brickmodelrailroader.com/?p=2930 Thu, 14 Dec 2017 23:06:04 -0500 Did you receive set 40235 (24-in-1 Holiday Countdown Set) this year? The set comes with instructions for building 24 different models (one for each day leading up to Christmas). Bill Ward has been doing each day’s […]

]]> 0 d7d3e89908a510932162599a6002f2f4 Matthew Hocker wrote a new post http://brickmodelrailroader.com/?p=2915 Thu, 14 Dec 2017 03:24:53 -0500 Flickr user Tablizm brings us a super-detailed U.S. Army train. You may have seen this when it was blogged by the Brothers Brick, but I did not stumble upon it until today. I enjoyed looking at it so much that I […]

]]> 0 50b3ac62bf18b55301d0f83ef7992c7b Matthew Hocker wrote a new post http://brickmodelrailroader.com/?p=2911 Thu, 14 Dec 2017 02:12:29 -0500 You may recall the post featuring Steven Spielberg (shared on December 4th). I later discovered that the UK Winter 2000 Shop-at-Home catalog had a similar holiday cover illustration…but with slightly different […]

]]> 0 54c83cf7bc4f416d8c982d3713b30e09 Matthew Hocker wrote a new post http://brickmodelrailroader.com/?p=2907 Wed, 13 Dec 2017 04:27:27 -0500 This image comes to us courtesy of Emil from the UK. Back in the 1980s, the UK LEGO Club sent its members a Christmas card each year. This is one of them! It’s a pretty colorful and well-built scene, probably […]

]]> 0 ead18f1efba49b21b2d27a9039cf41ce Matthew Hocker wrote a new post http://brickmodelrailroader.com/?p=2900 Mon, 11 Dec 2017 23:37:04 -0500 Today’s piece of advertising comes from the front cover of a 1998 preschool Shop-at-Home catalog. It features a Duplo steam engine pulling a load of classic ’90s Duplo animals, including a bear, giraffe, […]

]]> 0 32d8d862c9a76b8977dd0d91cd962ddf Matthew Hocker wrote a new post http://brickmodelrailroader.com/?p=2802 Sun, 10 Dec 2017 18:21:29 -0500 Yesterday, we shared the cover of a 1994 holiday catalog with you. This time we’re bringing you the cover of a 1994 U.S. Shop at Home catalog. Spyrius and Islanders are back, but the style of the artwork is […]

]]> 0 8cdc4e2895a5c1f6321f89ae506be96c Matthew Hocker wrote a new post http://brickmodelrailroader.com/?p=2799 Sat, 09 Dec 2017 18:40:21 -0500 Freight Rail Runner (set 4564) was the new train set for 1994, and it makes an appears on the cover of this 1994 UK holiday catalog. The Islanders don’t seem to care about the cold, and it appears as though […]

]]> 0 8ba3001f49ea4e347c60f472ea2ef7c1 Matthew Hocker wrote a new post http://brickmodelrailroader.com/?p=2797 Fri, 08 Dec 2017 18:32:58 -0500 How many of you remember looking through LEGO catalogs as a kid, checking off all the sets you wanted Santa to deliver. If so, the cover of this 1992 U.S. Holiday Shop at Home catalog is sure to rekindle many fond […]

]]> 0 45811f3a010dc34febb92bb942ed950e Matthew Hocker wrote a new post http://brickmodelrailroader.com/?p=2794 Thu, 07 Dec 2017 18:22:35 -0500 Some fun artwork from the cover of the 2001 U.S. Holiday LEGO Shop at Home catalog. Palpatine guards a steam engine from the My Own Train theme, introduced in 2001. The tree is decorated with Bionicle masks, and […]

]]> 0 acb042da5613a242680cd2bfdcbb6ff5 Matthew Hocker wrote a new post http://brickmodelrailroader.com/?p=2792 Wed, 06 Dec 2017 19:04:39 -0500 Folowing our first “25 Days of Trainvertising” post, a BMR Facebook fan pointed out an error on the front cover. The cover featured the train from set 4563 (Load and Haul Railroad). Evidently, a 2×4 red brick was […]

