greg3 Posted January 1, 2013 Hi and Happy New Year!! I've decided to mark 2013 with a new topic for my village of Ballabreek. My plan is to chart a year in the life of the village with regular updates (hopefully seeing if I can incorporate as many of this year's sets as I can) So where better to start than a quick tour of the village as it is on Jan 1st!! Aerial view (the roads are fairly quiet as most people are recovering from their New Year celebrations!!) The main road - bike shop, pizza take away and hairdressers. Behind this is the main residential area. The park - convenience store and bank. With the trams not running today, the local teenagers are using the tram stop as a skateboard park!! You can still see the Christmas tree and nativity scene (Nativity scene idea "borrowed" from a fellow EB member) Medical centre Garage and Recycling Point. You can also see the Post Office (Ballabreek's oldest building) The old mine - Engineers are surveying the site with a view to getting it reopened and operational again. Thanks for looking and comments are always welcome (I hope to post monthly updates throughout the year, starting with the redevelopment of the mine) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jimmynick Posted January 1, 2013 This looks like a good "classic" town. I look forward to seeing your updates as 2013 progresses. My favourite bit is probably the inclusion of your abandoned mine; the place you put it in the town just looks right. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wedge09 Posted January 1, 2013 Really nice start :thumbup: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LegoBobby Posted January 1, 2013 I really like this layout, it's nice and simple. It's not cluttered and I like your clever use of different sets with others. Look forward to seeing updates. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lightningtiger Posted January 2, 2013 Looking good 'greg3'.....my favourite part is the garage.....is that a new MOC of yours ? Keep going and Brick On 'greg3' ! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LEGO Guy Bri Posted January 2, 2013 Excellent layout so far, greg3. I really like how you incorporated your abandoned mine MOC. It looks really good. BTW is that the 4999 Vestas set in the fifth pic? Keep up the great work Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LAKAbricks Posted January 2, 2013 It's great to see the new developments in Ballabreek, Greg3. It could be interesting to see a little more dense town, not least a bigger residential area. And I hope the trams are running again after the holidays Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LegofreakKO345 Posted January 3, 2013 The town is great 'greg3'! What are you thinking of doing on the future on your city? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
greg3 Posted January 3, 2013 Thanks for the comments... LEGOGuyBri - yes that's the Vesta set (got it off Ebay a couple of years ago and never opened it!! Who knows, Ballabreek may end up with a wind turbine at some point!!) As you can see from these quick update pics, work is already underway to get the mine cleared and back in action. Other plans for the village are to improve the residential area - probably by extending the narrow one-way section of street to give more building space (might also extend that bit of the village to create a small beach/harbour area). I've also got a few storylines involving the residents and buildings that I might try and capture on photo... unfortunately one involves the demise of the garage!!! (sorry Lightningtiger!) Watch this space! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lightningtiger Posted January 3, 2013 Two things.....there must be gold in that mine that was once missed and I hope you are going to replace that garage.....where is some going to get there gas from eh ? Keep going and Brick On 'greg3' ! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
greg3 Posted January 5, 2013 Two things.....there must be gold in that mine that was once missed and I hope you are going to replace that garage.....where is some going to get there gas from eh ? Keep going and Brick On 'greg3' ! Yep - recent survey work has shown not only gold but other rare minerals that could be used in modern technology such as electric fuel cells, still in the mine (modern technology means it's now profitable to extract them). A couple more pics showing work to construct an office/storage building and one of the drawbacks of the site - the narrow entrance which is limiting the size of machinery that can be used (it's going to widened eventually or even moved to the North side (although that will mean changing the road layout)) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lightningtiger Posted January 5, 2013 Good luck with the road widening then 'greg3'.....I look forward to your updates......Brick On Mine On ! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
greg3 Posted January 12, 2013 This week's update!! The workers have finished erecting the site office... slightly modified/enlarged the official version to allow space for a desk/computer for the boss and a secure explosive storage locker (for all that dynamite they have!) As you can see they've also restored the train tracks and added a platform/walkway to provide access to the office. Now they're having a well deserved break before they get back to work!! Hopefully by next week, the mine will be working once more!! Thanks for looking. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lightningtiger Posted January 12, 2013 Nice work 'greg3'....they can not afford air conditioning so iron bar windows to let the air in ? Keep going and Brick On 'greg3' ! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Venunder Posted January 13, 2013 Very good. I look forward to seeing the mine in full operation. :) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
