simonwillems Posted February 17, 2009 Posted February 17, 2009 Hello fellow Eurobrickers, Although I uploaded this city some time ago to Brickshelf I never found the time to post it here on Eurobricks, but now that time has come. I always like to experiment with city's like this and make something I never tried before. I thought it would be a nice idea to make a big railwaybridge with little shops underneath and an elevated station platform. For that reason I bought hundreds of 1x2 light grey bricks and dozens of arches. The result is this city, it was a bit tricky to photograph the street between the row of houses and the bridge because much of it got shaded by the buildings and the train overhead. Let's take something of a tour: First we have an overview of the city showing the bridge, port, houses and a little piece of the freight area in the foreground. In the distance a stack of forgotten-to-remove-before-the-pictures casette tapes is visible.... This next picture shows my recently acquired 6542 port, it has acces to the street behind the bridge by means of an underpass. Underneath the bridge/viaduct a row of shops is visible e.g. a bicycle rent, surfstore, and cafe. On to the buidlings: First this castle/cottage like building with a large garden housing the owner's ferrari, grand piano and boat. Looking at the fence you can see the result of the only Bricklink order yet that never reached me in all those years: I ordered a hundred spears to finish the fence.... The main row of buildings overlooking the train track. The police station and the red cornerbuilding next to it I imported from my previous city because I could not part with those.... In the foreground you can see masts, more on that later on The hotel for which I never completed the interior, I am pleased with the way the facade turned out, Here you can see the stationplatform, elevator, station building and the the square in front of it with a statue of a local hero on horseback. There are also stairs to acces the platform from the ground up. Underneath the stationplatform I situated the 6373 Motorcycleshop from 1984. I had to climb my chair before taking this picture, it shows the entire layout with to the right the beach, in the center my steam train and next to that the museum ship. A different perspective of the railwaybridge, showing all the consecutive arches, and the traffic creeping through between the bridge and the houses, Although suffering from poor lighting this photo gives an impression of the busy streetlife. In the distance the security gates for acces to the stairs to the stationplatform can be distinguished underneath the "Bahnhof" (which is German for railwaystation) sign. The prime tourist attraction of the port can be seen here: a 17th century ship of war. Visitors can purchase a ticket at the ticketstand (nearly visible behind the main mast underneath the railwaybridge in the first picture), can have their picture taken with a soldier from the good old days along side a real cannon and can acces the ship via the stairs. The rigging and masts are restricted areas though. In this picture you see the beach just as the people wondering about there: there are showers, there is a pizza restaurant and there's the terrible sound of trains passing every few minutes.... To conclude the tour there is this picture of the piece of paper I "designed" the city on, back in the days. The design shows the lighthouse on the far left side, that one has been moved to the center and the 6542 port has been added on the left side. Oh, look: for the bridge I used 512 1x2 grey bricks and 64 1x8 arches.... More pictures of the city can be found in THE BRICKSHELF GALLERY, showing 43 photographs. That's it, I hope you like it, questions and comments are most welcome! Quote
Captain Green Hair Posted February 17, 2009 Posted February 17, 2009 Your city keeps getting better and better Simon! I'm glad you kept the Amsterdam buildings, they are the best. I do feel that the building on the left of that block could use an upgrade, as it looks a bit plain next to all the pretty facades on the others. The railwaybridge is awesome, i always loved those in railwaymagazines too! The beach is a nice touch, but i do think the shoreline looks a bit straight, perhaps sticking on some plates to break the straight line looks nice? Some shells and starfish could also add to the beach feel. Too bad about the fence, in all my 113 BL orders i never had one not received either. What did the seller say? The 17th century ship is cool, i like the no entry signs on the rigging, very nifty! I don't think i saw the coaches on the steamtrain yet, they look great as well! Keep it up buddy! Quote
Asuka Posted February 17, 2009 Posted February 17, 2009 What an impressive layout! Your town´s beautiful and very lively, the idea with the raised railroad tracks is excellent and the museum ship´s also a lovely addition. Your buildings´re nice and well detailed, I especially like that fine yellow mansion, and although the fence´s not completed it´s really a nifty and charming idea too! Quote
Eilif Posted February 17, 2009 Posted February 17, 2009 Great Job! I have a special place in my heart for Seaside layouts and yours is great. I like the classic Town feel you managed to keep while still incorporating some very nice buildings. I really like the raised railway. It adds alot of visual interest to the town, and while it does obscure some of the street behind, it creates a situation that definitely rewards a closer look. You managed to cram and incredible amount of action into a 40"x90" area. Very Impressive. Quote
WesternOutlaw Posted February 17, 2009 Posted February 17, 2009 This is fantastic SW! Lots of terrific details and custom builds within a large town. I esp. like the classic town-style train and the way you built the long bridge/platform to support it. That's an excellent idea that I have not really seen before (except for maybe a Lego train magazine). It's always difficult to add a train to a town and most generally build it level with the rest of the town. You've done a nice job here. Also, I really like the yellow castle cottage. The trees are equally impressive. Overall, a very nice Town/City. Quote
Freddie Posted February 17, 2009 Posted February 17, 2009 Very, very nice, Simonwillems! Your city really looks alive and active, with a very busy harbour and no "dead spots" and the likes. I'm wondering, is the train bridge solution something that has been used in real life? The only place I know that uses a solution like that is Sandvika station, that has the tracks doubling as the roof of the station, and shops and ticket booths gathered in a "mall below". The reason I'm asking, is that this particular station (if my memory serves me right, it's ten years since I've been there) is that it litterally sounds and rumbles like an earthquake everytime a train passes over. But it is a nifty and space efficient solution to integrating trains into a town layout. Quote
