Hrw-Amen

Today was one of those rare days that I got to play with some of my train. The wife was at work and one of my friends came around with his son who is three and a half and a big fan of Thomas the Tank engine and like. He is thinking of getting a train set of some description for his son beyond the push along wooden ones for toddlers and is wondering what to get. Obviously I pushed the benefits of LEGO. But aside from that it was a chance to get my buildings down and set up the station. It is not often I get to do this (As I mentioned before I have issues with mobility.) as the buildings are stored up on top of one of our units and are hard for me to get down, not too mention scrabbling about on the floor. However it was a good time as I have been working on a goods siding as an add on to the station and although it is not completely finished the entrance is and the first couple of plates in. So we could try out a bit of point work. It was also the first time I got to run all four of my long green coaches in one train. I am hoping this link works, the Brickshelf files are not yet live but the flickr ones are up.

I guess this will be ever so useful to those of us who have lots of old style track that we still want to use, looks like a good idea for a solution to that problem.

Thanks, It took me a while to find them originally when I was looking as I kept checking the Licensed theme section and nothing was there. Then when I looked in here a while back I found them and thought that it was odd as I had been waiting for the threads to appear. For a long time I thought maybe I had imagined that they were making LoTR sets until I found them here a few weeks back. I was going to ask at the time but thought someone else would bring it up and did not want to look silly, but as it seems no-one else had asked each day when I checked i thought I would. Sorry if I offended anyone like I said it is not a problem, it was just that I kept looking in the Licensed theme and was not finding anything and missed the a lot of the pages of this thread, far too many to read over but I have been reading them for a month or so now. As a train person myself I don't spend too much time reading the other themes, just a quick scan where I think something should be to see if it is. Again apologies for any annoyance I am sorry. I'll see if I can add something constructive from now on.

Just out of interest, and not knocking it in anyway, but why is LoTR and Hobbit in History and not the Licensed theme when clearly it is a licensed theme and not historical, although admittedly with some leanings towards castles, but no more than some other licenses lean towards other themes? For example I am pretty sure that the Lone Ranger stuff will not be under the train theme even though it sounds like one of the sets has a train in it? Like I said not a complaint, just wondered?

I have thought of building one but they just seem to be such a big thing that as I don't have a layout up all the time I just have nowhere to store such a structure. When i was thinking about one though it did seem that best way would be to sink it into the base board but as I said not having a set up all the time I don't have a base board to sink into. (I'm sure the wife would not allow me to dig up the living room floor!) So to get a turning system it seemed that it would have to be at least a brick high and so require a run up of around three straights just to allow the engine to climb onto it, then about a four straights to allow the longest engines with tenders to get onto it to turn around, not to mention anything the other side of it. So it would in a way become the whole layout revolving around a turntable scene as I have limited space so I just forgot about it as a bad job that was not possible for me. Maybe one day when I have a large house with a basement or attic space suitable. I am dreaming of that!

Something in my mind is telling me that as a kid in the late 1960's early 70's you used to get those lorries and other vehicles as a promotion with packets of Lipton Tea, but I can not be sure? I know I have some and know the location of the box in mother's attic, it is just being able to get to it. One day I will. I am reasonably sure I have a couple of those yellow fuel pumps in my bits and bobs box in the conservatory. I'll have a look later.

I have seen these on his site when ordering myself. I just assumed that they were offered like this so that people would have a set that was easy to paint into any colour they wanted without having to put loads of paint on them to overcome the underlying colour?

These look similar to the ones I used to have on my N Gauge trains in the olden days. They are I think quite a bit stronger especially in a bigger size but as zephyr1934 said they do not take much of a bump for everything to come apart in my experience. I imagine though in a bigger scale the bump would have to be that much bigger and I guess that most LEGO train tracks are pretty flat so hopefully it would not be an issue. I am interested to hear what your experience with bumps are or have you not encountered any issues?

This is very nice. I do like that signal box, looks just like I remember them as a child. The engine shed is nice as well. I like the way you have one line going right through and out the back. Lets hope tha t the driver does not forget which track he is on! Over all a really good little scene though. It will be good to see how it shapes up over time.

