Birth of a new layout

[Andy Glascott]

After 2 months or so of building, my new layout is finally running. As much for my own benefit as anything else, I took photos all the way through and have put them into a time lapse sequence. Some of them are a little out of focus or the camera wobbled, but the effect is there, going from empty table to three levels in 64 seconds!

Here's the link -

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The bottom two levels are 12v, and the top one is 9v. 6 of the 7 trains on it can run at the same time, each level has two loops. I'm waiting for some parts from TLG and Bricklink to finish off the top platform with a canopy, once they arrive I'll take some stills and pop them on Brickshelf.

Unlike my previous multi-level layouts there are no ramps between the levels, I found I simply didn't use them.

Any comments welcome, and hope you enjoy it.

Andy

[LEGO Train 12 Volts]

Impressive and fantastic layout!

I love the huge green galleries!

Beautyful video!

[The Yellow Brick]

Thats one awesome train layout 'Andy Glascott'

You've managed to make a beautiful layout without it getting to crowed.

great work!

[tbroyd]

Great layout, the green background really does look good

Is that a British class 37 diesel on the bottom track?

[Andy Glascott]

Great layout, the green background really does look good

Is that a British class 37 diesel on the bottom track?

Yes it is, and there's a Class 50 on the middle deck, though out of sight at the moment. Photos will follow in the next week/10 days.

Andy

[LEGO Guy Bri]

Awesome tri-level layout 'AG' Very impressive work indeed. I had seen a previous layout of yours a while back on youtube and was impressed then. Keep up the great work!

[Fuzzylegobricks]

Love the green work! And the stack design is very interesting.

[Legoist]

The layout is simply great... and also good idea for separating different power systems and run many trains simultaneously.

I also really like your custom passenger trains, the Irish orange-black and the blue-white carriages. I hope you're going to post them in some thread with lots of detailed pictures!

[Rook]

I love the fact that this take up the room! Wall to wall!

[Minifig Lecturer]

Great video.

Love the orange Iaranod Eireann train. Brilliant. Great use of orange bricks too!

[Tearloch33]

TRULY AMAZING LAYOUT! Well done. Now I have inspiration of what I can do with limited space. WOW!

[Tervlon]

Beautifully done. Great layout.

[cimddwc]

That's a great layout with a nice multi-level use of the available space.

Inspires me to rethink my plans for my future Lego room to maybe add another level, too (and not just one train level partially in a tunnel under half of the city)...

[Andy Glascott]

TLG delivered the remaining panels for the canopy yesterday, so to all intents and purposes, the layout is "finished". (As finished as a layout ever is....)

Some stats for those of you who like details:

Each platform is 160 studs long, long enough to stop a full-length passenger train beside it.

There are 18 lights in the station, 4 on each platform and 6 in the concourse.

There are 6 motorised points, 5 signals and 2 level crossing light/barrier sets.

Add that together and you get a lot of wiring for a 12v layout thats only 240 cm x 120 cm...

There are full size images on Brickshelf, the folder is here (awaiting moderation), but through the joy of deep links, here's a selection! (Links in text are to larger images.)

From above, the layout looks like this:

The station concourse is raised up to provide parking underneath:

Each level has two loops of track, and at ground level the inner loop runs through the town area:

The station has 3 island platforms, and the structure also provides support for the elevated tracks. Access for minifigs is via 2 lifts, one in the concourse and one at the left end of the platforms.

Minifigs can walk from ground level up a path that is then built into the two viaducts and the side of the cliff to reach the footbridge at the top.

The tunnel entrances at the bottom are wide enough to get my entire arm into in the case of derailments! Despite numerous trials while building, they will still happen, usually in the depths of a tunnel....

Thank you for the comments thus far, I hope these pics help bring it to life, I'll be shooting video at some stage... (when the list of DIY my wife wants doing is shorter than it is now!)

Andy

[Rob Klingberg]

Great work, Andy! I could look at photos of this layout all day-- so much detail to see, so much going on! Fabulous.

One question: can you comment on the power (transformers, etc.) you needed to drive the layout? Also, where are your signal/switch controllers?

Great stuff!