Eilif Posted February 17, 2009 Posted February 17, 2009 I'm wondering, is the train bridge solution something that has been used in real life? The only place I know that uses a solution like that is Sandvika station, that has the tracks doubling as the roof of the station, and shops and ticket booths gathered in a "mall below".... it litterally sounds and rumbles like an earthquake everytime a train passes over. The Chicago "EL" has alot of stations that are directly under the tracks, but usually there is a bit of space between the roof of the station and the tracks above. It's always loud when a train runs over, but standing directly under the tracks outside the station is alot (like thunder) louder than being inside the station. I would imagine that having a station that actually had trains on the roof, would be quite loud. Quote
Aliencat Posted February 17, 2009 Posted February 17, 2009 Oh wow, this is great :D Of course it's huge and impressive, but you already know this. I particularly love that little yellow church, the hotel, and the old ship in the harbour. Great job on making an atmospheric coastal scene! :) Quote
Eurobricks Emperor Bonaparte Posted February 17, 2009 Eurobricks Emperor Posted February 17, 2009 I like your city a lot! The elevated train track, beach, and all those ships I hope you'll continue working on this and make it grow even more over time. Quote
simonwillems Posted February 17, 2009 Author Posted February 17, 2009 Tanks for all the kind comments, they are really appreciated! I made some train-layouts before and incorporating the train into a city layout is always tricky because a train is often so overwhelmingly visible that it leaves no space for the rest of the town. With this bridge it made a lot of shops etc. possible underneath the tracks, that's why I decided in favour of it, moreover there is not really that much free building-space in my room available, a problem many builders encounter, I think.... The only (small) downside to building a bridge like this is that it is impossible to have the whole thing attached to some sort of oval track to make the train go in circles. All it can do is travel from side to side, but hey: I am a collector and builder so the actual playing with the train lies in the past. Your city keeps getting better and better Simon! I'm glad you kept the Amsterdam buildings, they are the best. I do feel that the building on the left of that block could use an upgrade, as it looks a bit plain next to all the pretty facades on the others. The railwaybridge is awesome, i always loved those in railwaymagazines too! The beach is a nice touch, but i do think the shoreline looks a bit straight, perhaps sticking on some plates to break the straight line looks nice? Some shells and starfish could also add to the beach feel. Too bad about the fence, in all my 113 BL orders i never had one not received either. What did the seller say? I don't think i saw the coaches on the steamtrain yet, they look great as well! Thanks! I had a hard time breaking down all the other buildings from my previous layout, so those two had to stay intact... I based the red building on a house in Amsterdam (in the Raadhuisstraat to be exact) but it could have had some more colors and features, I agree. The beach was more of a last minute idea of mine, I tried some landscaping with plates and the like, but found it to be better looking left out in the end, I might experiment some more with my next beach... Yes, the fence, that's why it took so long for me to take pictures of the layout, I was sitting, wishing, waiting for that order but it never came, I got a total refund from the seller but I had liked some spears instead. Those coaches are from my Blue Train, I just swapped the locomotive and because the loc is also eight wide it's a perfect fit! I'm wondering, is the train bridge solution something that has been used in real life? The only place I know that uses a solution like that is Sandvika station, that has the tracks doubling as the roof of the station, and shops and ticket booths gathered in a "mall below". I looked at some pictures of the Sandvika Station just now and it looks great! Here in Holland many cities have elevated stations such as this, because when trains got invented most cities where already in short supply of space to accomodate cross-town railwaytracks. I saw the most beautiful example of an elevated station last summer in Hamburg, the Dammtor station: In Berlin (also Germany) there is a whole network of little shops situated underneath the railwaytracks, it's a really nice site and practical as well. I like your city a lot! The elevated train track, beach, and all those ships I hope you'll continue working on this and make it grow even more over time. I am afraid that as we speak, on the very same spot this city rests on, a Medieval walled city is taking shape, so this one is already gone... So the next town I present will be a leap back into history. Quote
Aliencat Posted February 17, 2009 Posted February 17, 2009 I am afraid that as we speak, on the very same spot this city rests on, a Medieval walled city is taking shape, so this one is already gone...So the next town I present will be a leap back into history. That sounds real awesome, I can't wait for that one :) Good luck! Quote
TLV Posted February 18, 2009 Posted February 18, 2009 A medieval city? Sounds really good, can't wait to see it! Quote
mania3 Posted February 18, 2009 Posted February 18, 2009 Wow! This is nothing short of incredible. You can almost feel the bustle of activity as you look at this creation. Thanks for taking the time to share this with us. Quote
legofan Posted February 18, 2009 Posted February 18, 2009 Wow! I could almost apply for a citizenship in your city right now! There's so much to do in your beautiful city; Rent a bike to travel around, work in the freight centre, take a train, go swimming, rob the rich house with the ferrari, visit the 17th Century Ship... Great! Very very beautiful City and definately my role model of a town! Spotted alot of nice MOCs inside the town, esp the fire engine. Do u think u could share a closer picture to that? Thanks again for sharing your pride and joy with us! Your joy is definately felt and admired by many including myself! Quote
green dewback Posted February 18, 2009 Posted February 18, 2009 Very nice town ! I like it very much as if I can feel its' coming alive ! Quote
simonwillems Posted February 18, 2009 Author Posted February 18, 2009 Very very beautiful City and definately my role model of a town! Spotted alot of nice MOCs inside the town, esp the fire engine. Do u think u could share a closer picture to that? Thank you It has been a while since I posted the fire-engine here on Eurobricks, but I have dug up the topic. It can be seen by clicking this link, it was part of the great firetruck competition in 2007 and I am still pleased to remember it won. Well, so much for self promotion... Quote
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