greg3 Posted January 20, 2013 After 2 weeks of hard work, my minifigs finally have the mine up and running once more!! Here we see the first load of mined rock being extracted and sent off for processing... First the small mine train carries a cart full of rock from half a mile inside the hillside, where it has been cut/blasted from the end of the main mining tunnel. At the open end of the line, workers wait to empty the cart. A small platform allows workers to reach safely into the cart to release the side. Gravity and muscle transfer the load into the bucket of a waiting digger. It's then transferred to a waiting dumper truck which then transports it to a larger facility where the valuable minerals are extracted (the waste rock is then sold for use in the construction industry!) Close up of the platform used to empty the cart... I wanted to try and make the operation of the mine vaguely plausible and hopefully I have done so (I know very little about real mining!!) As mentioned in a previous post, later in the year my small mining company hope to expand the site so larger machinery can come in and start extracting from the larger mine opening (the one currently blocked by the old spoil heap) At the moment they're waiting for planning permission before they can alter the load layout (ie. I need more T-junction road plates!!) Thanks for looking... comments are always welcome. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wedge09 Posted January 20, 2013 I really like your work with the mine structures, continues like this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lightningtiger Posted January 20, 2013 Great work 'greg3'.....your mining operation is coming along well and I thought you said that garage was torn down ? Brick On 'greg3' ! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
greg3 Posted January 27, 2013 (edited) Great work 'greg3'.....your mining operation is coming along well and I thought you said that garage was torn down ? Brick On 'greg3' ! Don't worry LT, the garage's days are numbered (just waiting for my local toy store to get the new fire truck in!!) Speaking of fire fighting, here's this week's update.... The village is beginning a trial involving the use of fire bikes (previously fire cover was provided by conventional fire engines from a town 8 miles away) The idea is that in order to save money and improve efficiency, specially equipped fire fighting motorcycles will be dispatched to most call outs in Ballabreek and the surrounding villages (unless there are reports of immediate threat to life in which case a normal appliance will be sent). Larger appliances can be called for only if needed. The rider is also a trained medic, so the bike can also deal with medical call outs too. I got the new fire bike but to be honest was a bit disappointed in it's lack of equipment. So, after a bit of Googling, this is what I've come up with (not based on any one design it's a hybrid of fire bikes used in the UK, India, China, Japan and France!) Most obvious, is the addition of the hose... it's part of an Impulse fire fighting system which uses pressurised water/foam to create a mist which is more efficient at cooling a fire with a small amount of water. There's now also somewhere to keep the extinguisher!! In action... the Impulse system can handle a small fire on it's own and keep a larger blaze from spreading until help arrives. Ironically Ballabreek has had a fire bike before... in 1905 the village fire brigade used a bicycle on many call outs... it's recently been restored... It's equipped with a hose and spanner to attach it to a hydrant. Between 1905 and 1927 it operated from Ballabreek Fire Station (the building is now the local garage) Finally, this weekend has seen both bikes on display in the village park as part of a PR and Fire Safety Awareness event... Plenty of photo opportunities for the kids.. "Flame" the firefighing dragon gives out information leaflets... while the firefighters get to know the locals. Thanks for looking... comments always welcome. (I'll probably add a few stickers to the tiles on the side of the modern bike) One final pic - Then and Now... Edited January 27, 2013 by greg3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lightningtiger Posted January 27, 2013 Aw, you beat me to it.......nice work and that vintage fire cycle.....funny and I it ! Keep them coming 'greg3' and of course Brick On ! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
splatman Posted January 28, 2013 Don't demo the garage! Call in a housemover instead.That'll be an event for the townsfolk to watch! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hush Posted January 28, 2013 Love what your'e doing with the town look forward to see more updates as the year goes on Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lego-andreas Posted January 30, 2013 you just do a fantastic work. And I the little gas pump Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
greg3 Posted February 1, 2013 (edited) A small and simple addition... a traffic counter. The idea came from when I drove over one of these coming home from work and although I knew it counted traffic I never knew how. Turns out the tube is a pneumatic tube and the "black box" records the pressure increase when a tyre goes over it (good old Google!!). In Ballabreek it's being used to record traffic levels before construction begins in that part of the village (going to extend the narrow one way street to allow more housing and shops to be built) Here's a workman downloading data... Thanks for looking.... (hopefully the building work will start soon!) Edited February 1, 2013 by greg3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kristel Posted February 1, 2013 This is great. You might get a few pedestrians counted as well though! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
