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Subject: 
Lego train article in Garden Railways magazine
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.trains
Date: 
Fri, 31 Aug 2001 15:00:28 GMT
Viewed: 
228 times
  

I apologize if this has been posted before but I just got my October 2001
issue of Garden Railways magazine (for G scale/Gauge 1 trains) in the mail
last night.  Right on the front page is a reference to an article called
"Miniature Gardening at Legoland."  The point of the article is more about
the miniature landscaping done at Legoland but there are quite a few really
nice pictures of Legoland, with the emphasis on the Legoland trains and some
details about the trains as well.  While it didn't say..... from the
pictures I'm assuming that the Legoland trains are built to one of the
various G scales (or are they O scale?)?  Can anybody give me more
information about this?  And what kind of trucks are used on the
engines/rolling stock?  And what kind of track is being used?  It looked
like it was handlaid vs. a major manufacturer such as Aristocraft or LGB.

   
         
     
Subject: 
Re: Lego train article in Garden Railways magazine
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.trains
Date: 
Fri, 31 Aug 2001 15:57:06 GMT
Viewed: 
265 times
  

In lugnet.trains, Katie Dokken writes:
I apologize if this has been posted before but I just got my October 2001
issue of Garden Railways magazine (for G scale/Gauge 1 trains) in the mail
last night.  Right on the front page is a reference to an article called
"Miniature Gardening at Legoland."  The point of the article is more about
the miniature landscaping done at Legoland but there are quite a few really
nice pictures of Legoland, with the emphasis on the Legoland trains and some
details about the trains as well.  While it didn't say..... from the
pictures I'm assuming that the Legoland trains are built to one of the
various G scales (or are they O scale?)?  Can anybody give me more
information about this?  And what kind of trucks are used on the
engines/rolling stock?  And what kind of track is being used?  It looked
like it was handlaid vs. a major manufacturer such as Aristocraft or LGB.

The only thing I remember from my visit a few years ago to Billund was that
the width of the cars was 18 studs.

Steve Martin
IndyLUG

    
          
     
Subject: 
Re: Lego train article in Garden Railways magazine
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.trains
Date: 
Fri, 31 Aug 2001 17:46:04 GMT
Viewed: 
315 times
  

Steve Martin wrote:

In lugnet.trains, Katie Dokken writes:
I apologize if this has been posted before but I just got my October 2001
issue of Garden Railways magazine (for G scale/Gauge 1 trains) in the mail
last night.  Right on the front page is a reference to an article called
"Miniature Gardening at Legoland."  The point of the article is more about
the miniature landscaping done at Legoland but there are quite a few really
nice pictures of Legoland, with the emphasis on the Legoland trains and some
details about the trains as well.  While it didn't say..... from the
pictures I'm assuming that the Legoland trains are built to one of the
various G scales (or are they O scale?)?  Can anybody give me more
information about this?  And what kind of trucks are used on the
engines/rolling stock?  And what kind of track is being used?  It looked
like it was handlaid vs. a major manufacturer such as Aristocraft or LGB.

The only thing I remember from my visit a few years ago to Billund was that
the width of the cars was 18 studs.

Sadly, the Legoland (at least California) train framework (track and
trucks) is pretty lame. The track is strips of metal set vertcally in
concrete (no ties, nowhere near the shape of real rail) and doesn't have
working turnouts (points). The trucks are pretty lame also, reminding me
of tinplate toys. The scale is somewhat larger than the scales typically
used with G (a person is something like 4-6" tall).

--
Frank Filz

-----------------------------
Work: mailto:ffilz@us.ibm.com (business only please)
Home: mailto:ffilz@mindspring.com

    
          
     
Subject: 
Re: Lego train article in Garden Railways magazine
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.trains
Date: 
Fri, 31 Aug 2001 18:51:40 GMT
Viewed: 
346 times
  

In lugnet.trains, Frank Filz writes:
The track is strips of metal set vertcally in
concrete (no ties, nowhere near the shape of real rail) and doesn't have
working turnouts (points).

Hmmmm..... I don't have the magazine with me at work today but I recall the
pictures I saw, had what looked like aluminium (or nickel) rails with wood
ties.  There definately were ties set in what looked like gravel/dirt.  I
don't remember off hand if any of the pictures showed points.

