Did L-Scale Get You Into LEGO Trains?

[Hrw-Amen]

Quite simple. I have been reading posts here for a while now about people's other train related experiences. It would seem to me that (From what I've read.) that a lot of s whilst being into LEGO trains also at one point had another more traditonal layout.

It would also seem that a large number of us had or still have 'N' Gauge layouts. I find this interesting as certainly when I was younger the 'Normal' scale that people went for was HO/OO. If remember when I had mine first of all I wanted a HO/OO layout but my father got an N one with the view that you could fit more in, which of course was true. As time went on though i found the smallness of it frustrating and wanted to mdel larger buildings and stff. I really wanted an O gauge but we did not have room.

So given the large number of us that have said we have had N Gauge in the past or still do and that we are now into LEGO L Gauge I was wondering if people felt the same way, that whilst small N Gauge is good for geting lots in there is a yearning to go big?

I know for myself as an adult I had been contemplting an O Gauge layout in my garden for a while, thenI started colecting the collectable minifigs aain and thought about LEGO trains which is when I decided to go that route instead. So haveothers hd similarpaths toLEGO trains or are you all just into it beause you are ino LEGO anyway?

[JamesP]

So haveothers hd similarpaths toLEGO trains or are you all just into it beause you are ino LEGO anyway?

A bit of everything. I have 3.5" live steam engines (x3), a large OO scale layout (30x3 scenic area), some N scale, a little bit of T gauge, O gauge (Faller Hit/Play train), a 4" scale steam traction engine (Fowler DCC Road Loco, to the Plastow castings/design). I've got some stuff on the OO on RM Web, and are slowly working towards building a railway around my house. There is ~350' of grade done, but I need to make track for it. Plan is 2.5"/3.5"/4.75"/7.5" gauge, the 7.5" for passengers & then 3.5" for my locos, and the other gauges are kind of accidental.

James

[WesternOutlaw]

I was wondering if people felt the same way, that whilst small N Gauge is good for geting lots in there is a yearning to go big?

So haveothers hd similarpaths toLEGO trains or are you all just into it beause you are ino LEGO anyway?

I'm not sure I understand what you're asking.

Are you asking what scale trains got us into LEGO?

-or-

Are we interested in seeing LEGO Trains in a larger or other size scale?

or perhaps both?

Also, your post seems to be missing a few letters and spaces.

[Hrw-Amen]

I'm not sure I understand what you're asking.

Are you asking what scale trains got us into LEGO?

-or-

Are we interested in seeing LEGO Trains in a larger or other size scale?

or perhaps both?

Also, your post seems to be missing a few letters and spaces.

Yes I was using my other computer and could not get the keyboard to work properly, no matter how much I tried it just kept missing spaces and letters. I must have rewritten it about five times, which is possibly why it may not have been that plain. I nearly lost my temper with it!!

What I am asking is this:-

I have read lots of posts over the last few months and it seems at least from what I have read that a large portion of people posting have had or still do have 'N' Gauge layouts as opposed to other gauges. (Not saying nobody has other gauges just seems that most have had 'N' Gauge.)

Given that 'N' Gauge is quite small, I was wondering if this is a reason why peoplw now like LEGO Trains as they are bigger sort of at the other end of the scale at least as far as normal commonly available models go. (I know there are bigger ones but I mean from what you can just buy in a everyday shop.)

Just prior to getting back into LEGO I was considering purchasing an O Gauge train, but went with LEGO instead. One thing I found with my N layout was that although I could fit a lot in as it is a small gauge the detail of how much you can model is lacking as it is tiny. With larger ones, such as LEGO, you can model right down to the interior of buildings if you wish and so on.

So my question is, did anyone else get into LEGO trains because it was a good size to work with and held all manner of possibilities for custom building after being frustrated by a scale that although allowed large terrain models did not allow for a great amount of detailed customisation, or were you just into it because you liked LEGO anyway, or both?

Sorry, I know what I am trying to ask but maybe did not put it very well.

[locoworks]

i'm like James, i have 5 inch gauge, bits of O, OO, N and Z and also some OOn3, OO9 and Nn3 narrow gauge stuff. if you want BIG in a small space then narrow gauge is the way to go.

[WesternOutlaw]

Okay - Thanks for the additional clarification. I pretty much understood what you were getting at but wanted to make sure I was understanding you correctly.

For me, LEGO Town got me into LEGO Trains. As a kid, I had a small LEGO Town set up on the floor (pictured below). After seeing LEGO Trains during a visit to Germany, I thought they looked awesome and had to have one. Unfortunately, 12V LEGO Train transformers weren't made for the US market with our power difference. The result was an exchange for the Yellow Castle. Great set, but not a train. It wasn't until the release of the MOT series that I would have a LEGO Train helping me come out of many years in the dark ages.

I did; however, play with HO-scale trains as a kid, but it was really LEGO Town that sucked me in. I also like G-scale trains and have an LGB and a Playmobil Train that I just love, usually setting up the Playmobil Train for Christmas (although i never got around to it this year).

A few pictures:

1978

A train never made it to this town.

Nor this one:

2001

But a train did find my Western Town.

And there's been many others since:

[AndyC]

To me it is and always was about the Lego. I've never had any real interest in model trains, they're ok to look at for a short while but always seem a bit dull beyond that.