--Rob

[lightningtiger]

What a layout !

AWESOME work 'Andy', it's the station and the giant undercover platforms which impress me the most.

Brick On !

[Andy Glascott]

Great work, Andy! I could look at photos of this layout all day-- so much detail to see, so much going on! Fabulous.

One question: can you comment on the power (transformers, etc.) you needed to drive the layout? Also, where are your signal/switch controllers?

Great stuff!

--Rob

Rob, the three 12v controllers and point/signal switches are on a shelf under the layout, so I'm sitting or kneeling on the floor to get it running, and if you look in the last photo (the tunnel entrance) you'll see built into the side of the mountain one of the two 9v controllers, they are next to each other.

One of the 12v controllers supplies power to the inside lops on the bottom and middle levels while the outside loops are operated by separate controllers. On the middle level the two lops are linked by two sets of points with a single 12v isolating track in between to prevent short circuits. I'm fortunate enough to have enough signals to be able to just turn power on and start/stop/switch trains as I wish that way.

Andy

[Rob Klingberg]

Thanks Andy for the additional detail. Again, great work!

--Rob

[Mr Benn]

I love this layout - am really impressed by the multi-levelness of it all - is it really (as it seems) all supported by Lego or have you done anything else to steady the structure? Am wanting to do my own multi-level town due to space issues (so that I can display stuff like the modular buildings at the same time as having some trains running) though may have to build some wooden substructure for the whole thing..

Also, I'd love to be able to see 'inside' the first layer before the second layer went on top, to see how much room is inside your tunnels - do you have any pics like this? Am really liking your big green hill slopes, that's a ridiculous amount of green bricks you have there ;-)

[Andy Glascott]

is it really (as it seems) all supported by Lego or have you done anything else to steady the structure?

Also, I'd love to be able to see 'inside' the first layer before the second layer went on top, to see how much room is inside your tunnels - do you have any pics like this?

Yes, it's all Lego inside, and to give you an idea of space, try this pic. The random wagon in the front left was used to check clearance all the way around. It was higher than any of my trains and overhung the corners the same amount, so if it went through without hitting the level above or any of the posts I knew the trains would.

The posts that support each level are 16 bricks tall and the "floor" that the track is built on is 3 plates thick (one brick). The hills and viaducts at the back make it a very sturdy set up, the wobbliest bit is the stack of three platforms, though they are connected to the station building at that end.

[OzVirtualPaul]

Awesome work Andy, the time and effort you have put into this really stands out.

[Staalis]

Great stuff Andy! Makes me wish that I could do something similar.

Have you also added to the rolling stock? I don't remember the blue and white coaches pulled by the BR class 50 from your previous videos.

Edited May 14, 2011 by Staalis

[Andy Glascott]

Great stuff Andy! Makes me wish that I could do something similar.

Have you also added to the rolling stock? I don't remember the blue and white coaches pulled by the BR class 50 from your previous videos.

I haven't, I've just switched the carriages around and updated them - the Class 50 used to haul blue and grey coaches or freight.

[johnny cogs]

GUTTED!!!!! Having recently got into trains I have been racking the old grey matter thinking of ways to build a 2 or three car dmu in the old Strathclyde transport colours as it would be a nice cap doffing to my old stomping ground and I hadn't seen one before... UNTIL NOW..... there it is, the orange and black... now I will be forced to MOC mine with a tinge of sadness....

Crackin' build though... Kudos buddy!

Edited May 25, 2011 by johnny cogs

[Andy Glascott]

GUTTED!!!!! Having recently got into trains I have been racking the old grey matter thinking of ways to build a 2 or three car dmu in the old Strathclyde transport colours UNTIL NOW..... there it is, the orange and black... now I will be forced to MOC mine with a tinge of sadness....

I don't know if this is bursting a bubble or encouraging you to keep going, but by a quirk of coincidence the Strathclyde colours match Irish Rail, so by all means go for a Glasgow version. Mine is an Irish Rail Class Class 121 loco with three carriages. You might want to have a look at this, (which isn't mine) by way of inspiration for a Class 101 DMU.

Andy

Edited May 25, 2011 by Andy Glascott