greg3

A small and simple addition... a traffic counter. The idea came from when I drove over one of these coming home from work and although I knew it counted traffic I never knew how. Turns out the tube is a pneumatic tube and the "black box" records the pressure increase when a tyre goes over it (good old Google!!). In Ballabreek it's being used to record traffic levels before construction begins in that part of the village (going to extend the narrow one way street to allow more housing and shops to be built) Here's a workman downloading data... Thanks for looking.... (hopefully the building work will start soon!)

Nice!! I really like the stage but my favourite part is the popcorn cart (it adds a nice splash of colour and the design is perfect!)

Very nice! I love the knitting granny!!

Great MOD - I really like the apartment interior and the exterior details... though I get the feeling he might loose a lot of ping pong balls playing up on the roof!!!

Simply perfect! The building looks suitably imposing (but not out of place alongside the official sets) but most of all I love the car and the statue... Excellent work!

Never seen a truck like this before but it looks great! I like the elevating mechanism and the way you've made the storage compartment doors. Can't wait to see what's next...

Wow... Just wow!! That's a stunning looking building - the design is perfect (very Art-Deco) and the colour scheme is simply brilliant (I really like the gold stripes/piping) Excellent stuff!

The helicopter is brilliant - definitely very M*A*S*H! (and I love the engine detail!) the rest of the set is equally impressive (the hut is certainly well equipped!) Excellent stuff!

Very nice...I like the colour scheme and the car looks great! Nice work.

Excellent work! I love that clock tower and the building itself looks great.

Well that's certainly different!! It might not be very wintery but I still love it!! The building design is spot on and the interior details are perfect! The little wintery touches (snowballs, lights etc) just add to the fun. Nice work!

Don't worry LT, the garage's days are numbered (just waiting for my local toy store to get the new fire truck in!!) Speaking of fire fighting, here's this week's update.... The village is beginning a trial involving the use of fire bikes (previously fire cover was provided by conventional fire engines from a town 8 miles away) The idea is that in order to save money and improve efficiency, specially equipped fire fighting motorcycles will be dispatched to most call outs in Ballabreek and the surrounding villages (unless there are reports of immediate threat to life in which case a normal appliance will be sent). Larger appliances can be called for only if needed. The rider is also a trained medic, so the bike can also deal with medical call outs too. I got the new fire bike but to be honest was a bit disappointed in it's lack of equipment. So, after a bit of Googling, this is what I've come up with (not based on any one design it's a hybrid of fire bikes used in the UK, India, China, Japan and France!) Most obvious, is the addition of the hose... it's part of an Impulse fire fighting system which uses pressurised water/foam to create a mist which is more efficient at cooling a fire with a small amount of water. There's now also somewhere to keep the extinguisher!! In action... the Impulse system can handle a small fire on it's own and keep a larger blaze from spreading until help arrives. Ironically Ballabreek has had a fire bike before... in 1905 the village fire brigade used a bicycle on many call outs... it's recently been restored... It's equipped with a hose and spanner to attach it to a hydrant. Between 1905 and 1927 it operated from Ballabreek Fire Station (the building is now the local garage) Finally, this weekend has seen both bikes on display in the village park as part of a PR and Fire Safety Awareness event... Plenty of photo opportunities for the kids.. "Flame" the firefighing dragon gives out information leaflets... while the firefighters get to know the locals. Thanks for looking... comments always welcome. (I'll probably add a few stickers to the tiles on the side of the modern bike) One final pic - Then and Now...

That is so cool!! Even though it's a classic 4 wide style vehicle you've managed to add so much detail (especially in the crane) Excellent work!

Ah.... just like the good old days!! They may not be super realistic but I love them!!

Excellent stuff!! I think the interiors are perfect.... an excellent addition to the village!!

A great series of photos and a fascinating look at how a building idea can evolve over time (personally I love the first couple of versions.... Classic Lego Town!!) Nice work

I really like this.... all the machinery and the cool details (like the fantastic radiator) more than make up for the fact it might not "fit in" with the style of the official sets. Nice work

Cool looking bus and that news stand is perfect!! (I wish my local paper's headline read Bus Fare Reduced!!) Nice work

Fantastic!! I love the rounded shape and the details both inside and outside are amazing (I really like the addition of "Uncle Frank"!!) Excellent work.

Great set of vehicles... my favourite is definitely the "Lotus" (I also really like the 6 wheeler too!!) Looking forward to seeing more!!

Fantastic!! There are so many little details and clever building techniques/use of parts here... I love it all. Even the ATV and it's load look perfect... excellent work!

Really nice!! Love all the little and the guy proposing is just brilliant!! The only small niggle I might have is the colour of the carriage - I think it might stand out better if not white (the design of it is perfect!). Despite that though I think this is a great model!

After 2 weeks of hard work, my minifigs finally have the mine up and running once more!! Here we see the first load of mined rock being extracted and sent off for processing... First the small mine train carries a cart full of rock from half a mile inside the hillside, where it has been cut/blasted from the end of the main mining tunnel. At the open end of the line, workers wait to empty the cart. A small platform allows workers to reach safely into the cart to release the side. Gravity and muscle transfer the load into the bucket of a waiting digger. It's then transferred to a waiting dumper truck which then transports it to a larger facility where the valuable minerals are extracted (the waste rock is then sold for use in the construction industry!) Close up of the platform used to empty the cart... I wanted to try and make the operation of the mine vaguely plausible and hopefully I have done so (I know very little about real mining!!) As mentioned in a previous post, later in the year my small mining company hope to expand the site so larger machinery can come in and start extracting from the larger mine opening (the one currently blocked by the old spoil heap) At the moment they're waiting for planning permission before they can alter the load layout (ie. I need more T-junction road plates!!) Thanks for looking... comments are always welcome.

This week's update!! The workers have finished erecting the site office... slightly modified/enlarged the official version to allow space for a desk/computer for the boss and a secure explosive storage locker (for all that dynamite they have!) As you can see they've also restored the train tracks and added a platform/walkway to provide access to the office. Now they're having a well deserved break before they get back to work!! Hopefully by next week, the mine will be working once more!! Thanks for looking.

Excellent stuff... so much detail in such a small scale. Nice work!