Hi All I hope this does not cause too much of a stir but my train collection is a toy layout, still in the early stages really although I have been collecting for it for 30 years. My intention is to keep to the toy theme and avoid the temptation for absolute realism as I know that is not possible to achieve, i.e. "I cant get to there from here!" The maker of most of my toy stuff is LEGO with sets spanning back to 1968 or so. LEGO trains have gone through several distinct stages. The very first were simple pull/push along sets on plastic rails. Then they added battery power. I have 3 or 4 from that era. 4.5 volts mainly. About 30 years ago they began making sets with double conductor rails to lay between the plastic tracks and to go with this they made 12 volt motors with sliding contacts for power pickup. At the same time they were also offering remote decouplers, switches (what we call 'points'), lights, remote crossing barriers and of course remote loco control. For about the last 15 years they have been producing metal tracks with 9 volt motors and power pickup through the wheels. Unfortunately the neat stuff like the remote fixtures are mostly abscent. Now I hear that they may be going back to plastic rails with IR or radio remote control of battery powered trains, time will well. I have really lost count of the number of LEGO trains I have, about 20 or so at least. The 4.5 volt ones have been converted to use rechargable batteries, the loco free runs until it comes to a charging station where it stops for a while, a simple computer system controls the recharger station which gives a degree of automation. My 12 volt trains I have added track wiper pickups made from copper braid so they now share the tracks with the 9 volt trains. All my 9 and 12 volt trains are DCC fitted which is something I am still coming to grips with. DCC allows me to reduce the top speed of the 9 volt trains so that they do not overspeed on the same tracks as the 12 volt trains. I suppose I could do the same with the 4.5 volt locos too. Being LEGO the design of the locos and rolling stock can either be from their book or my own creations. My favourite own creation is a little track inspection vehicle with three young guys sitting on it. This is the fasted thing on rails and these guys often demonstrate quite irresponsible behaviour! I bought a 20' shipping container some years ago and fitted it out for my trains, I have about 20x8 feet of table space with a pop-up in the middle. Thats probably enough to bore people with on my first post here!:teeth:
Welcome Aboard!!!! Lego trains are too cool!! I collect the space series and never did get the space train set I wanted. Maybe someday. Think is was more like a monorail though. By the way, the similarity in our names is pretty cool too.
Welcome aboard John, I have seen some lego layouts at the shows and thought they were a really cool set up. My son has one passenger car that looks kinda like Amtrack,he bought it back in about 1992,(wish he would have bought more )
By the way, I forgot where I ran across it but, there is a site on Lego trains somewhere. It features plans to build American style F7s and other American prototype locomotives. Awesome!!! Wonder if anybody else here is into Lego trains???
John, Firstly welcome to Trainboard it's always a pleasure seeing memebers first post. As a kid my first love was lego and I still have all of it stored. I'd be very interested to seeing photos of your layout. Look forward to seeing more of your posts.
Lego Makes (made) Trains....? John, Welcome, glad to have you aboard. :thumbs_up: :shade: Now to the heart of the post...my boys, now in their mid-forties, used their Lego to make buildings for slot cars to race through and around. We didn't know that Lego was in the train business.mg:
There is a LEGO train group at http://news.lugnet.com/trains/ scroll down a bit and check out that LEGO boxcar!
Hey John .. welcome to Trainbord from me too ! Maybe you can fashion a trick photo of a Lego train crossing the Nippon-Clippon bridge! ~grin~
Welcome to TrainBoard! :thumbs_up: It's always fun to read about what others are doing with this hobby! Boxcab E50
Post some photos Would love to see what is being done in LEGO these days given how complex things can be done today using them. :lightbulb: :lightbulb: :lightbulb: :lightbulb:
Hope there are not LEGO purists about! The three guys on the inspection trolley are not genuine LEGO figures, illegal aliens one might say. Also the copper pickups on each side of the trolley are my addition to run 12 volt LEGO on the newer metal rails.
Welcome to TrainBoard John! This is an eye opener for me, I have never seen a Lego train until now! I'm almost too old to remember Dominoes, much less the Lego Blocks.
