Jeramy Spurgeon and the team have just released a double issue edition of RAILBRICKS magazine covering all things LEGO trains. It has in-depth articles on a few models we’ve featured here on TBB.
This 100 page issue was a long time coming, but features an interview with UK
builder Carl Greatrix, more Steam tips & Tricks, the Indiana Jones Circus
Train MOC by Brian Williams, Billund’s Miniland Trains, and much more!
Check out the website to download or read the magazine.
With my latest model I went public with what I usually keep private: my building stages. Since the photos and comments were up I thought it might be interesting to share this process with TBB as an example of how I (and I imagine many other people) build something.
I then made an LDraw rough draught of the building to try to get the basic layout and proportions as well as the most prominent details. I also wanted to get an idea of how many dark orange bricks I would need to build it to see if I had to order any.
Following comments from ‘the commitee’ I proceeded to make a slightly more refined model with some of the details included. You can see that the roof has been vastly improved and the entire model has become one brick taller.
For my final work-in-progress (WIP) stage I substantially altered many of the details and added still more. It should be noted that at all stages so far the model doesn’t have a back. At this stage I also learnt that the model was a) not a model of what I thought it was and b) not at all valid in its current form. I then conspired (away from the commitee) to remedy this for the final, secret, version.
Finally I spent many hours of back-ache transferring the CAD to brick and adding on all the final details (as well as a back). I changed the design from a coal drop to a small railside warehouse as I’ve always wanted to build one and it made more sense. I also altered bits of the design to allow various components to pop out for added playability.
And thus a model was born. I hope I satisfied the commitee as well as everyone else. Have fun spotting what has remained throughout the design process.
I’m marking my return to blogging (been global and busy) by posting this lovely work in progress by Peter Norman (swoofty). I’ve tried weathering myself and it’s very difficult to pull off but I think Peter is well on the way with this one. Note the mixed blues.
Ah, the Rock Island Line. Peter Norman (Swoofty), build this great Rock Island E6A 630 engine as a commission from his boss. Thus the splurge on metallic silver.
I’m keeping post details to a minimum because I’m sick and have a tendency to screw up any and all attempts at facts when I blog sick or tired.
As part of the National Train Show on July 10-12, 2009 in Hartford, CT, Jamie Berard, set designer of the newly released ‘Emerald Night’ and employee of The LEGO Group (TLG), will participate as part of the show. Jamie will be giving a talk on both July 10 and 11 (Fri. and Sat.) about the design process and thinking that led up to the final ‘Emerald Night’ set, and about the Power functions components that support it. Fans are encouraged to participate to offer their views on the new platform. Jamie will also be available during the show for any questions you may have about his other excellent creations – Fast Flyer, Cafe Corner, Cool Convertible, Green Grocer, and newly announced Grand Carousel.
Also as part of this year’s show, Steve Witt, LEGO Community Relations Coordinator for North America, has graciously offered to host the traditional ILTCO pizza party at LEGO corporate headquarters in Enfield, CT after the show on Sat. July 11. Along with pizza and hanging out with Steve, Jamie and some of the LEGO Master Builders from Enfield, other events such as tours of the model shop and parts of the campus will occur. All AFOL train show participants are invited to attend.
Posting a heads-up for those on the East Coast of North America. If the pictures of past NMRA shows are anything to go by this promises to be a very impressive display of LEGO.
As great as they are, brownstones and storefronts are fairly common LEGO structures built to the “Cafe Corner standard.” That makes this great train station by Johan van den Heuvel (Teddy) that much cooler.
I love the columns and the arches of the recessed entryway. The size itself is a first, as far as I can recall — not only double-wide but double-deep.
See interior shots and detail photos on Flickr, MOCpages, and Brickshelf.
Once again Ralph Savelsberg and I seem to be on the same wavelength.
Ralph made an ambulance and semi-trailer.
And I made an ambulance and trailer (the actual truck was made a while back).
And I promise it was totally coincidental.
Holger Matthes breaks some rail speed records with his amazing ICE 3. As one of the ‘fathers’ of SNOT techniques Holger is no stranger to rendering complicated designs but the techniques on this are mind-blowing.
Tony Sava just finished his latest locomotive and its a big one! The H8 “Allegheny” class locomotives were the biggest steam locomotives ever built. Sava really did justice to them with his version.
Tony Sava is selling custom sets of one of his designs, the American Standard 4-4-0, via his Bricklink store. He has made this available in two different liveries, dark blue and dark grey.
The sets are $135 and seem to moving fast. As of this writing, there were only two of the dark blue locomotives left and the dark grey were all gone. However, it is possible that one more dark grey will be posted.
By the way, Tony is using the money to finance his trip to BrickWorld…
Is it a train? Is it a mecha? Yes.
According to Adrian Florea (Olog), this bipedal mecha with wheels on its feet can fit “any gauge and any track, from your grandma’s 4.5V to RC tracks.”
For all you LEGO train builders attending the NMRA National Train Show this summer, here’s some pretty cool news:
As part of the National Train Show on July 10-12, 2009 in Hartford, CT, Jamie Berard, set designer of the newly released ‘Emerald Night’ and employee of The LEGO Group (TLG), will participate as part of the show. Jamie will be giving a talk on both July 11 and 12 (Sat. and Sun.) about the design process and thinking that led up to the final ‘Emerald Night’ set, and about the Power functions components that support it. Fans are encouraged to participate to offer their views on the new platform. Jamie will also be available during the show for any questions you may have about his other excellent creations – Fast Flyer, Cafe Corner, Cool Convertible and Green Grocer.
Also as part of this year’s show, Steve Witt, LEGO Community Relations Coordinator for North America, has graciously offered to host the traditional ILTCO pizza party at LEGO corporate headquarters in Enfield, CT after the show on Sat. July 11. Along with pizza and hanging out with Steve, Jamie and some of the LEGO Master Builders from Enfield, other events such as tours of the model shop and parts of the campus will occur. All train show participants are invited to attend.
To contribute to the layout please post to the Trains-n-Town NMRA 2009 forums at:
http://www.trains-n-town.com/forum/index.php?forum=34
Information about the National Train Show can be found at:
http://www.nationaltrainshow.org/2009/hartford.html
Photo above, from last year’s NMRA show, by Peter Norman. See more photos of LEGO models at NMRA on Flickr.