Skip to main content

I'm thinking about revamping my 6x11 FasTrack layout. I really don't enjoy dealing with scenery and at the same time we're trying to figure out what to do with all the Lego structures our kids keep acquiring/building. Since Lego and O gauge are approximately the same scale I was thinking about simply doing all of the terrain on the new layout in Lego. Basically everything would be Lego except the track, trains and a few operating accessories. Anyone done or seen something like this? 

Original Post

Replies sorted oldest to newest

Ace posted:

I've occasionally seen Lego layouts at train shows. There are certainly lots of possibilities for Lego scenery if you have lots of Legos !

Lego train scenery-01Lego train scenery-02

Photos from internet.

That trestle photo is sort of what got me on this idea. I found the instructions on how they built it in a now defunct Lego railroad magazine (RailBricks). Not sure if it would hold the weight of a Lionel or MTH loco. 

There is a certain temptation to ditch O gauge entirely and go with Lego trains. They're a LOT cheaper and seem to be more reliable. We got our boy a Lego train set for Christmas for $135. That's $135 for a loop of track, 2 switches, 3 cars, locomotive, remote controller, a working crane building, cargo truck, working forklift and a 5 minifigs. $135 in O gauge would get you...a loop of track and a couple of manual switches. Says something about what high volume production can do for prices!

Plus if the kids drop an engine I can just snap it back together!! Can't do that when the little ones drop your Big Boy loco on the floor. 

Growing up in the late 70's and early 80's I would use all my Lego city sets with my lionel post war engines and mpc rolling stock. Ah those were the days. Reliable 2026 pulling my tootsie and life saver tank cars. Kept all the boxes for the trains and Legos. Our son is now getting into Legos where we encourage more city themed stuff and I have him setup with fast rack figure 8 and Harry potter set run with a postwar Zw. This will be good until we build the hi rail layout in the basement. 

I happen to be part of an LEGO train club 

www.niltc.org

We do about 7 shows a year and our annual Canigny Christmas show attracts about 10,000 people over 2 days.  Families love L-Gauge trains!

LEGO is cheaper when it comes to basic tracks and even cars.  However, the cost of scenery adds up fast, especially if you're building "accurate" looking/sized buildings, and if you want more than a flat layout then multi-level landscaping is ridiculously expensive.

That said, don't give up on the idea yet. If you're looking at a flat layout, the cost of buildings isn't that different from O, and if you don't like what you have you can always take it appart and build something different, so over time you could possibly save quite a bit of money and have the freedom to experiment with different structures.

Further, it sounds like you've already got alot of buildings/LEGO and with a bit of tweaking (often putting "tile" legos over exposed studs) you can make some rather good looking structures.   Might be a pretty cool layout when all is said and done.

I've actually purchased a few Lego items to use on the layout. A boat, gantry crane, Lego Train crane to unload flat cars, the Lego ferry.  Even have  a bunch of bricks leftover from when my son used to build Lego, think they are actually Mega Bloks not Lego, that will build rocky terrain. Can't wait to see how they come out.

I use everything from ceramic structures to Lego, operating accessories to polystyrene kits, HO, S and O gauge structure, vehicles and accessories.  Even used a real estate brochure holder that looked like a house. Of course I had to detail that cardboard box to make it look better, I added clapboard siding, cut out the window images and replaced them with some Grandt line windows I had laying around added some steps and voila House!

palallin posted:

LEGO is cheaper *IF* you aren't using the 9v equipment, which is fantastically expensive, even compared to 3RScale.

Very True,

         I was a long time adherent to 9v and have built a significant stock of my own, but the current LEGO "Power Functions" system has come a long way and is now probably a better option.  4 channel remote controls, long lasting battery packs and a wider and less expensive range of track options. There are even some 3rd party vendors doing wider curves for those building more "Scale" sized equipment.

Further, you have the options of simply slapping on a set of powered trucks or starting with just a motor and gearing it for your particular needs. The result is that you can get some serious pulling power that exceeds the old 9v possibilities.

