One sticker: A no entry sign for the road sign by the offramp.

Two minis: Car driver and an operator for the sliding platform.

Description

Built in a mid 80ies style this model features a small railway wagon, a small car, a platform with a sliding part and a control cabin. This model allows a car to drive onto or of a waiting railway wagon.

Features

· The bar can be lowered or raised.

· The position of the sliding platform is controlled by turning a brick on the rear of the platform.

· The roof of the control cabin can be removed to place a minifig inside.

· The control panel has various monitoring equipment for sliding the platform to position it the correct distance from the train wagon.

· The control cabin has info screens showing the trains in the area as well composition of the next train arriving.

· The chair can turn.

· There also a coffee maker to supply an endless stream of coffee and a newspaper to pass waiting time.

Design Process

I collect Lego trains and related Lego sets from the 80ies. Looking at an overpriced vintage set (7839) I thought to myself, I can build something similar for a third of the price, using current brick pallets and basic bricks from my collection. - And I get to change all the stuff that I don’t like, such a removing the balcony that blocks the view from the control cabin, and adding a proper staircase rather than just a ladder. The control platform also has proper height railing.

So, I started working on this model. At the same time, I was working on another model supposed to be submitted for the BDP series 11 contest. Bricklink Studio opens up with last brick pallet used. Opening the IO file with the BDP series 11 palette selected, I noticed that apart from a handful of bricks, everything else was in the BDP 11 palette (or could be easily substituted with something that was). The only two major parts that were missing were the black staircase and the inverted 3x4x5 windscreens. The staircase could be brick built. Using hinge bricks, the entire wall could be tilted to a proper angle.

Coming up a bit short of 400 bricks, I decided to have some fun, so I added a control mechanism for the sliding part of the platform. I also added the lighting posts looking very similar to those used in the trains sets from the 1980’ies.

PS: I was wrong about the price. Ordering the missing pieces from Pick-a-Brick, would only cost ¼ of the price of the vintage set.