Crossbones

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, you should be very flattered! :) These are my fire service and SWAT police versions of this truck. Thank you for the inspiration - now I just need to build them in real bricks.

FYI - Amazon has some really good prices on a couple of sets right now. LEGO City Ferry 60119 is $15.99, 47% off: http://amzn.to/2fxlnWu LEGO City Airport 60102 Airport VIP Service Building Kit is $31.99, 36% off: http://amzn.to/2fxnR7o

Nicely done. I just got another 60051 set and was starting to play to see what I could do with it. I will be borrowing your club car idea for my own train. Thanks!

I was inspired this week to design my first MOC locomotive, and I chose the EMD BL2. I have always loved the quirky look of this engine, and wanted to see if I could bring it to life in Lego. Here's the result of my work, I hope you like it. (Now to save up the $$$ to build it in real life!) :) Any suggestions, ideas, critiques and comments are welcome.

Thanks, I agree it will look better with additional details. Time to start work on Phase 2. :) Good idea, thanks.

Thanks to JDL1967 I have my Winter Soldier. Thanks! So, in the spirit of paying it forward, I some Jack Stone parts to offer up. I can put up a photo if there is interest. Let me know!

Amazon has the LEGO Creator 31038 Changing Seasons Building Kit on sale, marked down from $49.99 to $38.49, and the LEGO Creator 31035 Beach Hut marked down from $29.99 to $22.50. I got one of each and am thinking about getting a second of each of them.

Amazon has baseplate sets (two 32x32 green, one 32x32 blue, and one 48x48 grey) for $28.68 ($39 retail price for the four baseplates - 26% savings): link I've ordered one set and am thinking about a second.

Not fair, now you've made me extremely hungry! Great job, looks like a faithful reproduction of the original.

Hey all, I just picked up some Lego Dimensions packs at Amazon on pre-order - great prices! The Doctor Who/Cyberman set was only $7.49, the DC Heroes set with Joker and Harlequin was $18.74, and they have deals on some of the Level Packs as well. They are all different prices, so you have to pick and choose the bargains. Crossbones

Looks very good so far - I'm very eager to see your progress on this. Beautiful!

As mentioned in the introduction thread, the kids and I have been able to get the Winter Village sets over the past several years, and can put together quite a nice little town for Christmas. (Much nicer than the Dept. 56 buildings, IMO .) Last year, we added a loop of track around the village, which sat on a 3'x4' board. It was a little tight, space-wise, so this year we decided to expand! After a shameless land grab in the middle of the family room, we were able to place a 6'x4' board. This allowed us to add a smaller, nested loop, inside the outer one. The frame for the 4x6 table. Since i have a small car, I used three 2'x4' boards for the top. The downside of using separate boards, caulking the gaps and the screw holes. Next time I'll borrow the van and grab a larger board. I used a textured spray paint to cover the whole surface of the table. It took several cans, but I just don't have enough white Lego! In its place of honor in the center of the family room, with the track laid. I picked up the 60051 High Speed Passenger Train (aka the Candy Cane Express) to run around the outside of the village. That's what connects the Winter Village with the "big city." The inner loop, and the switches, are 9v track. We have the 4535 Lego Express Deluxe running around the inside as a "tourist train." I think next year, we're going to tray to make that into a tram, as the full train is a bit much. I love Miro Dudas' Winter Village Tram. We chose to have a small mountain in the corner, to give us an elevated area to set up Santa's Workshop at the North Pole, and because I love tunnels! I laid out a template for the "mountain" before building it. The mountain still needs to be painted, and a slope built to cover the hole facing the village. That's being built up out of styrofoam sheets, and will be added to the display soon. I'll have an updated photo to show that. The old and the new, side by side. I was recently fortunate enough to win an ebay auction for a set of Lego Super Chief cars and a Santa Fe locomotive. I like the look of this much better than the high speed train, so that will replace that train on the outer loop. But first I'll need to convert one of the locomotives (I already had a pair bought from Lego when they first came out) to ruin off PF, or get enough 9v track to make the outer loop electric. Right now, I have enough to do one or the other loops in 9v track, but not both. (Here's a short .) I still need two more of the original cars, and I'd love to add an MOC dome car and B-unit locomotive... maybe for next Christmas.As mentioned, we're combining the 9V and plastic track, and it works as long as we can throw the switch fast enough that the steamer does not get sent to the unpowered track! This video shows my daughter handling the . One of the hazards of railroading with Lego. This NEVER happened on my old N-scale layout. We are by no means "theme purists" and often mix and blend - in fact, I think the Empire has scheduled a stormtrooper raid on the village to control the scourge of hobbits (they love to pilfer goodies from the bakery) later today! Merry Christmas everyone!

