train

Setting the Scene With (A different) Jay

ramblingbrick AFOL life, Builder's Journeys, Classic themes, Lego, LEGO Town, Nostalgia, train , , , , , ,

Sorry we missed out on a column last week: Research for a presentation at BrickCon overtook all else. You will get to read about it heat in a month or two. In the mean time:

Welcome back to Builders’ Journeys, where AFOLs share a set that was influencial in them becoming the LEGO Fans that they are today. If you would like to share your story, send a note to ramblingbrick@gmail.com

Today, we hear from Jay, an AFOL from Wellington, New Zealand. Jay has been involved in the local community for some time now. As a child growing up in the 1990s, the seeds would be sown for his large town display ‘Brickton.’ But I should let him tell that story…

Continue reading →

Brick Train Awards Opening Soon For 2021

ramblingbrick Lego, train ,

The Brick Train Awards are on again in 2021 – and opening for entries throughout February.

The Brick Train Awards are a collaboration between LNUR (LEGO Northern UK Railway), a LEGO train club in the UK, and Brick Model Railroader in the USA.

The Brick Train Awards are the first virtual, global awards for the LEGO® train fan community.

The awards are free to enter for all, including our TFOL (Teenage Fan of LEGO) awards, aimed to encourage and support teenage LEGO fans who are not usually recognised by some traditional LEGO User Groups and LEGO train clubs.

Continue reading →

Book Review: LEGO® Train Projects by Charles Pritchett

ramblingbrick Lego, train , , , ,

If, like me, you have enjoyed having a LEGO® train run around the tracks of your LEGO City, you are probably starting to think that you might like something a little more realistic running on the rails. If, like me, you are finding that coming up with your own model is harder that you expected, then this book: LEGO Train Projects by Charles Pritchett might just be what you are looking for.

Continue reading →

Advanced Build, 10277 Crocodile Locomotive Announced.

ramblingbrick 18+, creator expert, Lego, News, train , , ,

Under the old Creator Expert label, we could expect a train set released every few years. In the last decade or so, we have seen the legendary 10194 Emerald Night; the 10219 Maersk Train, the 10233 Horizon Express and the 10254 Winter Holiday Train. It must be time for a new one.

Today, LEGO unveils the 10277 Crocodile locomotive. With 1271 elements, and featuring the 18+ branding, where once we would see Creator Expert, this engine will be available from 1st July 2020. It will be priced at €99.99/ 899.99DKK/ $US99.99/ $AU169.99/ $NZ189.99. In Australia, it will be available from LEGO Branded retail, as well as David Jones department stores.

Unfortunately, no press release was forthcoming in advance of the announcement – so I am just going by what I can see in the photos:

Continue reading →

The Hidden Side of the New Train components [70424: Ghost Train Express]

ramblingbrick hidden side, Lego, train , ,

Earlier this year saw the release of the first wave of sets in the Hidden Side theme. A theme working on combining the best of LEGO brick based play with an Augmented Reality based game, Hidden Side seems to have hit close to the right balance with great set design, as well as an appealing underlying story.

When I first saw the sets at a Melbourne Toy Show preview in March this year, there were some new elements that caught my eye, in one set in particular: new train bearings and wheels. The thoughts of those present immediately turned to whether or not this was going to be a new feature across LEGO trains. Now that they have also appeared in the recently released Disney Train, it now appears that this is the case. Today I would like to look at the new Train bearings, a new rail element as well as a look at the Hidden Side set 70424: Ghost Train Express.

But lets start with the wheel bearings:

On the Left: the New (2019) wheel base and wheel elements; on the Right, the more historical 2006 Wheel base and elements.
Continue reading →

The Powered Up App Receives a Boost

ramblingbrick Lego, Powered Up, reviews, train , , , ,

I have not been so excited about seeing a software upgrade delivered as I have been this weekend. The LEGO Powered Up app has just been given a substantial bump up in its functionality.

Long time readers of the blog will know how I feel about LEGO Boost: a great set, and a simple way to automate any models that you might make. Since it was released 18 months ago, we have seen all sorts of creations, as well as ideas through the primary models in the set. But there are a few challenges: you need to work through the models to gain all functionality; and the hub itself is a little bulky for some applications, but certainly adds a lot of fun to some sets. In some ways, I see it as the natural successor to the early motor kits, used in the 60’s and 70’s to automate wheels models, and see them propelled under there own power. Unfortunately, despite sharing a plug system, it has not been compatible with other similarly plugged devices…until now.

Continue reading →

The Rambling Brick’s Advent-ure #16

ramblingbrick advent calendar, Lego, train , , , ,

We are now two thirds of the way through our Advent-ure, where the Rambling Brick is travelling across the years to look at Seasonal Holiday sets that have been released over the years.  Today I thought I would look at Holiday Trains.  Train Sets have a great appeal for any LEGO Layout, as they add a sense of motion and life to an otherwise static display.

All Aboard!

Now, exactly what constitutes a Holiday Train seems to vary across the years. The First to be released was 10173 Holiday Train, in 2006: years before the conception of the current Winter Village.

Continue reading →