[brickie]

When I was 8, I was given a Hornby tin wind-up train for my birthday. It went around in a circle but it was my pride and joy.

Many years later I was given a HO basic set and it kept me amused but I had nowhere to set it up properly. So it ended up in a box.

When my kids were little, Lego had a display in each of the Australian capital cities each year at a major department store.

I took my kids each year and we loved the Lego " world shows".

We saw the dinosaurs, the space theme, the adventurers and the pirates. They were all great.

The display was free to enter BUT there was a shop at the exit; no father could say no to buying something to take home.

So I guess that is how I got started with a Lego 12V train and heaps of extras.

30 years later, i am still buying little plastic bricks.

[Peter L]

I'm brand new to Lego trains as a hobby - though we had them in the house when I was a kid. We also had more traditional trains (HO scale layout of Conrail's River Line.) Trains have just been the family hobby. In college I dabbled in Gn15, On2, and some other odd scales. L scale is just the latest stop in that journey. Hmmm - now that I've finally broken my lurking spell I guess I should go sign the registry...

[fred67]

I'm one of the people who came to LEGO from n-scale. I got into n-scale before I kids, while I was living in an apartment. After having a couple of kids and moving into a house (not in that order), I finally started building my n-scale layout.

My son constantly wanted to play with it - as most of you probably know, small kids and n-scale, especially with how expensive a decent n-scale locomotive is, simply don't mix.

When I saw LEGO trains for the first time (the very first time) at a warehouse club in the months leading up to Christmas, I bought two sets (mostly because I'd simply never seen LEGO trains before and didn't know you could buy track separately, but also because I figured we could build our own trains using pieces from the second set). I didn't buy it for the scale, I bought it because I could use it with the kids... I suppose that has something to do with scale, but not entirely... the fisher price stuff just didn't do it for me.

Ultimately I gave up on n-scale because I started enjoying LEGO (not just trains) so much.

Right now, though, I regret giving up on the N-Scale trains. A similar layout in L-scale would take up approximately 16 times the floor space... even in my house, I simply don't have it. As it is, I only get to make a layout at Christmas.

All my LEGO trains generally languish in boxes or on display on my shelves, including some of the things I built to go with it (like a double wide bridge I build, as well as a couple of rolling stock cars).

Someday I hope to buy a house with a decent basement for my LEGO trains.

[SavaTheAggie]

My model train hobby began with HO scale. My parents had a decent collection, and when I became old enough I bought my first, rather expensive, steam engine. I proceeded to add to the collection and eventually even got my father to help me build a large train layout table, but it never went anywhere. I had bought buildings, track ballast, trees, etc, but I somehow just lost interest.

I had always liked LEGO trains, but I hated the designs LEGO was creating. I didn't back then, and I still don't like European styled trains. Just not my thing.

Then LEGO came out with the Santa Fe Super Chief and the My Own Train series. That really made me happy to see. But I still couldn't afford LEGO trains, I was an unemployed college graduate. A TRU sale gave me the opportunity to (with a loan) buy two copies of the My Own Train Deluxe at 75% off, and then after I found a job I went to Brickfest 2005 and was able to purchase the entire Santa Fe Super Chief.

Just before this I joined TexLUG, and saw TJ Avery's MOC locomotives. They were diesels, but they were still very well executed. It really opened my eyes to the idea that LEGO trains could be model trains.

My wife, though, is what got me into the hobby. I had bought the aforementioned sets, but I hadn't done much more than build them. It wasn't until in 2006 that my wife wanted me to build her a Polar Express in LEGO. All downhill from there.

So HO scale created my love for model trains, L scale turned the torch into a bonfire.

--Tony

[peterab]

My first train was set 171 as a child. My dark ages were brought on partially by my growing interest in HO model trains.

At first I collected Lima, but later wanted to collect Fleischman. After about a decade only accumulating a few complete trains I realized they were just too expensive in Australia for me to hope to ever have a complete layout.

A few years later I got back into LEGO and started buying up a lot of mixed themes, but over time I found a local LUG and some LEGO train nuts. I'm pretty much hooked now, mostly because they are more affordable and I like the creative challenge of modeling real prototypes with the course LEGO medium.

[WesternOutlaw]

My model train hobby began with HO scale.

Interesting background Tony. Thanks for sharing. You've certainly come a long way and I'm reminded of it as I look at all those custom engines under your signature. Amazing! It's a lot easier to buy an engine and put it on the track as opposed to what you do. That's real talent!

At first I collected Lima, but later wanted to collect Fleischman.

I had a few Marklin trains. Nice stuff!

[Cale]

We had a HO scale trains set we would set up at Christmas and my Dad had (still has) a really neat Coca Cola themed Lionel Train set. But the first train I could call my own was the 7722 Steam Cargo Train set. My LEGO train career was born. I played with it for hours and hours. I added buildings and vehicles and people. I even modified the engine to look more American and rebuilt the mail car into a caboose. I loved that train and I still have that set today.

I have also branched out into other scales. For a while when I was younger I had an N scale layout. It was small even by N scale standards but I had fun with it. Today I'm still interested mainly in LEGO trains but I do collect HO models that catch my interest. I do plan to have an HO scale railroad some day, it's on my bucket list. However I cant ever see myself giving up LEGO trains so the two interests will just have to get along with each other.

Cale