It is something diffrent...That is why

It is something diffrent...That is why.  

FYI:  The world does not revolve around HO.  Glad to see something other than HO get more play time.  Good for them! It is about time the NMRA does not cater to HO only.

To tell you the truth I'm glad to see this as HO is like the wet blanket at the slumber party there is more to see than Just HO. 

What next Maybe a Thomas Layout...?  OMG!  The World could end tomorrow!

"Now I think it is ok for an N Scale layout to be the largest" - Sounds like N scale is just tolerable to you,  again there is more to the world than HO.

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Well ... I hope you feel better after that Doc.  

Would be interesting to know if the two clubs you mentioned had requested more space than what they were given. Assuming neither club is 'local' perhaps the issue of transportation was the limiting factor?

4,500 sq. ft. Lego layout ... I'd like to see that to be honest.  Legos are pretty sophisticated these days ... I saw a recent video where a robot constructed from lego parts set a record for solving Rubik's cube ...

Legos appeal to the wee folks who are too small to play with 'scale' model trains ... but these little ones grow up and perhaps a few will turn their eye toward 'scale' modeling.

Unfortunate that a group that wanted to display a layout was turned away ... but was it due to a lack of space?

What scale is a Lego layout?

How do the trains run? Does it incorporate Minecraft? .DaveBranum

What is wrong with some of

What is wrong with some of you people?  Isn't this supposed to be an enjoyable, relaxing hobby?  Some of you take this thing way to seriously.  Go and enjoy the layouts you want to see; don't visit the ones you don't want to see.  It's that simple.

Lego Layout

Have you ever seen a leggo layout? You just might be surprised. The Lego trains are roughly s Gauge. The museum in San Diego, Ca had a Leggo layout last time I was there. There appears to be a big following of them , by big kids. Leggo no longer makes the trains so to find a large layout is a treat. Also they are not cheap. I'd love to see a 4500 Sq Ft layout of any scale, including leggo.

By all means let them bring

By all means let them bring in some Thomas and Brio layouts for the next convention, too. It's what I would expect of them these days. Any number of the NMRA's recent management decisions have only served to further justify why I walked away from my long NMRA membership about half a dozen years ago. Still, it is probably sad to see this once important hobby group nowadays seemingly going out of its way time and again to take them further and further away from relevance to the more serious hobbyists it once catered to.

NYW&B

That's a big layout..

I've seen the one in the LA County area and have run on it. I think Lego layouts are just as important as O Scale Lionel and LGB layout along with Thomas and the others. For the serious modeler, it is a waste, but I have found after 35 years of this hobby that most "serious" modelers stop having fun. And that's a shame. 

Hope someone posts up some pictures of the layouts in Atlanta! 

Wow! Such Negativity!

I'm really surprised to see so much negative commentary here.  Some of the LEGO layouts can get really sophisticated and can be a delight to the eye!  The detail that some of the builders get into is amazing! A layout displayed here in the Salt Lake area recently had phenomenal and recognizable scenes from Lord of the Rings and a host of other movies.  Other parts represented towns that rival some of the HO work I've seen.  The creativity of these modelers is fantastic - like a view port into a tunnel so the public could see the bats (yes, LEGO bats) hanging from the ceiling!

Model railroading is a broad ranging hobby.  While LEGO trains may not be "scale", they are trains, and they are definitely a model!  Are LEGO trains any less a train than the "toy" at the end of the May 2013 "Yes, it's a model" column?

Some of us get our kicks out of scale models and operation, others on the whimsical side of the hobby.  There is room for it all.  LEGO has a mass appeal, especially for the kids.  And what are the kids playing with today but Thomas and BRIO?  It is a start for the kids to get immersed in trains and perhaps make it a lifetime hobby.  After all, where does the future of this hobby lie?  The NMRA may be smarter than you think...

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Smart move.  Legos are far more popular than Trains will ever be...again...and perhaps ever were, even in their heyday.

A 4,500 square foot Lego layout is going to draw crowds.  Everything else...will draw model railroaders.

I'm willing to bet those who hate seeing this stuff are the same people who get mad at the dollhouse/diecast/old tonka toy hobbyists crashing their toy train shows - and turn up their nose at all the junk Tyco being offered for sale.

The 4500 sq. ft. Layout Design Challenge?

San Diego is also home to the Tehachapi layout of the La Mesa club.  So Lego and Prototype Modeling can dwell together.

Anyway, what sort of display layout would we prefer to occupy 4500 sq. ft. at a model railroad convention?  I would like to see a presentation of the late 1920s when Train Orders, Time Tables, steam locomotives, local passenger, and LCL operations were standard. 

Only serious hobbists apply...NMRA?

Do we have a scale for the serious model railroad hobbyists?    How do we rate that level of seriousness?  Rivet counter, elitist etc.? Grumpy old man, Hermit etc. etc.

Would not a Lego model train builder and operator be serious about follow his or her  hobby with Lego Trains?

Or how about the Thomas or Tyco collector would that person not be serious about his or her hobby?