Katie

    
          
     
Subject: 
Re: Lego train article in Garden Railways magazine
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.trains
Date: 
Sat, 1 Sep 2001 14:52:17 GMT
Viewed: 
350 times
  

In lugnet.trains, Katie Dokken writes:
In lugnet.trains, Frank Filz writes:
The track is strips of metal set vertcally in
concrete (no ties, nowhere near the shape of real rail) and doesn't have
working turnouts (points).

Hmmmm..... I don't have the magazine with me at work today but I recall the
pictures I saw, had what looked like aluminium (or nickel) rails with wood
ties.  There definately were ties set in what looked like gravel/dirt.  I
don't remember off hand if any of the pictures showed points.

You're both right.

In built up areas the rails are attached directly to concrete (very
unprototypical) and in countryside settings, they rest on ties as you
describe, But the ties are offscale, too large and too widely spaced.

Frank's characterization of the wheels as "lame" is particularly apt. As has
been remarked here before, the US LL trains were done by someone who doesn't
have a sense of the proportion of real trains (or was forced to compromise
for some reason). The locomotives are squashed in proportion, there are no
couplers to speak of (just metal tube links) no sideframes, etc. etc.

Still an interesting layout if only for the operational difficulty of
running as constantly as these do.

    
          
     
Subject: 
Re: Lego train article in Garden Railways magazine
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.trains
Date: 
Sun, 2 Sep 2001 20:06:12 GMT
Viewed: 
889 times
  

Larry Pieniazek wrote:

In lugnet.trains, Katie Dokken writes:
In lugnet.trains, Frank Filz writes:
The track is strips of metal set vertcally in
concrete (no ties, nowhere near the shape of real rail) and doesn't have
working turnouts (points).

Hmmmm..... I don't have the magazine with me at work today but I recall the
pictures I saw, had what looked like aluminium (or nickel) rails with wood
ties.  There definately were ties set in what looked like gravel/dirt.  I
don't remember off hand if any of the pictures showed points.

You're both right.

In built up areas the rails are attached directly to concrete (very
unprototypical) and in countryside settings, they rest on ties as you
describe, But the ties are offscale, too large and too widely spaced.

I guess I was remembering primarily the concrete sections.

Frank's characterization of the wheels as "lame" is particularly apt. As has
been remarked here before, the US LL trains were done by someone who doesn't
have a sense of the proportion of real trains (or was forced to compromise
for some reason). The locomotives are squashed in proportion, there are no
couplers to speak of (just metal tube links) no sideframes, etc. etc.

Still an interesting layout if only for the operational difficulty of
running as constantly as these do.

As an outdoor display, I'd rate it pretty good. As an outdoor model
railroad, I'd rate it pretty low. The article was pretty nice, with
several pictures. They also included a planting list (a major feature of
Gardel Railways is to share information on plantings).

Frank

   
         
   
Subject: 
Re: Lego train article in Garden Railways magazine
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.trains
Date: 
Sat, 1 Sep 2001 14:32:19 GMT
Viewed: 
199 times
  

My recollection of the trains at LEGOLAND California was that the gauge was larger than No. 1.  I also remember the rail
looking like rectangular aluminum stock with much of it fastened in concrete, although some of the "country" scenes had
ties, as noted below.  The wheels and trucks appeared to be custom for LEGO, and were quite spartan with no sideframes
on locomotives or cars.  Some pics of my trip can be seen here:

http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=512

This pic shows the rails in concrete without ties.  Much of the "industrial" area was like this:
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=5290

This pic is over exposed, but you can see that there are ties:
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=5259

The wheels and trucks with inside bearings (i.e., no sideframes) can be seen in this pic:
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=5257

Also not the couplers, or lack of couplers.  They cars were connected with simple drawbars.


"Katie Dokken" <krdokken@usinternet.com> wrote in message news:GIxtos.Iw4@lugnet.com...
I apologize if this has been posted before but I just got my October 2001
issue of Garden Railways magazine (for G scale/Gauge 1 trains) in the mail
last night.  Right on the front page is a reference to an article called
"Miniature Gardening at Legoland."  The point of the article is more about
the miniature landscaping done at Legoland but there are quite a few really
nice pictures of Legoland, with the emphasis on the Legoland trains and some
details about the trains as well.  While it didn't say..... from the
pictures I'm assuming that the Legoland trains are built to one of the
various G scales (or are they O scale?)?  Can anybody give me more
information about this?  And what kind of trucks are used on the
engines/rolling stock?  And what kind of track is being used?  It looked
like it was handlaid vs. a major manufacturer such as Aristocraft or LGB.

 

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