VI. TEMOFESZT - MLVK LEGO Layout - Discussion

[Ashi Valkoinen]

Hi all,

I'd like to share the pictures and videos of our last event, which was held between the 10th and 12th of October. We participated Middle-Europe's largest model railway exhibition with participants from 7 other countries, displaying our train-based 38 metres long layout. The most popular building of the display was the Budapest - Western Train Station, where train tracks end in the building, without the possibility to avoid trains turning back.

The reason I post it here to share and get experience with other TFOLs and AFOLs who creates train-based displays. As far as I've seen it on Brickshelf and Flickr, most train LUGs creates one or more loops around cities, where trains are running around for couple of circles, then train goes of to some storage track and another goes in. We started to create layouts without loops in 2012, which means constant taking care of trains is necessary, not to let them run into other trains or leave tracks at their ends. We use 9V to run most of our trains, and the whole line is separated to couple of sections, driven separately with 9V speed regulators. We use polarity-sensitive PF LEDS to warn each other if our section is busy. That allows to run more train at the same time, and we try to simulate some realistic traffic on our rails.

Please share with us how you design your big show displays, how do you control your trains, and what are priorities for an event for you.

Pictures from my Brickshelf:

http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=548694

Videos of various trains running:

Fun video, including almost all our passanger cars:

[raised]

Interesting, thanks for sharing. Was already wondering how you were running that layout after I saw the pics on BS.

I love point-to-point operations, since they make far more sense out of a prototype-perspective. It is however, as you yourself indicate, far more time consuming. I must say, my first event still has not been, as long as my long term project (a proper layout) is not nearly finished, I'm not going to exhibit anything anywhere. But, if I ever will go, the plan is for me as well a point-to-point design. For the same reason as you indicate: realistic traffic. (Something a lot of modeltrainheads also tend to do, or at least, more and more are trying, that's at least what I see at model railway conventions.) Or, if there is more space, a continuous layout with a "hidden" fiddle yard. A lot of inspiration for me comes from the Small Layouts Scrapbook (at carendt.us) and Gauge 0 websites.

/edit: Regarding point-to-point movement I think APM Paper Mill 1972, a layout by Timothy Gould and Mike Pianta is also quite interesting:

APM mill - Overview by scruffulous, on Flickr

Also worth mentioning are their previous builds, Ararat 1972 and Eslmore 1972, even though they are both continuous, they show the idea of a "hidden" fiddle yard. Same goes btw for Corfe Castle Station, a display by Carl Greatrix, his solution to the "prototype" problems is mainly the us of DCC to control the trains. Same goes for Farham Junction by Michael Gale, he uses DCC, but next to this also has a lot of switches in his layout, making a lot of prototypical movement possible next to the continuous movements.

Edited October 23, 2014 by raised

[zephyr1934]

Those are some fantastic layouts, both in the original post and in raised's post. Meanwhile, Ashi, what are the rules of the road, it sounds like you had a block system in place, no? Do different people control trains in different blocks or does the operator follow their train through the layout?

[peterab]

Regarding point-to-point movement I think APM Paper Mill 1972, a layout by Timothy Gould and Mike Pianta is also quite interesting:

It was certainly a brilliant module but it was also part of a larger layout as you can see in this pic;

Brickvention 2014 - Overview by scruffulous, on Flickr

The operation on that branch was limited, mostly to engines that while very pretty are known to be too fragile for the main line (you can see the end of the double loop to the left of the picture).

Edited October 24, 2014 by peterab

[LEGO Train 12 Volts]

What a great videos!

Huge layout and great lego effort!

Thanks for sharing

[Ashi Valkoinen]

Interesting, thanks for sharing. Was already wondering how you were running that layout after I saw the pics on BS.

...

Thanks for sharing those layout and plans. for the last exhibition I operated the Western Railway Station and two mainlines, and the other end station was operated by another LUG member.

Those are some fantastic layouts, both in the original post and in raised's post. Meanwhile, Ashi, what are the rules of the road, it sounds like you had a block system in place, no? Do different people control trains in different blocks or does the operator follow their train through the layout?

Yes, we are using "block" system and some standards for it. Before the event we plan how to display our sections, standards goes to provide connections, using the original LEGO train track geometry. In your section you can do whatever you want with the tracks, but at the edges you have to keep geometry standards. Each section or block is operated by different person (or if we experienceing lack of operators, one person could controll 2 or 3 neighouring sections), so a single train is driven by two or three person while it's running. That's why we have standards also for our 8W trains - to avoid accidentally broken trains. (For example, fragile or special trains* could be run only by their owner, if 9V, then only in those sections where owner can controll it, or it should use PF or RC. *: There are some trains which cannot pass two switches in a row, or some other geometries, but all our running models should be able to run on every track geometry created from standard tracks.)

The operation on that branch was limited, mostly to engines that while very pretty are known to be too fragile for the main line (you can see the end of the double loop to the left of the picture).

That double loop with all the track ballast is wonderful. I'm wondering if there are any trains to fragile to run on those track, those are only built from straight track segments, so how they could brake?

What a great videos!

Huge layout and great lego effort!

Thanks for sharing

Thanks, and feel free to join discussion. :)

[peterab]

That double loop with all the track ballast is wonderful. I'm wondering if there are any trains to fragile to run on those track, those are only built from straight track segments, so how they could brake?

Some of Mike Pianta's engines are beautiful but very fragile and pieces would fall off and derail the train, some of Teunis Davey's trains are a bit top heavy and the straight curves can create a rhythmic rocking due to the gaps between the track segments which can lead to derailments. Ballasted track is taller than normal lego track by itself so very low cow catchers (I think they were changed after the RC trains) can get caught on it and derail. Some of my carriages have low hanging steps which will fall off if knocked. .... It doesn't happen all the time but some trains are more likely to derail than others.

Running a big exhibition layout seems to be a good way to catalogue how to derail trains but kids enjoy seeing a crash from time to time.