WesternOutlaw

Gather around all ya scurvy sea go’en fans, tonight by the dark waters of Dock 13, I’m go’en to tell you a Tale of Two Lighthouses. My story begins at a light known as Dolphin Point. Some might call ‘er pink, but don’t let the color fool ya, for she could at one time withstand some of the most formidable of storms. With four foolish, fun figs, more along the lines of vacationers, one had a hobby near and dear to my heart, for when the sardine cans were run’n low, he could grill a mean mackerel. The old stone light had a twisting staircase leading up to the fresnel lense, and a classic-style telescope could spy a ship in the roughest of nearby waters. During better weather, a small sailing vessel could be found circling the sand covered shores with a friendly Flipper chasing behind; but that’s not to say that the vacationers should have left off their brightly yellow colored life vests. Music from a printed cassette radio played Surf’n USA that day, under the shade of an inviting palm. Polly the Parrot even whistled the tune as the ladies set the table in preparation for the catch of the day. None of them suspected the perfect storm that would soon devastate Dolphin Point and the rest of Classic Town. Thirteen (13) years would pass, an unlucky number, before a new lighthouse would be erected at twice the cost, this one built by the U.S. Coast Guard bearing it’s new bright orange signature color. The ground surrounding the light would be built up to protect the tower from the roughest of waves, and the classic telescope of Dolphin Point replaced by a new electrical radar system. One keeper now watches as a silly surfer can be seen in the distance. An additional light beacon nearby the dock warns unsuspecting ships of the added danger due to squalls in the area. A mid-sized coastal cutter manned by one pilot and diver patrols as an extra precaution, but a grey shark has made the nearby waters his new feeding ground. How long until the next perfect storm? Only you can decide the fate of the LEGO Lighthouse after reading this tale, a Tale of Two Lighthouses.

For those of you familiar with SavaTheAggie's LEGO train creations, he has built a number of outstanding MOCs aside from steam locomotives. In fact, this Temple Of Formeathan is one such creation, built in 2004, that is certainly an "oldie but a goodie". See it inside the History Forum.

Town fan Lightningtiger down-sizes his 7642 Garage to something a little more manageable, a Bridgestone Select Tire Dealership.

Well spank my horse and call me Betsy - it's my pardners birthday today. To think I almost missed it, but after seeing Bonefang and the other strange names around the board, I new something special was going on. Happy Birthday Buddy! I wish you the best on your special day. Now there's a special cake for my Bud!

Like the classic 2x2 windows that I used in my Santa Fe Western Train. Great - I've dated myself again. This is the one time that I'd like to claim it was just a typo.

Thanks for alerting us Duq. Front-page news!

Clear pictures of the 2010 City Train sets are beginning to emerge in the LEGO community. Train fan Duq shares a link to a nice display at Legoworld in Copenhagen in the 2010 Train Sets topic. Special thanks to FlickR user Warren Elsmore for sharing the display images.

Thanks Erd. Glad you took the time to listen. Awesome WF! Thanks for blogging my humble interview. You always know how to make someone feel good. I really appreciate all that you do. In fact, I'd love to see Cap'N Z interview you down the road.

From the old grey 6x6 train roof sections found in the 12V era, to the smooth ornate boiler pieces used in the Emerald Express, there's been an abundance of different types of roof pieces offered by LEGO. When it comes to your boxcars, cabooses, and other rooved train wagons, do you have a favorite roof-related element? Do you prefer a simpler approach entirely by utilizing standard plates and tiles? Or for a more sophisticated design, do you find yourself combining different roof pieces to make your custom train wagon tops? Share your thoughts when it comes to choosing your Favorite Train Roof Element.

Chris: I find this a very unique and interesting creation. In fact, I've always wanted to build a log ride myself. To see the infusion of water into LEGO is very clever, but challenging as we all know that LEGO is not water-proof. I'm curious, did you seal the bricks in any way, or does the basin and slide leak as the water is poured in? I've pictured using clear plastic to make the LEGO airtight when thinking about this in the past. Neat creation! I really like it.

Dennimator: I think the lesson here is that many LEGO fans can easily recognize someone elses work, and when posting creations as your own, it steals credit from the originator of a design/MOC. As someone else mentioned above, there's no harm in admitting to copying someone elses design, but at the same time; as you can see in the responses, people don't like to see ideas taken without offering some credit. I won't comment further; as I think you've realized what you've done, but I would certainly be more careful in the future when posting something as your own creation without acknowledging the original creator in some way. I'm sure you would expect the same.

New Pictures! After the great discussion about Train Tunnels, I had to add one - even if it was just a small one. Sort of like the LEGO Duplo Tunnel, very basic - but it does work: The tunnel/forest fills space toward the front left curve: Another picture: Moving on to the desert, I've added a small stream out of some extra blue and tan plates: The desert stream fills the front right section of the layout: Another image: Generally, I find myself not adding much to these corners of my Train Town, so the additional landscaping fills the areas nicely. EDIT - The entire layout: LARGE Higher-Resolution Picture

Thanks for the opportunity to be interviewed Cap'n Z. You truly do a great job with these interviews. I really enjoyed chatting with you. EDIT: I hope you don't mind, I replaced that introductory image with the last one taken. Iz: sorry we missed you this time. For me, its more interesting to learn about Australia then to answer the interview questions (hearing myself speak). Maybe in the future, you'll be able to join us. Bon: thanks for the front page! - I was honestly surprised to see it when I woke up earlier. After listening to the interview, I had no idea that I stutter so much. We did the interview around 11:00 PM (my time) - maybe I was a little sleepy (thinking of excuses). Hope you enjoy the interview Zorro; I just hope you're not still listening to it - even if I talk slow.

I was experimenting today with some train car designs similar to the Toy Story Passenger Wagon; seeing what they might look like. The result is this little Passenger Wagon: Comments welcome.

Welcome TaterTots. I'm glad you joined the discussion. I love your snowy mountain, and that tunnel is fantastic. Thanks for sharing those additional links.

True - after looking at the wheels again, I notice that it almost looks like the flanged wheel assembly may turn; which would resolve issues with movement on curves. I had the issue with my recent Steam Locomotive.

I think the most interesting aspect is the shorter length of the train cars. Many of the smaller wagons from the 9V train era (as well as 12V) utilized a standard 16-stud length. If you notice, the wagons in this set are just 14-studs in length, and have a 6-brick height (as opposed to 5). This gives the overall train a much shorter, but taller look. I think it adds to the "more playful" design. I still like it though, and think the Passenger Wagon looks interesting. I'd like to see the chair arrangement inside. The colors and roof design look nice - and it looks as if the roof comes off easily (adding to the playability level). Also, as DaCheese mentions above, mod'ing it to include a motor would be interesting. Perhaps I'll try slapping a 9-volt motor on mine after building - maybe even adding a small tender that might be easier to attach a motor.

Welcome DaCheese. Glad to have you "on board".