Smaller. Ever Smaller.

[Hod Carrier]

Been tinkering in LDD again and am still stuck in my Netherlands phase.

Inspired by some microscale MOCs I've seen elsewhere on the internet I decided to have a little crack myself and see what I could come up with. The result is this little diorama of a rural scene set in the spring somewhere in the Netherlands. My apologies go to any Dutch readers for buying into all the stereotypes of your fine country.

I don't think there needs much explanation from me as it's fairly self-evident from the images what it includes, but I'll run through the checklist anyway. There's a windmill, a multi-coloured field of tulips and hyacinths, land drainage channels and a greenhouse (although I would have preferred to model a Dutch house, although it was seemingly impossible to achieve at such a small size) and, passing it all, a 3 car NS ICM Koploper EMU.

As to the train itself, the model is one (yes, one) stud wide and each car is six studs long. It's surely as small as a train can be. I've played some to see what else can be achieved with this ridiculously small scale and while some things are clearly impossible there's still a reasonable amount that can still be achieved.

Anyway, here's the model. I hope you like this slightly different take on a railway MOC.

Edited July 21, 2015 by Hod Carrier

[Rail Co]

I always like seeing micro-scale models of train because you can fit a lot of scenery in a small space! I should make my own micro-scale train scene because I do have limited space and don't really have room for a proper layout, just a couple of loops to run my trains

Great work!!

-RailCo

[Hod Carrier]

Hi Railco,

I'm in a similar situation, although I don't even have the space for a loop to run trains hence my interest in sub-scale static models. This diorama is just 50 x 16 studs including the black frame, so there's plenty of scope to create a scene that you can enjoy.

[zephyr1934]

That too is very well done. There have been a few one stud scale trains, but when done right (like this one) they are amazingly recognizable and the details are unbelievable. Excellent work!

[Lego Dino 500]

If you build trains upside down at this scale and place the grill plates on the bottom, you could possibly create usable rails at this scale. For the rails, you could place a 1x2 grill halfway on a 1x2 plate, connect to another, and bend into a curve, ad infinitum. So many possibilities with this!

[dr_spock]

Nice design. The NS train is instantly recognizable. Do you plan to build it physically?

[Man with a hat]

Oh, nice. Instantly recognisable! The train is very nice, but I must say I love the windmill. (the greenhouses are a bit out of place, but that's nitpicking, fogive me for that)

[Duq]

Instantly recognisable and that's before I spotted the windmill. That scene could be right outside my parents house (including the greenhouses).

My apologies go to any Dutch readers for buying into all the stereotypes of your fine country.

That's ok, you've left out the drugs and the red lights ;-)

[Hod Carrier]

Thanks for the positive feedback, guys. It's always great to receive constructive comments. :o)

Lego Dino 500: I agree that there are many possibilities to be explored in microscale, including track. I'm not sure whether it's possible to have a properly mated track and train system at 1 stud width, but I'll confess to not having tried yet. The design is a shameless copy of the previous MOCs I've seen online and, to my eye at least, look right enough.

dr_spock: I think I might just bring this one to reality, although I may have to wait until after payday. I've just blown my budget getting the rest of the parts together for the remaining 3 cars of my 4-wide DD-VIRM and would like to make a start on an SLT in the same scale at some point. However, this is a little different and I think I can wait for the SLT.

Man with a Hat: Thanks. The windmill took a while to get right because of the size. My first efforts kept coming out over scale so I had to keep going back and starting again. The sails are poseable but are mounted on a stud rather than an axle so they don't actually turn. Likewise, the body of the mill is fixed, although with the addition of a 2x2 turntable the top section at least could also be made poseable. The supports at the back are not properly modelled either. The white 1x4 tile should really be a bar with diagonal supports running down towards ground level forming a triangle. I take your comments about the greenhouse on board but, as Duq points out, there are quite a few dotted around the Dutch countryside, even in the bulb-growing areas. I'm going to keep trying to make a typical Dutch cottage to go into that space because that's what I'd prefer, but the greenhouse was much simpler to model and isn't entirely out of place.

Duq: Ha ha!! Don't worry, I wasn't going to take my diorama down that route.

Edited June 20, 2015 by Hod Carrier

[Hod Carrier]

Here are some of the 1-wide trains I came up with earlier.

Starting at the back there is a 1-wide version of the Dutch DD-VIRM I've been working on in 4-wide. I could have added this to the scene, but I actually think the Koploper looks better. The remaining trains are all British in origin.

Next to the DD-VIRM is a Class 50 diesel-electric in a livery known as BR large-logo blue (although the logos themselves simply can't be rendered at this scale) at the head of a train of covered china clay hopper wagons with their distinctive blue hoods.

The next train down is a classic electric express train from the 1960s with the loco resplendent in electric blue with white cab roofs at the head of a train of maroon coaches. Alongside it is a typical diesel-hauled freight train from the same era. The 4-wheel vans are headed by an English Electric Type 4 loco (later BR Class 40) and the train is completed with a brake van.

The last train is much more recent. It is, quite simply, a Eurostar high-speed train.

Edited July 21, 2015 by Hod Carrier

[Hrw-Amen]

Nice to see some creativity here with these little trains.

[Asper]

Nice trains and a beautiful scenery

[Legotom]

Love the little trains, especially the Class 40 and the Eurostar. Amazing work. The Dutch diorama is fantastic. I'm tempted to try something in this scale myself. It's a great size to get the rolling hills of the Scottish highlands made, without needing a second mortgage for bricks.

[Feuer Zug]

You've built a wonderful small diorama. I like the train as it reminds me of the ones I see when I trapse over to Maastrich occasionally.

[Hod Carrier]

Legotom: I was thinking much the same thing, but I was imagining a quayside harbour station scene like Oban or Fort William but with the charm of somewhere like Tobermory, or even going back a little further in time and putting in a fish quay with a quayside tramway. However, you could just easily model the wide-open expanse of somewhere like Rannoch Moor on a scale that would dwarf a short formation diesel-hauled train or Sprinter DMU. There's loads of possibilities and the options are endless.

FZ: Thanks for the feedback. Sadly this scene is not built yet except in LDD while I wait for payday.

[Phoxtane]

Bet you can't go smaller.

[Paperballpark]

Very nice!

However, if you place a 1x6 tile on it's side, and use clips to hold it in place, then you'd have an even smaller train! ;)

[Q3671]

nice small trains

[Hod Carrier]

However, if you place a 1x6 tile on it's side, and use clips to hold it in place, then you'd have an even smaller train! ;)

Yes that's true, but I'm not sure how you'd be able to differentiate between one train and another. However, I'd be interested to see what you come up with.

[zephyr1934]

How about this for a steeple cab locomotive... (grin)

... yeah, nothing compared to the excellent diorama though.

[Hod Carrier]

How about this for a steeple cab locomotive... (grin)

Winner!! Ha ha!!