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That IS fun! Nicely done. I really like the small motorized switch machines. Can you share details on how you made those? Thanks!

Well done - that's a beautiful little train!

As we prepare to take down the Christmas Winter Village layout we set up this year (link), I am determined to have a basement layout. This will be a family effort with my two teenaged children, and they will have a lot of say into how it eventually develops. A lot (ok, pretty much most) of the details are still unresolved, but I want to get started! I do have a list, that I will separate into "givens" and "druthers" - items that are not subject to change (such as available space, for example) from things that are just preferences, and can be modified or eliminated as needed. Step 1, for me at least, is to name the railroad. This makes it seem more "real", and will get me started thinking about it. Despite it's smallish beginnings, I have chosen a grandiose name - the Georgia Northwestern Railway (GNWR). Step 2 is to clear out a space where I can start the layout. Currently, my basement looks like a truck just backed into it from a scary yard sale and dumped a bunch of stuff in it. My name is Henry, and I am a pack-rat! Getting an area cleared and organized will take a bit of time and effort, but obviously it has to be done in order for the project to progress. A lot of the offending items are bound for ebay to finance development of the railroad. I have two potential areas in which I can build a layout. One would allow me a 130" x 80" layout, and the other is a bit larger. I think that in order to keep things manageable and keep my efforts focused, I am going to start in the smaller area (Phase 1 - seen in the photos above). Expansion into the larger area (Phase 2 - below photos) can proceed at a future time. I'll be posting comments and pics here detailing the progress, in order to help keep me motivated. I know from past experience that one of the biggest potential problems that can arise is a loss of motivation. So please chime in with comments, encouragement and yes, even criticism. It will all help keep me on track (pun intended).

That's good advice. I'm used to narrower (N-scale) layouts, so that's something to think about. The space I have is in a corner, so I am playing on BlueBrick with various shapes for the layout - "L", an island with center hole, "U," and so forth. I'll try to get screen grabs and share what I have so far in terms of possibilities. One thing I wanted, but I think will not be feasible unless I use the island layout, is a double-tracked mainline. But we'll see... I have just begun to play with ideas.

Good for you! I just think LDD makes it convenient to share files. But there is definitely nothing better than just clicking Lego together in real life!

Definitely not a copy - but it has the same "feel" - which I love. Would you consider sharing the LDD file?

Great car! Looks a lot like a classic Packard Phaeton.

That link is working now.

Thanks - I've already devoured the Railbricks back issues. Such a shame it's defunct.

Forgive me if I am missing something, but can't you get the instructions from the lego site simply with the set number?

For what it's worth, I just motorized my 79111 using the method described by Patent Pom in this video: . The description has a list of necessary parts, and it's a quick and easy conversion. Mine works great! (This was shot before I got the parts to complete the tender, but you get the picture. )

I found a link to an article that describes "givens and druthers" in more depth, if you are interested: link. To give credit where it is due, that method of thinking about layout design was developed by John Armstrong, a legend among model railroaders for his track planning wisdom. As far as my own plan, I have not yet decided. I'll likely use BlueBrick to lay out the basic track plan, after I carefully measure to see how much space I'll have. As I lay out the track, I will leave space for structures, even though I do not yet have specifics on how much space I will need. Fortunately, it's Lego, so changes can be made! I also need to decide if I will follow any sort of "modular" structure that would let me take parts of the layout to exhibits and such and work with other Lego fans, or go my own way.