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Viewing 23 posts - 1 through 23 (of 23 total)
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  • #8074
    Keith Marshall
    Participant

    Hi everyone, I’m Mr. Bear. I am working on designing a 20′ x 40′ layout that someday when I hit the lotto will end up being built.

    #8075
    Benjamin C Good
    Participant

    Hi Mr. Bear, welcome. Working on anything that’s actually going to be built?

    #8076
    Keith Marshall
    Participant

    This will end up being built. Just have to make it through the design phase first. And save money. I already scrapped one drawing that took me a good bit of time to come up with, and started over. This is my winter project.

    #8077
    Benjamin C Good
    Participant

    Do you know about the meeting at Josh’s house this weekend?

    #8080
    Keith Marshall
    Participant

    I do now. I was on the site on my phone earlier, so I didn’t get a chance to look at much.

    #8106
    Greg Schubert
    Participant

    Can you provide us any clues as to what you are designing and what you are using to design it? Inquiring minds want to know.

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    #8111
    Matt Redfield
    Keymaster

    Inquiring minds want to know.

    I just used that in an e-mail! What a coincidence!

    Hi, Mr. Bear.

    #8113
    Keith Marshall
    Participant

    For a flat overhead view, I am drawing it in MS Paint (one pixel = one stud), and as I go, I build each 48 stud by 48 stud section in LEGO digital designer. I am incorporating a set here and there, but the majority of it comes out of this crazy, creative mind of mine. One end of it has part of a city, and it will slowly end up in a remote area at the other end with an abandoned town complete with an abandoned rail line and some minifigures exploring it. There will also be a coal mining operation somewhere with its own rail stop, and a small town nearby. I have designed a passenger train that will run around the layout, along with a few different freight trains. So far I have only incorporated part of one set (a pizza shop, I will have to get back to you on the set number it is from), but have based some of my ideas off of others. The only thing i havent figured out in digital designer is how to give my railroad tracks a slight incline, but i will get it done. I have a long way to go before I start actually building, but I do have an “experimentation table” to make sure certain things work and will clear around curves and things of that nature. Now if only I could find my flash drive that has some of my files on it…

    #8114
    Keith Marshall
    Participant

    The pizza shop that I have incorporated is from set 7641. I was lucky enough to come across the set on Amazon about a year ago, and probably paid way too much for it, but I have it. That’s a start, right?

    #8115
    Benjamin C Good
    Participant

    So how much is built and how much is designed? Can we see the LDD file?

    #8117
    Keith Marshall
    Participant

    There are currently 33 LDD files just for the layout alone, not including different vehicles that I have created. There will be well over 500 files when I am finished. Yes, I am crazy. 🙂

    #8119
    Greg Schubert
    Participant

    I build each 48 stud by 48 stud section in LEGO digital designer.

    Mr. Keith Bear, the project that you have described is very ambitious … that’s probably what Ben likes about it most, he does not know how to start small either. 🙂

    #8120
    Keith Marshall
    Participant

    I’ve been wanting to do something like this since I was a kid. It will still be some time before I get much done. Maybe I will build something small tonight and put pictures up.

    #8124
    Benjamin C Good
    Participant

    What are you talking about? I totally started small. You guys haven’t seen the big stuff yet.

    I’d definitely be ineterested in pics, I doubt I am picturing this project accurately in my head.

    #8125
    Keith Marshall
    Participant

    If the file is small enough I can upload the map that I have drawn up so far. Currently it is pretty ugly, there’s a ton of open real estate since I scrapped the old one and started over.

    #8126
    Benjamin C Good
    Participant

    That’s ok, we’re curious now.

    #8127
    Keith Marshall
    Participant

    Until I am able to get that up here, I can at least give you more information. The only base plates that will be used will be the gray 15″ x 15″ (48 stud x 48 stud) base plates. I am going to need a total of 512 of them. I think I have 2 at home and I just ordered 2 more. I have a long way to go. The layout will have three sides open for viewing, and the back will be closed off. I have the map laid out as if it were being viewed from the “control room” (the closed off space at the back), so the left side of the map is actually the right side of the viewing area. I know, confusing, right? This is how my mind works. The one side of the map has a body of water with a cargo ship docked there. On the dock is an overhead crane that straddles railroad tracks and a single lane for trucks. The crane can also be extended out over the ship. There is more but I have to get back to work. I’ll have more info later.

    #8138
    Keith Marshall
    Participant

    Map. All of the purple/black is that open real estate I was talking about. And no, the layout will not be flat. lol

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    #8160
    Benjamin C Good
    Participant

    That is quite the ambitious layout. I like to build big and I don’t ever expect to pull off something like that in my lifetime.

    #8165
    Keith Marshall
    Participant

    You underestimate yourself. You can do anything if you put your mind to it. Have faith in yourself, man! Lol

    #8166
    Keith Marshall
    Participant

    Good news. After going through nine different flash drives stashed in various places in my house, I found the one I need. Now to get back to it…

    #8179
    Benjamin C Good
    Participant

    Right now you’re looking at $7674.88 plus tax just in baseplates. It always costs way way more to fill a baseplate than to buy it. The footprint of the layout is practically the footprint of my house, so I’d have to rent space to store it. If somebody wants to give me a quarter-million dollars or so to pull off the project, I’d be happy to, but I don’t see that happening.

    #8180
    Keith Marshall
    Participant

    …I hate Microsoft and their updates. Laptop decided to shut down in the middle of everything. Guess I’m done for the night.

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