Texas Brick Railroad at Brick Fiesta 2015

[SavaTheAggie]

Members from Texas Brick Railroad (TBRR) were in attendance of last weekend's Brick Fiesta 2015 in Austin, TX. Our layout was our largest to date, and featured 5 independent loops of track, two of which used no standard LEGO curves. For a short period of time, we had a record 6 trains running simultaneously (technical difficulties prevented it from lasting longer). Here are some photos:

FULL GALLERY

The Rock Cut

Old MocFiller's depot and Tower 17 (Partially new to TBRR)

Expanded Old MocFiller's Farm (partially new to TBRR)

A Grand Curve

Industrial Row (new to TBRR) and the Princess Train (which won Best Train)

Jeff's Internet Cafe (new to TBRR)

Rear of the Posh Emporium (new to TBRR)

Brownstones!

Tim's Schoolhouse (new to TBRR)

Five independent loops of track

Happy Little Trees

--Tony

Edited July 29, 2015 by SavaTheAggie

[supertruper1988]

Looks great! How are you liking the ME Tracks?

[THERIZE]

sick layout! i like all the trees and the little details! they make the layout look cool.

[WholeWheatLego]

Your show layouts seem to outdo the previous ones every time. This one is no different!

How do you manage to set up it up with all those minute details? Seems like that would take a month for one show... XD

[SavaTheAggie]

Thanks all, it was a fun layout - lots of nice long stretches and gentle curves to really put the speed queens in our fleet through their paces. The Daylight wants to run so fast I have to slow her down, not because she'll derail on the ME curves, but simply because I'm afraid she will (I ran her two full laps at full speed with 7 or 8 passenger coaches - that was a lot of fun - scary, but fun).

Looks great! How are you liking the ME Tracks?

They fall apart in transit too easily, but once they're assembled and put in place they are awesome. I ran some of my biggest engines through at top speed and nothing happened - no derailment, no buckling, no issues of any kind. Setup and tear down went pretty quick, too.

Your show layouts seem to outdo the previous ones every time. This one is no different!

How do you manage to set up it up with all those minute details? Seems like that would take a month for one show... XD

The minutia is easy for us for no other reason than - we've done it before. A lot of the detail is already installed and just get put down in place. Half of the minifigs and other details have "their place", so we simply put them down where they go. The rest just get sprinkled around. The flowers and trees get placed in empty spots, special figs like Wall-E and Eve are always paired together and get placed where kids can find them.

This layout took us about two days to set up chronologically, but we weren't working the whole time, and once the vehicles are unloaded, the tables set up, and track and buildings are all out (2-4 hours), we usually just take our time with the rest. We usually keep adding to layouts, here and there, until an hour before tear down anyway. :)

--Tony

Edited July 29, 2015 by SavaTheAggie

[zephyr1934]

Oh wow, an excellent layout. It is neat to see all of those small scenes you've been talking about come together in one layout as well as several more fantastic buildings that you've not posted about. Too bad the 6 trains did not last, and that princess train is shaping up to be the Michael Jordan of our generation. Great work

[lostdriveway]

Wow amazing layout!!

Those trees - are they custom colored leaves? For the fall colors etc??

Thanks

[patje]

very nice layout,

a club can only dream of such a thing

cooperation has very good results ...

really worth

congratulations

[Younge]

Sensational!!!! Jealousy is the emotion I am feeling right now!

When I was a kid in the early 80's and stared at the various official Lego catalogues, I drooled over the back cover images of Lego train layouts, this IS the kind of layout - with that level of detail - that I wished they would have actually taken photos of. The first image in your post with all those detailed trees and the dual tracks, magnificent!

[pirzyk]

Happy Little Trees

+1 :D

[Q3671]

i like the brownstones, nice layout

[cgarison]

Great work!

[mikezang]

Great layout! are there any trains moving by auto control system?

[Peteris_Sprogis]

Well worked out detail throughout the whole layout! Pleasure to look at the whole thing.

[Bricktown]

Nice work !

Everything in it is perfect : The trees, the relief, the rolling stock,...

[ecmo47]

I always enjoy the TB layouts. Beautiful scenes with lots of trees, buildings, and people. How big was this layout? Is it just set up for shows or does your club have a home?

[legoboy3998]

Great layout as always!! I especially like the"happy little trees". I hope when you are placing the trees around the layout you say "maybe one lives right over here, and maybe another one right over here," LOL.

Are you using the Kam-Konnect tables you were looking into previously? I am curious how you like them for LEGO layouts.

Keep up the great work. You guys are an example of what all us other LEGO Train fans can only dream of and strive to achive.

Sal

WFB, WI

[SavaTheAggie]

Wow, thank you all for your exceptionally kind words. I've provided my club the link to this thread, since not all of them visit Eurobricks. We really appreciate it.

Wow amazing layout!!

Those trees - are they custom colored leaves? For the fall colors etc??

Thanks

Those are official LEGO leaves.

Sensational!!!! Jealousy is the emotion I am feeling right now!

When I was a kid in the early 80's and stared at the various official Lego catalogues, I drooled over the back cover images of Lego train layouts, this IS the kind of layout - with that level of detail - that I wished they would have actually taken photos of. The first image in your post with all those detailed trees and the dual tracks, magnificent!

That's quite the compliment, thank you.

Great layout! are there any trains moving by auto control system?

No automated controls. Ed's just crazy enough to chase trains with other trains.

I always enjoy the TB layouts. Beautiful scenes with lots of trees, buildings, and people. How big was this layout? Is it just set up for shows or does your club have a home?

The layout was something like 30x10 feet. I don't remember the exact dimensions. TBRR does not have a club house, and none of us have our own layouts at home. We only get to play when we get together at displays.

Great layout as always!! I especially like the"happy little trees". I hope when you are placing the trees around the layout you say "maybe one lives right over here, and maybe another one right over here," LOL.

Are you using the Kam-Konnect tables you were looking into previously? I am curious how you like them for LEGO layouts.

Keep up the great work. You guys are an example of what all us other LEGO Train fans can only dream of and strive to achive.

Sal

WFB, WI

You are much too kind, thank you.

We ended up not going with the Kam Konnects. They were simply too expensive. We went with an in-house solution - one of our members is a carpenter by hobby and trade, and created some really fantastic tables for us. They're designed to be 3x6 baseplates, but are only about 2.5 inches tall when the legs are folded, and weigh about 22 lbs. For a table - that's just awesome.

--Tony

[SavaTheAggie]

I worked up a BlueBrick version of the layout. It should be mostly accurate, but it hasn't been vetted by my club.

--Tony

Edited August 5, 2015 by SavaTheAggie

[legoboy3998]

it.

have our own layouts at home. We only get to play when we get together at displays.

You are much too kind, thank you.

We ended up not going with the Kam Konnects. They were simply too expensive. We went with an in-house solution - one of our members is a carpenter by hobby and trade, and created some really fantastic tables for us. They're designed to be 3x6 baseplates, but are only about 2.5 inches tall when the legs are folded, and weigh about 22 lbs. For a table - that's just awesome.

--Tony

Oh, ok thanks for the info. When looking at their website, they did seem a tad expensive.

Sal

WFB, WI

[LegoSjaak]

I favourited some really nice pictures on Flickr... lovely and very detailed!!!