Brick Train Awards 2022 - a global competition for LEGO train fans

[BricksMcgee]

The Brick Train Awards are back for 2022 for their third year. The awards are open to all LEGO train fans to submit their models for free during September in 15 categories:

1. Best steam locomotive
2. Best diesel locomotive
3. Best electric locomotive
4. Best other locomotive
5. Best consist / full train
6. Best passenger wagon
7. Best freight wagon
8. Best special wagon
9. Best digital locomotive
10. Best digital wagon
11. Best TFOL (Teenage Fan of LEGO) locomotive
12. Best TFOL wagon
13. Best TFOL display
14. Public vote
15. Best display

2021 saw over 750 entries from builders around the world, and showcased a huge variety of creativity in the LEGO fan community. Winners are judged for most categories at a regional level (Americas, Asia & Australasia, and Europe) and a global winner is then picked by a panel of international judges from the LEGO train community. 

 

The Brick Train Awards started in 2020 during Covid to try and provide some meaningful activity for LEGO train fans. The TFOL categories are aimed at teenage LEGO train builders aged 13 - 18 to support up and coming LEGO fans, and the quality of submissions is particularly strong here. 

 

Prizes for global winners are sponsored by TrixBrix.eu, as well as contributions from TrainedBricks and Brick Model Railroader. 

 

Entries are open from 1st - 30th September 2022, and winners will be announced in the first week of October on the Brick Train Awards website, bricktrainawards.com. 

[XG BC]

will most likely participate.

[Darkkostas25]

Maybe I will participate but in digital (if I get some good inspiration)

[BricksMcgee]

8 minutes ago, XG BC said:

will most likely participate.

Excellent! Any models from the last 24 months would be great. Which categories do you think you will enter?

Just now, Darkkostas25 said:

Maybe I will participate but in digital (if I get some good inspiration)

Cool! We know there are a lot of digital builders around so I think these new categories will be popular 

[Barduck]

defo entering my CoD and coaches from it

[BricksMcgee]

8 minutes ago, Barduck said:

defo entering my CoD and coaches from it

Excellent! Anything else?

[Barduck]

1 minute ago, BricksMcgee said:

Excellent! Anything else?

not that I can think of

[XG BC]

2 hours ago, BricksMcgee said:

Excellent! Any models from the last 24 months would be great. Which categories do you think you will enter?

most likely digital and one of the locomotive ones.

[XG BC]

one question @BricksMcgee: is a suspended mountain railway like this allowed (in the digital section)? it technically is a railway just doesnt fit any of the categroys.

[BricksMcgee]

2 hours ago, XG BC said:

one question @BricksMcgee: is a suspended mountain railway like this allowed (in the digital section)? it technically is a railway just doesnt fit any of the categroys.

Yep, that would be fine in the digital loco category I think. 

If it was built, you could enter it in the "other loco" category otherwise.

14 hours ago, XG BC said:

most likely digital and one of the locomotive ones.

excellent, look forward to seeing them!

[XG BC]

thanks for clarifying! will most likely enter this one digitally.

[dtomsen]

BricksMcgee, nothing about clone parts this time? Allowed or not in a physical build?

Edited August 13, 2022 by dtomsen

[BricksMcgee]

4 hours ago, dtomsen said:

BricksMcgee, nothing about clone parts this time? Allowed or not in a physical build?

Let me check, we did discuss it and I can’t remember the outcome 

[Hod Carrier]

Just a quick question.

There appears to be a small inconsistency in some of the info. Electric multiple units (EMUs) are included with electric locos but there is no mention of other multiple unit types. Would it be correct to infer that a diesel multiple unit (DMU) would be included in the diesel loco category or should all MUs be caught by the consist/full train category?

I appreciate that there is some variation in railway parlance depending on where in the world you are which may cause some confusion, and that the term "multiple unit" has different connotations in the US and elsewhere than it does in the UK and Europe. For the avoidance of doubt and to be entirely clear, what I'm referring to are railcars or self-propelled passenger trains without a separate locomotive formed of one or more vehicles together in a permanent or semi-permanent formation.

I've been working on a couple of things for a while now but there's no way either will be ready before the deadline, so I may have to enter something older.

Edited August 14, 2022 by Hod Carrier
Clarity

[BricksMcgee]

3 hours ago, Hod Carrier said:

Just a quick question.

There appears to be a small inconsistency in some of the info. Electric multiple units (EMUs) are included with electric locos but there is no mention of other multiple unit types. Would it be correct to infer that a diesel multiple unit (DMU) would be included in the diesel loco category or should all MUs be caught by the consist/full train category?