I have also been tempted to make an outside layout. In fact it was planned for this year but unfortunately my gardener passed away suddenly so it never happened. I have a relatively small garden with a raised bank around the wall at the back. The plan was similar to what you said, put a shelf in around the wall. This was to be made of wooden floorboard type material and then build the existing bank up under it possibly edging it with patio slabs. That way it would avoid much of the bending whilst providing a flat surface. I was hoping to get reasonably long sections of track ballasted so that they would be quick to set up on this ready built flat bed and also easy to take down. It was just going to be a loop at each end, a long track in between with maybe a passing track. Nothing fancy. I have still ballasted the track (Or am in the process of doing it gradually.) but the garden bit has been put on hold as I am unable to do it on my own. (I am a cripple and cannot get about much.) I had heard that the IR was not particularly good outside as the signal has no ceiling or walls to bounce off of and gets lost in the surrounding atmosphere. I don't know if that is an old wives tale mind you as I have not tried it yet? However as it was going to be against the wall I figured it would in quite a closed off space so hoped it would work. The idea was to be able to take the track in when not in use and set it up again quickly when i wanted to run it. The weather here (Even in the south.) in the UK is very unpredictable and has been this year especially so it probably would not be out more than a handful of days. I would like to be able to set up a permanent line but did not want to spend a fortune on it. I did think that the metal BBB track maybe better when I read about that, but I don't know we will have to see when it goes on sale. I am considering getting the metal rails even though I run PF system as I think it maybe more durable. Not only that if I ever want to run a current through it then I don't have to change the whole set up. I am undecided as to if I will try and get this done next summer. I will have to see if i can rope in someone to help with the building work.

I have also had trouble with funnels. I usually find the bit I want to use is something like a cone part but it needs to upside down so cannot just go straight on. I have had sometimes to rig up a system of headlight bricks buried in thee boiler to get an upside down connection point. It can be done but is very fiddly and not too strong either.

I have to say that I am also impressed that you included the catenary masts. It really bugs me that we see all these trains running around with the pantographs up supposedly getting the power out of thin air. It is the reason I don't really like the red passenger and yellow cargo trains. I'd rather they not have them at all. Still your model is good to see as they are included. Nice work with the coupling as well and fitting all that PF stuff inside such a narrow train.

You know I have some of those garages at my mother's house in the attic, I remember them as a kid. I am also pretty sure seeing several of those di-cast vehicles that I had some of them as well. I expect they are also in the attic, I had a lot of vehicles like that when I was young. My father still collected cars and stuff up to his death a few years back so they would not have been got rid of. I really must get up there one day and have a good root about. I also recall having a fold out cardboard town plan, but I don't think it was as big as the one you have shown. I am pretty sure it had a white bungalow with red roof made up of 33 degree roof tiles and a yellow fire station with a red plate roof and a brick saying firestation. There were probably a couple of other buildings but I cannot remember them?

I think that tender looks better than the first and the engines are certainly more life like. How about the tank engines, have they been changed in any way?

Very good review, I think I'll just buy two straight off as I have been gathering enough PF bits together already for it. I think you are right in that we will be modifying the middle bogey between the trains. How about between the locomotive (Power car.) and coaches, on the real one, how are they set up? Does the locomotive have two bogeys or is the rear one shared with the first coach? I guess that could be an issue if you are using the PF motor in that end of the train though?

That is an interesting little engine. So it has a 9V motor and actually runs? I guess that is one benefit over PF as I doubt it would be possible to do something like this without having to hide stuff in trucks on behind that would have to be there constantly.

Have_to_agree_this_looks_fantastic!

Looks_good.

so what actually was the controversy?

Are those goblins exactly what the northern goblins are supposed to be like? Reading the Tolkien books I got the impression the goblins of the Misty Mountains were the poorer cousins of those in Mordor? The ones in Moria were I think smaller and less well equipped. I certainly get the impression the further north you go the less they wear and the more tatty they look. Basically they have to arm and build things themselves without the guiding hand from Mordor.

It looks really fast, surely a match for the ADU fighter!

I have them all as I was still buying LEGO (Not yet in my dark age.) and I do not recall there being any controversy? They did use big saucer sections but other themes have used them so I would not think that was it. I also liked the mini-figs and thought they were some of better designed ones. They certainly looked more alien than anything before them and that was a good thing as far as I was concerned.

Nice to see those old trains. I did not get any of them unfortunately as I was in the Dark Age. Still, they look good so lets hope you enjoy them.

They look good. I am thinking of building some coal carrying wagons myself for my black steam train to pull. Trying to come up with something I like. On yours I like that you have the doors that open on the sides. I was thing of the whole side dropping down, but maybe I can just use the doors in a similar fashion.

Good news and yes your post have been a good read.