]]> 0 6d0835e10df326d54eea7364c925e432 Matthew Hocker wrote a new post http://brickmodelrailroader.com/?p=2789 Tue, 05 Dec 2017 18:53:33 -0500 1993 was a good year for LEGO…I have fond memories of the Dragon Knight sets. Today’s image comes from the front cover of a 1993 UK Christmas catalog. This one gives Duplo trains some love. Meanwhile, Majisto […]

]]> 0 e41f922ca2251388e1a8450f9a7c7e2c Matthew Hocker wrote a new post http://brickmodelrailroader.com/?p=2786 Mon, 04 Dec 2017 13:00:08 -0500 Today’s catalog comes to you straight from 2000. The cover art of this U.S. holiday catalog prominently features the engine from “Freight and Crane Railway” (set 4565), originally released in 1996.  This […]

]]> 0 6a608551266292d227544e71662f5561 Matthew Hocker wrote a new post http://brickmodelrailroader.com/?p=2769 Sun, 03 Dec 2017 18:28:50 -0500 LEGO makes a Christmas card for its employees each year, and this was the example made to celebrate the company’s 50th anniversary in 1982. It is filled with vintage LEGO goodness, including loads of wooden toys, […]

]]> 0 12f66957621a67db9ae4efc15f89ec8d Matthew Hocker wrote a new post http://brickmodelrailroader.com/?p=2763 Sun, 03 Dec 2017 01:26:56 -0500 Our second post comes straight to you from 2001. The winter was cold, and LEGO’s financial situation wasn’t so hot either. In a partnership that will probably never happen again, LEGO teamed up with Department […]

]]> 0 c71dac1553e7f6ef7359533def24804a Matthew Hocker wrote a new post http://brickmodelrailroader.com/?p=2759 Sat, 02 Dec 2017 04:34:57 -0500 “Deck the Load and Hauls with Technic.  Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la.” Trains receive a lot of love around this time of year, especially on the cover of many a LEGO Shop-at-Home catalog over the years. Of all t […]

]]> 0 2582b15c6638243515ece419ff395cdf Matthew Hocker commented on the post, Celebrate Halloween with a Scary Train Mod http://brickmodelrailroader.com/index.php/2017/10/31/celebrate-halloween-with-a-scary-train-mod/#comment-1277 Thu, 02 Nov 2017 23:05:40 -0400 Hi Larry,

You are correct!

]]> 4c6311dbf4180e1055b5446746658017 Matthew Hocker commented on the post, Celebrate Halloween with a Scary Train Mod http://brickmodelrailroader.com/index.php/2017/10/31/celebrate-halloween-with-a-scary-train-mod/#comment-1276 Thu, 02 Nov 2017 23:05:08 -0400 Hi Scott,
I didn’t even think about that and the oddball colors hadn’t even crossed my mind. That’s a pretty good guess but not the answer.

I don’t think the parts are painted because LEGO did produce parts in […]

]]> b264a74b03cc78a6b07ccfbf4da22bdf Matthew Hocker wrote a new post http://brickmodelrailroader.com/?p=2621 Tue, 31 Oct 2017 16:47:41 -0400 In the LEGO hobby, people are sometimes divided over the issue of modifying parts. Whether you do or don’t, as long as you are having fun that is what it is all about.