What about the "N" scale modeler?  Only serious modelers model in HO...is that it?

So how does the Serious model railroader change a light bulb?  Hold the Bulb in the air and let the world revolve around them... 

Hmmm...

I agree.

In my area, we have an active Lego club that supports the local train shows with a large layout/display that frequently occupies more space than many, if not most of the scale layouts.  I personally have no interest in the Lego stuff, but it's apparently a big draw.  It boosts paid attendance, and provides kids as well as adults yet another avenue of entry into the larger hobby. 

I don't begrudge the Lego people their space.  Making a typical modular layout bigger isn't always a qualitative improvement, except to the people within that particular group, and won't necessarily be a greater draw for the public.  I'd rather have a variety of approaches to both attract and maintain a broader spectrum of interest.  Let the traditional modular groups bring their best work to fill the allotted space, and share with the Lego display that will provide a spark to some of those attending.  Those people are among our future scale modelers, and we'll need them.

LEGO

I think having a LEGO layout at the NMRA event is fine, even a big one. But making it by far the largest one there? Cmon now. Is that representative of the MRR hobby? How about the membership of the NMRA? Are LEGO railroaders the biggest group of members? I would be willing to bet that there was a sizable check written to make this happen. You can also bet that any news coverage will undoubtedly show the LEGO layout. Instead of portraying the MRR hobby in a positive light involving technical skill and craftsmanship, it will be shown as a bunch of guys playing with toys.

Thanks for making the NMRA convention into a cheap commercial for your toys LEGO!

DOH!

Wine and Chesse and a Violin to go with it...

And it is not a cheap convention for other aspects of model railroading...?  

Lego

At our train show, the Lego display gets bigger each year as they expand and it is one of, if not the most, popular layout at the show.  As others have said, Lego layouts can be very sophisticated and require as much skill as some finely detailed layouts.  It may not be your cup of tea, but it attracts people to the hobby and that's a good thing.  

NMRA vs Lego

NMRA promotes SCALE model railroading (from the masthead at their web page). Lego does not fit in. Jose.

There seems to be a misconception

As I understand it the National Train Show, though is at the END of the NMRA Convention, is not technically a part of it.  Though Convention attendees may go to it as a part of their "Convention Package", the focus of the NTS is to bring in NON-Convention people to the show.  That is how the NTS, and thereby the NMRA, makes a good chunk of it's money during this event. 

And I hope the display gets even larger by the time next years convention comes to Cleveland, as it combines both my love of lego's and my love for model railroading! Would I want to model in it?  Not really, but I love looking at it!

Ken L

 

Wine and Cheese?

If you seriously can not tell the difference between dedicated skilled craftsman who scrape together pennies to show off their passion at a convention and a giant multi billion dollar mega corporation buying out their space to make a mockery of them so they can sell more toys, that is your business. I do not, however, think that makes it right for you to blatantly insult those who can tell the difference. Have fun playing your fiddle.

About Lego at the Show

Firstly, IIRC, the NMRA was started as an attempt to standardize the model railroad industry manufacturers for the ability to run MakerA's product on MakerB's model railroad. It soon became the "scale modelers" choice for standards in building their layouts.

The NMRA sponsors the National Train Show and promotes it as:

Do not belittle the Lego layouts displayed - they can be quite intricate and colorful.

A good example is from the pictures our dedicated contributor, Jeff Shultz, has given us from his "adventrues" at several shows. This example is from the Saskatoon Model Train Show 2013:

https://forum.mrhmag.com/post/saskatoon-all-aboard-model-train-show-2013-12192636

Many of the "serious" hobbyists do attend these shows, but they are for everybody (and the Lego enthusiast can be serious as well). Regarding the size of the layout - it is good that it is large in that there will be many, many youngsters gathered around the Lego layout, so the size accommodates them.

Keep in mind that the convention and the show are two separate events, although they are scheduled for the same locale and time period for the convenience of those attending both.

dedicated skilled craftsman

Maybe this convention is not the right venue for what you need to display your craft.  You might think about having a convention of your own for those that share your values.  These shows are meant for the "family".

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Oh, the Irony of this statement!!!!

[That's EXACTLY how our hobby [the serious part] has been viewed by the general public for YEARS - BEFORE the Legos!!!]

it will be shown as a bunch

LOL! 

I have no use for the NMRA anyway....

And before anyone jumps me, I have several solid and personal reasons for that based on interaction with some of the members of the organization and the way I was treated by them.

It really doesn't bother me that they would support display of a Lego layout but I fail to see the logic involved in that they always seem to want to present themselves  as "serious modelers" and  a Lego layout would seem to run counter to that.

Michael

I was Marked as Spam...

So, did LEGO pay for the spot as you claim?  or was the spot given to a better group of model railroaders.   Or you upset you can not play with train in a serious manner?

I would like to see facts about LEGO going out of its way to pay for the display layout.  Invoice maybe.  This is a disservice to the modelers that set up the LEGO layout were paid when it is not true.  If it was done with the clubs Pennies and cents just like every other serious modeler that plays with toy trains.