Then you toss in the things that folks are doing with the Technic system and LEGO Mindstorms Robotics and you can put some pretty impressive operating (maual or automatic) features on a layout as well.

Eilif posted:

I happen to be part of an LEGO train club 

www.niltc.org

We do about 7 shows a year and our annual Canigny Christmas show attracts about 10,000 people over 2 days.  Families love L-Gauge trains!

 

My son and I have been to the NILT Cantigny show year before last and a couple of your library shows. Great stuff!!! We went to the evening "party" at Cantigny since we heard there would be far fewer people and it was definitly worth the extra cost. Lego is awesome for large scale custom city construction.

For years I thought if I ever did shows they would be either O-scale or Z-scale but somehow I ended up in a LUG and do Lego shows instead. Here are some photos of my most recent show layout in Delavan, Wisconsin. Everything in these photos is mine:

Delavan Downtown 2017Delavan StationDelavan Platform

 

Attachments

Images (3)
  • Delavan Downtown 2017
  • Delavan Station
  • Delavan Platform
FCMR Car 21 posted:
Eilif posted:

I happen to be part of an LEGO train club 

www.niltc.org

We do about 7 shows a year and our annual Canigny Christmas show attracts about 10,000 people over 2 days.  Families love L-Gauge trains!

 

My son and I have been to the NILT Cantigny show year before last and a couple of your library shows. Great stuff!!! We went to the evening "party" at Cantigny since we heard there would be far fewer people and it was definitly worth the extra cost. Lego is awesome for large scale custom city construction.

For years I thought if I ever did shows they would be either O-scale or Z-scale but somehow I ended up in a LUG and do Lego shows instead. Here are some photos of my most recent show layout in Delavan, Wisconsin. Everything in these photos is mine:

Delavan Downtown 2017Delavan StationDelavan Platform

 

Wow, that's great looking. Love the overhead walkway and your sidewalk detailing.

 

sinclair posted:

All non-rail vehicles on my layout will be LEGO.  I also have bought most of the LEGO PF train sets as they have come out.  I wish LEGO would release more trains.  They are fun to build and run.  They badly need to offer more curve sizes and packages of just straight track.

I think more curve sizes are probably not going to be coming from LEGO, but there's some aftermarket folks doing such things right now.  The flexible track from LEGO will get you most of the way there though.

Wierd that they discontinued strait track packs.  You can buy it on bricklink, but at the prices asked by those who have it in quantitiy, you only save a couple bucks off of buying it new.

https://www.bricklink.com/v2/c...#T=S&C=85&O={"color":85}

 

I have taken some lego train plans and mounted the cars on mpc era trucks rather easily.  Unfortunately it's not so easy to go full lego and build O gague trucks out of brick because of the metric to english conversion.  One of the things to remember is the lego minifigures are not a scaled down human shape, they are far too wide, but the height isn't bad.

As to scenery, its as impressive as your mind can conjure as long as you get enough bricks to pull it off.  Here are some pictures from PennLug set up at York, Jan 2013.

 

P1131198P1131199P1131200P1131201P1131204P1131205P1131210

Here are a couple rough MOCs just to prove the concept.

boxcar MOC 1boxcar MOC 2lionel truck with lego pinlionel trucks, opened to 0.1875

You need to open the hole to 0.1875 to accept the lego connector pin.

I use my lego buildings to decorate the modular setup i use with my train club, and its always a big hit.  Unfortunately I don't have this pictures to show you from my workstation as I finish my lunch.  Trains are meant to be fun - i say go with what you and your kids like.

JZ

Attachments

Images (11)
  • P1131198
  • P1131199
  • P1131200
  • P1131201
  • P1131204
  • P1131205
  • P1131210
  • boxcar MOC 1
  • boxcar MOC 2
  • lionel truck with lego pin
  • lionel trucks, opened to 0.1875

Add Reply

Post

OGR Publishing, Inc., 1310 Eastside Centre Ct, Ste 6, Mountain Home, AR 72653
800-980-OGRR (6477)
www.ogaugerr.com

×
×
×
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×
×