However, for Halloween I decided to pick a […]

]]> 0 84b9309cf186b70cb87f432ecbca4579 Matthew Hocker wrote a new post http://brickmodelrailroader.com/?p=2402 Thu, 12 Oct 2017 22:29:40 -0400 This week’s “blast from the past” comes to us from Germany in 1989. In this comic book/magazine advertisement, an SUV narrowly escapes what would have been a deadly collision with the High-Speed City Express […]

]]> 0 2eb27ebe2b61219aebb1b08623b7cbbe Matthew Hocker wrote a new post http://brickmodelrailroader.com/?p=2154 Thu, 14 Sep 2017 15:00:49 -0400 Background Information on the Article: The following article originally appeared in the March 1984 issue of LEGO Review, the English title of the LEGO Group’s house organ (employee magazine). The article, titled […]

]]> 0 18591f54e3b97eeb5480865fd7cab07e Matthew Hocker commented on the post, From Rails to Rocket Fuel (1971) http://brickmodelrailroader.com/index.php/2017/09/07/from-rails-to-rocket-fuel-1971/#comment-475 Sat, 09 Sep 2017 04:34:15 -0400 Yes, it is the same one.

]]> f12635a31295a7711a60c4c8bde6751e Matthew Hocker wrote a new post http://brickmodelrailroader.com/?p=2211 Fri, 08 Sep 2017 02:12:15 -0400 This week’s piece of LEGO train advertising history was published in France in 1971. This is probably my favorite example of LEGO train advertising. The stylized drawings and explosion of color make this a feast […]

]]> 0 0f853505b5701bb7f0ed3aea5bdd609d Matthew Hocker commented on the post, North America - At least we had 4.5 Volt (1982) http://brickmodelrailroader.com/index.php/2017/08/31/north-america-at-least-we-had-4-5-volt-1982/#comment-463 Thu, 31 Aug 2017 23:39:45 -0400 You’re welcome, Holger! We are glad you enjoyed it. LEGO historian, Gary Istok might be a good person do ask. I do have his LEGO history CD and will check what he says.

I do have some resources, which might […]

]]> 060f5d2ea4ccf381d2edda2d2b729dd1 Matthew Hocker commented on the post, "Trains with unlimited possibilities" (1983) http://brickmodelrailroader.com/index.php/2017/08/23/trains-with-unlimited-possibilities-1983/#comment-461 Thu, 31 Aug 2017 22:25:24 -0400 Hi Holger,

Thank you for sharing these great ads. I have seen some of the more common ones, but it seems you have a lot of unusual/rare ones, like the train on a real track rail. Are those ads toy industry […]

]]> bb7b874139a38fba8f947599302b394c Matthew Hocker wrote a new post http://brickmodelrailroader.com/?p=2143 Thu, 31 Aug 2017 14:15:51 -0400 Back in the 1980s, 12 Volt trains reigned supreme in the UK, continental Europe and Australia. Meanwhile, across the pond we “Yankees” were less fortunate and missed out on the joys of 12V trains. Fortunately, we […]

]]> 0 72d4688b150e5c460b7eb2c62860eb6a Matthew Hocker commented on the post, "Trains with unlimited possibilities" (1983) http://brickmodelrailroader.com/index.php/2017/08/23/trains-with-unlimited-possibilities-1983/#comment-447 Thu, 24 Aug 2017 22:10:05 -0400 Hi Holger. We would love to see the scanned advertisements sometime. I also collect magazine/comic book advertisements, and Europe always had the best advertisements throughout the 1980s. Some products were […]

]]> 44efd0d6536e77296397f30f78d36fe4 Matthew Hocker wrote a new post http://brickmodelrailroader.com/?p=2119 Wed, 23 Aug 2017 17:31:31 -0400 If you walked into a toy store in 1983 and saw this, how could you not fall in love with LEGO trains? The following illustration comes from a set of photographs of dealer displays distributed to toy stores in […]

]]> 0 9a6b31358ab95fab0649b1994e30ca86 Matthew Hocker wrote a new post http://brickmodelrailroader.com/?p=1706 Sat, 06 May 2017 03:38:39 -0400 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 […]

]]> 0 ef4e84fefcb84ff0d2628871aedbf449 Matthew Hocker became a registered member https://brickmodelrailroader.com/activity/p/1332/ Wed, 26 Apr 2017 04:17:33 -0400 0