Tag Archives: Train

LEGO trains have been for sale since the 1960s, and LEGO fans have been creating their own custom layouts with LEGO bricks ever since. Whether you enjoy 4.5-volt, 12-volt, 9-volt, RC, or Power Functions LEGO trains, and whether or not you have an opinion about 8-wide, 9-wide, or some other scale, you’ll find lots of gorgeous engines and rail cars right here on The Brothers Brick.

RAILBRICKS Issue 5

It’s time for issue 5 of RAILBRICKS magazine and once again Jeramy Spurgeon and the team bring another feature packed edition all about LEGO trains. This time it’s dedicated to steam

This Steam Issue focuses on all things Steam with tips & tricks on building steam trains as well as ideas on incorporating Power Functions into you creations. There are also interviews with Anthony Sava and Ben Fleskes. As always, there are great articles from our editors on creative challenges, flashback reviews, and MOC creations.

Check out the website to download a copy. Check it out.

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

Polar Express by Sava

This is one of Tony Sava‘s older builds, but its a darn good one. We hadn’t featured it before and he just took a new, improved picture of it. So take a ride on the Polar Express!

By the way, Tony is featured in the newest issue of Railbricks. I believe this is their first-ever Steam edition…

Train challenge examples

Both Peter Norman and I have now done example designs for the previously mentioned train building challenge. Remember it closes at the end of February so if you’re planning to enter you better get cracking.

Oh Canada

Talented builder Danden gives us his beautifully photographed and excellent rendition of an EMD SD90MAC in Canadian Pacific livery. Check out his other work too. It’s all excellent.

Thanks to Matt Hamann for the link.

Wooden barrels and toy trains

I realise that this new model by Carl Greatrix is a work-in-progress but I loved the look of it on the wooden table-top and decided to blog it anyway. The details are excellent and it reminds me so much of a lovely old-fashioned toy.

A train contest no less

I started a little building challenge for trainheads (and those that might want to have a go) and Peter Norman donated a prize so it became a contest. An interesting aspect of train building in LEGO is that it’s one of the few areas where a number of people work from the same or similar prototypes. For these challenges I decided to take this one step further and get everyone to work from exactly the same source material.

The rules are in the flickr trains group but I’ve copied them here for those who don’t use flickr.

This time we can all build a US diesel switcher: a Baldwin AS-616 as it comes in a variety of liveries. I found a nice side-view projection and there’s a flickr group dedicated to Baldwin’s.

Peter Norman has graciously donated a prize to the first challenge so there will be judging. The winner will receive a very valuable Lego train related item. Peter, I and possibly a third judge will decide the winner based on no fixed criteria. There will not be a rankings system.

* The deadline for entries is February 28, 2009. Deisgns must not have appeared in public before the 1st January 2009.

* To enter the contest provide a small link to the image in the flickr thread using the [FLICKR-URL] technique (copy the URL for the model’s flickr page and surround it by square brackets). If you are not a flickr member email a direct link to a 240px wide version of your entry to me and a link to more pics and I will enter for you.

* The Challenge is open to 6, 7, or 8 wide, powered or not. All entries must be able to at least navigate Lego train track.

* Entries may be in CAD format but the file must be available for inspection and must be deemed to be buildable by me to be eligible for the contest. Similarly non-LEGO components may be used but it is best to be aware of the judges’ prejudices.

If you have any questions just post them here but read through all the text first.

Now this is one hefty Locomotive

Tony Sava has finished his latest Locomotive and its a biggie. Known as the Erie #2602 L-1, this locomotive was the biggest of its kind, back in the day. It also has a very distinct look, which is captured quite well in this creation. Well done, Tony!

Dieselton, USA

Matt Hamann (jaster) and Peter Norman (Swoofty) have been busy making excellent US diesel trains lately. As with any good LEGO diesel design the devil is in the details and none of these disappoint. The rear grilles on Peter’s AC6000 (top) and the middle flare on Matt’s GP40 (second-top) are particularly worthy of note. They’ve both also posted their own takes on an EMD GP15.

Australian 86-wheel road train

British builder Ed Diment (who you may remember for his 22ft long model of the USS Intrepid) worked with TBB’s own Ralph Savelsberg – a master of Miniland scale brick-built vehicles – to create this awe-inspiring Australian road train. If you’ve ever done the great Australian road trip, you may have run into one of these behemoths bombing down the long lonely highways between the country’s major cities …and then wondered how on earth you were gonna safely overtake it!

Road trains down under usually come in double or triple trailer combinations, so I’m not sure on the legality of the douple-triple that Ed and Ralph have put together here! The way the green and yellow stripes on the cab continue along the tops of all the trailers adds a nice color accent to what might otherwise be an entirely monochromatic model. And check out this stowaway that the driver found hanging off the back of his rig:

Big Bens Bricks wheels

(Advertisement by Anthony Sava featuring his Hudson 4-6-4)

Since it’s the season of giving I felt it was timely to remind our readers of another great LEGO supplementary piece manufacturer: Big Bens Bricks LLC. Ben Fleskes has been manufacturing high-quality ABS wheels for LEGO trains for a few years now and it’s almost impossible to build steam trains without using his excellent products. The wheels are designed to be fully compatible with standard LEGO train pieces with diameters and spacing chosen to fully integrate with the regular system. There’s even LDRAW parts for instructions.

As one recent convertee puts it they allow him to

expand my building options by embracing the supplemental elements produced by community members in order to complement the excellent range offered by LEGO.

On a personal note along these lines, BBB wheels are the only pieces not produced by TLG that I will use in my own models.

And as Peter Norman demonstrates in the above truck design they are not just for steam trains. You can also see how close they match to the (later released) official small wheels with the rubber bands.

Tequila Sunrise by Sava

Anthony Sava recently upgraded his Dreyfuss Hudson locomotive. That’s a pretty sweet looking train!

A box of train

As part of my Wild West Train project I’ve been trying to vary the presentation as well as produce useful instructions for each stage. The final stage let me try a new experiment: packaging the ‘train set’ in its own satin lined wooden box. Fabric is kind of difficult to render without special tools so I decided to go for satin as the easiest.

And of course there are instructions for each part of the train: loco, passenger wagon, lumber wagon, boxcar and caboose.