woolie

I see these pictures and am powerless to resist.... I'm still in "Brick Acquisition Mode" for my planned MOCs, so I'll be heading out tonight for two PaB cups.

Houses don't have basements here :(

In 2011, about $1200, mostly modular buildings and city sets, Maersk, etc. My wife decided to hop aboard the L train, so it'll probably be at least that much for 2012.

I'm rebuilding my LEGO basic brick inventory, and the Pick A Brick wall is just a fantastic resource :) I am fortunate enough to have two Lego stores nearby (one that I pass by every day) and have been getting one or two large PaB cups per week. My piece counts have been pretty low because I am mostly stocking up on 1xN bricks in various colors (white, light bley, tan) for my new city, and also foliage and any tiles I can find. I will probably switch to more specialized pieces once I feel my stock of basic pieces is sufficient.

I was going to make the same suggestion -- 2 bricks higher in the showroom. Two-story atrium lobbies are common now.

Of course they are real model trains. Think about the word "model" itself. It applies as much to a functional model (a "model system") as it does to a physical representation. All the elements are there -- engines, tracks, switchgear, buildings, etc. -- to model the behavior (at some approximation) of the real life system. That satisfies me; I could care less what "real model train" enthusiasts think :) Group consensus is often a barrier to creativity; maybe more people would share their hobby if they were more inclusive.

Another master who I am studying very closely :)

I had some difficulty registering for this forum, but now that it's squared, would like to again say this is one of the best layouts I have ever seen. I am taking taking inspiration from a number of things -- especially the brick-built streets with embedded tracks (though mine is 4-wide to accomodate regular rolling stock.)