LEGO Ideas Comes Through - The Train Station: Studgate

[zephyr1934]

11 hours ago, Lord Insanity said:

To be fair it is likely that anyone with the space for two loops of track probably would want 2 or 3 copies of the station to make it long enough anyway.  If  a person only wants (or can afford) one copy of the station they could always use the second track as a static display for the included train and only run one powered train through the other track.  It's not ideal but it is better than the nothing we otherwise have.

Don't get me wrong, it is fantastic an AFOL train station is finally getting some traction and this build has great details. My concern about the track spacing is two fold. If I were to MOC my on station (even with inspiration from this build) I'd do it from scratch rather than parting out 2-3 copies of a limited edition set. It is really the non-train heads or potential future train heads that I am thinking about though. Step 1: "Hey, I bought this cool station to go with my modular buildings!" Step 2: "Now that I have this station, maybe I'll buy a train to complete the station in my modular build space." Step 3: "Now that I have a second train I could use a switch." Step 4: "Doh! That's why I don't want to waste my $ on trains."

Thinking about functionality with other modular buildings, ideally all of the train tracks have to be more than one BP back so that trains can pass behind the normal modular standard, which suggests a single platform for a 1.5 deep station, perhaps with platform extensions so that the model forms a "T" shape. But that design is completely different than this build.

So I can see why it is showing up in the BL exclusives rather than as a Lego IDEAS set. It has great features, the folks who are buying off of the BL exclusives are smart enough about Lego building so they won't be surprised by the track geometry and will know how to fix it if they plan to run trains through the station.

[ivanlan9]

@UltraViolet  Ha!  Thank you SO MUCH!  Great info, and it was definitely not too much.  (Side note:  I am a retired software engineer, and I've always said that it's difficult to give engineers too much information.  I have occasionally received blowback for saying this from engineers, but they are wrong )

BTW, that's a LOT of wheels!

Metta,

Ivan

[Lord Insanity]

On 3/26/2021 at 10:42 AM, zephyr1934 said:

Don't get me wrong, it is fantastic an AFOL train station is finally getting some traction and this build has great details. My concern about the track spacing is two fold. If I were to MOC my on station (even with inspiration from this build) I'd do it from scratch rather than parting out 2-3 copies of a limited edition set. It is really the non-train heads or potential future train heads that I am thinking about though. Step 1: "Hey, I bought this cool station to go with my modular buildings!" Step 2: "Now that I have this station, maybe I'll buy a train to complete the station in my modular build space." Step 3: "Now that I have a second train I could use a switch." Step 4: "Doh! That's why I don't want to waste my $ on trains."

Thinking about functionality with other modular buildings, ideally all of the train tracks have to be more than one BP back so that trains can pass behind the normal modular standard, which suggests a single platform for a 1.5 deep station, perhaps with platform extensions so that the model forms a "T" shape. But that design is completely different than this build.

So I can see why it is showing up in the BL exclusives rather than as a Lego IDEAS set. It has great features, the folks who are buying off of the BL exclusives are smart enough about Lego building so they won't be surprised by the track geometry and will know how to fix it if they plan to run trains through the station.

I would be surprised if anyone not already into trains would even order this considering the nature of how it might be made.  I can see how that might be a problem for the uninitiated though.

I wasn't really thinking parting out the sets so much as simply extending the build by building more window sections and possibly making it wider to account for proper track geometry.  Having a second stair bridge (and a third set to make both fit increased width) would be useful too.  Really if you like the design and just want to upscale it to proper track geometry buying 2 or 3 "sets" seems like it would be way easier than redesigning it from scratch.  The biggest hurdle to that is going to be the likely price tag.

Personally I would ditch the actual train it comes with entirely to save on cost.  I do however realize its inclusion probably makes the build overall more appealing and more likely to succeed.

Am I the only one that actually thinks the current redesign using the garage door panels and technic framework looks better than the original idea of using the old space panels?  I really like the early 1900s industrial gothic aesthetic its current version gives off.

[ivanlan9]

So it's the 17th, pre-orders for the Studgate station are supposed to be open, but where?  I can't find the link. If I can't find the link I can't pre-order, and that wouldn't be good for either me or Lego.  Or Bricklink!

[Murdoch17]

28 minutes ago, ivanlan9 said:

So it's the 17th, pre-orders for the Studgate station are supposed to be open, but where?  I can't find the link. If I can't find the link I can't pre-order, and that wouldn't be good for either me or Lego.  Or Bricklink!

If you're in the USA, I think it's 7pm central.

 

EDIT: @ivanlan9 it's now. However, I'm getting a 404 error from the site.

Edited May 17, 2022 by Murdoch17

[Feuer Zug]

Pre-orders are now open. I've already got mine on order.

UPDATE! Studgate Funded in 13 minutes!

If that doesn't say there's a demand for trains out there, I don't know what does.

Edited May 17, 2022 by Feuer Zug
Update

[JopieK]

Very nice to see indeed! My order was submitted :)

[Mr Hobbles]

Man, I'm on the fence whether to get this or not. On one hand, I want to support more trains, and I really like the small train that comes with it. On the other hand, I really dislike the station itself. It doesn't appeal to me in the slightest.

Decisions decisions.

[JayCal]

Got mine in too.

[Feuer Zug]

49 minutes ago, Mr Hobbles said:

Man, I'm on the fence whether to get this or not. On one hand, I want to support more trains, and I really like the small train that comes with it. On the other hand, I really dislike the station itself. It doesn't appeal to me in the slightest.

Decisions decisions.

From the way this is going, it will sell out soon enough. If you dislike it, skip it and MOC yourself a station you enjoy. The instructions will be online eventually and you can copy from that to create the train later.

[ivanlan9]

I got my order in.  Turns out there was no link, not until some time later than was claimed, when a big red button magically appeared.

So I'm cranky, even though my order was accepted, because by the time I saw the button it had *already* been funded, and I wasn't part of it.

But oh, well. Sounds like I have a shot at it.  We'll see.

And @Mr Hobbles, if you dislike it, you don't need to buy something that doesn't appeal to you just to support the "concept" of trains.  Those of us who do like it already funded it!  But we're grateful you even considered it.  Thanks!

[Feuer Zug]

Studgate sold out in less than 3 hours.

[CopperTablet]

Interesting that Studgate sold faster than Modular Construction Site despite a 33% higher price point in an adverse economy.   What can we infer from this?   There is more of a market for trains than previously believed.  Lego could have sold 15000 Studgates had they wanted.

Edited May 17, 2022 by CopperTablet

[Ropefish]

well kinda sad I couldn't get my own but hopefully shows interest in trains.