I appreciate that there is some variation in railway parlance depending on where in the world you are which may cause some confusion, and that the term "multiple unit" has different connotations in the US and elsewhere than it does in the UK and Europe. For the avoidance of doubt and to be entirely clear, what I'm referring to are railcars or self-propelled passenger trains without a separate locomotive formed of one or more vehicles together in a permanent or semi-permanent formation.

I've been working on a couple of things for a while now but there's no way either will be ready before the deadline, so I may have to enter something older.

A good question. Now we have a category for consists, I think I’d expect DMUs and EMUs to go in there. 
 

We still have quite a bit of content to review on the website, will be ready for 1st September (I hope!). 

Edited August 14, 2022 by BricksMcgee
Spelling

[Hod Carrier]

2 minutes ago, BricksMcgee said:

A good question. No we have a category for consists, I think I’d expect DMUs and EMUs to go in there. 
 

We still have quite a bit of content to review on the website, will be ready for 1st September (I hope!). 

Thanks for the reply. I think that makes good sense.

Best of luck with the contest. 

[legonerd54321]

Awesome, so glad it's back! I don't have anything to submit this year, but if you need another NA judge, I'll volunteer 

[Vilhelm22]

I may participate this year, but only digitally.  Couple of quick questions:

1) I modelled a coach thinking it was real but turns out that paint scheme didn’t exist, only fictionally as an H0 model - is this unenterable?

2) In a digital model, do all the pieces have to exist in that colour in real life?  Could I for example use dark red seats, despite that part not being produced in dark red?

3) Where would I enter a digital full consist?  Say I was entering a full LNER Coronation service digitally, or something similar from elsewhere?

Edited August 14, 2022 by Vilhelm22

[BricksMcgee]

2 hours ago, Vilhelm22 said:

I may participate this year, but only digitally.  Couple of quick questions:

1) I modelled a coach thinking it was real but turns out that paint scheme didn’t exist, only fictionally as an H0 model - is this unenterable?

2) In a digital model, do all the pieces have to exist in that colour in real life?  Could I for example use dark red seats, despite that part not being produced in dark red?

3) Where would I enter a digital full consist?  Say I was entering a full LNER Coronation service digitally, or something similar from elsewhere?

1. That’s fine, they don’t have to be prototypical!

2. They don’t have to exist but I suspect the judges may pick up on that if it’s obvious

3. Good question. I think we’re aiming for built consists only, so digital models would need to be go in relevant loco / wagon category this year  

As you can see, we’re trying a few new ideas out this year so there’s still a little to work out before entries open

5 hours ago, legonerd54321 said:

Awesome, so glad it's back! I don't have anything to submit this year, but if you need another NA judge, I'll volunteer 

Thanks! I think we’re sorted for all regions now this year 

[BricksMcgee]

On 8/13/2022 at 9:09 PM, dtomsen said:

BricksMcgee, nothing about clone parts this time? Allowed or not in a physical build?

We talked about this for a long time, and the consensus is still that the majority of parts should be LEGO bricks, but a small minority of clone bricks (if they don’t exist as LEGO elements) would be allowed.

 

This may change in future years, we try to be adaptable!

[dtomsen]

37 minutes ago, BricksMcgee said:

We talked about this for a long time, and the consensus is still that the majority of parts should be LEGO bricks, but a small minority of clone bricks (if they don’t exist as LEGO elements) would be allowed.

This may change in future years, we try to be adaptable!

Thanks for the very reasonable answer 

[Sérgio]

On 8/12/2022 at 12:44 PM, BricksMcgee said:

2. Best consist / full train

Finally! 

I will attempt something :)

[Duq]

I see prizes are sponsored/ donated by TrainedBricks and TrixBrix but can you give us an idea of what those prizes are likely to be?

[BricksMcgee]

2 hours ago, Duq said:

I see prizes are sponsored/ donated by TrainedBricks and TrixBrix but can you give us an idea of what those prizes are likely to be?

I need to update the website with those. $200 USD TrixBrix voucher for global winners, and there is a voucher for steam loco category winners from TrainedBricks which I think is $50 USD, but I will check. 
 

Plus winners bricks. I know some winners didn’t receive these in the Americas last year, so we’ll try and sort those too. 
 

But of course, we don’t do it for the prizes ;)

On 8/23/2022 at 11:38 AM, Sérgio said:

Finally! 

I will attempt something :)

I’m really glad we’re trialling this category. Lots of great models lost out in loco / wagon categories in previous years. 

[Ashi Valkoinen]

Hello!

Do we know something about the judges, and the judging criteria?

Like how the LEGO-build matches an existing prototype, proportions, scale, brickbuilt solutions over sticker and printed parts, etc?

Last worldwide competition seemed to be really heavy on "british style" train winners. 

Edited August 25, 2022 by Ashi Valkoinen